Steve Kim is a partner and General Counsel of Augustus Global Ventures. As an international attorney, Steve Kim has over 25 years of executive-level experience working with both the private and government sectors, including serving in senior leadership as general counsel for several international companies where he led and directed the organizations’ legal, regulatory, and international government relations and global business development activities.
Prior to his current role, Kim was a partner at RKF Global PLLC, a boutique international law firm, where he advised companies both domestically and internationally on regulatory and government policies, international trade, financing, and general corporate issues. Prior to his work in the private sector, Kim served in a multitude of roles in the public sector, in both elected and appointed positions.
Kim’s public service began when he was Special Assistant to former Governor Jim Edgar where he advised on international trade, economic development, and Asian Affairs issues. Kim also served as International Trade Specialist at the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs, and as Director of Export and International Trade for the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce. Kim served on the United States Department of States Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) and on the steering committee for Basra, Iraq.
In 2012, Kim was elected as a delegate for Mitt Romney for President and served as the Illinois delegate for the Republican National Convention Platform Committee. In 2015, Kim was appointed by Governor Bruce Rauner, and confirmed by the Illinois State Senate, to serve as Commissioner of the Illinois Human Rights Commission. As Commissioner, Kim has adjudicated hundreds of complaints of civil rights violations filed under the Illinois Human Rights Act. In 2016, Kim was appointed by the Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court to serve as a member of the influential Rules Committee of the Supreme Court. Kim was re-appointed to the Rules Committee in 2019. In 2017 Kim was appointed by the Lake County Chairman to serve as a member of the Lake County Government Reform and Accountability Commission.
Kim was chairman of Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s Performance Audit Committee and served as the Treasurer’s Business Advisor. Kim served on U.S. Senator Mark Kirk’s Small Business Advisory Board and was also chairman of Senator Kirk’s Asian American Advisory Board. Kim was also a trustee of Northfield Township.
Kim also has executive experience in Fortune 500 companies, previously serving as Vice President of Government and Public Affairs at Time Warner Cable and Director of External Affairs at & Illinois. Kim was selected to be one of Chicago United’s Business Leaders of Color in 2015. Kim was also the recipient of the 2011 Pan Asian American Ping Tom Memorial Award presented by the Asian American Coalition of Chicago for grateful recognition of outstanding achievement in the Pan Asian American community.
Currently, Kim is on the board of the United State Chamber of Commerce’s US/Egypt Business Council, US/GCC Business Council, and the US/Iraq Business Council. He is also on the Business Leadership Council for the International Republican Institute where he was part of a US-based delegation to monitor the 2019 Ukraine Parliamentary elections.
Kim graduated from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law (J.D., 2001).
