Prominent Korean-Americans from business, politics, education, entertainment, non-profit and social innovation gathered at the USC School of Social Work's Network for Korean-American Leaders (NetKAL) Gala and Summit on Sept. 24-25 to meet fellow Korean Americans and discuss the community's future direction.

The goal of the annual two-day event, inaugurated last year and organized by the USC Center for Asian Pacific Leadership and NetKAL fellows, is to recognize the pivotal leadership role the next generation of Korean-American leaders plays, and harness its creativity and energy toward a strategic collaboration that will positively impact the Korean-American community and U.S.-Korea relations.

Jehoon Lee, executive director of the USC Center for Asian Pacific Leadership, describes the Korean-American community as a rapidly growing, influential group that is quickly expanding from a predominantly immigrant community with first-generation concerns to a homegrown American society rising in professional prominence and political activism, while maintaining a unique connection to one of the U.S.'s most important trading and security partners, Korea.

"There are now equal numbers of second-generation to first-generation Korean-Americans, and the leadership is shifting. We believe second-generation Korean-Americans hold the key to unlocking the potential of the overall Korean community," he said.

Five hundred people from all over the United States and abroad convened at the historic National Building Museum in Washington D.C. for the kick-off gala, which honored the achievements of Korean-American leaders and Asian-American community partners.

Distinguished speakers at the gala included keynote speaker Howard Koh, assistant secretary of health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Gary Locke, secretary of commerce; Arne Duncan, secretary of education; Duk-Soo Han, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the U.S.; and Elaine L. Chao, former secretary of U.S. Department of Labor.

The event was emceed by Sarah Lee, CNN Washington correspondent, and Raymond Rivera, director of external and intergovernmental affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior.

The following day's invitation-only summit engaged 175 influential Korean-American leaders in dialogue, networking and peer-to-peer learning, with roundtables centered on Asian-American community empowerment initiatives. The thought leadership conference attracted a notable list of participants from a cross-section of industries and organizations including Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, International Red Cross, Johns Hopkins University, Los Angeles Times, MTV, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Department of Defense and United Nations to discuss ideas for promoting a stronger, more integrated Korean-American community.

"The summit allows people from every angle of Korean-American involvement to sit together and talk about the overall progress of the community," said Lee, who hopes the annual event will contribute to social progress in the Korean-American community.

Established by the USC Center for Asian Pacific Leadership at the USC School of Social Work in 2006, NetKAL promotes civic leadership among up-and-coming second-generation Korean-American leaders through a series of intensive monthly weekend leadership workshops.