Highlights Part 5 - Reinventing San Francisco: Government, Downtown, & Civic Trust
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Enjoy our slide show of photos from the organizations that are featured below in our Highlight Episode Part Three focused on Housing from our Covid-19 special series.
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"Downtown San Francisco isn’t just a collection of buildings; it’s the heart of our city’s economy. To bring it back to life, we need to focus on affordability, middle-wage jobs, and quality of life—because people won’t return to a place that doesn’t work for them” - Joaquin Torres
San Francisco was already straining well before the pandemic hit. Then COVID-19 accelerated every fault line all at once.
In this highlight episode, fifteen civic leaders, journalists, economists, and community builders reckon with what that acceleration means — and what reinvention actually looks like on the ground.
You’ll hear how local governments from San Rafael to San Jose rebuilt themselves overnight, how downtown lost 300,000 daily workers and 25 percent [33% in 2026] of its office space — and what that means for every neighborhood in the city, how a broken tax structure is quietly pushing businesses out of San Francisco. And how Mission Asset Fund built a financial lifeline for the millions of immigrants Congress left behind through three rounds of stimulus.
This is not a postmortem. It is a blueprint in progress — contested, urgent, and unfinished.
Hit play above to hear fifteen voices on the front lines of San Francisco’s reinvention.
Judi Brown—Co-Founder, Managing Partner,Civic Makers
Judi Brown is a creative systems thinker and human-centered design practitioner with a penchant for civic technology and radically inclusive, participatory governance structures. As Chief Impact Officer of CivicMakers, Judi brings over 12 years of experience in applied innovation methodologies with social enterprises, nonprofits, and government agencies to the practice. Her work is grounded in multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral approaches with a lens toward equity and inclusion. Prior to CivicMakers, Judi worked as a Design Strategist with Collective Invention, a social innovation firm working primarily in education and community development. She honed her applied design thinking and public involvement skills while working in Kenya on survey development and evaluation services for Zawadisha, a micro-lending fund benefitting women entrepreneurs. She has also worked in the fields of nonprofit management and corporate philanthropy before co-founding CivicMakers in late 2015. A lifelong learner, Judi thrives in co-creating learning experiences. At CivicMakers, she has led the development of trainings that apply human-centered design to community engagement, strategic planning, and change management. She taught an MPA Capstone class at Presidio Graduate School in San Francisco where she earned a Master’s degree in Sustainable Public Administration and Policy.
To find out more about the origins of Miracle Message and Kevin’s story please visit: https://www.miraclemessages.org/backstory Discover how Miracle Messages reunites families in episode 1 and launched Miracle Money during the pandemic in episode 75 and episode 102
Rebecca Woodbury
Rebecca Woodbury has worked in local government for over a decade and was the City of San Rafael’s first director of Digital Service & Open Government. She also served as the City's public information officer. Rebecca developed the City’s digital strategic framework and led an organization-wide human-centered design training program. In 2017, Government Technology named her one of the Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers and in 2014 she received the Rising Star award at the Municipal Management Association of Northern California’s Women’s Leadership Summit. She has a BA in Public Policy and an MPP, both from Mills College in Oakland, California. Find out more about about Rebecca’s new consultancy business the Department of Civic Things. You can find out more about programs Rebecca helped create to support the City of San Rafael community Go Digital Marin and the Canal-Wifi as well as donate to Canal Alliance
Don’t forget to check out the original interview with Shannon in episode 7. Listen to parts one and two of Finding Home Live to hear Executive Director Lydia Bransten share updates on Gubbio Project's compassionate work.
Kelli Parmley—Director Human Resources, City of Milpitas
How does a first-generation college-goer, the child of farmers from Upstate New York (that landmass north of New York City) and fast-talking east coaster land in local government in San Jose? Kelli Parmley has had an interesting journey to her “home” in local government with the City of San Jose. She has more than 25 years of experience in the public sector, public higher education, not-for-profits, and now local government. She joined the City of San Jose in the City Manager’s Office in 2017 and is currently the Assistant Director for Human Resources, spending the last year in various assignments with the City’s Emergency Operations Center. She came to California in 2015 to join the Carnegie Foundation as their Vice President for Administration and Secretary to the Board and prior to coming to California she led an eight-district cross-sector community partnership (collective impact initiative) in Richmond, VA to reduce disparities in educational outcomes cradle-to-career. Kelli has fallen in love with the diversity, opportunity, and challenge of an urban community like San Jose. She is an enthusiastic advocate for public service and is a champion for local government with anyone who will listen. She received her undergraduate degree in Industrial and Labor relations from Cornell University, an MPA from the Maxwell School at Syracuse, and did doctoral work at the University at Albany
Find out more about Compass Family Services work in the original interview with Mary Kate in episode 68. Listen to CEO Erica Kisch share Compass Family Services's latest work in part one and part two of Finding Home Live.
