WHO WE ARE

At Seeds of Empowerment, we believe that education is a human right for all. We are a team of dedicated volunteers and leaders committed to implementing Seeds of Empowerment programs to bring access and quality of learning for the world’s hardest to reach. Working together from across 25 countries, our team leverages our skills and our shared passion to make a difference in the lives of underserved communities around the world.

Meet our Founder

Dr. Paul KimFounder
Dr. Paul Kim is the Chief Technology Officer and Associate Dean of the Stanford Graduate School of Education since 2001. As an education technology entrepreneur, Paul leads initiatives involving the design of learning technologies, educational research, and community development. In 2009, Paul founded Seeds of Empowerment, as a non-profit global education incubator for social innovations leveraging mobile technologies.

Executive Team

Daisy ZhangChief Executive Officer
Daisy Zhang is currently responsible for international communication and cooperation of Seeds of Empowerment. She has been to more than 20 countries and has had long-term study and living experience in Asia, Europe, and North America. After studying in China and Finland, she obtained a degree in Master of Public Administration. She used to work in the Chinese government research department, engaged in regional industrial planning and socio-economic studies. She also worked as a tech-journalist in Silicon Valley and Vancouver, focusing on the EdTech industry and exploring technologies that will help promote education reformation and development in the 21st century. After joining Seeds of empowerment, she is deeply inspired by the vision of SoE, and working to spread SoE’s educational concepts and technologies to more regions around the world and benefit more learners.
Grace Hyunkyung KimChief Strategy Development Officer
Grace Hyunkyung Kim is our Chief Strategy Development Officer. She is a member of the organization’s senior leadership team. Grace plays a key role in designing, implementing, evaluating, and enhancing the education program structure that leverages and optimizes current intellectual expertise and creates a roadmap for the future. Grace played an instrumental role in the onset of the organization and has been leading numerous international development activities in over 12 countries. She studied art practice at UC Berkeley and obtained California Preschool Directorship and middle and high school teaching credentials.
Eunju LeeChief Instructional Officer
Eunju Lee is responsible to innovate and execute SOE’s flagship education programs in public schools. She has been leading a large group of public school teachers to operate 1001 Stories project and Halo-Fi global STEM education program since 2019. Also, she is currently experimenting and refining the design and functions of SMILE AI coach with her elementary school students. She is a multi-award winning public school teacher in South Korea.
Sunmin “Annie” EomVice President & SILVER Project Founder (Operations & Curriculum)
Annie Eom is from Seoul, South Korea, and she moved to California in 2018. She is currently a
student at Albany High School. She is a multicultural individual who is passionate about social
activism, entrepreneurship, computer science, and mathematics. Although Annie and Sunny
both have contributed significantly in every step of the SILVER Project, Annie concentrates on
developing the operating system and curriculum. She has designed the teacher training system,
class structure, English curriculum, and global citizenship curriculum. She consistently works
towards her goal of providing education to school-aged children and ultimately creating a better
world.
Sunwoo “Sunny” EomVice President & SILVER Project Founder (Development & Marketing)
Sunny Eom is an education activist with the goal of ending the cycle of poverty through
education. She moved to California from Seoul, South Korea, in 2018, and she is currently
attending Albany High School. Her first-hand experiences of various cultures have fostered her
curiosity and abiding interest in education, entrepreneurship, technology, and economics. Sunny
and Annie have collaborated on SILVER Project since its inception, and Sunny’s primary focus
is development and marketing. She has built the overall structure and is in charge of recruiting
teachers and advertising. Sunny is passionate about Seeds on Empowerment’s goals and
works toward achieving them.
Shanna YeonChief Operating Officer (HALO-Fi)
Shanna Yeon is an enthusiastic educator who has a big passion and heart in child education. Shanna believes that any child deserves to have an opportunity to learn how valuable and potential she/he is regardless of their socioeconomic status. Shanna joined Seeds of Empowerment to motivate children to have a healthy global mindset and discover their power to make an impact on the world and oneself. Shanna has been running various education projects on motivation, leadership, and public speech since 2005. Designing and operating programs as well as facilitating learning in class are her major roles. With her background and belief, she is ready to bring positive societal change by contributing to children’s growth and well-being with seeds of empowerment.
Ashley KimChief Academic Officer (Halo-Fi)
Ashley Kim obtained her Ph.D in Education from University of California, Santa Barbara. Ashley has extended experience in teaching, curriculum development, and STEM-infused literacy projects with underprivileged youth. Her enthusiasm and passion in education expand into making learning context meaningful and accessible for students who are marginalized in current education system. After meeting with Paul Kim, she was inspired by his vision for global education and the mission of the organization and joined Seeds of Empowerment as Chief Academic Officer in order to expand its impact. Ashley believes that every child has potential to become a global leader and her role is to make things possible through carefully designed curriculum and accessible learning platform.

