2025 Van Fleet Award Honorees

Accepted b

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Dr. Chang, In Hwa
Chief Executive Officer
POSCO Holdings

Dr. Chang In Hwa was appointed Chief Executive Officer of POSCO Holdings in March 2024. Dr. Chang’s life career at POSCO Group began in 1988 when he joined the Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology (RIST) as a researcher. After rising through the ranks at RIST, he transitioned to POSCO in 2011 to assume more prominent roles is business operations. To manage the business of steelmaking, he advanced through diverse leadership roles in business development, marketing, R&D and production. After holding key positions at POSCO, i.e., COO, CTO, he took a brief break from the frontlines in 2021 by serving as Executive Advisor. Currently, he also chairs notable external organizations, such as the Korea-Australia Business Council (KABC) and the Korea Iron & Steel Association (KOSA).

Throughout over 30 years of his professional career at POSCO Group, Dr. Chang has built robust technical expertise, wealth of business experience and deep insight into the steel industry. Interdisciplinary knowledge combined with operational leadership has helped to drive exceptional enhancements across production processes, marketing, finance and research. He is revered for his communication skills and close attention paid to staff.

Dr. Chang holds a Ph.D. in Ocean Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Prior to the terminal degree, he obtained his M.S. (1979) and B.S. (1981) degrees in Naval Architecture & Ocean Engineering from Seoul National University (SNU) in Korea. Despite daunting schedules, Dr. Chang keeps a regular daily exercise routine and enjoys reading non-fiction science and engineering publications. He is married with 2 grown children, a son and a daughter.

Accepted by

Congressional Study Group on Korea
Part of the U.S. Association of
Former Members of Congress (FMC)

The Congressional Study Group on Korea (CSGK) was formed in 2018 to better showcase the economic and security partnership between the United States and the Republic of Korea. CSGK's Capitol Hill programs and Study Tours create a unique opportunity to bring the history, culture, economic realities, politics and security concerns of our ROK ally to the Congressional Family. An annual highlight of the CSGK's programming is a Study Tour to South Korea with a bipartisan delegation for Members of Congress that offers a deep dive into the key issues facing the bilateral relationship.

Accepted by
Hon. Ami Bera
Congressman
U.S. Representative for California’s 6th Congressional District

Congressman Ami Bera, M.D. has represented Sacramento County in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2013. The 6th Congressional District is located just east and north of California's capitol city, Sacramento, and lies entirely within Sacramento County.

Congressman Bera currently serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee as the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific, and on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. He is also a member of New Democrat Coalition, a group of over 110 forward-thinking Democrats who are committed to pro-economic growth, pro-innovation, and fiscally responsible policies.

A lifelong Californian and son of Indian immigrants, Congressman Bera grew up believing America was a land of opportunity, where if you worked hard and played by the rules, you could reach your full potential. He attended California's public schools from grammar school through medical school, earning both his B.S. and M.D. from the University of California, Irvine. With help from his family, scholarships, and working part-time, he put himself through medical school while taking advantage of federally-funded student loans, and graduating with less than $10,000 in debt. He credits much of his success to his country's investment in him, and he's working to ensure that we continue to invest in hard working Americans to keep the American Dream alive for the next generation.

During Congressman Bera's twenty-year medical career, he worked to improve the availability, quality, and affordability of healthcare. After graduating from medical school in 1991, he did his residency in internal medicine at California Pacific Medical Center, eventually becoming chief resident. He went on to practice medicine in the Sacramento area, serving in various leadership roles for MedClinic Medical Group. Chief among his contributions was improving the clinical efficiency of the practice. He then served as medical director of care management for Mercy Healthcare, where he developed and implemented a comprehensive care management strategy for the seven-hospital system.

Congressman Bera went on to put his medical experience to work for his community, serving Sacramento County as Chief Medical Officer. In that role, he fought to reduce the cost of health care, create jobs, and deliver care to tens of thousands of Sacramento residents. He then moved into education, working as clinical professor of medicine and associate dean for admissions and outreach at University of California, Davis, where he taught the next generation of doctors. He also helped the University's student-run clinics find innovative ways to engage with the community and deliver care to those who needed it most.

In Congress, Bera uses the skills he learned as a doctor to listen to the people of Sacramento County and put people ahead of politics to move our country forward. His priority is to work alongside people in both parties to address our nation's most pressing challenges and make government work. Bera believes Congress should be a place for service, not for politicians who only look out to protect their own careers, pay, and perks.

Congressman Bera has also made it a priority for his office to make government work for Sacramento County. His office has now helped return more than $21 million to local taxpayers – everything from backlogged veterans' benefits to Social Security savings. His office also has helped more than 33,000 Sacramento County residents since 2013.

Congressman Bera is the longest-serving Indian American serving in Congress. He has lived in Sacramento County for over 20 years with his wife Janine, who is also a medical doctor. They are proud parents to their daughter, Sydra.

Accepted by
Hon. Young Kim
Congresswoman
U.S. Representative for California’s 40th Congressional District

Congresswoman Young Kim is proud to represent California’s 40th District, which includes parts of Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties, in the U.S. House of Representatives.

An immigrant, small business owner, community leader, mother, grandmother, and one of the first Korean American women ever to serve in Congress, Young is proud to represent California’s 40th District and work to help all Americans have the chance to achieve their dream just like she did. 

In the 119th Congress, Young continues to serve on the House Financial Services Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she is Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific. She also serves on the Select Committee on the Strategic Competition between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party.

Young is consistently ranked among the most bipartisan and effective members of Congress, with nearly 40 bills through the House and over a dozen signed into law.

Young and her husband Charles live in Anaheim Hills and are the proud parents of Christine, Kelly, Alvin, and Hannah and grandparents of Mia and Caleb.