Johng Ho Song began with KYCC in 1985 and has been the agency’s Executive Director since 1998. He is a Senior Fellow with the UCLA School of Public Policy and Social Research and a Fellow with the Annie E. Casey Foundation. He has an established record as a strong community leader within Koreatown and the Los Angeles nonprofit sector and was instrumental in transforming KYCC from an organization focused on the Korean American community, to one that serves all residents of the greater Koreatown community. He serves as a member of Los Angeles County Commission on Alcohol and Other Drugs, Comerica Bank’s community advisory board and is past board president of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. Mr. Song received the Durfee Foundation Sabbatical in 2009 and the Durfee Foundation’s Stanton Fellowship in 2016. Mr. Song is bilingual and bicultural in English and Korean, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA. Mr. Song oversees a diverse workforce of 170 employees with an annual operating budget of over $17 million.

Audrey Casillas is responsible for the successful implementation of the entire KYCC VITA Program and Los Angeles FamilySource Center. She joined KYCC in 2006 and coordinated the VITA Program since its inception. Since first setting up KYCC’s VITA tax preparation site, Ms. Casillas has been coordinating recruitment, and training and managing of volunteers each tax season since 2010. Ms. Casillas is a member of the Free Tax Prep Los Angeles Steering Committee, a member of the VITA Steering Committee for local banks, and she provides training and on-call technical assistance to all sites in the collaborative. Ms. Casillas is bilingual and bicultural in Spanish and English and has a B.S. degree from University of California in Davis.

Caroline Lee is the Director of Children and Youth Development at the Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC), where she leads initiatives to support and empower young people and their families. Before joining KYCC, she served as the Executive Director for Communications and Public Affairs at Cal State LA, where she played a vital role in shaping the university’s public engagement and strategic communications. Prior to her role at Cal State LA, Caroline gained extensive experience in advocacy and community organizing, dedicating over 17 years to championing immigrant rights, health access, language rights, and social justice. Her career is marked by a commitment to community empowerment and systemic change. Caroline is bilingual and bicultural in English and Korean and has a B.A. in English Literature from UC Berkeley.

Glesteree Blades, Director of Human Resources, has been with KYCC since 2016. She oversees the management and department operations to adhere to organizational policies and procedures for KYCC with 180 staff. Ms. Blades earned her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from USC. She has over 30 years of experience in the Human Resources sector and she has worked with a range of nonprofits and for-profit companies, including Asian American Drug Abuse Program. Ms. Blades is an active member of ACHSA’s Human Resources committee.

Jenni Kuida, Director of Grants, has been with KYCC since 2016. She oversees all of KYCC’s grant development efforts, including submission of grant proposals, grants and contract management and reporting. She supervises a team of two grantwriters working closely with Program Managers, Executive Leadership, Development and Fiscal teams. With 30+ years of nonprofit administrative experience, Ms. Kuida was Director of Children and Family Services at Little Tokyo Service Center, Managing Director of Great Leap, a performing arts organization, and Human Resource Manager in a law firm. Ms. Kuida received her Bachelor of Science degree from CSUN in Business Administration in 1987. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Japanese American Community Services and Walk ‘n Rollers.

Joe St. John joined KYCC in 2007 as the Fiscal Manager, and was quickly promoted to Chief Operating Officer that same year. As COO, Mr. St. John is responsible for overseeing the agency’s fiscal management and operations with a $17 million operating budget as well as the Environmental Services Unit, which includes more than two dozen government contracts. Prior to joining KYCC, Mr. St. John worked as an accountant in the private sector, accumulating over 15 years of accounting experience in the entertainment, finance and real estate industries. Mr. St. John earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in 1992.

Joni Byun, Director of Communications and Development joined KYCC in 2024 and she has been a longtime fan and volunteer. Previously, she was a Senior Strategist with the Southern California Center for Nonprofit Management (CNM) and Senior Vice President at NakatomiPR and brings more than 30 years of strategic communications, consultation, and project management experience. Ms. Byun started her career in nonprofits in Koreatown after the 1992 Riots and shares her expertise in communications to reach diverse, marginalized, and underserved communities with specific calls to action. She uplifts KYCC’s mission to deliver on the promise of improving lives through storytelling. Ms. Byun serves as a Commissioner for Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services and Board of Trustees Member for St. Anne’s Family Services.

