KAAN 2024 Conference

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KAAN 2024 Conference

Join KAAN from June 21 – 23 for three days of keynotes, films, presentations, roundtables, performers, exhibits, support forums, and life-changing community. KAAN offers an Adoptee-Only track, as well as sessions for a general audience that are open to all. There are programs for adults aged 18+ and youth aged 8-17. Everyone is welcome, including adoptees, birth families, family members (adoptive parents, spouses/partners, siblings, and children of adoptees), service providers, and Korean Americans. If you have any questions, please feel free to email us at tech@wearekaan.org.

Register now at tfec.org/kaan2024

Donate to KAAN
KAAN is a Project of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities, fiscal sponsor. This permits KAAN to operate as a nonprofit under TFEC’s 501(c)(3) designation. The official registration and financial information of The Foundation for Enhancing Communities may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, at 1-800-732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement. The Foundation for Enhancing Communities is registered in each state requiring such registration for charitable solicitation. Your donation is tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. Thank you!

12:45pm CDT

Welcome: First-Timer Attendees: General Session Open To All Attendees

Whether you're new to the KAAN Conference or just want a refresher on the details for this year's gathering please join us for an informal Q&A and meet-and-greet session. Anyone attending KAAN (adoptees, adoptive parents, non-adoptee partners, allies, etc.) is welcome to join!

Speakers

Kala Sharp

Kala Sharp is an adoptive parent. Kala is a past KAAN Advisory Council member and current KAAN Finance Committee member. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband, Gary, and two awesome sons, Jae and Sam.

Debra Yoo

Debra Yoo is a non-adopted partner to Nick Ramsey, a Korean American Adoptee. She is a 2nd generation Korean American from the suburbs of Chicago. She is passionate about Asian American advocacy and volunteers as communications co-chair for AAPI New Jersey, a non-profit whose mission... Read More →

Friday June 21, 2024 12:45pm - 2:00pm CDT
Lakeshore A: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

2:30pm CDT

Art and Adoptee Solidarity: Intersectional Storytelling

The graphic novel In My Heart: The Adoption Story Project was developed in collaboration with 200+ people in the adoption community, from adoptees to social workers, adoptive parents, to birth parents, and many more. Contributors age from 14 to 80 and include voices from the African American, Native American, and Korean American communities. This book explores adoption and its complexities--examining concepts of family and intersecting with issues in society related to law, class, race, and identity. Join us for a presentation of scenes from the graphic novel, followed by a facilitated discussion with two adoptee artists involved in the process.

Speakers

Leah Cooper

Co-Artistic Director, Wonderlust Productions

Hi, I'm a transracial adoptee from Los Angeles, CA now based in St. Paul, MN. I was placed in a closed adoption in 1968 at the age of 10 weeks. I've never had access to any of my birth records or family, and I was told that my mother was white and my father was not white, that I was... Read More →

Megan Kim

Megan Kim is a graduate of The American Musical and Dramatic Academy-Los Angeles. She spent 9 years acting and singing in LA performing at various venues such as the Ford Amphitheatre and Fullerton Civic Light Opera, before returning to the Twin Cities. She is a company member with... Read More →

Friday June 21, 2024 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Renewal A: 2nd Floor

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

2:30pm CDT

Can Your Adoptive Parents Be Critical Thinkers?

Adoptive parents, especially those who adopted decades ago, should be critical thinkers on adoption: that can be complicated. Why is so much talk about adoption these days so negative? Isn’t adoption a good thing? How has adoption changed? What do you mean, child trafficking? Adoption industrial complex? What? We’ll discuss the history of adoption, developmental stages of adoptive parents, and how social media has promoted varied voices of adoptees. We will talk about racism, search, reunion, money, and more: what’s their intersection with adoption today in our families with adult children? We encourage adoptees and adoptive parents to attend.

