Dr. Maria Su, Psy.D., is a dynamic and visionary leader in public service, education, and children and family advocacy, with over 25 years of transformative impact in the San Francisco Bay Area. As the Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), she is dedicated to driving excellence and equity in education for 49,000 students. Dr. Su oversees the District’s $1.2B budget and almost 9,000 employees. Her leadership is defined by her focus on fiscal stability, operational effectiveness, and fostering inclusive partnerships to enhance student outcomes.

Prior to coming to SFUSD, Dr. Su was appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom in 2009 to serve as the Executive Director of the Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families (DCYF) in the City and County of San Francisco. In this capacity, she managed a $350M budget and spearheaded innovative programs that benefited youth from birth to age 24. Under her leadership, DCYF became a national model for youth-focused services committed to advancing equity and healing trauma so that young people can thrive and be successful.

Living in San Francisco with her husband and two sons, Dr. Su remains deeply rooted in the community she serves. A former SFUSD parent, she is profoundly committed to advancing educational opportunities and addressing systemic challenges to create a brighter future for all students.

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Sherrice Dorsey-Smith has been with the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF) since 2007. Throughout her career at DCYF, she has taken on increasingly complex and high-level leadership roles. Sherrice’s experience and deep knowledge uniquely equipped her to lead DCYF with insight and expertise.

Sherrice started at DCYF as a Program Specialist, working closely with grantees to provide direct support and guidance. Within four years, she advanced to Senior Program Specialist and launched DCYF’s Technical Assistance and Capacity Building initiative, which provides DCYF grantees with the professional development and technical skills necessary to increase their impact on the young people they serve.

Sherrice went on to lead DCYF’s Program, Planning, and Grants Division, where she provided leadership and guidance for Program and Grants team, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building initiative and the Nutrition/Meals Program. She also facilitated the Citywide Inclusion Collaborative which brings together City partners, the SF Unified School District, nonprofit organizations, and parents to work towards providing access and opportunities for youth with disabilities to participate in summer programming.

Sherrice led DCYF’s historic Request for Proposals process, awarding $115 million in funding to community-based organizations in San Francisco for DCYF’s 2024-2029 funding cycle.

Most recently, Sherrice served as DCYF’s Chief of Staff, playing a pivotal role in shaping the department’s direction. She provided leadership and oversight for the department’s grantmaking, and managed essential partnerships with community-based organizations, the San Francisco Unified School District, City departments, and other stakeholders.

One of Sherrice’s most notable accomplishments was her leadership of the Community Hubs Initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic. Serving as the project lead, she oversaw the development and implementation of a network of safe learning spaces in every San Francisco neighborhood, providing critical support to students and families during the pandemic. Sherrice's exceptional work on the Community Hubs Initiative earned her the 2022 San Francisco Good Government Award.

Prior to her tenure at DCYF, Sherrice was a prominent leader in the youth development field in San Francisco and Oakland, where she worked with programs committed to youth empowerment and social change.

Sherrice’s steadfast belief in supporting the whole child has always driven her to become involved in projects and programs that share her holistic philosophy of child and youth development.

Ingrid X. Mezquita is the Director of the Department of Early Childhood (DEC) in San Francisco, bringing over 25 years of experience in the public and nonprofit sectors. She is passionate about promoting fairness and positive changes and is committed to improving the City’s early childhood system by focusing on equity and systems change. She grew up in the Mission district of San Francisco, the child of immigrant parents with Salvadorian roots. She has previously served as the Director of the San Francisco Office of Early Care and Education and the Executive Director of First 5 San Francisco, with her primary focus on reducing racial disparities in early childhood programming. Ingrid holds a Master of Business Administration degree from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.

