Army Veteran C. Sallay Kim New President & CEO of Support Foundation
C. Sallay Kim, retired Army intelligence officer and San Diego entrepreneur, has been elected to lead the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation as President and CEO. Kim is the owner of Serenity Event Solutions, a firm that plans and manages conferences and events in Southern California.
The Support Foundation raises funds to construct such projects as the Avenue of Flags and the Veterans Tribute Tower & Carillon, and coordinates with local veterans’ groups to place memorials in the cemetery. It currently is raising funds for construction of the Armed Forces Memorial Amphitheater, a $600,000 project. No federal funds are expended for these memorial projects.
Elected with Kim to serve two-year terms were Dennis Schoville, Chairman of the Board; Bill Heard, Vice President; Richard Sells, Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer; and Richard Davidson, Secretary.
“It’s an extreme honor to continue my service to San Diego military veterans and their families,” Kim said. “My colleagues and I remain grounded in our mission to preserve the rich memories of our fallen brothers and sisters, while remaining committed to beautifying the sacred land upon which they rest.”
A first generation American and native of Washington, D.C., Kim enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1990, and graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1997. As a young officer, she attended military intelligence and engineer officer courses, and jump master school.
From 2003 to 2006, she served as an intelligence officer with the 1st Information Operations Command at Ft. Belvoir, Va., where among other duties she led a 10-member plans and intelligence team.
Deployed to Iraq
Kim deployed to Iraq to serve as the intelligence officer for the Coalition Provisional Authority Regional Coordinator for South-Central Iraq. In this role, she provided daily intelligence briefings to the regional ambassador and executive leadership staff.
Beginning in 2006, Major Kim was deputy of the Command Management Branch of the Army’s Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Va., a post generally held by a lieutenant colonel. In this position, she regularly briefed the Army Vice Chief of Staff, and served as daily command program advisor to 21 U.S. and overseas Army commands.
When Major Kim retired from the Army in 2010 she was a Strategic Initiatives Officer for the Officer Personnel Management System Task Force, Human Resources Command in Alexandria.
Since her retirement from the Army, KIm has remained faithful to the military community, serving in roles that include board member of Military In Transition Firefighter for a Day, and volunteering monthly at the Veterans Association of North County’s food drive. She formerly was a Big Sister with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego under the Operation Big/Military Mentoring Program.
Kim worked on the 2014 Marine Toys for Tots Campaign, assisted the San Diego non-profit Resounding Joy funding campaign, and volunteered with the Women in Military Service for America Memorial at Arlington Cemetery for three years, escorting Honor Flight World War II veterans.
Kim earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Campbell University in North Carolina, and a master’s degree in Tourism Administration from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. She has owned and operated Serenity Event Solutions since 2010.
Kim joined the Board of the Miramar National Cemetery Support Foundation in 2015. She is married to Tae Kim, an Army veteran and defense contractor with The MASY Group. The Kims live in Carmel Valley.
By Bill Heard, PIO