Joaquin Torres—Assessor-Recorder, City of San Francisco
Joaquín Torres was sworn in as San Francisco’s Assessor-Recorder by Mayor London Breed on February 8, 2021. Prior to his appointment, Torres served as the Director of the San Francisco Office of Economic and Workforce Development since 2018, and has led citywide efforts to mitigate economic hardships on businesses and workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the years, Torres has leveraged resources across City departments to create opportunities for all, expand support for small businesses and workers, build capacity and stability for locally rooted nonprofits, and maximize equitable economic and social impact for the benefit of San Franciscan communities, residents, businesses and neighborhoods. In pursuit of these goals, OEWD provides city-wide leadership and coordination for workforce development, business development, neighborhood economic development, film, small business, and development planning.
Torres is also the President of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission, leading the oversight body as the Authority and City implement a re-envisioning process to rehabilitate over 3,400 units of public housing with $750 million in improvements, leading to the transfer of ownership to affordable housing providers to best serve low-income communities.
Previously, Torres has served as Director of the San Francisco Invest in Neighborhoods initiative, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, and Liaison to the San Francisco Latino and American Indian communities and to Supervisorial Districts Nine and Eleven. He is a current participant in the Government Alliance for Racial Equity program and serves as Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee for the American Conservatory Theatre (A.C.T.). Torres is a graduate of Stanford University and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He lives in the Outer Mission with his wife, Ruibo Qian.
Ceci and Marc share wraparound services and success stories in the, full-length interview in episode 69.
Chris Wright—Senior VP, Advance SF
Chris Wright is the Senior Vice President of Advance SF (ASF), an organization made up of San Francisco’s leading employers and focused on the City’s economic vitality and livability. Chris promotes ASF’s mission to be a leading voice in efforts to make the City an affordable, thriving place for everyone through advocacy, education, and research. Chris has served in this position at ASF and its prior iteration as the Committee on Jobs since 2008.
Before joining the Committee on Jobs, Chris served in several representatives and government relations roles, including as the U.S. Secretary of Education’s appointed Regional Representative (SRR) for Region IX and as a senior staff member for the Committee on House Oversight under California Congressman Bill Thomas. Before his time on the Hill, Chris also worked as an aide to a member of the Pennsylvania Assembly.
A graduate of Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania, Chris earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1992. While working in Congress, he attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Master’s Degree Program in Government Administration.
Chris has been an active member of several civic groups, including the Planning Association for the Richmond neighborhood, the Friends of Alamo School Foundation, SF Parent PAC, and the San Francisco Neighborhood Emergency Response Team (NERT). He and his wife reside in San Francisco, California, with their two sons.
Jeff Bellisario—Executive Director, Bay Area Council Economic Institute
Jeff Bellisario is the Executive Director for the Bay Area Council Economic Institute. He supports a wide range of Institute research through project management, research design, and analysis. His research interests lie at the intersection of community development and finance, and his past projects include analyses of Bay Area housing programs, public-private partnerships for infrastructure, and the economic impacts of transportation and other civic investments.
Prior to joining the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, Jeff worked in Chicago in various portfolio management and investment analysis positions for John Hancock Financial Services and State Farm. Jeff holds an MPP degree from the UC-Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy and a BS in Finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He enjoys running through the hills of the East Bay and cheering on his favorite baseball team, the Chicago Cubs.
Visit Episode 76 for Jennifer's complete interview on compassionate solutions.
Anna Tong—Data Editor, San Francisco Standard/ Correspondent, Reuters
When part two of our Reinvention of Downtown San Francisco was first produced Anna Tong was the data editor at The San Francisco Standard. Prior to The Standard, she worked in product management at cryptocurrency and real estate startups and at Google. She also was a staff writer at the Sacramento Bee, and has written for Vogue Business, the San Francisco Chronicle and the San Jose Mercury News. Anna was born and raised in the Bay Area and has lived in San Francisco for a very long time!
Anna Tong is now a correspondent for Reuters based in San Francisco, where she reports on the technology industry.
Listen to the complete, original episode 76 featuring Quiver and Jennifer.
Noah Arroyo—Reporter, San Francisco Chronicle / Co-Founder News Relay Network
At the time of producing our Reinvention of Downtown San Francisco Part Two episode; Noah Arroyo was a reporter examining the future of San Francisco as part of San Francisco Chronicle's SFNext project.
Noah is a journalist with 15 years under his belt covering San Francisco news, through investigative, analytical, and solutions-focused stories. Most of his work has been at the San Francisco Public Press, which he helped build, and at the San Francisco Chronicle, where he was lead reporter on the SFNext community journalism initiative. He has managed and designed teams, systems, and workflows from the ground up. He loves mentoring and, apparently, projects that some might consider daunting. Go here to find what he’s written on this site.