Speakers

Maureen McCauley

Maureen’s professional background is in child welfare advocacy, as former executive director of 3 adoption-related nonprofits. She’s presented workshops on adoption (i.e., transracial, international, older children, racism) across the US and in Canada. She is currently a consultant... Read More →

Astrid Castro

Founder & CEO, Adoption Mosaic

Astrid Castro, founder/CEO of Adoption Mosaic. For over three decades, Astrid has served the adoption constellation through a variety of innovative programing designed to highlight the adoptee experience. Prior to creating Adoption Mosaic, Astrid worked in both the private and public... Read More →

Friday June 21, 2024 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Lakeshore B: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

2:30pm CDT

Crafting Conversations About Heritage and Culture

For many intercountry adoptees, the responsibility of learning about their culture, heritage, and race falls upon the adoptee themself. Taking on this journey is challenging enough, but communicating their discoveries and challenges can lead to difficult conversations about identity and belonging with their family and friends. This session—designed for all KAAN attendees—involves two parts. First, you will hear from recent narrative research featuring stories from Korean adoptees about heritage learning. Then, you will get hands-on to create a personalized booklet meant to support future compassionate conversations about heritage, culture, race, and identity.

Speakers

Margaret Jeong

Margaret Jeong (정인아, they/them) is a Korean adoptee and doctoral student at the University of Illinois Chicago where they research multilingualism and heritage culture education for adoptees. Their passion for learning pungmul (traditional Korean percussion) led them on a journey... Read More →

Friday June 21, 2024 2:30pm - 3:45pm CDT
Lakeshore A: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

8:00pm CDT

Dry Space and Games

This is a space for games and hanging out. Alcohol is not allowed.

Friday June 21, 2024 8:00pm - 9:30pm CDT
Division: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

9:00am CDT

Adoption (Mis)Representation in Entertainment

Orphan and adoptee protagonists historically make up a large part of storytelling, and adoption representation in entertainment only continues to grow. Yet, the adoptee community still has to fight for inclusion in sharing our lived experiences. In this session, a survey of depictions of adoptees in film, TV, and other media will be shown, contextualized, and then discussed in breakout groups. Join Kira Omans, an actor and Chinese adoptee, and Nicholas Ramsey, a video producer, editor, and Korean adoptee, for a critical conversation on the good, the bad, and the potential future of adoptee representation in entertainment.

Speakers

Kira Omans

Kira Omans (she/her) is a transracial Chinese adoptee and SAG-AFTRA actor and martial artist. She appears in CSI: Vegas, The Gods II, Power Rangers: Rise of the Ninja, and What Happened to Suzy. Her voiceover credits include Girl From Nowhere (Netflix), Real Sports with Brian Gumbel... Read More →

Nicholas Ramsey (he/him)

KAAN AC, KAAN Speaker Coordinator, KAAN Tech

Nicholas Ramsey (he/him) has professionally produced and edited videos and podcasts for over 15 years. In terms of adoptee media, he is the producer-editor of Angela Tucker's podcasts. Born in Busan, South Korea, he was adopted in the 1980s, during the peak of international adoption... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 9:00am - 10:15am CDT
Lakeshore A: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

9:00am CDT

Estrangement in Adoption: Preventing, Accepting, Healing

As adults, many adoptees are at a loss with their adoptive parents when talking about adoption, and at the same time educating parents should never be an adoptee’s burden. Adoptees often are dealing with relationships, racism, search, reunion, creating their own families. Some adoptees become estranged from their parents, briefly or for decades. How does this happen? Can it be prevented? Can healing happen, whether estrangement becomes the norm or there is reconciliation? What does reconciliation look like for the different constellation family members: adoptees, parents, siblings... Healing can take different forms. Adoptees deserve support, whatever path they take.

Speakers

Liz Kwon

Liz Kwon was born in Seoul, South Korea and was adopted to a family in Wisconsin. During the day she is a front end developer and at night, runs KAD Collective, a data-focused website whose goal is to help Korean adoptees find connection through shared experiences, locations or stories... Read More →

Astrid Castro

Founder & CEO, Adoption Mosaic

Astrid Castro, founder/CEO of Adoption Mosaic. For over three decades, Astrid has served the adoption constellation through a variety of innovative programing designed to highlight the adoptee experience. Prior to creating Adoption Mosaic, Astrid worked in both the private and public... Read More →

Maureen McCauley

Maureen’s professional background is in child welfare advocacy, as former executive director of 3 adoption-related nonprofits. She’s presented workshops on adoption (i.e., transracial, international, older children, racism) across the US and in Canada. She is currently a consultant... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 9:00am - 10:15am CDT
Lakeshore B: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

10:30am CDT

Family, Culture, Identity: Generational Adoption Impacts

The session aims to explore the cross-generational perspectives on the impact of trans-cultural adoption. We'll present insights from various generations, including adoptees and their children.

