City Manager’s Office

Executive Team

Meet Interim City Manager Hyun Kim

Interim City Manager

Hyun Kim

Hyun Kim was appointed to serve as the Deputy City Manager in June 2023 and oversaw the City’s internal services and on June 30, 2025, Hyun began his role as Interim City Manager.

Hyun is a credentialed International City/County Management Association manager who comes to the City of Tacoma with firsthand knowledge of local government in the Pacific Northwest.

Hyun worked for the City of Gillette, Wyoming before coming to Tacoma, where he served as the City Administrator until 2021. In this role, he assembled the team that would transition the coal-dependent community away from fossil fuels. He also spearheaded an ethics case study on rebuilding public trust while managing City operations and keeping public policy on track. While in Gillette, Hyun led a team that would onboard more minority and female police officers than any other time in the department’s history.

Prior to joining the City of Gillette, Hyun spent four years as the City Manager for the City of Fife. Some in the community may remember partnering with him on projects of mutual interest and concern, such as the extension of State Route 167.

In his city leadership positions, and as a board member of the International Network of Asian Public Administrators, Hyun has a record of leading anti-racist systems transformation and advancing diversity in local government employment.

Education

• Master’s of Public Administration, Brigham Young University
• Master’s of Business Administration, Western Governors University
• B.S. in Public Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Meet Deputy City Manager Allyson Griffith

Deputy City Manager

Allyson Griffith

Allyson Griffith was appointed to serve as the Deputy City Manager in June 2025. She previously served as the interim Deputy City Manager and the Director of the Neighborhood and Community Services Department.

She joined the City of Tacoma in 2007 as a management fellow and has worked to build relationships among community members and across various City departments to support thriving neighborhoods. As Interim Deputy City Manager, Allyson oversees the Neighborhood and Community Services and Community and Economic Development departments, the City of Tacoma’s Alternative Response efforts, Management Fellows, and Council Policy Assistants, and will be responsible for additional projects or departments as needed.

Allyson has been a proud resident of Tacoma’s Hilltop neighborhood since 2016. She especially enjoys Tacoma’s easy access to the outdoors and is often found walking in Point Defiance or paddling on the Puget Sound.

Education

• Master’s in Public Administration, University of Oregon
• Bachelor of Arts in Politics, Whitman College

Meet Deputy City Manager Sonja Hallum

Interim Deputy City Manager

Sonja Hallum

Sonja Hallum is an Interim Deputy City Manager, overseeing the City’s Center for Strategic Priorities. The Center includes the Office of Equity and Human Rights, Office of Environmental Policy and Sustainability, Strategy, and Government Relations. Sonja served as the City’s Government Relations Director before her appointment as Interim Deputy City Manager in October 2024.

Sonja has extensive policy experience at the state and national levels. Prior to joining the City, Sonja worked as the Public Safety Policy Advisor for Governor Jay Inslee for six years. She has also worked in the Washington State Legislature as non-partisan staff counsel and as policy staff for two state agencies. Sonja’s experience also includes working at the Pew Charitable Trusts Public Safety Performance Project in Washington, D.C. She is a licensed attorney in Washington State with over a decade of experience as a practicing attorney. Sonja enjoys traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.