Advisors

Natalia Olij – Social Innovation Entrepreneur, Uruguay

Claudia Munoz Reyes – International Relations Diplomat, Bolivia

Tina Hong – Finance Innovation Executive, Silicon Valley, USA

Nari Kim, Professor and Education Technology Entrepreneur, Wisconsin, USA

Claudia Olaciregui, Teacher of the Year, California & Global Education Executive, Colombia

Volunteer Team

Field Operations and Technology

  • Juengah (June) Kim – Principal Project Lead
  • Pamela Levine – Principal Project Lead
  • Sunmi Seol -Principal Project Lead
  • Noah Freedman -Project Associate
  • Alvin Kim – Project Associate
  • Elisabete Pires – Project Assistant
  • Marc Schnau – Project Assistant
  • Peter (Shiliang) Wang – Project Assistant
  • Justina Kim – Project Associate

Research, Monitoring, and Evaluation

  • Elizabeth Buckner – Principal Project Lead
  • Stephanie Soares Ferreira – Project Lead
  • Eunbae Lee – Project Associate
  • Donggil Song – Project Associate
  • Asli Telli Aydemir – Project Assistant
  • Monita Basu – Project Assistant
  • Ellen Dong – Project Assistant
  • Juan Ignacio Fernandez – Project Assistant
  • Miriam Mahapatra – Project Assistant
  • Lucas Verra – Project Assistant
  • Sawyer Edward Bryce Altman – Project Assistant

Program Development

  • Claudia Munoz Reyes – Principal Project Lead
  • Ioanna Fergadiotou – Principal Project Lead
  • James Miller – Project Associate
  • Anisha Mudaliar – Project Associate
  • Aaron Sharp – Project Associate
  • Yi Zhang – Project Associate
  • Gennesaret Ajuka – Project Assistant
  • Tito Dimas Atmawijaya – Project Assistant
  • Amit Bharti – Project Assistant
  • Kismet El Husseiny -Project Assistant
  • Karen Page – Project Assistant
  • Ananth Subramanian – Project Assistant

Organization Management

  • Mira Gillet – Project Associate
  • Kamakshi Duvvuru – Project Associate
  • Kaveena Balakumar – Project Assistant
  • Syed Talal Hassan Bukhari – Project Assistant
  • Chimae Cupschalk – Project Assistant
  • Yeon Ji Kim – Project Assistant
  • Chole Sheen – Project Assistant

Marketing and Communications

  • Nataya Boonmark – Project Associate
  • Kaushik Nagaraj – Project Assistant
  • Ujjwal Kumar Pathak – Project Assistant
  • Anastasia Volkova-Duhovic – Project Assistant
  • Neha Dhyani – Principal Project Lead
  • Alex Bonk – Principal Project Lead
  • Maren Goldberg – Principal Project Lead
  • JoAnne Allen – Project Assistant
  • Melonnie Manohar – Project Assistant
  • Meredith McDonald – Project Assistant
  • Sayyed Muhammad Irfan Raza Naqvi – Project Assistant