MSG Staff
Josephine Kim "Dr. Jo", Ph.D., LMHC, NCC
Founding Executive Director
“Dr. Jo” is a Lecturer on Education in the Risk and Prevention program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the State of Massachusetts. She is a National Certified Counselor whose clinical skills and experiences span many contexts including residential facilities, community agencies, and public and private schools. She has worked with multicultural populations through individual, group, and family counseling and has taught students of all ages in varied educational settings. She has provided professional consultation and expertise on multicultural, mental health, career development, and educational issues to various media sources in Asia and in the U.S. She is USA Today's collegiate case study expert on school violence and has been featured in EBS (Education Broadcast System) and KBS (Korean Broadcast System) programs in Korea related to issues of mental health, self esteem, and other developmental issues of children and adolescents. She is the keynote speaker at 70-100 parent, teacher, counselor, and youth counferences yearly in Asia and in the U.S. She has been called upon during national crises, being deployed by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the federal government to work with victims of Hurricane Katrina. As one of few bicultural, bilingual Korean American counselors, she was invited to Virginia Tech in the spring of 2007, directly following the campus massacre. There she educated, counseled, and trained students, counselors, and staff on mental health issues prevalent in the Korean American community. She serves on the board of directors of several Asian American non-profit and educational organizations that raise awareness of mental health issues in Asian American populations. She is the founding executive director of Mustard Seed Generation, Inc. When she is away from her campus in Cambridge, MA, she and her very new husband Solomon enjoy talking about working out and playing Rummikub.
Pastor David Jung "PD", M.RE., M.A.R.
Founding Director of Spiritual Programs
"Though the darkness closes in Lord, still I will say, 'blessed be the name of the Lord'."
Through his testimony which reveals God's faithfulness, Pastor David Jung challenges many
Christians and non-believers around the East Coast. Graduating from Liberty Baptist
Theological Seminary with a Masters in Religious Education, Arts and Religion, and working
on Divinity, he continues to bless many youth through dynamic sermons at conferences and
retreats. Pastor David is married to his beautiful wife Eunah Jung, who is also a staff member
of MSG, and has two children Adellaie and Toviel. He is currently serving Franconia Korean
Baptist Church in Alexandria, VA as the pastor of English Ministries.
J. Sophia Nam, Ed.M.
Co-Director of Counseling
Ever since experiencing God's restoration through His people at Wellesley College, Sophie has committed herself to helping others in their wholesome pursuit of God, in which lies true freedom and joy. God planted in her a burning desire for God's life-giving Word, ministry training, and missions; in His wisdom, however, God also brought challenges into Sophie's life to open her eyes to the many barriers that hinder growth at all levels: from the individual level to the "powers and principalities." Step by step, Sophie was led to studies in counseling psychology. Currently a third-year Ph.D. student at Boston College, Sophie has received training at various clinical (residential treatment, community agency, elementary and high schools) sites working with diverse, underserved populations. Her specialty is in working with children, adolescents, and their families, providing individual and group counseling as well as parent consultation. While Sophie finds this work rewarding, she fundamentally recognizes the equal value and interdependence of spiritual and emotional healing. When not reading, writing, researching, reflecting, or counseling, Sophie loves serving at Mustard Seed Generation, spending time with friends, and sharing life with her beloved youth kids and family at the Berkland Baptist Church, Sophie's spiritual home. Perhaps due to her own Third-Culture Kid experience (grew up in various cities of Korea, the Czech Republic, and the U.S.), Sophie has a deep concern and love for the displaced, and hopes to make a positive contribution to social justice through giving voice to displaced people and communities around the globe. Sophie also holds a B.A. in Psychology from Wellesley College and an Ed.M. in Risk and Prevention from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
JK Park, B.A., M.A.
Co-Director of Counseling
JK Park received his B.A.in Psychology and Sociology from Grove City College, and his M.A.
in Counseling Psychology from Boston College (BC). Currently, he works as a school
counselor in Massachusetts. He has worked with a diverse population of children,
adolescents, and college students in various settings including a non-profit residential
treatment center for at-risk youth. His work with student-athletes at BC in the Learning
Resource Center as well as his extensive soccer coaching background have also influenced
his interest in providing comprehensive support services. His experiences working in diverse
contexts have valuably enhanced his educational/counseling philosophy and have
significantly contributed to instilling the passion for equipping, empowering, and encouraging
today's youth to grow and mature physically, emotionally, mentally, as well as spiritually.
