Kim H. Tran is the Chief of Staff for the Office of the President at Chicago State University (CSU), the only U.S. Department of Education-designated four-year Predominantly Black Institution in Illinois. In his current role, Kim serves as the senior advisor to the University President and oversees operations for a leading public university that is proud to educate and support diverse student populations. As part of the executive leadership team, he manages a broad range of work and subject areas, with responsibility to implement strategic initiatives that require significant coordination from central administration. Kim facilitates critical processes and has extensive background in areas such as academic affairs, finances, human resources, capital assets, external relations, Foundation development, and risk management.
Prior to joining CSU, Kim served as the inaugural public policy leader for The Campaign for College Opportunity, a nonprofit that focuses on higher education policy reforms in California. He currently serves as a board member for iMentor Chicago, the elected board secretary for America’s Urban Campus, and as a volunteer mentor with One Million Degrees. He is currently a member of the Leadership Greater Chicago Signatures Fellows Program, Class of 2022 and was a member of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Emerging Leaders Program, Class of 2021. Kim holds a Master of Arts from New York University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley.
Kim lives in Chicago with his long-term partner, who is currently a doctoral student at Northwestern University. He enjoys following professional sports, especially the NBA, and is a member of LearnedLeague, an online trivia league.