Hello, I’m Yoo-Jin Hong.
For more than 20 years, I’ve led teams, partnered with boards, and managed non-profit and civic organizations, overseeing multi-million dollar budgets, navigating complex environments, and guiding organizations through transitions, growth, and change.
I started SeventhAbove on a simple idea: leadership transitions are about more than the person in the role. Transitions affect teams, organizational knowledge, strategy, culture, and institutional resilience.
My work spans leadership continuity and succession planning, interim executive leadership, and coaching. Sometimes that means helping an organization or a board prepare ahead of anticipated retirements. Other times it means stepping in when a transition is already underway, or working one-on-one with a leader navigating what’s next.
In each case, the underlying goal is consistent: to bring clarity and intentionality to periods of change and help people and organizations emerge stronger on the other side.
How I Work
I bring executive experience into every engagement. I understand the pressures of leadership because I’ve held those roles myself.
Leadership is not about perfect certainty. It’s about understanding what matters, making thoughtful choices, and creating steadiness while things are in motion.
My approach is:
Calm and steady
Clear and direct
Strategic and practical
Focused on progress, not just performance
Experience Across Leadership & Transitions
My career has taken me across nonprofit, cultural, civic, and membership organizations, with leadership roles spanning organizational strategy, operations, leadership development, executive search, programs, and community engagement.
That breadth shapes how I approach transition.s I look beyond an individual position to understand the larger organization: its people, structure, relationships, culture, institutional knowledge, and future leadership needs.
Whether I’m helping an organization prepare for succession, serving as an interim executive, or coaching an individual leader, I bring both an executive’s perspective and a coach’s curiosity to the work.
At pivotal moments, how we lead determines what comes next.
Let’s talk.
If you’re preparing for or navigating a leadership transition, personally or organizationally, I welcome a conversation about what strategic and steady support could look like.