CIDA Our Team

Young Seh Bae, Ph.D.

President/Executive Director

Founder Dr. Bae is a mother of two young men. One of her sons, Eugene, is a person with a disability. Ever since more

her son’s diagnosis, she has spent her life fighting for individuals with disabilities and their families. She earned her Ph.D. in special education from the Teachers College at Columbia University, and a MA in Business Education from NYU. She is the former President of KABHA and a faculty member of the Teachers College. Dr. Bae initiated the first parent education programs for Korean-American families with a NYS DDPC grant.

Yujung Jung

Program Coordinator

Yujung graduated from University of Georgia with a Master’s in Public Administration in 2021. She worked at government More

and nonprofit organizations supporting underserved communities. Yujung Jung is an aspirational individual who firmly believes in the values of diversity and inclusion. Yujung enjoys creative cooking with exotic recipes and running with her husband.

Joeun Huh

Operational Manager

Huh Jo Eun (Operational Manager) majored in Fine Arts at Tufts University and spent a year majoring in Fine Art at More

Pratt Graduate School. After that, she majoring in painting at the Art Students League of New York. Jo Eun has been pursuing a life where she can positively influence people through her artwork. She hopes to support and have a positive impact on many people through her work at CIDA, in addition to her artistic endeavors. She also really enjoys camping.

James Grammer

Training & Development Specialist

James Grammer graduated from the University of Maryland in 2013 with a degree in English and is currently earning a more

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at City College. He lives in Queens with his husband and has a background in education and social services. James is passionate about serving his community and engaging with students. He is currently writing a novel and is actively engaged with the artistic community in NYC. In his free time, James enjoys watching movies, going to restaurants, and exercising.

Analicia Almodovar

Training Program Assistant

Analicia Almodovar is a recent graduate from CUNY York College, having majored in interdisciplinary studies.more

Her fervent dedication to education, particularly for students with disabilities, is rooted in her experience as a special education paraprofessional with the NYC DOE and as an assistant teacher at Kiddie Academy. Her active volunteerism within neighborhood organizations complements her aspirations to pursue a master’s in special education. She likes to travel in her free time and experience other cultures.

Victoria Levy

Graphic Designer

Victoria Levy graduated from Marist College with a degree in digital media and minor in video production. more

She is passionate about all forms of digital creation and hopes to instill the same passion into today’s youth. In her spare time, Victoria loves to travel, explore new neighborhoods, and try new foods.

Devin Bae

HR & Equity Associate

Devin Bae is a recent graduate of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University. She has been closely more

involved with many of CIDA’s projects over the last few years, and is always looking forward to nudging the community in the right direction. She plans to gain experience and knowledge in the human resources department so that she can become experienced in handling all matters of labor and employment in the workplace. She enjoys reading, video games, and anything related to Broadway.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devin-bae-79bb86165/

Haewa Trakansook

Intake Specialist

Haewa Park (Intake Specialist) lives in Queens with her husband and two children. After having a child more

with a developmental delay, she participated in CIDA’s parent gatherings and became an active parent leader. In Korea, she majored in print media and she completed her art history major at Queen’s College in New York. Haewa has been trained to participate in IEP meetings and learned about special education through CIDA’s Volunteer Advocacy Project (VAP) 2019. In Fall 2020, she will be starting her Master’s program in social services at Fordham University.

Wendy Xia

Field Associate

Wendy Xia is a Chinese-American parent who is actively involved in her child’s school and other Chinese parents’ networks more

in New York City Public Schools in Queens. She speaks mandarin fluently and has a Master’s degree in Economics from Renmin University in China.
She also has a continuing education credential from Biola University and has received a Certificate in Integrative Counseling in 2018. Her tasks include: reaching out to Chinese parents and schools in Queens, coordinating parent training events, translating and interpreting, training and one-on-one assistant sessions.