We caught up with the brilliant and insightful June Cutter a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
June, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?
My parents are immigrants from South Korea. They moved to the United States in 1968 and worked tirelessly to build the American Dream for themselves and especially for me – their only child. Growing up as the child of immigrants had its challenges, but it also instilled in me a sense of gratitude and grit that shaped who I am today.
My dad was born in North Korea and escaped communism by crossing the 38th parallel into South Korea before the peninsula was torn into a conflict that exists to this very day. He moved to America with the hope of building the American Dream and worked a blue collar job in a paper mill for over three decades. He worked double shifts to put my mom through college and eventually put me through law school, until his back literally broke and he was forced into retirement.
My mother worked equally hard and long hours as a laboratory scientist, all the while making sure that I received the best education and that the door remained open for all the opportunities I wanted in this world. Seeing that kind of hard work and sacrifice certainly changes the way you view the world.
As my parents’ daughter, I have learned that you can accomplish anything through hard work and determination. But more importantly, I have learned to be grateful. I live each day with gratitude that my parents came to this country, that they worked so hard to build a beautiful life for themselves and especially for me, and that they continue to support me as I chase after my own dreams and raise my family.
June, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Before entering the world of politics, I was a seasoned attorney with 18 years of civil litigation experience. After running for the California State Assembly in 2020, I was encouraged to take the momentum I built during my own campaign and use it to help other center-right candidates create fresh messaging that resonates with voters and donors.
Highland Political, LLC is a political fundraising and public relations company devoted to advancing center-right candidates and causes. Together with Illuminate Marketing & Consulting, LLC, which is owned and operated by my good friend and business partner, Dena Cruden, Highland-Illuminate is a joint venture that provides premier fundraising, brand building, and event marketing services to clients in the political and non-profit sectors.
We take tremendous pride in the relationships we have cultivated over the last several years, establishing ourselves as the trusted source for center-right fundraising in the San Diego region.
How’d you meet your business partner?
My business partner, Dena Cruden, and I met on the PTA of our local elementary school! Several years after Dena served as president of the PTA, we found ourselves serving the school together – myself as the PTA President and Dena as President of the School Foundation. Together, we raised over $400,000 for our local elementary school each year.
Whereas I had experience raising funds for my own political campaign, Dena also had professional fundraising experience as the Executive Director of One San Diego (the non-profit founded by Former Mayor Kevin Faulconer and his wife, Katherine Stewart Faulconer).
After the 2020 election cycle was over, Dena and I knew that the timing was right to launch our joint venture and share our cumulative fundraising expertise with clients in the San Diego region.
How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?
We have built our reputation by cultivating relationships and helping people connect with one another in meaningful ways. We have demonstrated a drive for success, coupled with honesty, integrity, and transparency. As with all things in life, the key to success if being a good human and making sure that the work you are doing is advancing the interests of the world at large.
Contact Info:
- Website: highland-illuminate.com
- Instagram: @junecutter
- Facebook: @junecutter
- Linkedin: @junecutter
- Twitter: @junecutter