Board of Directors
EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
Michael Mullen
President
Michael Mullen was adopted from Korea when he was 2.5 years old and didn’t meet another Asian person for 14 years. He grew up in Washington State, attended college at the University of Washington in Seattle, and moved to New York in 1997, after living in Seoul and Chicago. He attended one of Also-Known-As’s earliest events, but then got distracted and didn’t attend his second event until 20 years later.
This is Mike's fifth year on the Also-Known-As Board of Directors and fourth year as president. He appeared on adoptee podcasts The Rambler and Adapted to discuss his personal story and thoughts about adoption.
Bianca Kuijper
Vice President
Bianca was adopted from South Korea and grew up in The Netherlands. She graduated from the University of Amsterdam and holds Masters in Tax Law and Dutch Corporate Law. In the early 2000's she served as board member of Arierang, the Dutch association of Korean adoptees. Here she developed an interest in Korean cinema and from 2011-2016 Bianca was general manager at CinemAsia Film Festival, the Asian film festival in the Netherlands. In 2016 she moved to New York for her current job at Thomson Reuters and was introduced to Also Known As. She joined the board shortly thereafter, and now is in her fourth year and second as Vice-President.
Mark Fermi
Treasurer
Mark was adopted from Korea when he was 4 yrs old and grew up in Jackson, TN and Lincoln, RI and resides in NJ with his wife Ji-yeon, daughter Jeana and two sons, Samuel and Daniel. He has been a member of Also-Known-As since it was founded in 1996 and serves as the Treasurer. He has served as our web editor, Motherland Visit Director and liaison to the Korean American community and shared his adoption experiences through many speaking engagements in over 20 years of service on the board.
Katherine Miller
Secretary
Katherine Miller was born in Seoul, South Korea and was adopted in the United States when she was four months old. She grew up primarily in Vermont and New Jersey and moved to New York City to pursue a Master's degree at the New School. Shortly following her first trip to Korea in 2013, where she was reunited with her birth family, she began to explore her adoptee identity. Also-Known-As is a meaningful part of her life today as she had little access to the adoptee community growing up.
This is Katherine's seventh year on the Also-Known-As Board of Directors serving as Secretary.
BOARD MEMBERS
Misha Ulrich
IKAA Representative
Misha was adopted with her twin sister from South Korea when they were three months old where they grew up in New York City. Misha graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a B.S. in Public Relations. During her time as an undergrad, she studied abroad on Semester at Sea in the Spring of ’09, and at Sogang University in Seoul, South Korea in Fall ’11. After graduating, she spent time traveling through Europe before moving to Melbourne, Australia to study international relations at the University of Melbourne. Upon returning to New York, Misha got involved in the adoptee community as a teen mentor in Also-Known-As’ mentorship program. This is her fifth year serving on the board.
Jacquelyn Wells
Director of Community Outreach
Jacquelyn Wells is a Korean-American adoptee from Boston, MA, graduating Northeastern University in 2010 with a B.S. in Music and Business. Now based in Brooklyn, NY, Jacquelyn is a musician, jeweler, and works closely with several Korean-American non-profit organizations. An Also-Known-As Member since 2016, Jacquelyn is honored to now be in her second year on the Board as the Director of Community Outreach. Jacquelyn is also a registered yoga teacher, and strives to promote mindfulness and healing within her community.
Hope Johnson
This is Hope’s first year on the Also Known As Board of Directors. She was adopted from Chenzhou, China at 7 months old and grew up in Park Slope, Brooklyn. She has been exposed to many adoptee communities as a kid and has been a part of Also Known As since 2005. A lover of food, Hope has been working in the food industry for 3 years and graduated from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. On her down time you can find her either playing music with friends, taking photos for her blog @hopeeatsnyc, or aggressively hitting a ball against a wall repeatedly (aka playing squash).
Lucia Zerner
Director of Mentorship
Lucia Zerner was born in Hefei, China and adopted at 7 months old. She grew up in New York City, participating in Also-Known-As's Youth and Teen Mentorship Programs. As a child she was immersed in the Chinese-American adoptee community through Families with Children from China. This will be her first year serving on the Board of Directors. She looks forward to being part of an organization created by and for adoptees that builds community. Currently, she is completing her dual Master's degree in Social Work and International Affairs and looks forward to graduating in Spring 2021.
Robert Calabretta
Robert was born in Daegu, South Korea, and presently lives in Flushing, Queens—which he absolutely loves. He attended SUNY Buffalo where he received his B.S. in Business Management and an Masters of Divinity from Westminster Theological Seminary. He is the lead minister of pan-Asian community of spirituality in Flushing and a close partner with social justice groups working in Queens that help victims of human trafficking and domestic violence particularly within immigrant communities. He loves biking, listening to ambient/electronica, and is also into Eurorack modular synths.
Sara Crayne-Dedrick
Sara is a Chinese-American adoptee from Westchester New York. She graduated Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University with a B.F.A in dance. She is currently based in Astoria working both as a free lance dancer and a personal trainer. She has been a member of Also-Known-As since 2019. This is her first year serving on the board.
Board photos courtesy of Benjamin A. Peterson, Joe Birch, and Marvin Mendlinger.