Growing up in a missionary family and volunteering with mission organizations such as
YWAM and Ambassadors in Sport have also provided invaluable opportunities for him to
interact and develop relationships with people from various racial, ethnic, cultural, and social
backgrounds. He enjoys the challenging process of breaking down barriers and forging
healthy relationships between groups through both individual and systemic intervention. This
summer, he is looking forward to being in Cape Town, South Africa during the World Cup
working with a non-profit organization that promotes HIV/AIDS awareness, education, and
prevention through soccer.
Catherine Hwang, Ed. M.
Director of Logistics & Programming
At an early age, Catherine Hwang developed a passion for teaching. As a Golden Apple
Scholar of Illinois, she learned from award-winning educators the importance of positively
impacting the lives of disadvantaged children and their families. With a strong conviction for
working with inner city youngsters, Catherine worked as a third grade classroom teacher in a
struggling school in North Chicago. Stemming from a deep commitment and love for youth,
she served as the youth group leader/counselor and as the director of the Sunday school
program at her church. During this time, she developed a heart for Korean-American young
women and youth who struggle with their identity. She graduated with a degree in
International Education Policy from Harvard Graduate School of Education in May 2008.
Currently, she is teaching second grade in Chicago, IL. She hopes to expand educational
opportunities to disadvantaged children around the world. This summer, she is looking
forward to developing a global education program for her school district.
Hyun Joo Helen Lee, Ed. M., M.A.
Director of Research
Hyun Joo was born in the United Kingdom and raised in Korea during her childhood;
however, her adolescence was spent in the U.K. After completing college in Korea, she came
to the United States for her graduate studies. Her experience from different cultural settings
gave her a heart and willingness to understand culture and human development in depth.
Her B.A. in English Language and Literature is from Korea University, and she received her
Ed. M. in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard Graduate School of Education.
She also earned a M.A. in English and American Literature from Boston University. Since
childhood, she has been an avid reader of books and literature, especially on human emotion
and history. What has fascinated her in literature has been the pursuit of human values,
which she believes is most pertinent in the studies of Human Development, Counseling and
Education. She is currently enrolled in the M.A. licensure program in School Counseling at
Boston College. She aspires to work with youth from diverse backgrounds, helping youth
achieve to their fullest human potential.
Paul Kim "Big Paul", B.A., M. Ed.
Director of Curricular Programs
Paul Kim began serving as a youth leader and praise leader when he was 16 years old, and with II Corinthians 12:9 as his motto in life, Paul continues to devote himself to serving God through youth ministry. Paul graduated from Virginia Tech in May of 2009 with a Masters in Counselor Education: School Counseling. He is currently working as a school counselor at J.L. Simpson Middle School in Leesburg, VA and is serving the adult English Ministry congregation at Bethany Presbyterian Church in Gaithersburg, MD as the praise leader.
Irene Pak, A.B., Ed.M.
Director of Public Relations
"A race of people is like an individual man; until it uses its own talent, takes pride in its own
history, expresses its own culture, affirms its own selfhood, it can never fulfill itself." Malcolm X
Irene Pak was born in South Korea, but as an infant immigrated with her family to Boston,
Massachusetts. She received her A.B. at Bowdoin College and her Ed.M at the Harvard
Graduate School Education in Human, Development, and Psychology. She has significant
work experience as a higher education administrator at both undergraduate and graduate
institutions. She is passionate about empowering students of color and children of
immigrants to successfully navigate their tertiary education. Her research interests include
Asian American adult identity development within the context of post-secondary education
and multicultural program development.
Sky Kim
Director of Art & Design
“The sky will rain down blessing...” Zechariah 8:6-13
Sky Kim is a designer who loves to eat, sleep, and be creative. She graduated from Virginia Tech in May of 2009 with a Bachelor of Architecture and is currently working as a graphic designer. Sky is passionate about visualizing God’s Kingdom through various forms of art: architecture, photography, graphic design, doodles, and especially T-shirt designs. She is in the process of creating a T-shirt company called Silent Speakers, which its mission is to visually “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute”, Proverbs 31:8. [www.skyjkim.com]
Joe Kim
Director of Virtual Media
Joe Kim began serving as a youth group leader since he was 18 years old. He is currently in
the process of starting his own non-profit organization called Helping Hands which aims to
raise awareness of the needs of our community by connecting and inspiring people to make
a positive impact through music, art, and events. He is also starting his own clothing
company called GETclothing. He is also involved in other great organizations such as Bridge
4 Youth, Photoria Studios, and Kollaboration DC, in addition to Mustard Seed Generation,
Inc. Through his involvement in these movements, Joe hopes to help raise awareness of
social injustices all over the world and challenge the community to help those in need.
