What an Advisor Is
Advisors are community leaders, professionals, and specialists who share their knowledge with Ktown Team without being embedded in the organization's day-to-day work. They have their own careers, organizations, and commitments elsewhere. The Advisor designation recognizes that they're willing to be a resource when their expertise is needed.
Why This Role Exists
Ktown Team's structure is built around the reality that community members have different schedules, availabilities, and capacities. Not everyone can join a team, attend regular meetings, or take on project work. But many people in the community hold valuable knowledge - about housing, health, education, urban planning, local business, cultural preservation, legal issues, technology, and more.
The Advisor designation solves two problems:
- For the organization: Ktown Team knows who is willing to be consulted. When a question comes up that needs outside expertise, there's a clear group to reach out to - not a guess about who might be interested.
- For the Advisor: The designation sets expectations. Advisors won't be treated like staff or volunteers. They won't be asked to attend meetings, manage projects, or respond on a schedule. Their time is respected.
What Advisors Do
- Share expertise when Ktown Team reaches out about something in their field.
- Offer perspective on community needs, history, or dynamics.
- Connect Ktown Team with people or organizations in their network.
- Provide feedback on initiatives when asked.
How often this happens depends entirely on the Advisor. Some may be consulted monthly, others once or twice a year. There is no minimum commitment.
What Advisors Don't Do
- Attend regular meetings or roundtables.
- Own or manage projects.
- Make governance decisions (that's the Board and Alliance Council).
- Report to anyone or have anyone report to them.
Who Becomes an Advisor
Advisors tend to be people who are already active in the community through other work - leaders at other organizations, small business owners, educators, health professionals, advocates, artists, and technologists. They care about Koreatown and want to help, but their primary commitment is somewhere else.
See the Advisor Program page for how someone becomes an Advisor.