Esther Lee is the President and CEO of Refraction, a technology innovation hub in Northern Virginia, focused on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship by nurturing and mentoring startups and high-growth companies. Prior to joining Refraction, Esther served as Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where she oversaw 14 state agencies, responsible for economic development, job creation, innovation and entrepreneurship, small business, tourism, trade, housing, community development, and labor policies for the state. In that role, she led Virginia’s successful bid for Amazon’s second headquarters (HQ2).

Esther has also served as Global Chief Marketing and New Business Officer at Burson-Marsteller, one of the world’s largest strategic communications firms. As a member of the firm’s Executive Committee, she led its marketing, thought leadership, and new business strategies and advised major clients like Samsung, Coca-Cola, and Marriott.

In 2009, President Barack Obama appointed Esther as Senior Policy Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. She created and led the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She also launched the White House “Startup America” initiative, organized the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship, and served on the White House Urban Policy Council and Middle Class Task Force.

Before her government service, Esther was a seasoned executive with over 15 years of experience in technology, media, and finance. She served as Chief Marketing Officer for half of CIT Group (Fortune 500 financial services firm) and led strategic marketing and business development at AOL/Time Warner and Siemens. She started her career as a business and technology journalist at CNN.

Esther has been Vice Chairman of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority; board member of GO Virginia, Center for Innovative Technology, Virginia Research Investment Committee, Fairfax County Economic Advisory Commission, Northern Virginia Community College Foundation, Virginia FREE, Girls in Tech DC, and Aer Wireless (an innovative wireless broadband startup); term member of the Council on Foreign Relations; Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar; and Co-Founder / Vice Chairman of the Council of Korean Americans. She received an A.B. in economics from Harvard and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Anthony McClelland is the Community Manager for Refraction, a technology innovation hub and coworking space in Northern Virginia. In that role, he works closely with Refraction member companies on meetings, events, and programs. He also manages and coordinates Refraction's entrepreneurship events and programs, initiatives, and partners.

Prior to joining Refraction, Anthony served in various logistics roles with the United States Marines, helping manage hundreds of service members on the Quantico Marine Base. Anthony also worked for the USO (United Service Organization), overseeing logistics for all USO centers in Northern Virginia. Anthony has a bachelor's degree in Applied Science from Full Sail University in Florida.

Brett Kim is a Business Analyst for Refraction, a technology innovation hub and coworking space in Northern Virginia. As a first-year A.B. candidate at Harvard University concentrating in Computer Science and Economics, Brett works closely with data analysis and information technology in his role at Refraction. He is involved in pitch writing, sponsorships, project logistics, and led the redesigning and development initiative for the website that led to a 68% increase in site traffic.

Brett is also heavily involved in technology volunteerism, currently serving as the President of Tic Tac Tech, a student-run nonprofit providing tech support and teaching tech literacy to a network of senior communities. He was also the first high-schooler and Asian-American appointed to the board of the Linda Vista Town Council. His accolades include winning the NFTE World Series of Innovation in 2020, as well as the President’s Volunteer Service Award in 2020 and 2021.