Kay Kihwa Rho has a strong, deep history as a committed executive and community leader of the Chicago metropolitan area. Her professional background includes work as a Systems Engineer for Rockwell International and an Application Specialist in Education for Accenture. She oversaw operations as a managing director at ioTrio Co. for 8 years, and from 2015-2017 she served as Executive Director for the Global Children Foundation.Ms. Rho is currently the Executive Director of the Korean Cultural Center of Chicago (KCCoC). KCCoC is the leading destination where all people can participate in programs celebrating Korean culture and heritage. Under her leadership, Ms. Rho has significantly grown KCCoC’s organizational capacity, including securing a major $600,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities under her leadership.
Ms. Rho has also been actively involved with the Asian American Coalition of Chicago (AACC), an organization that promotes equal opportunity in government, education, economic development, and international affairs to increase Asian American involvement in Chicago’s civic leadership. With the AACC, Ms. Rho chaired multiple events that helped to raise the profile of the Asian American experience to a broader community as well as honored notable public officials, including State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez and former Governor of Illinois Pat Quinn.
Ms. Rho has been recognized for her commitment to community through awards from Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and Asian American organizations. Ms. Rho was born in Korea and moved to the United States nearly 4 decades ago and has resided in the Chicagoland area for the past 24 years. She graduated from Cleveland State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Science, and also holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Drama & Theater from Dong-Guk University in Seoul, Korea. She earned an MBA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
