Rising Stars: Lea Park-Kim

Most mornings, before the sun can make its appearance, you’ll find Lea Park-Kim out on the water in West Sacramento rowing or coaching with the River City Rowing Club. It’s a practice that reflects her discipline and motivation to continually evolve. That same energy has propelled her to success as the communications director for Sen. Roger Niello (R-Fair Oaks).

“I have worked with many really great PR professionals over the years, and she is one of the very best,” Niello said. “And her youth gives her a long runway to achieve truly great things.”

Attending college in her hometown, Park-Kim graduated from the University of San Diego, where she studied international relations and affairs. Some of her favorite college memories stem from her time off campus. Being so close to home, she jumped at every opportunity to travel through study abroad programs or internships.

She spent six months in Washington, D.C., interning for the American Councils for International Education. She hopped around to El Salvador, Israel and Palestine before finally landing her dream placement to study in Morocco.

Exploring the country and its culture, she was fascinated by how different it was from her home. Experiencing other parts of the world outside of San Diego and hearing people’s stories, she says, remains one of her favorite parts of her job today.

“There are so many different incredible people that go through the Capitol and Swing Space that I get to meet and talk to, from the press corps members to constituents to advocates. They all have different stories to share, and I love getting to know different people,” Park-Kim said.

Fresh off her final semester of college in 2013, studying abroad in Morocco, Park-Kim found herself at a crossroads. Unknowingly setting the course for her career, she took an internship in the district office of then-Sen. Joel Anderson (R-Alpine) in hope of continuing her education beyond college as she plotted her next move.

As an intern, Park-Kim took on any task she could, attempting to further calibrate her skills working in public policy, she says. When the internship ended, she credits her mentors as vital to her decision to continue working in Anderson’s office. Colleagues say she always comes to work with a smile and energy to take on any challenge.

That was front and center as she made her way from legislative aide to communications director in Anderson’s office. He points to her ability to understand and connect with her audience as a key factor in her success. In his office, she mentored interns, demonstrating how to build relationships while also increasing Anderson’s TV and print visibility.

“I just wanted my job to be something that was going to continue to make me a better human and continue to help me be smarter, be just a kind person, and be able to come home and still feel like, ‘OK, good,’” she said.

When the opportunity came to move to Sacramento in Anderson’s final year in the Senate in 2018, she jumped at it. San Diego had become more than familiar and she was eager for something new. Even five years later, she is still exploring the region and doing what she loves the most: learning.

“I have worked with many really great PR professionals over the years, and she is one of the very best,” Niello said. “And her youth gives her a long runway to achieve truly great things.”

Before taking on her current role with Niello, Park-Kim served as a communications director for Sen. Brian Jones (R-San Diego). She later stepped outside the Capitol to hone her communication skills, taking on the communications roles at the State Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Citrus Heights Water District. She says both experiences allowed her to stay connected with local communities and prepared her for a return to the legislature.

Today, she says her focus as Niello’s communications director is straightforward: help constituents understand who Niello is and what he is doing for them. It’s a massive undertaking in today’s communications landscape, but she says she thrives on the pressure and having a job that constantly requires her to learn and stay ahead of the curve. She also enjoys that every day is different, and that the relationships she has built are more valuable than she can express.

“The reason why I’m still in this business, I think, is because of the positive experiences I had in all three offices,” she said. “And it’s really made me realize how important your team and your boss are, [and] without those… I really wouldn’t be here enjoying every single day just like it was my first year.”

Much like her early days at the district office in San Diego, Park-Kim says she loves the variety that comes with tracking trends in the general population and legislature that will impact how she disseminates information. With her expertise, she’s a go-to person for anyone in the communications realm at the Capitol.

“Lea is the consummate team player. She will never let a team member down. She will always take the time from her packed schedule to give advice or tips to help a member of her team succeed,” Anderson said in an email.

Despite her packed schedule, Park-Kim hits the water nearly every day with her crew or coaching intermediate rowers. In the West Sacramento waters, Park-Kim is much like she is in the office—bubbly, outgoing, and ready to encourage everyone around her to have a good time, even if it is 5 a.m.

“Everybody asks me often, ‘Oh my gosh, how do you row and how do you coach and how do you have a full-time job? How do you do other things?’ And for me, it’s just come to having a very structured and disciplined lifestyle, which I am OK with,” Park-Kim said.

Longtime journalist Dan Morain has been rowing with Park-Kim as his coach for the last year, and he says it’s her calming, encouraging presence that shines through most out on the water.

“I can barely speak at that hour—there she is bright, cheery, chirpy and very enthusiastic,” Morain said.

Lea Lentz is an intern with Capitol Weekly’s Public Policy Journalism Internship program.