Beyond Kent: Stories of Community and Purpose

Beyond Kent is a new alumni spotlight series featuring Kent School graduates who carry the School’s Mission into the wider world, contributing to the common good. Each story celebrates engaged citizens living with purpose, strengthening the communities they serve, and making an impact locally and beyond. 

---

Alumni Spotlight: Kim Johnston Hill '81

Kim Johnston Hill ’81 has traveled around the world for international aid organizations, working to find solutions to the most pressing challenges. More recently, she has advocated for children in the foster care system as a court-appointed special advocate in Clackamas County, Oregon. With a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in economics from Trinity College and a master’s in international development management from American University, a throughline in Kim’s career is the joy she finds in leading through service to others.

All these experiences were opportunities for me to give of myself, but I also knew how much joy they provided me. It lit a spark in me. I definitely acknowledged the privilege I grew up with and felt like that privilege comes with responsibility.

 

What made you want to join the Peace Corps after college?

I remember vividly — CNN was new, and for the first time, we were seeing a famine happen in real life in Ethiopia. It was live on CNN, and in the common room at Trinity [College], we were seeing these images all the time. We're so numb to that kind of imagery now, but at the time, it was pretty novel. I saw these images, and I thought, “I could go do my part in the world. I'm young, I have time, and the world needs help.” In the spring of my senior year, I got a call from the Peace Corps saying, “We have a job for you in Ecuador.” Two weeks after graduation, I was on a plane heading to the Peace Corps!

 

What work did you do in Ecuador?

I worked mainly with groups of women to grow vegetable gardens and learn about nutrition. We had some communal gardens as well as the gardens in their own homes. I would go around to help them with their gardens, provide seeds, and share some alternative cooking ideas with vegetables. It set me on a path I didn't intend, both with international work and after that, working with nonprofit organizations. A lot of those skills are applicable, whether it's international or domestic.

 

How did your work in the Peace Corps prepare you for your work with CARE, the international humanitarian agency?

It was a natural progression. I felt like it was really important to understand the grassroots realities of life in a poor community and the struggles people go through — the obstacles they face, the discrimination, the lack of resources, the really tough health conditions. Just having that grounding helped create the foundation for the career that then evolved. I had three years in their [CARE’s] headquarters, which at the time was in New York City; three years in Peru; and then three years back in Ecuador.

 

How was your impact as a manager different from your impact “in the field”?

I really loved being a manager. I loved mentoring younger people to do that kind of work. Having the perspective of what it's like in the field and on the ground helped orient me throughout my career. When I was in the Peace Corps, those relationships with each mother and child were so meaningful. As I continued in my career, those relationships were with my staff and partner organizations, who are so passionate about what they do — like I was when I first started. Mentoring them on how to problem-solve gave me so much joy. And each of those people had an impact on a whole bunch of other people. It definitely had a cascading effect. I feel like I can actually have an even greater impact from a few steps above. I understood the funding side and how Americans think. I understood some of the local political situation, how an organization works, and all the complexities of how you get things done in a big organization.

 

You took on even more responsibility and travel with Mercy Corps. Can you talk about your role there?

Coming from CARE, which was much larger at that time, I was able to bring some of that experience to Mercy Corps as they were growing. We had country offices all over the world. At one point, I was in charge of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. We would work with our country offices to create their teams and build their programs. We worked with economic development, agriculture, water, sanitation, environmental resources, health care — just a wide range of programs that would help people in the local communities have a better life. I've traveled to Mongolia, Tajikistan, Eritrea, Liberia, and Afghanistan. I've been to so many countries. It's amazing and fascinating, and such a privilege.
 

When you scaled back from travel after your son was born, what skills developed during your career helped you as the executive director of a large childcare center?

I really felt like the nonprofit management experience I had overseas was transferable to domestic nonprofits. Having [someone with] a perspective from outside of the early childhood world come in with a practical management perspective, with as much commitment to the kids and the families as to my staff — it just created a great environment, and we thrived. We managed our resources so well that we were able to pay people well. And what was really awesome was that we were also able to build reserves and create a need-based scholarship fund. I really wanted our school to be accessible to everybody, and we were able to give this great experience to a lot of kids who normally wouldn’t be able to afford it.

 

What drew you to your current work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), working directly with children in foster care?

I liked how it was both hands-on with kids in need and that you also had to navigate some pretty complex, big systems — the Justice Department, the court system, lots of smaller nonprofit organizations trying to help kids and families. I also liked how it was just a whole new world of learning for me. I knew nothing about the legal system or the justice system. I knew nothing about the challenges that are in my own backyard that you hear about in the news, but you don't really understand. It was a whole new world of exploration and learning for me. 

 

Given the complexity of many of these cases, do you feel like you’re making a difference?

It's interesting how a layman without a legal background can actually make a difference. My job is to do what's in the best interest of the child. I speak up, and I share my point of view with confidence. They [the lawyers] have different training, and my perspective is really different from theirs in a lot of cases. I think it helps provide a more holistic pathway for these kids. It's a privilege to be able to be there and to represent them and do what I think is in their best interest. These kids are so resilient. Even when the situation is pretty dire, there's often a solution that provides these kids with an opportunity.

 

How did your Kent experience help shape you?

Kent was part of my life during fragile, vulnerable, formative years — those mid- to late-teenage years when you're just trying to figure out what you're going to be in that next chapter of your life and who you are. Kent was a great place to explore that. It was the right thing at the right time.
 

Any advice for Kent students heading off to college?

It's okay to let the universe speak to you and let your path reveal itself as you go.