Julie Kirschbaum, the acting director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, has landed the gig full-time after being appointed head of the agency today by Mayor Daniel Lurie.
Kirschbaum was in the position left behind by the agency’s former boss, Jeffrey Tumlin. He was appointed by former Mayor London Breed in November 2019, and announced he would not return when his contract lapsed in December 2024.
Kirschbaum must tackle a series of challenges, such as the projected $240 million department deficit starting in 2026, a citywide network of biking lanes that have become targets following the controversial Valencia center lane and the questionable traffic safety plan Vision Zero, which has failed to reduce traffic deaths in the city.
Read more about this appointment here.
Existing officials during Breed administration
Lurie appointees
Click on the photos to read more about them and their appointments.
The post was last updated on Feb. 19, 2025.
Mayor’s Office
Staci Slaughter
Chief of Staff
Matthew Goudeau
Deputy Chief of Staff
Han Zou
Director of Public Affairs
Paul Yep
Chief of Public Safety
Ned Segal
Chief of Housing & Economic Development
Kunal Modi
Chief of Health, Homelessness & Family Services
Alicia John-Baptiste
Chief of Infrastructure, Climate & Mobility
Penny Coulter
Chief of Protocol
Adam Thongsavat
Liaison to the Board of Supervisors
Sophia Kittler
Budget Director
Eileen Mariano
State & Federal Legislative Affairs
Aly Bonde
Policy Advisor
Andre Adeyemi
Director of Appointments
Ernest “EJ” Jones
Director of Community Affairs
Nina Negusse
Communications Director
Annie Gabillet
Deputy Communications Director
Charles Lutvak
Press Secretary & Senior Communications Advisor
Haakon Black
Communications & Digital Assistant
Moisés García
Community Liaison
Unfilled
AAPI Community & Press Liaison
Shalini Rana
Health & Human Services Advisor
Alex Sweet
Transportation Advisor
Major Department Heads
Julie Kirschbaum
SFMTA
William “Bill” Scott
Police
Dean Crispen
Fire
Rich Hillis
Planning
Patrick O’Riordan
Building Inspection
Daniel Tsai
Public Health
Carla Short
Public Works
Shireen McSpadden
Homelessness and Supportive Housing
Daniel Adams
Housing
Sarah Dennis Phillips
OEWD
Trent Rhorer
Human Services Agency
Dennis J. Herrera
Public Utilities
Mike Nakornkhet
Airport
Elaine Forbes
Port
Phil Ginsburg
Rec & Park
Transition Team
Sara Fenske Bahat
Transition Director
Ann O’Leary
Transition Counsel
Ben Rosenfield
Senior Advisor
Sam Altman
Co-chair
Joanne Hayes-White
Co-chair
José A. Quiñonez
Co-chair
Ned Segal
Co-chair
Michael Tubbs
Co-chair
Nancy Tung
Co-chair
Paul Yep
Co-chair
Chief of Staff
Staci Slaughter
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Dec. 12, 2024.
Slaughter has four years of city hall experience as a press secretary for former Mayor Frank Jordan from 1992 to 1996. Jordan endorsed Lurie for mayor in this election. Slaughter’s experience has mostly been in the private sector. The bulk of her experience has been her 28 years with the San Francisco Giants, including two years as the senior executive advisor and almost 26 years as the executive vice president, communications and senior advisor to the CEO. Most recently, Slaughter has been a board member of Bay Football Club, also known as the Bay FC, which is the new National Women’s Soccer League franchise representing the Bay Area. Back ↑
Who’s leaving?
Sean Elsbernd has been Mayor Breed’s chief of staff since she took office in July 2018. He started his City Hall career in 2001 as the legislative aide for former District 7 Supervisor Tony Hall. When former Mayor Gavin Newsom was elected, Elsbernd was picked as his initial liaison to the Board of Supervisors. In August 2004, then-Mayor Newsom appointed Elsbernd to a vacancy on the Board of Supervisors. Elsbernd was later elected and re-elected as District 7 Supervisor for two terms from 2004 to 2012. After Elsbernd termed out in 2012, the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein appointed him to be her state director. He remained in that job until Breed picked him to helm her ship. Back ↑
Deputy Chief of Staff
Matthew Goudeau
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Dec. 12, 2024.
