Born in Vancouver to South Korean immigrants, Steve was raised in Coquitlam since the age of eight, graduating from Centennial Senior Secondary, Dr. Charles Best Junior Secondary and Meadowbrook Elementary.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Western Ontario, and a Master of Arts from Korea University, where he specialized in the study of venture-backed technology, business and economics. Currently, he lives in the Maillardville neighbourhood of Coquitlam, with three generations of his family living, working and studying across the Tri-cities.
Steve is an entrepreneur and small business owner with over 20 years of experience in the technology, digital media, entertainment and non-profit sectors. Throughout his career, Steve has published numerous articles and has spoken at various conferences, workshops and student events.
As an avid volunteer, Steve has dedicated his life to serving in the community. Some current and past examples of his community service include:
Council Member of the inaugural Joint Task Force Pacific – Diversity Council for the Canadian Armed Forces
Advisory Council member for Fairleigh Dickinson University’s School of Business
Director, Board Secretary, Nominations Chair, Fundraising Chair and Branding Committee for Place des Arts
Member of the City of Coquitlam Economic Development Advisory Committee
Director of the Maillardville Residents Association
Committee member for ACCESS Youth
Director of the Canada Korea Business Association
Project team member for the Frederick Lee Walkway at The Hill 70 Memorial Project in France
Co-founder and Chair of C3 Korean Canadian Society, which hosts Camp Korea, the largest, secular Korean culture camp in Canada and the annual Leadership Conference for university students and young professionals (Through his work with C3, Steve received the Prime Minister’s Citation from the Blue House in the Republic of Korea. He is the first Korean born outside of South Korea to receive this distinction.)
Member the Multicultural Advisory Council for the Province of BC
President for the BC chapter of the American Marketing Association
Vice Chair of Volunteers for the 2015 CP Women’s Open
Two-term mentor for the Forum for Women Entrepreneurs
Public relations representative for the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, Chimo Community Services, Tsengdok Monastery / Tibetan Cultural Society of British Columbia (during the H.H. the Dalai Lama’s visit in 2014)
Steve has been:
Chair of the Economic Development Advisory Committee
Vice Chair of the Universal Access-Ability Advisory Committee
Council Representative on the Coquitlam River Watershed Roundtable
Council Representative on the Tri-Cities Food Security Table