Testimonials
Accolades for Brandon Na
Principal, Real English Consulting
“Brandon is an amazing combination of talent, intellect, and energy. He is a professional who has a genuine passion for the work that he is doing. He is generous with his time and constant generation of ideas which will add value to your business. Additionally, his excellent communication skills & a high level of enthusiasm make him a delight to work with.” June 18, 2007
Sejin Chung, CEO & Founder, Muffin
“I cannot think of anyone who has puts more energy and vigor into his work than Brandon. He is always thinking of ways to create/improve things. Brandon is a great blend of someone with the technical-know-how and big picture strategy and concepts. I highly recommend Brandon.” June 19, 2007
Tony Kim, President, Korean American Professionals Society
“I have known Brandon for the past five years. We met through the Korean American Professionals Society, having worked together on numerous projects, including organizing charitable events, mentoring, and professional development. On any given project, Brandon has always put forth his best effort, and instilled much needed humor and humanity. He cares not only about what we were doing as an organization but who we affected. Brandon is the quintessential people person. He knows how to connect with others to bring forth the best results.” June 25, 2007
Diana Young, Foreign Legal Consultant (U.S. Attorney), Lee International IP & Law Group
“Brandon Na is Superman! No seriously, I know this from personally working with him, first as my Head Instructor, then as my Faculty Manager and then as the Director of Human Resources. The reason he has moved through the ranks so quickly is because of his skill of communication and understanding. When it comes to dealing with so many levels and departments and personalities, he knows how to listen. Specifically with the Korean staff and the Foreign teachers, he is always finding the most creative solution that will effectively benefit both parties. If you want to learn more about CDI, and see what type of people you would be working with, talk to Brandon and you’ll see. He is someone who will give you a solid understanding of this. Brandon is the boss you can trust and count on. He is constantly working above and beyond his “normal” duties, and is definitely someone you would want to be working for!” January 29, 2009
Jinny Park, Instructor, Chungdahm Learning
“I worked for Brandon when Injoong was in dire need of an HR infrastructure, which he worked hard to create and fortify, and was, I believe, successful. Brandon was always willing to listen to people’s opinions and suggestions, and often went above and beyond to help us. He assumed the role of mediator between Korean administration and foreign faculty, which is no small feat. His enthusiasm, energy, and warm disposition motivates the people he works with.” January 24, 2009
Elissa Turpin, Head Instructor, Chungdahm Learning
“Brandon has a powerful grasp of high-concept thought with the ability to execute the minutia. Rock star on many levels.” June 12, 2007
Brant Williams, Director, Business Development, Amazon.com
“While I did not work with Brandon directly at Amazon, from working with him outside of the organization I observed that he has excellent skills connecting people together and meeting goals. His follow-up with people is tremendous as well.” June 14, 2007
Lisa Kothari, Associate, Paladin Partners
“I’ve known Brandon for 15+ years and he has always impressed me as a highly talented and hard working individual. I’ve always taken note of his great leadership and communication skills.” June 15, 2007
Derek Wong, Professional Photographer
“Brandon is a very thoughtful leader, great community supporter and friend and admire his commitment to our causes.” March 3, 2008
Jesse Adams, Owner, Zhen Global Corp
“As our real estate agent, Brandon helped make our relocation from San Francisco to Seattle a flawless event. His extensive attention to detail, superb professionalism, and genuine trustworthiness made the purchase of our new home a great experience. Whether it be in real estate or any other field Brandon is involved in, I would not hesitate to have him on my team. Brandon’s multi-faceted skill set would be valuable in any arena he enters.” June 21, 2007
Rodney Gantan, Corporate Account Representative at Standard Register
“Brandon’s background is clearly rich with business experience, however he maintains a constant hunger to challenge himself further by taking on new roles. He is genuinely passionate about his work and strives to maximize his potential in multiple sectors of society. The promise of expanding his already successful track record motivates me to want to work with Brandon again in the future. Both a visionary and implementer in one.” September 14, 2007
Kathryn Hammelman, Associate Partner, Proven Inc
“Brandon was able to answer all of our questions and then some. He was always available and quick to respond. He was great at helping us think of other alternatives since the place we wanted to go and where we wanted to go was proving to be a challenge. I never felt like the info he gave was misleading or changed on me. If it was, there was always a very good reason for the adjustment. We would definitely work with ya’ll again. We were so impressed that we told other companies, within 5 days of applying with quite a few companies that we’d already found the one we wanted to go with. yes, we felt confident about coming to Korea. Definitely there was a sense of trust established through communication with Brandon. I honestly can’t think of anything that would need improvement. Chris and I were both very impressed with how thorough he was and how extremely helpful and prompt and informative he was. Please feel free to use these comments however you need to & I hope your boss sees them!”