Marion Sanders is the Chief Deputy Director of the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) and a seasoned public administrator and social worker. She oversees the department’s $785.6 million portfolio of programing, guides its strategic direction and implementation of the Home by the Bay plan to end homelessness in San Francisco, as well as leading data and performance management and compliance efforts. Her responsibilities include broad oversight of nearly 10,000 units of permanent supportive housing, over 4,000 shelter beds, more than 3,000 scattered site permanent housing subsidies, prevention, outreach, and the city’s coordinated entry system.

Marion’s commitment to ending homelessness is deeply personal, rooted in her mother’s experiences with housing instability during her childhood. For over a decade, she has led systems-level initiatives in Los Angeles County, developing programs and policies to remove barriers for people experiencing homelessness. As Deputy Director at the Homeless Outreach Program Integrated Care System (HOPICS), she managed a $30M+ portfolio and co-designed the South LA Coordinated Entry System, creating tools like the SPA 6 Demographic Report to keep stakeholders informed and engaged.

In 2022, she completed a policy fellowship with Urban Leader Fellows, partnering with Indiana’s Office of the Chief Equity, Inclusion, and Opportunity Officer to embed equity into state government operations. Marion holds a B.A. in Public Administration from CSU Dominguez Hills, an M.P.A. from CSU Long Beach, and an M.S.W. from the University of Southern California.

Landon Dickey joined The James Irvine Foundation as a Director of Program Development in April 2020 and became an Initiative Director in December 2024. Prior to joining Irvine, Landon spent five years as the Director of the African American Achievement and Leadership Initiative, a team he founded and led in the San Francisco Unified School District. In his role, he was responsible for policy, operations, and programming leadership and supervision of a portfolio of strategies to improve African American achievement.

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Landon has served as a consultant and advisor on K-12 education and economic mobility for a number of organizations, including Entangled Solutions, Jobs for the Future, the Gates Foundation, and the City of Boston. As an advisor to Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Mayor Martin J. Walsh, he advised the mayors on issues including career training and entrepreneurship for Boston residents, standardized testing policy, education technology, and high school reform.
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Landon began his career as an elementary school teacher in New York. Born and raised in San Francisco, Landon holds a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, a master’s in education from Hunter College, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Pui Ling is a long-time school- and community-based educator, youth development practitioner, and former executive director of a fiscally sponsored nonprofit. Her youth and community nonprofit work has included serving youth leaders across the city, providing workforce development for teens, introducing parents to public schools, and leading grassroots professional development for teachers. Pui Ling started working in youth development as a teenager, grew as a program staff in Chinatown, and partnered with 13 SFUSD middle- and high-schools. Currently, Pui Ling is a Relationship Manager at the Walter & Elise Haas Fund, a trust-based philanthropy practitioner, where she leads the Economic Well-being program and its core grantmaking strategy, the Endeavor Fund.

Annie leads NFF’s national strategy for engagement and advocacy with nonprofits towards NFF's mission of equitable flow of resources. Annie joined in 2015 where she helped build the financial management capacity of the social sector. Before joining NFF, she was a SPO at First 5 LA and a management consultant with Deloitte Consulting. She started her career as a CA State Assembly Fellow and Legislative Consultant with the Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy Committee. Annie received her B.A. in political science from UCLA, and her Master of Public Policy from USC. She serves on the Independent Sector Public Policy Committee, California Coalition for Community Investment Policy Committee, Board of Directors for Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP) and is a lecturer at CSULA's MPA program. Annie is inspired daily by being raised by an immigrant single mother in southeast LA and by her three children to make their future world brighter and more just.

Mario Paz is a passionate leader whose career has been dedicated to advocating and working to build a just society that leaves no child, youth, family, or community behind. Mario has served as Executive Director of the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center since 2006. He has served on numerous boards of directors and is currently an appointed member of San Francisco’s Immigrant Rights Commission and Community Investment Advisory Committee. In 2016, Mario and other Latino leaders in San Francisco co-founded the Latino Parity and Equity Coalition, which addresses structural inequities and systemic failures to address the needs of marginalized Latino communities. In 2018, Mario co-founded the San Francisco Family Services Alliance to champion support for families in San Francisco and currently serves as a Co-Chair.  Mario and his wife Ruth are dedicated and loving parents of three children: Isela, Monica, and Daniel. Mario holds an MA in public administration from CSEB and a BA in Political Science from Golden Gate University.

