Our Board of Directors
Connie Busser
President
Connie is a former educator, involved with Public Education for 40 years. She has family ties with Korea through adoption and has volunteered with Families for International Children for over 20 years.
Kelsey Busser
Vice President
Kelsey is a Korean-Adoptee. She received her Bachelor's in Criminal Justice from Grand Valley State University in 2018, and is an Administrative Assistant at Intertek.
Susie
Kim
Treasurer
Susie works as a tax accountant in Grand Rapids and is actively involved in non-profit organizations, both locally and internationally. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in accounting from Calvin University.
Violet VanArendonk
Secretary
Violet is a Music Therapist working in Michigan. She graduated from Western Michigan University with a Bachelor's in Music Therapy. She is an Asian-American adoptee, and wants to continue to learn and be able to provide opportunities for others, especially adoptees, to learn about their cultures.
Mijung (Mia) Matthysse
Trustee
Mia was born and raised in Korea and moved here 4 years ago with her family. She studied French and Film theory and used to work as a private English teacher and a short film distributor in Korea. Here in the US, she is a realtor with Greenridge Realty, and previously a barista and a translator. She loves meeting new people, exploring different cultures and learning new things. As a mom of intercultural kids, she hopes to help spread Korean culture to Michigan.
Trustee
Jenna is the Human Resources Manager at Tekton. She graduated from Cornerstone University with a Bachelor's in Media Studies. She has ties to South Korea from studying and teaching English at Handong Global University.
Joseph VanArendonk
Trustee
Joseph is a Senior Human Resources Generalist at Grand Valley State University, which is where he earned his Bachelor's in Business Administration. He is a Korean-American adoptee, chairs the GVSU Asian Faculty/Staff Association, and serves on the boards of several other professional and cultural Michigan organizations.
Taylor Wildboer
Trustee
After living in Korea for three years, Taylor received their Master of Arts in English Language and Literature from Kongju National University and is currently working as an adjunct professor at Grand Rapids Community College. They are working to gain experience teaching in US colleges before continuing their education and later teaching at a Korean university. Taylor spends their time reading and writing, with the hopes of one day publishing a novel of their own.