Cathy and Chris Johnson, Castle Rock, Colorado, U.S.A.
Brandon recently helped us purchase our house in Seattle this spring, and in a market that is as volatile as this one, it was good to have him working on our side. Throughout the entire process, Brandon was readily accessible to us, even taking panicked phone calls from us in the middle of the night, meeting us at a moment’s notice to look at houses that had just come on the market hours earlier and attending all essential meetings with us (and sometimes without us when necessary) as our agent — at all times representing our interests. Once we finally found a house to purchase, he was in constant communication with us, keeping us posted on every aspect of the transaction–from presenting the offer, working with our lender to ensure the financing went smoothly, inspections, escrow, forewarning us of potential pitfalls, etc. He consistently went above and beyond for us to ensure the deal went smoothly. Brandon is a great agent who respects and takes care of his clients. He is honest, professional, contentious and will at all times represent his client’s interest without compromise. He’ll teach you as much or as little as you want to know about real estate transactions and let you conduct the process as you’d prefer.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Alison Chen, Attorney
I can’t count how many times I or someone else (and there were many, many others!) made a comment along the lines of “Brandon is amazing. I can’t imagine what CDI would do without him.” Your commitment, dedication and the strong ethics that you applied to your work made me very proud to be a part of CDI as well. I really, really mean that!
As I’ve told you before, I’ve been continually blown away by the care that you devoted to every little issue that I brought up, before and after my arrival in Korea, writing me long emails that more than answered any questions or concerns I had. At first I was suspicious, thinking that it was all another recruiter tactic to “sell” me on the school 
But it was easy to see, having met you, how genuine you really are. And when the recent trouble broke out at Dongnae, I was actually shocked at how dedicated you were to doing the “right” thing. What a concept – to be great at your job, passionate about what you do, and so ethical about the business as well. It was such an inspiration; I hope one day I can say the same about myself.
Quite honestly, I can’t think of another human being that I’ve ever known who has put so much into his work, so successfully. There’s nothing negative that I have to say, except that I sometimes worried about the strain that you took on yourself. It was wonderful to see you so relaxed and chilled out after your Hawaii trip 
I really hope that you stick around in Busan. I know a lot of us will miss you a ton…
Best to you in the future.
Heather Nugent
English Instructor, Dongrae Branch, Busan, South Korea
“I have had many bosses in my professional career, but Brandon Na is one of the best, if not the best boss, that I have had to work with.”
Janelle Berghoff
English Instructor, Maebashi, Japan
Thanks for the email update on this situation, but an even BIGGER thanks for holding all of this together up there in a crisis situation. I’m sure the whole team up there is working like crazy so just know you have all of our thanks.
Especially you! As soon as we got your first email telling us the branches would be closed, Jareb turned to me and said, “See why the company needs Brandon, only he could have written this email. This would have taken me four hours.” And again after our video conference, we said “Only Brandon could have rallied everyone together and communicated this so well.”
So I’m sure most of this is a huge thankless task for you and everyone up there, but just know that all of your work doesn’t go unnoticed.
