ALUMNI: David Kim

By Annie Mitchell,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff-

The U.S. Federal Highway Administration has the City of Davis to thank for its deputy administrator. His name is David Kim, and he is a 1981 Davis High graduate.

Kim was recently appointed to the position by President Barack Obama and U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. He described what he does as “a little bit of everything.”

Not only does Kim conduct projects concerning large federal highways, but he also does work involving local roads. Kim manages the 2,800 people that work under him in the FHWA and supervises the execution of the “Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act,” a bill signed by the president in December 2015.

Kim is also involved with transportation around the borders of the United States. He serves as a U.S. chair of the U.S.-Mexico Joint Working Committee, which meets a few times a year to coordinate transportation around the southern U.S. border.

Kim works with a similar group that deals with the Canadian-American border.

“Whether it is with our counterparts in the north or the south, we are very active in coordinating traffic issues along the border,” Kim said.

Because of his participation with these organizations, Kim has had the opportunity to travel internationally as well as in the United States. He likes this aspect of his career.

“When it comes to representing FHWA at events around the country, David Kim is ready and willing to go, anytime, anywhere,” FHWA spokesperson Neil Gaffney said.

“It enables you to travel to places you’d never seen before,” Kim said. “You get a chance to know them firsthand.”

Along with traveling, Kim enjoys being able to preside over projects himself. “There really is no substitute to seeing projects in person,” he said.

He is also optimistic in terms of his colleagues. “I am working with great people here that are so committed to their mission,” Kim said.

DHS steered Kim towards a career in government. The American government class that he took in high school sparked his interest in the field.

“It really opened my eyes,” Kim said. “I got really excited.”

After graduating from high school, Kim majored in political science at Occidental College in Los Angeles. There, he refined his interest in government to transportation.

“I found transportation to be incredibly fascinating,” said Kim. “You have to get from point A to point B no matter where you live.”