Jee-Yeoun Ko holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Chung-Ang University in Korea, a Master's in Cello Performance from the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Germany, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Performance and Orchestral Conducting from Louisiana State University. She served as Chair of the Classical Instrumental Department at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts for 11 years and has been a dedicated educator at Xavier University of Louisiana since 2019.

Dr. Ko is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit "Koats for Kids," which has provided over 3,600 coats to underserved children in New Orleans since 2009, and most recently began serving as the executive director of Make Music NOLA, a community music program supported by El Sistema and Carnegie Hall.