Hang in there,
Chris Bacon
Head Instructor
Dongrae Branch, Busan
Chungdahm Learning
May 26, 2009
Brandon,
Thank you so much for your email and update. I value your opinion and honesty. I am glad you put the truth out there and shared the pros, cons, and frustrations. I sure believe everyone needs to be aware of all the work and efforts you, the staff, and the company are putting into this. Of course it is a substantial/serious situation and I truly respect all the precautions put forward. I am proud to see the company react very professionally and openly with us all.
Thank you!!
Lauren Ghequiere
Instructor, Geoje April English, Busan
May 26, 2009
Brandon,
I think this was a very appropriate letter; kudos to you. I know you take on a lot, and it’s got to be pretty stressful. I didn’t know there were words such as the ones you quoted circulating. All I can say is consider the source. These are probably from newly-graduated kids who have never had a real job or never will again in the future. That really is disheartening.
CDI has always been good to me, and I am proud to be associated with her. Know that there are many people who appreciate you, especially for standing up for our academy.
Michelle Ross
Instructor, Changwon CDI
May 26, 2009
I could always rely on Brandon to provide the best form of guidance. He made sure to listen to the instructor’s opinions, and tried to provide what would be best for them, not just what would benefit the company. He took an interest in the instructor’s well being, and tried to make sure they were as happy and healthy as possible during their stay in CDI. He also had the astonishing ability to answer any and all concerns at the speed of light. When I sent an e-mail in the morning, I’d get a reply by the afternoon. I honestly don’t understand how anyone else can answer all those e-mails with that much care and detail; it just shows how much he cared and how hard he worked. Basically, he was a one-man support system for all those instructors, and I personally feel he was an amazing one. I think it’ll be very difficult, if even possible, to find someone to replace him.
Sorry if I wrote too much, but I’ve had the chance to contact him a lot during my sub work, and I really experienced his kindness first hand.
Regards,
Vanesa Kim
English Instructor/HR Manager
Injoong Education, Busan, South Korea
Brandon Na is asset to CDI Learning and has been helpful in many different ways.
First, he assisted me in transferring from Seoul to Busan. Prior to my transfer, he aggressively negotiated the terms of contract, while at the same time being very fair and reasonable. In addition, he always been source of guidance. With that said, I am very sad to hear that he will no longer be with us, but I am certain that he will be successful no matter where he is.
Respectfully,
Anthony Nguyen
English Instructor, Busanjin CDI, Busan, South Korea
Hearing brandon [was leaving] made me really sad because he is a huge part of the reason I am here. I had been talking to the company for about a year before I actually made it here and he always responded to my emails and incessant questions in a way that made me want to be here even faster. Brandon could not have been more helpful or motivating. His speech that he gave during training gave me a new appreciation for the work I am doing, and I am really sorry he’s leaving before I get a chance to work with him more.
Megan Columbus
English Instructor, Busanjin CDI, Busan, South Korea
Well I thought Brandon did an amazing job. When I was in contact with him, it felt like I was talking to someone I had known not for just two hours on the phone, but someone I had known for months. The reason for this is that he genuinely cared about how I was doing and wanted to check on the progress of me coming to Korea. I really am saddened by the fact that he no longer works with CDI because it was his positive attitude and belief in CDI which made me excited about working for the company.
I also really appreciated the fact that when I landed in Korea and spoke with him, he still was welcoming and came to see me the very next day. I felt like I had made the right decision to work in Korea and work for CDI because of Brandon’s positivity
I’m sorry that he is gone but I wish him the best.
Anna Naidoo
English Instructor, Busanjin CDI, Busan, South Korea
As always you are such a help to me. You are a true professional. I will be leaving in two weeks and wanted to say a last thank you for everything you did and the ideas we shared while here in Korea.
…
If you have other questions, let me know. Thank again for everything.
Cheers,
Mary Fogle
Former Instructor, CDI Daejeon