David S. Kim
You might say David S. Kim works for an octopus. No, that’s not a derogatory reference to his boss, but an analogy he uses to describe the enormous department he works for. As the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Governmental Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation, Kim is housed in the Office of the Secretary of Transportation, or as he puts it, the octopus’ head. The department’s arms include the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Transit Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, among several others.
Kim works to make sure all the moving parts of this animal are moving in the same direction, and is constantly coordinating and strategizing to that end. The 46-year-old also works closely with members of Congress on legislative matters concerning transportation and is DOT Secretary Ray LaHood’s chief liaison to the U.S. Senate.
Kim is no stranger to transportation issues nor to Capitol Hill. Before his appointment, he was working as a lobbyist for the Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Transit Authority. He also served as a former aide to U.S. Congressman Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) and former deputy director in the Washington, D.C., office of ex-California Governor Gray Davis.
Long active with the Washington D.C.-based Korean American Coalition, Kim credits his atypical immigrant parents, who are advocates for social justice, for his own dedication to public service. Luke and Grace Kim used to host in their living room meetings for the legal defense committee of Chol Soo Lee, a Korean immigrant man who was wrongfully convicted of murder in the 1970s.
Said David, “Maybe it was through ‘osmosis’ or just witnessing firsthand their dedication to the cause of social justice, but their community-minded way of life meant that activism and public service were planted within me at a very young age.”
Lady in Green
Rhea S. Suh
Rhea S. Suh was born on the edge of the Rocky Mountains in Boulder, Colorado. Her immigrant father taught her how to bait-fish in Lake Granby and, as a Girl Scout, she used to camp under the stars in Rocky Mountain National Park. This background helped nurture in her a deep appreciation for this nation’s natural resources, and it’s only fitting she now finds herself working as an Obama appointee at the Department of the Interior, which is the government’s principal conservation agency.
As the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget, Suh oversees the programmatic, administrative and financial policies for the agency, which is responsible for most of the federal lands and the administration of programs relating to Native Americans, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians. Before joining the Interior Department, Suh, in her capacity at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation and also the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, managed millions of dollars for conservation issues in the North American West. Based on her collective experiences, she told a Senate committee prior to her confirmation last May, that she’s committed to the “importance of sustainable use of our resources, the protection of the most special places within our nation, and the need to balance protection of those special places with the needs of local communities.”
POTUS’ BFF
Eugene Kang
Here’s what we know about Eugene Kang: As a senior at the University of Michigan, he ran for a seat on the Ann Arbor City Council in 2005. The “student voice” ran his campaign out of his house, with a law student campaign manager and a volunteer staff. He narrowly lost. Maybe he would’ve won if he had an office.
Perhaps Kang lucked out in the end, though. He might not have become Obama’s special assistant at age 24 if he was tied down to that city council post. As the president’s special assistant, Kang acts as Obama’s personal secretary. That most likely entails lots of note taking (he’s often seen carrying that little black book with important contact numbers for the prez), schedule making, and maybe fetching his coffee from time to time. It’s an important position, say observers familiar with the inner workings of the White House, and it’s quite possible that Kang—sometimes seen holding Obama’s Blackberry—spends more time with the president than the First Lady.
We also know Kang plays golf with Obama. According to the president, Kang has a better golf game than he does. But if Obama’s golf game is on par with his bowling game, that might not be much of a compliment.
Justice for All
A. Marisa Chun
A. Marisa Chun began her legal career at the U.S. Justice Department in 1992. As a trial attorney in the Civil Rights Division for four years, she prosecuted public employers for federal civil rights violations. In May 2009, after over a decade in private practice, she returned to the Justice Department, this time as Deputy Associate Attorney General. Specifically, she advises and assists Associate Attorney General Thomas J. Perrelli, the third-ranking official in the Justice Department, whose office is charged with overseeing a broad range of divisions, including antitrust, civil, and environmental and natural resources.
Before her return to public service, Chun was a partner at the San Francisco-based Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass, where she practiced complex civil litigation. She formerly served as the president of the Korean American Bar Association of Northern California and chair of the State Bar of California’s Federal Courts Committee. She graduated from Obama’s alma mater, Harvard Law School, in 1991 and was Developments Editor of the Harvard Law Review.
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more profiles
Concensus Builder: Chris Kang
People Mover: Betsy Kim
The Liaison: Gary Lee
The Guardian: Rexon Ryu
The Confidante: Lucia Cho
Ebb and Flow: Anna Kim
Home Secure Home: Leezie Kim
Ready, Set, Swim: Eddie Lee