Namyoung Lisa Kim joined KYCC in 2005 and is currently the Director of Admin and Business Development. Her career with KYCC began by providing technical assistance for Kids Town preschool, KYCC’s Koreatown-based childcare and family day care facility, providing quality assessment, improving quality of childcare, and obtaining funding through First 5 LA Community-Developed Initiatives as a small business counselor. Ms. Kim became Director of Kids Town in 2007, managing day-to-day operations. In 2015, Ms. Kim transitioned to Development Manager, overseeing agency-related special events and projects, and building KYCC’s Development team to include communications, fundraising, and Salesforce donor database. From 2020-2021, Ms Kim managed the coordination of COVID-19 scholarships and applications to support college education costs for 100 high school and college students each year. In 2022, she became Business Development Manager, where she cultivated donor relations and handled all agency special projects. Building onto her role in 2023, she is now Director of Admin and Business Development, overseeing tech and facilities operations across KYCC’s twelve sites. Ms. Kim earned her Bachelor of Arts in Human Development from University of California, San Diego and received 24 Early Childhood Education (ECE) units from West Los Angeles College. 

Nayon Kang has been on staff with KYCC since 2007 as Counselor III, Clinical Services Coordinator, Clinical Services Manager, and Assistant Division Director. She currently provides oversight for Kids Town, Youth Services, Clinical Services, Prevention Education and Recovery Services. Ms. Kang’s relationship with KYCC began in 1984 when she emigrated from Korea and enrolled in KYCC’s elementary afterschool program. She later moved into the middle school afterschool program planting trees and in high school, she joined KYCC’s teen theater and anti-graffiti program. Ms. Kang earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Masters in Social Welfare from UCLA. In 2014, she was named a Magnolia Community Initiative Fellow, helping to build capacity for over 70 community agencies in Los Angeles.

Peter Dokko joined KYCC in 2024 as Director of Finance, where he will lead the agency’s implementation of a new enterprise resource planning software, and he will oversee the fiscal team as Joe St. John focuses onto operations. Peter started his career in the financial services industry in New York City, including serving as a management consultant reporting directly to the COO of Technology at Merrill Lynch. He started his transition towards nonprofits in 2017 by working for the labor union SAG-AFTRA, where he served as an auditor of collective bargaining agreements. Peter received his Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of Pennsylvania with a double major in International Relations (focusing on Northeast Asia) and English Literature in 1996, and a Masters of Business Administration from UCLA Anderson in 2007.

Rick Kim joined KYCC in 2002, and has worked as KYCC’s Youth Development Specialist, Academic Instructor, Affordable Housing Manager, Business Counselor, and Community Economic Development Unit Coordinator and Manager, prior to his current position as Director. He implemented KYCC’s Individual Development Account program, expanded Asset Building programs and oversaw a 500% increase in programs and revenue since 2004. He oversees economic development services programs which include Volunteer Income Tax Assistance, small business program, financial capability, and KYCC’s newest unit, Housing Services. He serves on Los Angeles County Center for Financial Empowerment steering committee and chairs the FDIC’s Alliance for Economic Inclusion Financial Stability workgroup. Mr. Kim earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in History from UCLA in 1996.

Shawn Kuk joined KYCC in 2021, and has since expanded his role to lead KYCC’s Environmental Services programs. Mr. Kuk is responsible for overseeing the agency’s efforts in improving the built environment through existing programs around urban greening, community beautification, affordable housing development and asset management. New programs are intended to guide future community advocacy efforts formed through research and development of more equitable and community appropriate urban planning and development policies. Prior to joining KYCC, Mr. Kuk worked with the Southern California Association of Governments and the City of Los Angeles, accumulating 14 years of professional experience in fields of urban planning and real estate development. Mr. Kuk earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA with a dual major in History and Asian American Studies, and his Master of Planning degree from USC in 2006.