APAICS | Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies

David L. Kim, Chairman Emeritus

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Principal
The IAMBIC Group

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Biography

As Vice President of Multicultural Markets and Engagement at the AARP, David L. Kim brings over 20 years of executive experience providing strategic counsel and planning in marketing and communications to globally-focused corporations, government agencies and non-profit organizations.  Prior to joining AARP, Kim was a principal at The Raben Group, a Washington, DC-based public affairs firm, where he co-headed the Asian practice.

In 2010, Kim completed a three-year appointment as Chief of Staff at the United States Mint, the world’s largest mint and the oldest agency in Federal government.  Serving as confidant and senior advisor to the Director on all policy and communications issues, Kim directed and implemented the Mint’s strategic plan, working closely with 14 department heads and senior executives in areas including, sales and marketing, manufacturing, government affairs, public affairs, human capital and legal.  Kim also represented the Director in policy presentations and meetings involving the White House, Congress, Secretary of the Treasury, Federal Reserve, elected state officials and the heads of international mints, including Canada, Japan, France, Italy, Germany, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia and Korea.

During his appointment, Kim led a 15-member agency-wide branding team that created the Mint’s first brand platform, logo, and brand standards manual since the inception of the Mint in 1792.  The Mint branding initiative received top recognition as one of the five best repositioned brands by the 2011 REBRAND 100 Global Awards. It was the only American brand awarded.

Kim also managed the Director’s communications internally and externally, including industry and trade speeches, Town Hall meetings, and media outreach, capped by the Director’s interview on CBS 60 Minutes by Morley Safer.

Prior to joining the Mint, Kim held senior-level positions at Anheuser-Busch Companies in St. Louis, Missouri.  At the time, Anheuser-Busch was the world’s largest brewery and led by the Busch family.  In his most recent position as the Director for Asian Marketing and Community Relations at Anheuser-Busch, he established first-time signature high-end branded marketing platforms based on lifestyle, culture, music, and sports.  Most notably, he created Michelob brand tie-ins with Asian and Asian American LPGA golfers, with the James Beard Foundation involving celebrity chefs such as Ming Tsai, Roy Yamaguchi and Sam Choy, with Asian film directors such as Academy Award winner, Ang Lee and actors at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Grammy-nominated jazz group, Hiroshima.

Kim’s influence on branding continues today on www.Asianbud.com, an international website he created to strengthen global Asian consumer loyalty to Anheuser-Busch brands, provide timely market information to Anheuser-Busch wholesalers and vendors, and support a high-level corporate reputation in the community and with key influentials including government and regulatory officials and the media.

Kim has received several honors and awards for his pioneering work in integrating marketing and community relations to reach niche audiences.  In 2008, he received the Presidential Volunteer Service Award as well as a Citation Medal from the Secretary of the Treasury for Exemplary Service.  In 2003, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve a two-year term on the National Advisory Council of the Small Business Administration (SBA), where he was chosen to serve on the Executive Committee.  That same year he was awarded the New York State Governor’s Award of Excellence by Governor George E. Pataki. Kim has also been recognized by several of the 400 community organizations he has worked with, such as the Go For Broke National Educational Center, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Law Foundation, Korean American Coalition, Korean American Grocers Association and Asian American Business Development Center.

Kim serves on several national corporate and non-profit boards, recently receiving an appointment from the president of Duke University to serve on the Board of Advisors for the Duke University Libraries.  He also currently serves on the Multicultural Marketing Advisory Board for Diageo and the Board of Trustees for the National Osteoporosis Foundation.

Kim is Chairman Emeritus of the Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies and the National Asian Pacific Center on Aging.  He is past chair of the National Advisory Board of the Asian American Justice Center and has served on boards in Washington, DC, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and St. Louis.  Kim has lectured at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, University of San Francisco, University of Northern Colorado and Washington University in St. Louis and has been cited in several articles and interviews in publications such as the Journal of Asian American Studies, Advertising Age, Brandweek and Sports Marketing Quarterly.

Kim is a graduate of Duke University with an A.B. in Political Science and attended Columbia University Graduate School of International Affairs.

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