Pasadena Resident Beong-Soo Kim Named USC’s 13th President

Beong-Soo Kim has been appointed USC’s 13th president, elevating the interim leader following a months-long national search, the university’s Board of Trustees announced Wednesday.

Kim, who has served as interim president since July 1, 2025, was unanimously selected by the board and assumed the role immediately.

“The Board’s unanimous vote reflects what we learned throughout the search process: widespread confidence in Beong’s leadership,” Suzanne Nora Johnson, chair of the USC Board of Trustees, said in a statement.

“As a next generation president, we believe that he can dramatically accelerate USC’s institutional advancement as a distinctive leader in higher education during a time of unprecedented change.”

During his interim tenure, Kim launched initiatives aimed at strengthening interdisciplinary research and campus dialogue, including a Presidential Open Dialogue Project and an AI Strategy Committee, according to the university.

He also co-hosted USC’s first AI Summit, bringing together students, faculty and industry leaders to examine artificial intelligence’s impact on education, business and society, officials said.

“Beong has already demonstrated a deep commitment to advance USC’s academic mission working alongside our outstanding faculty,” said Dana Goldman, founding director of the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service. “His lofty ambitions and sustained dedication will guide the university to even greater scholarly accomplishments.”

Kim previously served as USC’s senior vice president and general counsel and as a lecturer at the USC Gould School of Law.

“I am deeply honored by the confidence the Trojan Family and Board of Trustees have placed in me,” Kim said in a statement.  “USC is a very special place, and we are uniquely positioned to advance our mission and impact during this period of change across higher education.”

Before joining USC, he held senior roles at Kaiser Permanente, worked as a partner at an international law firm and served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.

A Los Angeles native, Kim earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Harvard University and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics.

His parents, Korean immigrants, both pursued graduate studies at USC.