Tim Holm

President/Treasurer

Tim is a mixed-race Korean adoptee, born July 9, 1957 in Seoul, and adopted through Holt to a family in Oregon on July 31, 1959. Tim first returned to Korea in 1977, with a second trip in October 1987, where he met a Korean national who was working at the Holt-Ilsan special ed school. After a few months of mail and telephone correspondence, Tim returned to Korea in May 1988 to marry Kim. Tim has subsequently visited Korea more than 45 times.

Tim graduated with a BA from Seattle Pacific University in 1979 and has worked for a local CPA firm in Seattle since graduation. Tim and Kim have a daughter, Jackie (October 1992), who is fluent in Korean, because of Kim’s influence (Tim is Korean-language challenged). Since 1992 they have led tours of adoptees and their families to Korea, with 2005 being their 15th tour group.

Since 1987, Tim has been Treasurer of Korean Identity Development Society (KIDS), an adoptive family support organization providing cultural activities and culture camps for families created through Korean adoption. Tim has been involved with AAAW since 1999, first as Treasurer and currently as President and Treasurer. Tim was an instrumental member of the Planning Committee for the International Korean Adoptee Gathering 2004 in Seoul, Korea. This historic event, planned for and by adoptees, brought together more than 400 Korean adult adoptees from 15 countries. He is currently co-chairing the 2007 International Korean Adoptee Association (IKAA) conference in Seoul, which will be presented by the nine primary adoptee organizations, representing more than 10,000 members, from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, AAAW in Washington, Also Known As in New York and AK Connection in Minnesota, along with assistance to be provided by adoptee organizations in Korea.

On September 13, 2005, Tim received an Angel in Adoption award from Senator Patty Murray, through the Congressional Coalition on Adoption. Tim is also an advisory committee member for the Advisory Council on Inter-country Adoption (ACIA).
 

Jennifer Kelly

VP Communications

Jennifer was born in Seoul, Korea. At the age of 10, she and her older brother were adopted by the Palmer family in a rare open adoption. She left her Korean mother and joined her "American" family who already had two children adopted from Korea, two children from Vietnam and two biological children. Growing up in Iowa, she was involved in International Culture Camp every summer. Upon completing her college studies in Iowa, she moved to Sydney Australia to be with her husband whom she had met in college. Jenny lived and worked in Sydney for a total of 8 years. Jenny also traveled extensively for three years covering many countries in Asia including a month in Korea and also Europe with over a year spent living and working in London. Her years of traveling were by far one of the most educational and enriching experiences. She has worked as a hospitality industry professional for over 12 years, in food and beverage management roles as well as hospitality sales. Jenny has been an active member since 1999 with AAAW and was elected Secretary at the end of 2000 then VP of Communications in 2003. She currently resides in Queen Anne with her husband and enjoys being a "Full Time Mom" to their young son.  

Teresa Betts

Teresa Betts was born on November 13, 1981 in Kwangju, South Korea. At a year and a half, her parents adopted her along with her twin sister. Teresa mostly grew up in Edmonds Washington but for a short while lived in Beaverton Oregon. Currently, Miss Betts is living in Edmonds Washington and is working as a nanny and going to school for a special education degree. In her spare time, she likes to shop, play soccer, ski, camp, hike, and spend time with friends and family. Teresa has been back to Korea a couple of times and hopes to go back soon to get know her biological family a little bit more. She is still actively involved with AAAW as the current Secretary.

Michael Hougham

Michael was born in Seoul Korea in 1972 and was adopted at the age of 5. He
was raised in various small towns in Washington State. After High School,
Michael joined the United States Air Force and was stationed in Korea for
his first assignment. Michael has since returned to Korea a few times and
has lived in Korea for over 3 years. Michael holds an Associate of Applied
Science in Electronic Systems Technology, and is on the brink of obtaining
his B.S. in Management. In 1998, Michael was relieved from the Air Force and
joined the Washington Air National Guard. Michael enjoys working in the
IT/Telecom industry and has worked in the field for over 15 years.
Currently, Michael lives in Federal Way with his dog.

Sarah Kim Randolph

Sarah was born in Incheon, South Korea in 1978 and was adopted the following year. She grew up in the Kansas City area and later attended Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, which is where she first met other Korean adoptees. This led her to volunteer as a camp counselor for Holt Heritage Camps, which she continued to do for three summers. After graduation, she did two years of AmeriCorps volunteer service in both Boston, Massachusetts and Seattle. While in Boston, she joined the board of directors for Boston Korean Adoptees, Inc. Sarah moved to Korea in 2004 in order to attend the Gathering and teach English. She lived, worked, and played in & around Seoul for one year. During that time, she was reunited with her birth family in January 2005. She also spent time participating in various G.O.A.'L. and Adoptee Solidarity Korea events. Recently, she returned to Seattle and is currently at the University of Washington studying for Masters degrees in Public Administration and International Studies. She enjoys returning to Korea and connecting with the global adoptee community.

Patrick Nelson

Patrick was adopted from Taegu, S. Korea in 1972 at the age of nine months. He lived with his adoptive family in Logan, Utah. He moved to the Seattle area in 1995 after graduating from Utah State University. During his junior year in college, Patrick spent a year studying at Yonsei University in Seoul, S. Korea. From his experiences and the culture he learned while being in the “motherland”, Patrick would definitely say it was one of the best year in his life so far. Since then, Patrick has traveled back to Korea six times. Patrick currently works in the Healthcare Insurance field and enjoys hanging out in his boat on Lake Washington in his spare time. Patrick shares passion with other adoptees and offers insight into everyday life in Korea.