Former President and CEO, The Korea Society

Evans Revere is President and CEO of The Korea Society, the leading private, non-profit organization in the United States devoted to enhancing relations and increasing understanding between the United States and the Korean Peninsula. He came to The Korea Society in January 2007 after a 35-year career of U.S. government service, most of that as an American diplomat and one of the Department of State’s top Asia experts. In addition to his current Korea-related responsibilities, Evans remains deeply involved in a range of initiatives connected with U.S. relations with Japan, the PRC, Taiwan, and the Asia-Pacific region.

Prior to taking the reins at The Korea Society, Evans was on a State Department assignment at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, where he was Cyrus Vance Fellow in Diplomatic Studies. At CFR, he served as the first Project Director for the Council’s task force on U.S. policy towards China and also helped launch a new CFR study on Asia-Pacific regional security architecture.

During his State Department career, Evans served as Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary and Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, managing U.S. relations with the Asia-Pacific region and leading an organization of 950 American diplomats and some 2,500 Foreign Service National employees. In that capacity, he was a leading player in the U.S. government’s response to the earthquake and tsunami that struck Southeast Asia on December 24, 2004. He was Chargé d’Affaires and Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul (2000-2003) and deputy chief of the U.S. team conducting negotiations with North Korea (1998-2000). Evans was also the State Department’s Director for Korean Peninsula Affairs, where he managed day-to-day U.S. relations with both parts of the Korean Peninsula and was the U.S. government’s primary liaison with the North Korean government.

As Director of the Office of Japanese Affairs in 2003-2004, Evans was the Department’s lead negotiator with both Japan and the Republic of Korea on U.S. military base-related issues. His diplomatic service included assignments in Taiwan, the PRC, Japan, and New Zealand, as well as service as the Special Assistant to the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs. Evans received numerous awards during his career, including winning the Department of State’s Superior Honor Award three times.

Evans speaks Korean, Chinese, and Japanese. He has an honors degree in Asian Studies from Princeton University and is a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He is married and has two children and two grandchildren. He is an avid golfer and jazz fan.