As a lifelong resident of Burbank, Kimberly has a strong sense of community.  She grew up running in and out of her neighbors’ houses and playing in the street all day.  Sometimes the police helicopter circled and waved to them, and when they got hungry, the jar of kimchee never stopped them from raiding the fridge for a snack.

A large part of her childhood was spent at her parent’s restaurant – Rocky’s Fish & Poultry.  Her parents, who opened up a small business and made roots in Burbank, taught her the importance of hard work and civic responsibility.  She tried her hand at little jobs in an effort to learn the family business, but it mostly gave her a greater respect and deeper appreciation for how faithful and dedicated her parents were to manage a small business and growing family.  She often spent the day on the yellow swings across the street at McCambridge Park, or visiting the other businesses in the shopping center.

“In the mornings,” she remembers, “I would go to the Video Depot, which is now Pay Day Loans, and the owner would let me select the movie to play on the big screen t.v. that day; he didn’t mind that I chose Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory every time.”

Kimberly Jo attended preschool and grades K-12 in Burbank. She graduated BHS at the top of her class, and was chosen as the California Scholarship Foundation Representative (Freshman), Korean Club founder and Vice President (Junior), ASB Class Representative, Varsity Tennis Team Captain, and KEY Club Vice President (Senior). She went on to complete a bachelor’s at UCLA and master’s at USC in political science, public policy and public administration.

shapeimage_2

EXPERIENCE

  1. •Served as a consultant to study the impact of street closures on Hollywood Boulevard for the Hollywood Entertainment District.

  2. •Served as a consultant to the Board of Directors of the Sherman Oaks, Northridge, Encino, Hollywood Media and Westwood Business Improvement Districts.

  3. •Served as a consultant to the Itaguai Municipality to study the social, economic and environmental impact of a steel mill in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.

  4. •Served in the Chief Executive Office of the County of Los Angeles in the area of operations and strategic planning.

  5. •Presently serving as an Associate CIO in the Chief Information Office in the area of IT strategic planning, policy and governance.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

  1. •Served with the KEY Club and Kiwanis Club in Burbank

  2. •Built houses for an orphanage in Tijuana Mexico

  3. •Taught English at King Mongkut’s University in Bangkok, Thailand

  4. •Delivered corn meal to the Masaai Villages in Sumburu County, Kenya

  5. •Gutted houses in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans

  6. •Volunteered as a victim advocate in Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office

  7. •Organized National Leadership Conferences for Korean American students

  8. •Served as Church Treasurer, and several other positions over a five-year period

EDUCATION

  1. •Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and minor in Public Policy and Urban Planning from UCLA (2003)

  2. •Coro Fellowship in Public Affairs (2004)

  3. •Master’s degree in Public Administration from USC (2007)

Served on the Board of Directors of both the Southern California Coro Foundation (2004-2005), and the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development Faculty Advisory Board (2006-2007)


kimberlyjo_footer1