Goudeau has been the senior advisor for Lurie’s mayoral campaign since March 2024. Currently, he serves as director at the office of the Mayor-elect. For over two decades, Goudeau held key roles under five mayoral administrations, including at the mayor’s office of protocols since the Willie Brown administration. Goudeau was also the director for almost two years at Grants for the Arts, which is a city department that provides grants for arts and culture organizations across the city.
Who’s leaving?
Andrea Bruss has been serving as Mayor Breed’s deputy chief of staff since she took office in July 2018. Bruss already had 11 years of City Hall experience when she was picked by Breed as her deputy chief of staff in July 2018. Prior to her post, Bruss served as legislative aide to Breed while Breed was the District 5 Supervisor and legislative aide to former District 10 supervisor Malia Cohen for five years, from 2011 to 2016. Back ↑
Director of Public Affairs
Han Zou
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Dec. 12, 2024.
Zou has been the campaign manager for Lurie’s mayoral campaign since May 2024. Previously, Zou was known in the political scene as the door-knocking genius who helped Assemblymember Matt Haney sway Asian voters in his winning assembly race in 2022 and, before that, his District 6 supervisor race in 2018. In this election, Zou, along with Kit Lam, the campaign’s Chinese community-outreach lead and a school board recall activist, helped create a landslide victory among Asian voters. As Mission Local’s Yujie Zhou reported, almost every heavily Asian precinct marked Lurie as their first choice, including neighborhoods such as the Sunset, the Richmond, the Excelsior, Portola, Visitacion Valley, and Chinatown. Back ↑
Chief of Public Safety
Paul Yep
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Jan. 2, 2025.
Yep is a former SFPD commander and current member of Lurie’s transition team. As the Chief of Public Safety in the mayor’s office, Yep will coordinate a multitude of criminal justice services aimed at community and neighborhood safety. Yep will be in charge of coordinating multiple departments: Adult Probation, Police Accountability, Department of Emergency Management, the Fire Department, Sheriff Inspector General, Juvenile Probation, Police Department, Victim and Witness Rights.
Yep retired from the SFPD in 2023 after 28 years, serving in district stations across the city and as a commanding officer. As an SFPD commander, Yep would sometimes take the lead at town halls that followed a police shooting. An alumnus of Lowell High School and San Francisco State University, Yep was born and raised in San Francisco.
Yep was an early Lurie supporter and a key bridge into the Chinese community — one vital to Lurie’s election. He is well-known in that community and his appointment is likely to reassure that community that Lurie takes their concerns seriously. Back ↑
Chief of Housing and Economic Development
Ned Segal
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Dec. 17, 2024.
As the chief of housing and economic development, Segal will work on two priorities: downtown revitalization and building housing. Segal will work with major departments including those overseeing building inspection, planning, economic and workforce development, housing and community development, the arts commission, libraries, and the airport.
Segal was most recently the chief financial officer of Twitter. He also serves on the board of Tipping Point Community, the nonprofit grantmaking organization that was founded by Lurie. Segal sits on the executive committee and leads the nonprofit’s fundraising of nearly $50 million every year. Segal began his career at Goldman Sachs and was most recently as a managing director and the head of global software investment banking. Back ↑
Chief of Health, Homelessness & Family Services
Kunal Modi
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Jan. 7, 2025.
Modi is a partner of consulting firm McKinsey’s Bay Area office. At McKinsey, where Modi worked as a partner for over 11 years since 2013, Modi’s work highlights government efficiency, including scaling new public health infrastructure, simplifying multi-agency permitting, and reforming procurement processes. Modi also serves on the boards of anti-youth homelessness organization Larkin Street Youth Services and social service nonprofit St. Anthony’s Foundation.
In this role, Modi will work with a focus on issues such as behavioral health, unsheltered homelessness, and the city’s support and services provided to residents.
Modi will coordinate a multitude of eight departments including the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, the Human Rights Commission, the Human Services Agency, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Disability and Aging Services, the Department of Early Childhood, the Child Support Services, and the Children, Youth, and Their Families.
