Unson Sami Lauri (함은선)

Ms. Unson Sami Lauri has been an associate real estate broker since 2004, three years after she obtained a real estate salesperson license. For the first 15 years of her real estate career was with Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. She was a winner of the “Rookie of the year” on her first year with Long & Foster and was designated to President’s Club, Chairman’s club sales level for the next 14 years. In 2016, she joined Washington Newstar Real Estate & Investment.

Prior to moving to Fairfax, Virginia, she was a music clinician/teacher and performed various solo & ensemble music for over 30 years. She was a member of the St. Louis Philharmonic Orchestra as a cellist performing 6 annual concerts including a summer pop concert & holiday concert from 1996 to 2000. (http://stlphilharmonic.org/index.html).

Ms. Lauri has been actively involved in several Korean community organizations including the Washington Coalition of Comfort Women Issue (WCCW). As a general secretary, she conducted a successful grass-roots movement nationwide resulting in the passage of House Resolution 121 by the US congress (2007), which demands the Japanese government to officially apologize to victims of the atrocity in sexual slavery during WWII.

In 2004 Ms. Lauri was appointed by the President of the Republic of Korea as a general secretary of the NUAC (National Unification Advisory Council) Washington chapter to develop a policy and activities of NUAC for the peaceful unification of the Korean peninsula.

From 2012 to 2014, Ms. Lauri served as president of the SNUAA (Seoul National Alumni Association) DC chapter, and during her term, as one of the outreach programs, she started the benefit concert to raise funds to help Korean Americans, handicapped people, by inviting excellent young musicians from Julliard School. This program was very successful not only in raising money but also provided a high-quality instrumental music program to the Korean American community. This benefit concert has become an ongoing and major activity of SNUAA.

Ms. Lauri has served as president of KOWIN (Korean International Women’s’ Network) DC Chapter. She was a key member to create many ongoing activities of KOWIN such as the ‘Leadership Seminar’, ‘Year-End Gala’, and ‘Winter Retreat’ and the KOWIN Fellowship program that has been producing successful career paths to many fellows who underwent this program.

Ms. Lauri has a B.S. in Business Management from the University of Maryland and a B.A. in Music Performance (Cello) from Seoul National University. She has received certificates of appreciation from the US Congress (Sponsored by Mike Honda) and Fairfax County Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, and a citation from the ROK Minister of Unification. samilauri2010@gmail.com.