Noah has gone to work with San Francisco Public Press alumni to launch News Relay Network
For the full story on job training and community impact, find the original interview with Windy, Janet and Joe from Hospitality House in episode 85
Sarah Wright—Reporter, San Francisco Standard / KQED
At the time of production of Part 3 the Reinvention of Downtown San Francisco Sarah was a housing and transportation reporter at The San Francisco Standard. Sarah has worked as a local journalist in Washington, D.C., and in Half Moon Bay, where she served as the Half Moon Bay Review's first deputy editor, covering the COVID-19 pandemic response and the biggest wildfire in a century in San Mateo County. Originally from Lake Tahoe, Sarah is an avid outdoorswoman and now lives in the Inner Richmond. Sarah Wright is now an KQED's Outdoors Engagement Reporter at KQED.
, listen to the original interview with Windy, Janet and Joe from Hospitality House in episode 85
Kevin Truong—Business Editor, San Francisco Standard
Kevin Truong is the business editor at The San Francisco Standard and previously served as the publication’s lead business reporter. He was formerly a reporter and editor at the San Francisco Business Times, where he covered commercial real estate, biotech and the innovation economy. His journalism has won recognition from the California News Publishers Association and the San Francisco Press Club. A proud graduate of the University of California Los Angeles, Kevin cut his teeth at the Daily Bruin student newspaper and news organizations like the Christian Science Monitor, NBC Los Angeles and Marketplace, before making his way north to the City by the Bay.
For more about Hospit, listen to episode 85 with Windy, Janet and Joe
Jose Quinonez—Founder & CEO, Mission Asset Fund
For this highlight episode of Voices of the Community, we're honored to feature José A. Quiñonez, the pioneering founder and CEO of Mission Asset Fund (MAF). Since 2007, José has engineered innovative financial models to bring low-income families into the financial mainstream—work that earned him a MacArthur Genius award in 2016.
A relentless advocate for economic justice, he championed landmark 2014 California legislation recognizing credit-building loans as a tool for financial empowerment. Beyond MAF, José is a trusted voice in consumer finance. He advises institutions like Capital One and the Federal Reserve Board, serves on the U.S. Treasury’s Advisory Committee on Racial Equity, and co-chairs the transition team for San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie.
A Princeton and UC Davis graduate, José spends his downtime with his wife, two children, and their Egyptian rescue pup, Llama.
To hear the full story of Youth Spirits Artworks tiny homes village and newspaper, listen to the original, interview with Sally and Reginald Gentry in episode 81.
Elena Fairley—Programs Director,Mission Asset Fund / Program Officer,Crakstart Foundation
A quick note before you dive in — when this episode was recorded, Elena Fairley was the Programs Director with Mission Asset Fund. Elena has since moved on to the Crankstart Foundation, where she now works as Program Officer. Working to foster economic mobility and a more equitable world. Elena has spent over a decade in leadership positions at high-impact, innovative organizations building financial power in low-income communities and communities of color, and she brings a lifelong commitment to advancing economic equity. Elena’s focus is program management, strategic partnership development, program and product design, strategy, impact evaluation and learning, and tackling complex problems with smart, passionate people.
Efrain Segundo Orozco—Partnerships Director,Mission Asset Fund
Efrain Segundo Orozco's role at MAF has changed since the original production of this interview was recorded. Efrain previously worked as MAF's Financial Education and Engagement Manager and is now the Director of Partnerships at MAF who still dedicates his time to developing programs to connect with the community.
Efrain has been with the organization since 2019, focusing on financial coaching and innovating the ways in which financial education is accessed by low-income and immigrant communities.
Madison Alvarado—Reporter, San Francisco Public Press
Madison Alvarado, an award-winning reporter for the San Francisco Public Press. Madison’s vital journalism tackles California’s housing crisis, homelessness, environmental justice, and systemic inequities.
Her extensive reporting—which has also appeared in Mission Local—delves into rent relief, tenant rights, and the localized impacts of federal policy shifts on vulnerable populations, including veterans and transgender residents. A champion of multilingual and inclusive journalism, Madison frequently contributes to collaborative projects focusing on health equity, immigrant rights, and reparations.
Her dedication to impactful local reporting earned her a community journalism award from the Society of Professional Journalists' Northern California chapter for her incisive coverage of rent debt, public housing, and tenant organizing in San Francisco.
Michelle Moritz—Volunteer, League of Women Voters of San Francisco & Retired Sen. Research Biochemist/UC San Francisco
Michelle Moritz joined the League of Women Voters of San Francisco in 2016. She has volunteered primarily with the Voter Services Committee, running voter registration drives in the community and at high schools and community colleges. Michelle has also led many of LWVSF's legislative interviews and assisted with candidate forums. Originally from Chicago, Michelle grew up in the great outdoors, horseback riding, hiking, and skiing, and she still enjoys outdoor recreation whenever possible. Michelle received a Ph.D. in biological sciences from Carnegie Mellon University and has worked as a research scientist at UCSF for 30 years. Michelle Moritz is serving as the Speakers Bureau chair and contributing to writing the LWVSF Pro/Con Guide (https://lwvsf.org/procon)
visit Episode 105 for the complete groundbreaking interview.
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