In our inaugural episode of The Korea Society's Women in Leadership series, we are pleased to welcome Ambassador Kathleen Stephens for a conversation on her distinguished career. Having extensive experience in international relations, Amb. Stephens, a decorated former U.S. diplomat, will share her special and deep connections to Korea. She will also highlight her involvement in promoting the U.S-Korea relationship as a former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Peace Corps volunteer, and current President of Korea Economic Institute and Chair of The Korea Society.

Please join our inspiring interview with Amb. Stephens as she remarks on her challenges and progress in her glass ceiling shattering career, as well as her efforts to support and amplify women’s voices. The discussion will be led by a moderator, Vivian Lee, Emmy-winning TV journalist.

A Conversation with Ambassador Kathleen Stephens

Premieres: Thursday, January 28, 2021 | 6 PM

The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Amb. Kathleen Stephens Chair, Board of Directors, The Korea Society President & CEO, Korea Economic Institute Ambassador (ret.) Kathleen Stephens is a former American diplomat. She was U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Korea 2008-2011. Korea has been a leit motif of Ambassador Stephens’ life and career since she served in rural Korea as a Peace Corps volunteer and trainer, 1975-1977. She was in Korea 1983-1989, first as a political officer at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul reporting on Korea’s domestic political and human rights scene, and later leading the U.S. Consulate in Busan. Other overseas assignments included postings to China, former Yugoslavia, Portugal, Northern Ireland, where she was U.S. Consul General in Belfast during the negotiations culminating in the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, and India, where she was U.S. Charge ‘d Affaires (2014-2015). Ambassador Stephens also served in a number of policy positions in Washington at the Department of State and the White House. These included acting Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (2012), Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (2005-2007), Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs (2003-2005), and National Security Council Director for European Affairs at the Clinton White House. Stephens was William J. Perry Fellow for Korea at Stanford University 2015-2018. She is a Mansfield Foundation Distinguished Fellow, Pacific Century Institute board chairman, vice-chair of the board of trustees for The Asia Foundation, and board chair of The Korea Society. She has been President and CEO of the Korea Economic Institute of America since September 2018, based in Washington, DC.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Vivian Lee TV Journalist Vivian Lee is an Emmy-winning TV journalist. She anchored and reported for NY1 for 13 years on issues of vital local and national interest, including Joe Biden’s 2020 election win, Pope Francis’ historic visit to the US, and Hurricane Sandy. Vivian also hosted an arts and culture show, “Spotlight New York,” focusing on the creative landscape of the five boroughs. Along with anchoring continuous live coverage of major breaking news elstories, she reported for 25 years from the field on breaking news stories of the day. Vivian’s career in New York started at WNBC in 2002, where she was a general assignment reporter for six years. Before that she was CityTV Toronto's Parliamentary Correspondent in Canada’s capital, Ottawa. She graduated with honors from Carleton University’s prestigious journalism program, and after stints as a reporter in Halifax and Ottawa, became evening news anchor in Calgary, Alberta. Before covering national affairs in Ottawa, she filed in as anchor and reported for CityPulse News. Vivian has received numerous awards recognizing her industry and community contributions, including the 2019 Lifetime Engagement Award from the Korean American Family Service Center in New York, and a 2020 Emmy Award for her story on Joe’s Pub in Manhattan. She lives in New York with her husband and two daughters.