My path to public service traces back to the Woodrow Wilson (now PPIA) Junior Summer Institute.

Dan Kim

PPIA Junior Summer Institute, University of California at Berkeley, 1990

B.A., University of California at Berkeley

Master of Public Policy, Harvard University



How A Single Summer Sparked Decades Of Impact

Dan traces the start of his public service career to the summer he spent in the Woodrow Wilson Program through what is now the PPIA Junior Summer Institute. He entered the fellowship planning to pursue a PhD and teach. Exposure to real policy work shifted his direction. “I discovered policy in action,” he says. Seeing how policy, politics, economics, and statistics work together showed him that he wanted to serve in government. That realization led him to an MPP and set the course for everything that followed.

Opportunities That Opened New Doors

The summer program also opened pathways he might not have considered on his own. “The PPIA scholarship gave me freedom,” Dan explains. With much of graduate school covered, he stepped directly into government service. That decision launched a 27-year career across three California state departments and three counties, including appointments working for Governor Jerry Brown and Governor Gavin Newsom.  His work has ranged from navigating fiscal crises to developing homeless services, implementing IT systems, constructing state buildings, advancing sustainability goals, and leading statewide logistics and procurement during the pandemic. He credits the fellowship for the foundation that supported each step.

A Ripple  Community Through PPIA

The program’s influence reached beyond Dan’s own trajectory. “The ripple has been wide,” he says. He met his wife through his PPIA friends, and she eventually transitioned to work for state government. His daughter recently completed an internship at the Department of Finance. Many of his closest friendships and professional connections grew from PPIA relationships. The community he found through the fellowship shaped both his personal and professional life.

Passing Opportunity Forward

Dan now gives back through annual donations and mentoring students and alumni. He wants future Fellows to enter public service with fresh ideas, creativity, and commitment as they take on challenges in climate, housing, equity, and technology. As he reflects on the program’s impact, one message rises above the rest. “My path to public service traces back to the Woodrow Wilson (now PPIA) Junior Summer Institute.”