Discussion points:

Personal anecdotes illustrating perspectives.
Tackling challenges and controversies of transracial/transnational adoption.
Exploring identity, cultural preservation, and discrimination.
Changing issues across generations and efforts to address them.
Highlighting positive aspects and benefits of transracial/transnational adoption.
Discussing the potential for increased cultural awareness and acceptance.
Sharing success stories where cross-generational perspectives have led to positive outcomes.

Q&A:

Audience encouraged to ask questions and engage in discussion.

Speakers

Claire Magenheimer

Claire is a certified Jay Shetty Empowerment Coach and Somatic Breathwork Practitioner with a mission deeply rooted in empowering individuals who have experienced adoption, especially in the context of transracial and transnational adoption. As an adoptee herself, Claire possesses... Read More →

Jolie Magenheimer

As a bi-racial daughter of a Korean adoptee, Jolie has always been passionate about exploring identity and promoting inclusivity. This passion was further nurtured during her time at the University of Virginia, where she moderated multiple retreats and delved deep into the complexities... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 10:30am - 11:45am CDT
Lakeshore A: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

10:30am CDT

Stories Adoptees Rarely Tell

How much do you think you know about the adopted child or adult in your life, including their most challenging experiences and difficult feelings—aspects of their lives that are hard for them to acknowledge to themselves, let alone to others? Glenn Morey, adoptee and creator of the Side by Side documentary film project, and Melinda McCulloch, adoptee and clinical therapist will explore the feelings that are often unexpressed and unknown to parents, partners, and even best friends—fear, shame, anger, alienation— examining the raw and unfiltered adoptee stories of Side by Side, and the role of clinical therapy.

Speakers

Glenn Morey

Side by Side Project

Glenn Morey is co-director of the documentary film project, Side by Side, presenting the stories of 100 adult Korean adoptees—filmed in 7 countries, 16 cities, and 6 languages. “Side by Side: Out of a South Korean Orphanage and Into the World” won the Gold Jury Award for Best... Read More →

Melinda McCulloch

Melinda McCulloch is a clinical social worker and Korean adoptee whose psychotherapy practice specializes in working with adoptees and their families, and others who are navigating issues of identity, attachment/intimacy, or grief and loss. Over the past 15 years, she has volunteered... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 10:30am - 11:45am CDT
Lakeshore B: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

2:00pm CDT

Beyond Assimilation: Ghost Kingdoms & Korean Adoption

In Betty Jean Lifton’s “Ghosts in the Adopted Family,” she states, “[t]he story of adoption is a ghost story”. I will consider the ghost kingdom in Jane Jeong Trenka’s The Language of Blood, and how hauntings from Korea constitute a form of resistance – against the white saviorist narrative of adoption. My reading will recognize the ghost kingdom as a (non)memory that counters the cultural, biological, and identity erasure in transnational/-racial adoption. In honoring the tradition of hauntology, queer of color critique, and Eng & Han's racial melancholia, I argue the ghost kingdom is a radical (re)connection and remembrance.

Speakers

Eryn Mei Fēng

Eryn Mei Fēng (they/them) is a Mellon Mays Research Fellow at Bryn Mawr College and a Chinese adoptee born in Fengcheng, Jiangxi. They are invested in exploring the innate interconnectedness between transness, queerness, race, gender, and citizenship - all concepts that the study... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 2:00pm - 3:15pm CDT
Lakeshore A: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

2:00pm CDT

Cutoffs, Estrangements, and Complex Adoptive Families

Transracial adoptions connect children with “forever families,” however narratives from adopted individuals reveal that adoptive families are not always for forever. Relationships among adoptees and their adoptive parents shift as adoptees move from childhood through adulthood. Those shifts can result in altered perspectives and changes in family dynamics. As members of the adult adoptee community, researchers, and clinicians, we will present our study on estrangement in adoptive families. We asked: 1) how do adopted individuals experience estrangement? and (2) what are the precursors to, and implications of, estrangement? We will present preliminary findings and gather input and insights from attendees.