In addition, Modi will also serve as the administration’s point of contact with the San Francisco Unified School District and City College. Back ↑
Chief of Infrastructure, Climate and Mobility
Alicia John-Baptiste
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Jan. 6, 2025.
John-Baptiste is currently the president and chief executive officer of the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR). John-Baptiste has been leading urban policy nonprofit for about six years and deputy director for three years. Prior to her time at SPUR, John-Baptiste worked for about 16 years at City Hall between the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and the Planning Department.
SPUR’s recent report on better governance is one that several political groups have pointed to as a road map for amending the city’s charter. It recommends eliminating rules restricting “mayoral staffing and management” by striking portions of the city charter instituted by Prop. H back in 1991. It also suggests restructuring the mayor’s office to allow for “a more manageable number of direct reports.” John-Baptiste said in the press release that she is “excited to directly implement a recommendation from SPUR’s good government work by joining the newly-created team of policy chiefs.”
In this new position, John-Baptiste will help Lurie coordinate with the Environment Department, the MTA, the Port of San Francisco, the Public Utilities Commission, the Department of Public Works, and the Recreation and Parks Department. Back ↑
Chief of Protocol
Penny Coulter
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Dec. 27, 2024.
Coulter is the president of the Coulter Family Foundation, which is a nonprofit that offers funding to medical research and improving healthcare access in resource-limited areas. Apart from her work there, Coulter’s philanthropy focuses on arts and education. She currently sits on the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the University of California San Francisco Foundation board of directors, and many more. As the chief of protocol, Coulter will welcome foreign officials, heads of state, diplomats, and scholars from around the world. She will also organize major civic events, and foster international relationships. Back ↑
Who’s leaving?
Maryam Muduroglu currently serves as Mayor London Breed’s chief of protocol. Muduroglu started the role in November 2022. Breed selected Muduroglu for a job which, for 50 years, had been filled by the late Charlotte Mailliard Shultz. Since 2020, Muduroglu has been a member of the leadership council at Tipping Point Community, a nonprofit organization founded by current Mayor Daniel Lurie. Prior to her appointment, Muduroglu worked in healthcare information technology for a decade before serving on boards for various organizations such as the San Francisco Opera, the Bay School of San Francisco, and children’s shelters. Back ↑
Liaison to the Board of Supervisors
Adam Thongsavat
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Dec. 26, 2024.
Thongsavat currently serves as a legislative aide to District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman and as the chief policy advisor on issues such as homelessness, behavioral health, small businesses, and LGBTQ. Thongsavat has been working at Mandelman’s office since January 2023. He will work as Lurie’s Liaison to the Board of Supervisors to support the legislative process for Lurie’s initiatives and facilitate Lurie’s relationship to the new board.
Thongsavat began his career as a field organizer for President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign in Ohio for four months in 2012. Since then, Thongsavat has been working for Democratic campaigns across the country including work in Arkansas, Texas and as a regional field director in Texas. Thongsavat led Airbnb’s community affairs and public policy efforts in San Francisco and across the western regions from 2015 to 2021. Back ↑
Who’s leaving?
Tom Paulino has held the position since October 2021. Prior to this job, Paulino was the district director for Assemblymember David Chiu for three years from 2018 to 2021. Paulino also worked for the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein for about four years from 2014 to 2018. Paulino is the third person to hold this job under Breed. When Breed first came into office in July 2018, she appointed Kanishka Cheng, who left the job in April 2019 and became Breed’s director of commission affairs and, later, the founder of political nonprofit TogetherSF and its action group, TogetherSF Action, which supported mayoral candidate Mark Farrell and Proposition D, a ballot measure to reform city commissions. (Both lost.) Back ↑
Mayor’s Budget Director
Sophia Kittler
Mayor’s Office
Started the role in June 2024.
Kittler has more than seven years of experience at City Hall. She began her career working as a legislative aide to former District 10 supervisor Malia Cohen for two years from 2017 to 2019. Kittler then became the policy advisor for Breed for four months before she became Breed’s liaison to the Board of Supervisors from 2019 to 2021. Later, Kittler moved on to become the director of Breed’s Office of Innovation. Back ↑
Manager of State and Federal Legislative Affairs
Eileen Mariano
Mayor’s Office
Started the role in August 2023. Named by Lurie again on Dec. 26, 2024.
