Founder
Kilong was born in Battambang, Cambodia. He, his wife, and two children are living in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of his memoir “Golden Leaf, A Khmer Rouge Genocide Survivor” and founder of the Golden Leaf Education Foundation.
Between 1975 and 1979, Kilong survived the Khmer Rouge genocide that killed two million Cambodians — including his parents and youngest sister. After his escape into Thailand in 1979, he came to the U.S. as a refugee, learned English in high school, graduated from Reed College with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, and graduated from Bowling Green State University with a master’s degree in applied statistics and operations research.
In addition to publishing his memoir, Kilong coined the term “Golden Leaf”:
golden leaf (gōl‘dən lēf) – n., pl. golden leaves (gōl‘dən lēvz)
- a survivor of a heinous act against humanity, especially genocide.
- Golden Leaf (pl. Golden Leaves):
- A person who survived the Khmer Rouge genocide: “Golden Leaf, A Khmer Rouge Genocide Survivor” (Kilong Ung)
- one who survives against extreme odds
He is a member of the Royal Rosarians (the official goodwill ambassadors for the City of Portland), Royal Rosarians Council, Board of the Rotary Club of Portland, Ambassadors for Peace, Oregon Council on Civil Rights, Executive Board of the Cascade Pacific Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Board of the Cambodian-American Community of Oregon, Founding Board of the Bridges Public Charter High School (formerly Golden Leaf Charter High School), and Executive Board of the Golden Leaf Education Foundation. He served four years as president of the Cambodian-American Community of Oregon. He is a software engineer for an online banking software technology solutions provider. He taught computer language at Portland Community College and database programming at STEP Technology.
His speaking venues include Camas-Washougal Chamber of Commerce, Clackamas Community College, Clackamas High School, Columbia University, George Mason University, Jesuit High School, Lincoln High School, MIT, Portland Community College, Portland State University, University of Portland, and Rotary. His radio interviews include OPB Think Out Loud, KBOO Radio, and Voice of America. His newspaper coverage includes The Oregonian, Asian Reporter, Willamette Week, and Daily Ties. His magazine coverage includes The Rotarian and Reed Magazine. His book reviews include the Foreign Policy Journal, the Journal of Southeast Asian American Education & Advancement, and the Oregon Faith Report. He was selected as a 2010 Wordstock author. His television credit includes a key role in an episode of the “Deadliest Warrior” show on Spike TV.
Kilong enjoys golf, ballroom dance, social media (Facebook), family time, and raising funds to build schools.
