Director, Healthy City Project

Co-Director, The Advancement Project LA

Mr. Kim currently serves as the Co-Director of the Advancement Project LA and the Director of the Healthy City Project. Mr. Kim works closely with Co-Directors Molly Munger, Connie Rice, and Steve English on policy research/advocacy initiatives, partnership building, and strategic organizational development efforts. At the same time, Mr. Kim is the founding director of the Healthy City Project which is an all-in-one service referral and public policy research website. Healthy City is widely regarded as one of the most important new tools for LA's public sector and has been acclaimed as a national model for data-driven policy planning resources. Through his work on Healthy City, Mr. Kim has provided direct policy and research support to local elected officials, philanthropic entities, and countless community-based organizations throughout the region.

Mr. Kim has long focused on social justice and community development issues in both Oakland and Los Angeles. He started his career as a youth organizer, where he helped to mediate racial tensions among students of color and organize a successful campaign to offer Ethnic Studies in all Oakland Public High Schools. Later on, he became the Executive Director of the Korean Community Center of the East Bay, where he significantly expanded the agency's financial base and programmatic capacity through the development of new programs in the areas of domestic abuse, community development and community technology. Mr. Kim's work in the Bay Area has been recognized by KQED/Channel 9 as the 2001 Local Hero of the Year Award and by Oakland's Mayor Jerry Brown with the proclamation of a "John K. Kim Day" in the City of Oakland.

Senior Research Analyst

Efren joins the Advancement Project with over 17 years experience serving his community through national, statewide and local non-profit organizations. His professional experience runs a broad range of social service issues including, homelessness, displaced political refugees, domestic violence, education, public health and child development. He has worked most recently as a Program Officer in the Planning and Development Department at First 5 LA, a Los Angeles County based funder of various countywide initiatives designed to improve the health, education and safety of children prenatal through five and their families. At First 5 LA Efren led the GIS activities informing strategic planning and initiative development. Efren's previous work experience includes, The Statewide California Coalition for Battered Women, The American Cancer Society, and The Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law. Committed to social change, Efren volunteers with the National Organization for Women and is a co-founder and Director for the Council for Family Court Reform.

Project Manager

Tahirah joined Healthy City after working with New Schools / Better Neighborhoods (NSBN), a civic advocacy organization dedicated to improving Los Angeles' urban school districts. At NSBN Tahirah was involved in mixed-use, school facility planning throughout LA County. She has an interest in bringing a sustainability perspective to address the urban planning challenges of creating social equity, economic vitality and environmental justice for Los Angeles' underserved populations. Tahirah received a Master of Planning degree with a concentration in Social and Community Development as a Dean's Merit Scholar from the University of Southern California. She received a BA in Political Science and International Relations from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Project Manager

Rebecca Kahlenberg graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science. Prior to AP, she worked in project management and report writing at a Hispanic consumer research firm. She also has experience in public health as a field interviewer. She has worked with several Los Angeles area nonprofits doing street tree care, legal aid for urban farmers, bicycle activism, and community arts workshops.

Research Analyst

Chris Ringewald currently serves as a Research Analyst at Healthy City. As such, he uses GIS technology and local crime, demographic and health data to assist local non-profit and public organizations in a variety of projects. These projects range from economic development and place-based needs assessments to gang-reduction and crime prevention through environmental design. He holds a Master of Regional Planning and Bachelor of Arts in History from Cornell University and previously worked for the National Park Service's Inventory & Monitoring Program in South Florida and served as an AmeriCorps VISTA, developing public service initiatives, in Ithaca, NY.

Research Analyst

Janice Burns holds an M.A. in Urban Planning from UCLA and a B.A. in Sociology and Black Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara. As a student, she chaired the UCSB Student Commission on Racial Equality, sat on various Academic Senate and other student committees, and received a Dean of Social Sciences Research Award to research post-1965 housing development in Watts. She has several years of volunteer and work experience in the youth development field having worked for the Children, Youth, and Family Collaborative, the Los Angeles Youth Opportunity Movement, and the UCLA Academic Advancement Program. She has conducted planning research for Beyond Shelter, Inc. and, prior to coming to Healthy City, conducted housing research and legislative analysis for the City of Long Beach.

Administrative Coordinator

Shannon Ulrickson received her Master's degree in Religion at Claremont School of Theology, with a focus on the arts. Prior to her graduate studies, Shannon worked in finance for a production company. Shannon previously served as a Program Director for the Alliance for the Care of Abused Children, where she connected community volunteers with Children's Social Workers in order to provide support for foster youth in Los Angeles County. Shannon received her undergraduate degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles, and is excited to be part of this diverse and vibrant community once again.

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