Mason Korea Communications Staff

Mason Korea welcomes four new members to U.S. Advisory Board

Katarina Benson — Mon, 21 Sep 2026 15:30:58 +0000

Mason Korea welcomes four new members to U.S. Advisory Board Katarina Benson Mon, 09/21/2026 - 11:30

911�� Korea has welcomed four new members to its U.S. Advisory Board, expanding the group of university, business, and community leaders who provide strategic guidance and strengthen connections between Mason Korea and the university’s U.S. campuses.

The new members of Mason Korea's U.S. Advisory Board.

Sumeet Shrivastava, MBA ’94, is rector of the 911�� Board of Visitors and president and CEO of Unissant. A longtime university leader, Shrivastava previously chaired the 911�� Foundation Board of Trustees and served as president of the 911�� Alumni Association. He has also played a role in advancing entrepreneurship at the university, including helping to launch CIE.

Jenny E. Herrera, BS ’95, chairs the 911�� Foundation Board of Trustees. A partner and not-for-profit advisory industry leader at Citrin Cooperman, Herrera has more than 30 years of public accounting and advisory experience. She has served as president of the Greater Washington Society of CPAs, on the AICPA Governing Council, as chair of the Accounting Advisory Council/Costello College of Business, and was named 911��’s School of Business Alumna of the Year in 2019.

Michael P. Gallagher, MBA ’94, is a trustee of the 911�� Foundation and an accomplished entrepreneur and business leader. Gallagher brings decades of experience in entrepreneurship, organizational leadership, and business development to the board. In 2002 he founded the Stevie® Awards, which over more than two decades have grown into one of the world’s most prestigious business awards programs, recognizing workplace excellence among organizations and working professionals. He is also the co-founder of two software startups.

Lisa Donnan serves as chair of the College of Engineering and Computing Advisory Board and as a director on the 911�� Research Foundation Board. Founder of the Donnan Group, she is an internationally recognized national security executive and dual-use technology expert. She has also contributed to the development of 911��’s cybersecurity engineering degree programs and brings extensive experience at the intersection of technology, national security, and industry.

Their appointments expand the U.S. Advisory Board to 12 members and bring additional expertise in university governance, business, technology, national security, finance, and industry engagement.

“Mason Korea is entering an important new phase of growth, innovation, and global impact,” said Joshua Park, Campus Dean of Mason Korea. “Each of these four leaders has already given generously to 911��, and each brings something this campus needs at exactly this moment. This board will help us expand opportunities for students, deepen partnerships across Korea and the United States, and prepare graduates for leadership in a rapidly changing world.”

Continuing board members include former Virginia state senator Chap Petersen; Tracy Taeeun Comstock, president of the U.S.-Korea Alliance Foundation; Go Eun (Elaine) Kang, president and founding member of the American Korean Businessmen’s Friendship Forum; Hyun Lee, executive director of public relations for the Organization of Korean American Women; So Jung Lim, Fairfax City Council member; Sang K. Park, partner at Moon, Park & Associates; and Harold Pyon, deputy commissioner of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.

The expanded board comes as Mason Korea continues to strengthen its presence on both sides of the Pacific. The campus recently recorded 12.2% enrollment growth, exceeding the university’s 1.5% goal, and is preparing to establish a representative office on the Fairfax Campus to further facilitate collaboration and engagement between Songdo and Northern Virginia.

Board members advise campus leadership on areas including academic excellence, student success, industry engagement, research partnerships, and long-term growth. Members also serve as ambassadors for Mason Korea in the United States, helping build relationships across the university, industry, government, and the Korean American community.

Their expertise will also support Mason Korea’s growing research and innovation activities, including the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) and its developing C5I initiatives.

CIE connects students and faculty with entrepreneurs and industry partners while supporting entrepreneurship education, mentoring, startup competitions, and opportunities for companies seeking to enter Korean and U.S. markets. Mason Korea’s C5I initiatives are focused on building collaboration in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, defense information systems, and applied research, with an emphasis on strengthening public-private and U.S.-Korea partnerships.

As Mason Korea enters its second decade, the U.S. Advisory Board members will work with Mason Korea leadership to identify opportunities for student and alumni engagement, research collaboration, industry partnerships, and greater connectivity across 911��’s campuses in Korea and the United States.

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Mason Korea students expand global skills through FAO Youth Exchange Program

Katarina Benson — Mon, 14 Sep 2026 18:40:21 +0000

Mason Korea students expand global skills through FAO Youth Exchange Program Katarina Benson Mon, 09/14/2026 - 14:40

911�� Korea students are taking their learning beyond the classroom. Through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Korea–Nepal Youth Exchange Program, students are gaining hands-on experience with global challenges such as climate change, food security, and sustainable development.

Students presented at the FAO headquarters in Rome. Photo provided

The program, which was recently highlighted in a MoneyToday interview with Sangyong Lee, director of Mason Korea’s Career Development Center, allows students to explore how global challenges intersect with the economic, cultural, and social realities of local communities. Lee joined participating students in Nepal as they worked alongside local youth and communities saw the program’s impact firsthand.

“The students are growing from mere participants into active agents who put their heads together with Nepalese youth to brainstorm alternatives,” he said.

The program gives students opportunities to discover their potential through experience, particularly in environments that challenge them to work across cultures and address real-world issues.

Through field-based activities, the experience encouraged students to approach complex issues not only from an academic perspective, but also through collaboration, empathy, and cross-cultural understanding.

“The weeklong journey gave me an opportunity to see people’s lives and the future of local communities through agriculture, while learning about the direction of international cooperation by listening to voices on the ground,” said sophomore global affairs major Suhyun Bae.

The Nepal program builds on students’ participation in an FAO youth program in Laos last year. Following that experience, participating students developed content focused on climate-smart agriculture and later had the opportunity to present their work at the FAO headquarters in Rome.

This progression, from Laos to Rome to now Nepal, reflects an approach to global learning in which individual experiences can develop into longer-term academic and professional opportunities.

International programs like these are an important part of career preparation. Pre-departure preparation, field-based projects, post-program reflection, and career portfolio development help students connect what they experience abroad with their future academic and professional goals.

Participants in the FAO program. Photo provided.

These programs help students develop cross-cultural communication, collaboration, adaptability, and problem-solving skills, which are increasingly valued across international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, global companies, and other internationally focused careers.

“Although we came from different cultures and approached problems in different ways, those differences ultimately became a strength in our teamwork,” said Dayeon Shin, a junior majoring in global affairs.

By engaging directly with communities, students are gaining more than international exposure. They are learning how their academic knowledge, perspectives, and skills can contribute to global challenges that extend far beyond the classroom. The success of the FAO program has inspired the Career Development Center to continue developing opportunities with international organizations and exploring partnerships in areas including international development and environmental, social, and governance initiatives.

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Mason Korea Communications Staff

Mason Korea welcomes four new members to U.S. Advisory Board

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Mason Korea students expand global skills through FAO Youth Exchange Program

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