Yoon S. Choi

Dr. Yoon Choi drives her vision to improve outcomes for underrepresented youth with more than a decade of leadership in education non-profits. Her career demonstrates a track record of creating organizational scalability by building partnerships with funders, community organizations, and schools. As CEO of CollegeSpring, she has led the organization to triple the number of students it serves and expand its programming from two to ten states. 

In 2020, Yoon was named a Presidential Leadership Scholar, led by the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. She has published articles about testing and college access in Inside Higher Ed, The Hechinger Report, EdSource, and Thrive Global. She earned her doctorate in anthropology from the University of California at Irvine, her master’s degree from New York University, and a bachelor’s degree from Scripps College.

Yoon initially thought she would pursue her passion for education through teaching in Higher Ed about globalization and the role of media in contemporary events like the 2002 World Cup and K-pop. Although those topics don’t appear in her day job now, she continues to apply her research and training to drive systems change, always with a historical and cultural lens in mind. She credits her nonlinear journey to finding her true purpose in leading social impact organizations that ensure all students have access to equitable education resources and opportunities.