With more than 20 years of experience driving impact and revenue for mission-centered organizations, Kim will work to grow and strengthen the Institute’s flagship public events and explore new ways to leverage the organization’s historic reputation for excellence in convening.
Contact: Jon Purves
Media Relations Director
The Aspen Institute
jon.purves@aspeninstitute.org
Washington, DC, February 21, 2024 – Following a national search process, the Aspen Institute today announced the appointment of Jinhee Kim as the nonprofit’s first Executive Vice President for Public Events and Engagement. In this new leadership role, Kim will work across the Institute to grow and strengthen its flagship public events, including the world-renowned Aspen Ideas Festival celebrating its 20th edition this summer. Reporting to President and CEO Dan Porterfield, Kim will explore new opportunities for partnership, revenue, and impact through mission-aligned convenings, leading a centrally positioned department responsible for helping the organization enhance and expand the dozens of high profile convenings it holds each year.
“Jinhee joins the Aspen Institute at an exciting time as we seek to link and leverage our many assets in service of even greater impact for people and communities around the world,” said Dan Porterfield, President and CEO of the Aspen Institute. “Her unique background in mission-centered public events made Jinhee the ideal candidate for this role, and we look forward to welcoming her to the Institute.”
“I am truly excited and humbled to join the Aspen Institute in this important new position,” said Jinhee Kim. “The opportunity to contribute my passion for engaging the public in impactful ways in furtherance of the Institute’s mission is tantamount to a dream come true, and I very much look forward to doing so in partnership with all of the incredible colleagues and teams leading crucial work across the organization.”
A two-time Emmy Award-winning content producer and live event creator, Kim currently serves as Chief Creative Officer for Events DC, a public/private partnership that generates economic and community benefits for the residents and businesses of the District of Columbia through premier live event experiences. Accomplishments include creation of the Redeye Asian Night Market and the Umbrella Art Fair, as well as the launch of the Emmy-winning GATHER by Events DC, the company’s first digital content portal.
Prior to her work at Events DC, Kim was Head of Programming for Apple where she led the opening of the Carnegie Library store in Washington, DC with the company’s first-ever Storymaker’s Festival—a six-week community-building activation of lectures, panel discussions, musical performances, and product demonstrations through performative art. Before joining Apple, Kim served as Acting Director and Chief Advancement Officer of the Asian Pacific American Center and as Vice President of Media Services for Smithsonian Enterprises where she played a lead role in the launch of the Peabody Award-winning Smithsonian Channel, and established new revenue opportunities fueled by the work of the Smithsonian’s curators, scientists, researchers, archivists, and cultural translators.
The search process for the Executive Vice President for Public Events and Engagement position was led by a search committee consisting of Aspen Institute trustees, program leaders, and senior staff and was facilitated by the firm Sucherman, a ZRG company.
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The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization whose purpose is to ignite human potential to build understanding and create new possibilities for a better world. Founded in 1949, the Institute drives change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve society’s greatest challenges. It is headquartered in Washington, DC and has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, as well as an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.