Mariano is keeping her job as the manager of state and federal legislative affairs in Lurie’s administration. She started her job at the mayor’s office in January 2022 as the youth and families advisor for Breed. She then became the manager of state and federal affairs for Breed in August 2023. Mariano is the granddaughter of the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Back ↑
Policy Advisor
Aly Bonde
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Dec. 26, 2024.
Bonde led the policy development for Lurie’s successful mayoral campaign and will continue to work for Lurie as his policy advisor. It is unclear if Bonde will be replacing Andres Power, who has been serving as Mayor London Breed’s policy director since July 2018. Most recently, Bonde served as the director of government relations at Planned Parenthood Northern California. Prior to that, Bonde worked as the senior director of public policy and finance at Oakland Thrives/Youth Ventures Joint Powers Authority. Bonde is the great-great-great granddaughter of John W. Geary, the first mayor of San Francisco. Back ↑
Who’s leaving?
Andres Power started working as Breed’s policy director since July 2018. Power has more than 18 years of government experience in San Francisco. Before being appointed as the policy director for Breed when she took office in July 2018, Power worked for seven months for interim Mayor Mark Farrell as senior advisor and liaison to the board of supervisors. Prior to that, Power worked for late Mayor Ed Lee as senior advisor for seven months in 2017, and chief of staff for former supervisor, and now state senator, Scott Wiener for almost five years from February 2012 to December 2016. Power’s City Hall career started at the Planning Department, where he worked for almost six years as a project manager for pavement to parks, a city’s program to create more accessible and community-serving public spaces. Back ↑
Director of Appointments
Andre Adeyemi
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Dec. 26, 2024.
As Lurie’s director of appointments, Adeyemi will help Lurie find good candidates for the city’s boards and commissions. Most recently, Adeyemi has been an associate at Rich Talent Group, which specializes in diversity in executive search within consumer tech and Fortune 100 organizations. Currently, Adeyemi is the chief of staff at Zep AI. Back ↑
Director of Community Affairs
Ernest “EJ” Jones
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Dec. 26, 2024.
Jones is known most recently as the District 11 supervisorial candidate who finished in third place after Chyanne Chen and Michael Lai. Jones has deep roots in the Lakeview and the OMI neighborhoods in the southern end of the city. He previously served as a legislative aide to termed-out supervisor Ahsha Safaí for about two years. Jones also served as the housing director for the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center where he focused on affordable housing development, community building and land-use policies. Back ↑
Communications Director
Nina Negusse
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Jan. 3, 2025.
Negusse most recently worked as the vice president of crisis and risk communications at the public relations firm Edelman. This appointment also marks her return to City Hall, where she worked as the public information officer at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for over six years, as well as at the San Francisco Department of Elections. Back ↑
Deputy Communications Director
Annie Gabillet
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Jan. 3, 2025.
Gabillet worked as the digital director for Lurie’s mayoral campaign and steered the social media for the campaign. Gabillet led the coverage for three presidential elections and forged a content initiative with First Lady Michelle Obama at PopSugar, a media brand she worked at for a decade that is now a part of Vox Media. Back ↑
Press Secretary and Senior Communications Advisor
Charles Lutvak
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Jan. 3, 2025.
Prior to this appointment, Lutvakb worked as the senior communications advisor for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign. Lutvak worked as the deputy press secretary and acting press secretary for New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Back ↑
Communications and Digital Assistant
Haakon Black
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Jan. 3, 2025.
Black worked as a daily staffer who was often seen taking care of the Lurie’s mayoral campaign’s logistics. Black is a native San Franciscan and a graduate of Stuart Hall High School and earned his political science degree from Northwestern University in 2023. Back ↑
Community Liaison
Moisés García
Mayor’s Office
Named by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Jan. 3, 2025.
García worked as the LGBTQ outreach director for Lurie’s mayoral campaign. García worked on Lateefah Simon’s congressional campaign at the beginning of 2024 and served as the executive director of the San Francisco Democratic Party from the end of 2021 to mid-2024. García also served on the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Citizens Advisory Council for seven years, including three years as chair. Back ↑
Asian American and Pacific Islander Community and Press Liaison
Unfilled
Mayor’s Office
To be appointed.
