Ron Kim

Ronald Tae Sok Kim (born May 2, 1979) is an American politician from New York City. He serves in the New York State Assembly representing the 40th District, which includes portions of Whitestone, Flushing, College Point, and Murray Hill in Queens. First elected in November 2012, Kim became the first Korean American elected in New York State. Speaker Carl Heastie appointed him as Vice-Chair of the Majority Conference of the New York State Assembly in January 2017 and Chair of Committee on Aging in January 2021. Early life and education Kim comes from a Korean American family who immigrated to Queens when he was seven. The only child of Seo Jun Kim and Sun Hee Kim, he grew up in Flushing, Queens. He graduated from the Riverdale Country Day School in the Bronx in 1997, where he was captain of the football and track teams. He later earned his Bachelor of Arts from Hamilton College, where he continued his football career on the varsity team. He received his Masters in Public Administration from Baruch College as part of the National Urban Fellows Program. Career Kim began his career in public service in then-Councilmember John Liu’s office, focusing on quality-of-life issues in the Flushing community. He moved on to become an aide to then-State Assemblyman Mark Weprin. Following that, Kim joined the New York State Department of Buildings, followed by the Department of Small Business Services. In 2004, Kim was accepted into the National Urban Fellows Program, where he was placed in a fellowship advising the Chief Education Office of the Chicago Public Schools, simultaneously earning his Master’s in Public Administration from Baruch College. In 2006, Kim joined the staff of then-New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn as a Policy Analyst, where he focused on legislative issues relating to transportation, infrastructure, and economic development.