With unwavering dedication, Meesoon Han propelled AKEEP from a memorandum of understanding between the Alabama Department of Education and South Korea’s Gyeongbuk Province into a vibrant nonprofit, driven by key support from co-founders Dr. Thomas Bice and the Honorable Gerald Dial. Since AKEEP gained nonprofit status in 2012, Han has led as its Executive Director.

 

Born in Seoul, South Korea, Han devoted her formative years to education and attended Hanyang University, a renowned institution for engineering research. She then moved to the United States, earning a master’s degree in Computer Science and Mathematics at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Although she did not complete her Ph.D. thesis, she became a college professor and established herself in Illinois, Kentucky, and Alabama before making Alabama her permanent home.  

 

With 17 years of teaching and 30 years as an educational program director, diversity educator, workforce trainer, and translator, Han recognized a need to bridge Alabama communities for educational and economic prosperity. This led to the creation of the Alabama-Korea Education and Economic Partnership. Frequently consulted for multicultural expertise, Han is among the few qualified diversity educators training Alabamians and corporate leaders to bridge cultural differences.

 

She continually researches ways to enhance multilingual and multicultural education for economic prosperity and global careers. She advocated for the Seal of Biliteracy until HB46 became law as AL ACT 2022-200. With her passion, ALIEEP now supports the Alabama and Global Seals of Biliteracy, as well as critical language education. Thanks to her dedication, ALIEEP holds several intellectual copyrights, including the STEAM Educator Program, which features the annual International Convention and foreign teacher education. This includes professional development for educators.