The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) recently recognized Simon Lee with the Overseas Korean Award, the most prestigious honor the Korean government can bestow upon a Korean-born individual. The award is given annually to the most prominent Koreans overseas to recognize their life-long contributions to the Korean national image. This year, Simon Lee was one of only five recipients worldwide.

A KBC cameraman films Simon Lee, second from left, and his family.

Lee graduates this spring from GW – along with three of his four children. Lee, his daughter Julie, and his son Phillip are finishing their MS degrees in systems engineering at the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS), while his daughter Michelle is enrolled in GW’s School of Business.

In 1979, Lee emigrated to the U.S. with his wife, Anna, and daughter Julie, and by 1986, he had founded Software Technology Group, a provider of information technology support services to government and industry. STG has more than 1,200 employees and consultants operating in more than 250 locations worldwide, and it is the largest Asian-American-owned systems integrator in the U.S. Lee is president and CEO.

In February, a film crew from KBS visited campus to film Lee and his family for a documentary that accompanies the award, which will air during primetime in Korea. Lee will also have the opportunity to meet South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun during the formal presentation of his award at a ceremony in Korea in March.

Lee also recently gave a generous gift to SEAS. In appreciation of this gift, Dean Timothy Tong has renamed the dean’s office the Simon and Anna Lee Dean’s Suite. Dean Tong will host a formal dedication of the suite in Spring 2005.