Councilmember Jennifer Kim was elected at-large to the Austin City Council in 2005 at the age of 32 and is the first Asian American to serve on the council. While on the Council, Jennifer created the Affordable Housing Incentives Task Force, which successfully brought together developers and advocates to find ways to increase affordable housing in Austin. She also led efforts to secure bond funding through an election for the new Asian American Resource Center in Austin, to make childcare more accessible for City employees, and to protect whistleblowers. She also chairs the Minority-Owned and Women-Owned Business Enterprise and Small Business Council Subcommittee, whose efforts help many businesses in Austin to grow and prosper.
Before being elected to Council, Jennifer served on the city's Social Equity Commission, Commission on Immigrant Affairs, and the Census 2000 Complete Count Committee. She has volunteered with the Community Leadership Council, in partnership with the Root Cause Project and 3M Foundation, working with local high school students on community projects such as a survey of needs, park clean-up, and a celebration in a neighborhood park.
From 1998 to 2002, Jennifer worked for the U.S. Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration as an economic development specialist and as a member of the executive management team. During this period she helped deliver $50 million in grants each year to Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas to create jobs and attract private investment to economically distressed communities.
As a legislative aide for State Senator Judith Zaffirini (D-Laredo) from 1993-1995, Jennifer protected disadvantaged and minority communities from environmental threats including a sludge farm, a low-level radioactive waste facility, and a coal strip mining project. She was also involved in preserving water quality in San Antonio and Central Texas through protection of the Edwards Aquifer.
Jennifer is half Korean and half Chinese. As a child her parents worked for the Department of Defense, and she has lived and traveled abroad. She was born in Los Angeles and lived in Japan, Korea, Germany, Arizona, and then Houston where she graduated from Alief Hastings High School.
Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science (1993) magna cum laude from Texas A&M. She attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University for her graduate studies earning a Master in Public Affairs (1998). She is a member of the National League of Cities (NLC) Board of Directors and on the board of Asian Pacific American Municipal Officials.
Pol Ad Paid for by the Jennifer Kim Campaign,
Cecilia Crossley, Treasurer. P.O. Box 42258, Austin, TX 78704.
kimforaustin@gmail.com 512.617.2987
This campaign has not agreed to comply with the contribution and expenditure limits of the Austin Fair Campaign ordinance.
