The Peninsula

KEI Announces Appointment of Scott Snyder as the New President & CEO

For Immediate Release
October 30, 2023

KEI Announces Appointment of Scott Snyder as the New President & CEO

WASHINGTON, DC — The Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Scott Snyder as the Institute’s new President & Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Snyder will assume the role on April 1, 2024. Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, who has been leading KEI for the past five years, will step down from the position in December 2023.

Mr. Snyder is joining from the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) where he served as the Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S.-Korea Policy for over a decade. Prior to CFR, Mr. Snyder was a Senior Associate in the international relations program of the Asia Foundation, where he founded and directed the Center for U.S.-Korea Policy and served as the Foundation’s representative in Korea from 2000 to 2004.

With his extensive knowledge and expertise on the Korean Peninsula, Mr. Snyder has authored multiple books on South Korea, including, forthcoming U.S.-South Korea Alliance: Why It May Fail and Why It Must Not (December 2023), and South Korea at the Crossroads: Autonomy and Alliance in an Era of Rival Powers (January 2018).

Mr. Snyder received a BA from Rice University and an MA from the Regional Studies East Asia program at Harvard University. He was a Thomas G. Watson fellow at Yonsei University in South Korea.

“As the U.S.-Korea relationship deepens its scope and broadens its impact globally, the Korea Economic Institute is well-positioned to facilitate even deeper understanding and connections between our two countries than currently exists,” said Scott Snyder, President-elect of KEI. “I look forward to leading the institution at this moment of expanded opportunity for the U.S.-Korea relationship.”

Mark Fitzpatrick, Chair of the KEI President Search Committee, expressed his delight in welcoming Mr. Snyder to the institute. “With his keen insights on Korean affairs and strong commitment to maintaining close bonds, Scott is perfectly positioned to take the baton from Ambassador Kathleen Stephens in leading the KEI mission to ever-greater success,” said Fitzpatrick.

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About the KEI

The Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI) is a not-for-profit policy and educational outreach organization focused on promoting dialogue and understanding between the United States and Korea. Established in 1982, KEI began by concentrating on economic issues, but over its forty-year history, it has come to cover all aspects of the alliance, including national security, broader regional affairs, and Korean American issues. KEI is funded by the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), a public research institute in the Republic of Korea. For more information about the KEI, please visit its website http://www.keia.org.

For media inquiries, contact Sang Kim, Director of Communications, at sk@keia.org