Erica Kisch is Executive Director of Compass Family Services. She has been with Compass Family Services for 30 years, initially directing the agency’s Compass Family Center shelter for eight years before becoming executive director in 2002. Over her 22 years as head of the organization, she has grown Compass from a $3.7 million annual budget to a $45 million annual budget. Compass is a pillar of strength for San Francisco’s families, providing a continuum of services to support them in achieving housing stability, family well-being, and self-sufficiency, including operating a family resource center and early education learning center. Previously, she founded the Homeless Children’s Network, which continues to provide clinical services and advocacy to San Francisco’s homeless children and families. She has also been a Licensed Clinical Social Worker since 1993. Compass is a proud member of the Family Services Agency (FSA).

Dion-Jay (“DJ”) Brookter is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Young Community Developers (YCD), a 501(c)(3) non-profit community-based organization providing workforce development, education, and housing services to San Francisco’s underserved Bayview/Hunters Point community residents. With over five years of leadership as the CEO, DJ has been instrumental in guiding YCD towards its mission of breaking the cycle of generational poverty in communities of color. DJ's leadership is characterized by a deep commitment to collaboration, compassion, and a vision of economic mobility for all. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from Utah State University and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. He currently serves on the San Francisco Sheriff's Department Oversight Board as a mayoral appointee and is a former San Francisco Police Commissioner. YCD is a proud member of the San Francisco Service Providers’ Working Group.

Elizabeth Winograd serves as Director of the San Francisco Child Care Facilities Fund (CCFF) at the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF), where she leads a public-private partnership that leverages flexible capital, personalized technical assistance, and group trainings to expand and improve child care facilities across San Francisco. She is the former Chair of the San Francisco Child Care Planning and Advisory Council (CPAC) and current first vice-chair. CPAC is a state-mandated Local Planning Council that identifies local priorities and develops policies to strengthen early care and education. She also chairs the San Francisco Children & Families First Commission, which promotes and supports the healthy development of children from prenatal to age five, in alignment with the California Children and Families First Act. In addition to her professional work, she actively volunteers with Glide Church and has served as a mentor through the SF YMCA’s Reach & Rise Program.

Supervisor Danny Sauter represents District 3, which comprises San Francisco’s incredible northeastern neighborhoods including the Barbary Coast & Northern Waterfront, Chinatown, Lower Nob Hill, Financial District, Fisherman’s Wharf, Jackson Square, Nob Hill, North Beach, Polk Gulch, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill, and Union Square.

Danny has a deep background in District 3’s neighborhoods, including serving on the board of his neighborhood association, North Beach Neighbors, for more than 8 years. During this time, he started and ran the North Beach Farmers Market, coordinated a free delivery service to support restaurants during the pandemic, and organized neighborhood cleanups. He served as the first Housing Chair of the San Francisco Sierra Club and as the District 3 Director of the Eastern Neighborhoods Democratic Club.

Prior to being elected to office, Danny was the Executive Director of San Francisco Neighborhood Centers Together, a citywide coalition of community centers serving youth and older adults. Through this work, he strengthened community centers, including Cameron House in Chinatown and TEL HI Neighborhood Center in North Beach. Danny also was the co-founder of Bamboo, a marketing agency which he founded in District 3 and grew from 2 to 50 employees.

Danny grew up in the Midwest with dreams of moving to San Francisco for its opportunities and dynamic culture. Danny’s passion for community service started at a young age. His father was a labor lawyer working with unions while his mother taught at his high school and directed the community service program for students.

Danny studied at Miami University and graduated with a major in Marketing and dual-minors in Entrepreneurship and Chinese. He studied abroad in China during college and learned Mandarin. He has since taken Cantonese classes and been active in the Save Cantonese movement at City College.

