Rachel Hye Youn Rupright Named New Assistant Director of KAAN

The Korean American Adoptee Adoptive Family Network (KAAN) Advisory Council is pleased to announce the appointment of Rachel Hye Youn Rupright as the organization's new assistant director. KAAN is a national, all-volunteer organization dedicated to connecting Korean adoptees, adoptive parents, and others connected to transracial adoption.

Rachel will work closely with existing key volunteer staff, along with Katie Bozek, PhD., executive director/secretary, and Michael Stanley, treasurer. Rupright will continue KAAN’s engagement with essential stakeholders (e.g., adoptees, adoptive parents, spouses/partners of adoptees, children of adoptees, Korean Americans, birth parents) as they support KAAN’s growth and evolution as an organization.

For the past ten years, Rachel has volunteered with KAAN in various ways, most recently and primarily with speaker and main stage coordination for the annual conference. As Assistant Director, Rachel will assist KAAN and Bozek by serving on KAAN's Advisory Council and continuing her work with the annual meeting and other committees. She succeeds Kimberly McKee, PhD.

Rachel was born outside of Seoul, South Korea. She was adopted to the United States and raised in upstate NY. She is also an adoptive parent and currently lives in Albany, NY, with Alexander, her spouse, and Seungjae, her son. When she's not volunteering with KAAN, she's working her day job in public health and serving on the Board of Directors of Capital Roots, a regional non-profit dedicated to food security.

Rupright will start in her role effective immediately. She will work closely with Bozek and other key staff, as she transitions into the role.