Speakers

Amanda Baden

Amanda was born in Hong Kong and was adopted by white parents in the U.S. Amanda has been a practicing licensed psychologist since 2001 and her practice is based in New York City. Amanda is also a Professor the Doctoral Program Director of the Ph.D. In Counseling Program at Montclair... Read More →

Rebecca Randall

Rebecca Randall, Ph.D, LPC is a counselor in private practice and adjunct faculty member in clinical mental health counseling programs at several universities in New York and New Jersey. Dr. Randall is an adoptee who is a member of Dr. Amanda Baden's adoption research team, which... Read More →

Meggin Nam Holtz (she/her)

Meggin "Nam" 남 Holtz, LMSW, is a Korean transracial, transnational adoptee and has been involved in adoption awareness, adoptee advocacy, and support for over a decade. Her award-winning documentary film, "Found in Korea," about birth search, country of origin travel, identity... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 2:00pm - 3:15pm CDT
Lakeshore B: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

3:45pm CDT

Contextualizing KAD Identity in IBPOC Communities

Please note: this session will repeat at 9:30 AM on Sunday, June 23.

IBPOC communities, like any community, are partially defined by their membership; while KADs may seem like a group that would naturally be part of the larger group, this is not a perspective shared by all members of either community. This session invites attendees to critically consider the experiences (including opportunities and challenges) of KADs navigating IBPOC communities and spaces. Through a combination of large and small group conversations, individual reflections, presentations, and interactive activities, participants will be able to explore multiple perspectives related to identity development as well as increase their awareness of self, others, and relationships.

Speakers

DeLa Dos

DeLa Dos currently lives in Washington, DC where they serve as the senior director, Learning + Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Association of Research Libraries—a nonprofit membership organization of research libraries and archives in major public and private universities... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 3:45pm - 5:00pm CDT
Lakeshore A: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

3:45pm CDT

The Wrath of K(H)AAN

What does it mean to be represented? What is “good representation”? Adoption and its themes are prevalent in all genres of media but in this session we’ll be explicitly focusing on science fiction. From Star Trek to Star Wars you’ll come to find the themes of adoption are pervasive throughout many stories. We’ll look at the good, bad, and even in-between to discuss the themes, nuance, and what it means reclaim our own narratives. This session is adoptee focused and centered but all are welcome. It will be a mix of discussion and presentation.

Speakers

Jean Gou

"Jean" (pronounced ‘John’) Gou is a passionate advocate for marginalized communities and someone who values community work. Jean is a Chinese, culturally “American” individual who is growing in his involvement within adoptee spaces. He works with several communities, including... Read More →

Saturday June 22, 2024 3:45pm - 5:00pm CDT
Lakeshore B: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

8:45am CDT

Debrief: First-Timer Attendees: General Session Open To All Attendees

Reconnect with the cohort from your first-timers session and discuss KAAN next steps.

Speakers

Dr. Katie Bozek

Executive Director, KAAN

Katie Bozek, PhD is a licensed marriage and family therapist. She has worked in the mental health field for the past 20 years providing services that are aimed at helping people be able to be and show their authentic selves. She currently serves as the Executive Director of KAAN... Read More →

Kala Sharp

Kala Sharp is an adoptive parent. Kala is a past KAAN Advisory Council member and current KAAN Finance Committee member. She lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband, Gary, and two awesome sons, Jae and Sam.

Debra Yoo

Debra Yoo is a non-adopted partner to Nick Ramsey, a Korean American Adoptee. She is a 2nd generation Korean American from the suburbs of Chicago. She is passionate about Asian American advocacy and volunteers as communications co-chair for AAPI New Jersey, a non-profit whose mission... Read More →

Sunday June 23, 2024 8:45am - 9:15am CDT
Lakeshore A: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)

9:30am CDT

Contextualizing KAD Identity in IBPOC Communities

Please note: this session will repeat at 3:45 PM on Saturday, June 22.

IBPOC communities, like any community, are partially defined by their membership; while KADs may seem like a group that would naturally be part of the larger group, this is not a perspective shared by all members of either community. This session invites attendees to critically consider the experiences (including opportunities and challenges) of KADs navigating IBPOC communities and spaces. Through a combination of large and small group conversations, individual reflections, presentations, and interactive activities, participants will be able to explore multiple perspectives related to identity development as well as increase their awareness of self, others, and relationships.

Speakers

DeLa Dos

DeLa Dos currently lives in Washington, DC where they serve as the senior director, Learning + Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Association of Research Libraries—a nonprofit membership organization of research libraries and archives in major public and private universities... Read More →

Sunday June 23, 2024 9:30am - 10:45am CDT
Lakeshore B: Lobby Level

General Session (Open To All Attendees)