Danny and his wife have lived in North Beach for more than a decade. When he’s not working on community issues, Danny enjoys exploring San Francisco’s bookstores and coffee shops, traversing the city by Muni, and cheering on the Giants.

Franklin Hysten is the Founding Partner of Blaze Consulting Group focused on developing leaders and strengthening communities. He has worked with dozens of nonprofit and public sector organizations from across California to advance equity, leadership development, and systems change. With over 20 years of experience in coaching, facilitation, and strategic planning, and a deep commitment to youth and family empowerment, Franklin is driven by his belief in the power of community and collaboration. He is inspired by San Francisco’s spirit of resilience and innovation. As a coach and facilitator, he helps any team or organization with clarity, communication, and connection to experience transformative growth, through utilizing his strategic vision, facilitation expertise, and heart-centered leadership.

Viridiana brings a breadth of experience from the nonprofit, private, and philanthropic sectors. Her journey as an immigrant woman strongly impacts her passion for social justice and fuels her commitment to community based organizations. Viridiana currently serves as Northern California Grantmakers' Manager of Strategic Initiatives, managing funder collaboratives and pooled funds, and leading programming, partnerships, and strategic initiatives activating the region's philanthropic sector.

She was most recently Portfolio Manager in Immigration at Emerson Collective (EC), leading national philanthropic investments championing immigration reform, and managing capacity-building programs as EC's Philanthropy Programs Manager. Previously, she was Program Director at Blue Heart, spearheading programming and grantmaking funding grassroots organizations and art collaborations. Her background includes grantmaking at Sobrato Philanthropies, program and operations management for youth-based and education nonprofits.

Viridiana has a Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan, specializing in management and community organizing and B.A.s in Community Studies and Sociology from UC Santa Cruz.

Supervisor Bilal Mahmood represents District 5, including the Tenderloin, Hayes Valley, Lower Haight, Western Addition, Fillmore, Alamo Square, Japantown, NoPA, and Haight Ashbury.

The son of Pakistani immigrants, he is the first South Asian and Muslim-American elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. His career has spanned civil service, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy, working for over a decade to advance innovative solutions to support issues of public safety, inequality, and climate justice.

After majoring in Biological Sciences at Stanford University and attaining a Gates Scholarship to attend the University of Cambridge, he entered public service in the Obama Administration. As a policy analyst in the US Office of Innovation of Entrepreneurship, he championed policies to support access to capital for small business after the Great Recession. Returning to the Bay Area, he cofounded a software company in San Francisco to democratize access to artificial intelligence technology for small and medium sized businesses.

During the pandemic, Bilal started a community impact fund to invest back in San Francisco. He launched philanthropic campaigns that funded guaranteed income programs for restaurant workers, bystander training for members of the AAPI community, the Let’s Talk About Us campaign to raise awareness for domestic violence, and the Upgrade California campaign to advocate for zero emission buildings. He is also an elected member of the SF Democratic County Central Committee, where he has advanced resolutions calling for innovative solutions to our housing, fentanyl, and public safety crises.

Bilal is a lifelong renter, who currently resides in the Tenderloin. You can often find him working out of the Philz on Golden Gate Ave, grabbing a bite at Gioia Pizza in Hayes Valley, going for a weekend run through the Panhandle, or getting his favorite soft-serve from Cafe Maiko in Japantown.

Supervisor Chyanne Chen is an immigrant, mother, and has lived in District 11 for over two decades. She immigrated to the United States from a small village in China at age 15 with her family. Chyanne attended Galileo High School and earned her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Davis. She also obtained a master's degree from Cornell University and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree. She is a mother to two daughters and caregiver to her elderly parents.

Supervisor Stephen Sherrill represents District 2, which includes the Marina, Pacific Heights, Cow Hollow, and Presidio Heights.

