Korean American businesswoman Carol Choi, founder of United Exchange Corporation (UEC), has been appointed as the next chair of the University of California, Irvine (UCI Foundation), marking a historic first for a Korean American.
She succeeds Gary Singer, who took office in 2023. Choi becomes the second UCI alumnus to serve as chair, following Singer. Her exact start date and term length have not been made public.
The UCI Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising and managing private funds and building external partnerships to support the university’s educational, research, and public service activities.
In 2017, Choi became one of the first Korean Americans appointed to the UCI Foundation board alongside her husband, Eugene Choi, CEO of UEC.
Since then, she has contributed to the establishment of the UCI Korea Law Center and the vitalization of the Korean Alumni Association.
Notably, in 2019, she donated $100,000 to the UCI Center for Korean Studies to support students majoring in Korean studies and related programs.
Additionally, the couple has supported campus startup centers and undergraduate research programs, earning the ‘Extraordinarius’ awardβthe UCI Alumni Association’s highest honorβin 2020 for their contributions to the university and local community.
She also served as a bridge for exchanges between UCI and Jong-Seop Kim, chairman of Samick Musical Instruments in South Korea, who was appointed as a foundation board member last March. With these additions, the total number of Korean board members at the UCI Foundation, including the Chois, has reached four.
Choi graduated from UCI in 1985 majoring in biology and psychology, and founded the consumer goods distribution company UEC in 1993.
She is the daughter of Boon-ja Yoo, chair of Somang Society, a non-profit organization supporting seniors.
