The Board — AKA Los Angeles

Our team is made up of dedicated professionals who are passionate about connecting the Korean Adoptee Community in Los Angeles.

Dmika Greco is the President of AKA-LA. Dmika was adopted from Korea at the age of 3 to her family in St. Paul, Minnesota. She participated in many Korean activities growing up -- Korean Culture classes, Korean Teen Groups, and eventually found MAK (Minnesota Adopted Koreans) where she connected with a group of Korean Adoptees and later became a Board Member for the MAK group. Her first trip to Korea was at the age of 16. Dmika later moved to California and participated in AKA-LA when it was initially formed, also volunteering on their Social Committee planning events. She eventually became a Mom and took a long break from Korean Adoptee networking, and has just in this past year reconnected with her passion in helping to build up and support the Korean Adoptee community. She joined the AKA-LA "Board" in October 2022, but officially became a Board member in June 2023 when the AKA-LA Chapter formed.

Alexandra McMackin was adopted from Seoul at 3 months old. She was raised alongside her older sister who was also adopted from South Korea. Growing up in the suburbs of Philadelphia, she was lucky to have proximity to Korean culture, but didn’t fully embrace it until the pandemic prompted a deeper exploration. Feeling a bit stuck, she relocated to LA in 2021. In her 30th year, she experienced a life changing trip back to Korea. This journey motivated her to seek out the KAD community and eventually take on more of a leadership role within it. Now based in West Hollywood, she brings her marketing experience to help coordinate/promote events and provide support and resources for fellow adoptees. She is currently serving on the AKA-LA Board.

Alex Pines was adopted at 8 months old and raised near Washington D.C. Feeling like an outsider growing up, he found solace in skateboarding and punk. The COVID pandemic triggered his "coming out of the fog" moment, leading him to embrace his Korean roots and commit to learning the language and culture. In 2023, he embarked on a personal quest to search for his birth family. Alex is the VP of Design at Vanilla, a fintech startup, and a former assistant professor of graphic design. He is passionate about using design for social change and worked on impactful design projects for NYC's Housing Works, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, and others. Living in Koreatown, Alex is dedicated to supporting the Korean adoptee community and serving on the Board of AKA-LA.

Nori Lowe Henk is the treasurer on the AKA-LA Board. She was adopted from Korea at 13 months and has five brothers and sisters adopted from various Asian countries. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her partner and two kids. She started getting involved in the KAD community because of her kids, to help them connect to their Korean roots, but has to come realize that she needed this community, too. In particular, spending time with Korean American Adoptees has been special, supportive, and educational. She recently joined the AKA-LA board in June 2023.

Rachel McMahan is the community outreach arm of the AKA-LA board. Whisked away from S Korea at 8 months to Maryland to live with her family of 7 siblings, including a younger KAD brother. Growing up Catholic and as an adoptee shaped her views on the importance of choosing to belong to a community, the active nature of community, community even as a form of activism. Her family later moved to Wisconsin because only having 3 months of winter wasn't long or cold enough. Rachel now lives in the south bay LA and enjoys creating space for KADs and exploring Asian American life in the mecca that is LA/OC/SGV.

Malee Nerenhausen was 3 1/2 years old when she was adopted from Seoul. She grew up in Wisconsin with a sister also adopted from Korea. For most of her life she wasn’t interested in her Korean culture until, while bored during Covid, found her adoption papers. This awakened her desire to learn about her culture and embrace her Korean heritage. She also started her birth family search. This summer she and her sister are going on a Korean Heritage tour through Holt International, the agency she was adopted through. She is currently VP of International Distribution for a movie production and sales company. She is also a movie producer and is passionate about telling stories that authentically represent the adoptee and Asian experience. Malee is excited to serve on the AKA board and looks forward to connecting with the community.