A proud father raising two young children, Stephen is deeply committed to making San Francisco a place where families, businesses, and communities can thrive. He brings a wealth of experience in public service to the Board of Supervisors, with a career spanning federal and local government

Stephen served as the Director of the Mayor’s Office of Innovation under Mayor London Breed, where he led efforts to address San Francisco’s homelessness crisis. His work focused on data-driven solutions and coordinated service delivery, including the creation of ASTRID, an innovative system that integrates housing, health, and emergency response data to provide comprehensive support to unhoused residents. His commitment to accountability and transparency has helped direct resources to those who need them most.

Prior to living in San Francisco, Stephen served as a senior policy advisor under New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. In this role, he worked on clean streets initiatives, disaster response efforts, and sustainability programs, including the expansion of composting and recycling. He also contributed to the city’s emergency response during Hurricane Sandy.

Stephen’s priorities as Supervisor reflect his deep connection to District 2 and demonstrate his belief in San Francisco’s bright future. He is committed to enhancing public safety, ensuring clean and safe neighborhoods, improving our commercial corridors, and making it more feasible and joyful to raise a family in the city. A passionate advocate for small businesses, he champions initiatives like “First Year Free,” which removes barriers for new entrepreneurs and supports vibrant commercial
corridors.

As a proud resident of District 2, Stephen is dedicated to being accessible and responsive to the needs of his constituents. You can often find him walking through the Marina Green with his family, grabbing a coffee in Cow Hollow, or meeting with local small business owners to hear their concerns and ideas.

Stephen looks forward to building on the strong foundation of those who came before him and working with his colleagues on the Board to ensure San Francisco’s best days lie ahead.

Dr. Pegah Faed is the CEO of Safe & Sound, a San Francisco-based nonprofit dedicated to preventing child abuse and promoting the safety, health, and resilience of children and families. She brings over 15 years of leadership in public health, systems change, and social impact. At Safe & Sound, she leads with a deep commitment to equity, guiding the organization’s efforts to expand its statewide footprint, influence policy, and strengthen cross-sector partnerships, while remaining firmly grounded in meeting families where they are and ensuring Safe & Sound responds to their needs every day. Prior to her current role, she served as Executive Director of First 5 Marin and led the City of San Francisco’s Our Children, Our Families Council under Mayor London Breed. She has also directed large-scale evaluation and strategy efforts for First 5 Los Angeles. She holds a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, a Master’s in Public Health from USC, and a Doctorate in Public Health from Loma Linda University.

Madison holds dual bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Political Science and a Master’s in Urban and Public Affairs, where her thesis examined San Francisco’s legislation to close its Juvenile Hall. She has spent over a decade working with children and families through roles in schools, community centers, and nonprofits.

After several years in direct service, Madison transitioned to nonprofit administration, where she developed deep expertise in fundraising, grants management, advocacy, and government relations. Her work centers on building better support systems for families, investing in prevention, and advancing equity and opportunity for all young people.

Madison is also committed to strengthening the nonprofit workforce, preventing burnout, promoting wellbeing, and reshaping narratives about nonprofit work. She believes that a career in service should not come at the expense of personal stability and health. Madison played a key role in securing the early grant funding that led to the creation of the Prosperity Initiative and now serves as its Founder and Executive Director.

Yensing Sihapanya is the Executive Director of Family Connections Centers, a San Francisco nonprofit that provides community-driven, multilingual high-quality preschool programs, education, and family support at multiple centers to ensure children and families can thrive. A native San Franciscan with extensive experience in and passion for family support, social justice, and community organizing, she has been leading Family Connections Centers since 2012. Prior to joining Family Connections Centers in 2012, she directed a residential shelter and programs for homeless families, oversaw programs providing educational services to incarcerated youths, and was the Deputy Director of an organization promoting the rights and well-being of LGBTQ families. She is active on community and service agencies' Boards and Committees, including chairing the San Francisco Child Care Planning & Advisory Council (CPAC), and co-chairing the Family Services Alliance.