To be appointed. Back ↑
Who’s leaving?
Kit Lam was named the Asian American and Pacific Islander community and press liaison by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie on Jan. 3, 2025. Lam left the post in shortly after for undisclosed reasons. Prior to this, Lam worked as Lurie’s mayoral campaign’s Asian American and Pacific Islander political director who helped Lurie harvest the decisive Asian votes. Earlier, Lam was known as one of the organizers of the 2022 School Board recall. He also worked as a legislative aide for District 4 Supervisor Joel Engardio from 2023 to 2024. Back ↑
Health and Human Services Advisor
Shalini Rana
Mayor’s Office
Started the role in November 2019.
Before Rana became Breed’s policy advisor for health and human services issues, she worked for five years at Metta Fund, a nonprofit in San Francisco offering caregiving and fostering community and belonging for the elderly. Back ↑
Transportation Advisor
Alex Sweet
Mayor’s Office
Started the role in August 2020.
Before Sweet became the transportation advisor for Breed, she worked for four years from 2016 to 2020 at Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, a transportation system planning and design firm that SFMTA head Jeffrey Tumlin worked for 22 years. Back ↑
Director of Transportation
Julie Kirschbaum
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency
Appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie on Feb. 18, 2025.
Julie Kirschbaum was the acting director of the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency after former SFMTA head Jeffrey Tumlin left in December 2024 when his contract ended. Before this post, Kirschbaum was the agency’s director of transit for six years from 2018 to 2024, leading Muni through the Covid-19 pandemic and rebuilding ridership. Back ↑
Who’s leaving?
Jeffrey Tumlin was appointed to the post by former Mayor London Breed on Nov. 19, 2019. During the five years at his tenure, Tumlin was in the hot seat, facing a series of challenges including the problem-ridden Muni system and controversial bike lanes, as well as a projected $240 million department deficit starting in 2026. Tumlin was the former director of strategy at Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates, a transportation-system planning and design firm. Prior to his leading role at SFMTA, Tumlin had almost no experience managing city agencies or transit systems. The only exception was the nine months he spent in 2016 as interim director setting up Oakland’s Department of Transportation. Back ↑
Chief of Police
William “Bill” Scott
San Francisco Police Department
Sworn in by late Mayor Ed Lee on Jan. 23, 2017.
Previously, Scott served 27 years in the Los Angeles Police Department, where he rose to the rank of Deputy Chief. Back ↑
Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department
Dean Crispen
San Francisco Fire Department
Appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie on Jan. 10, 2025.
Crispen has served as captain of stations in Chinatown, North Beach, and Soma, and currently serves as a battalion chief. During the 34 years of his tenure, Crispen was recognized three times for bravery following the rescue of elderly victims in fires in the Tenderloin. Crispen has also acted as incident commander at more than 50 major incidents across the city and was part of the department’s response in New York City after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. Crispen’s father is a retired captain of the department’s arson squad. Back ↑
Who’s leaving?
Sandy Tong is the city’s first Asian fire chief, and first fire chief without a firefighting background. Tong was appointed by former Mayor London Breed on Sept. 3, 2024 amid the late stage of the mayoral race. Tong has 35 years of experience working in emergency medical services, and was the department’s deputy chief of emergency medical services and community paramedics. Prior to being named interim chief, Tong was the highest-ranking Chinese American within the department. Tong succeeded former chief Jeanine Nicholson, who abruptly announced her retirement on July 26, 2024. Back ↑
Planning Director
Rich Hillis
San Francisco Planning
Appointed by former Mayor London Breed on Feb. 20, 2020.
Hillis has been serving as planning director since March 2020. Prior to leading the Planning Department, Hillis worked as the executive director for the Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture. Hillis also served as a planning commissioner from 2012 to 2019. Hillis replaced John Rahaim, who announced his retirement in September 2019 after working 12 years as the director of planning. Back ↑
Director of Department of Building Inspection
Patrick O’Riordan
Department of Building Inspection
Appointed on March 18, 2020, by the Building Inspection Commission.
O’Riordan, a former carpenter and a general contractor for the city from 1992 to 2000, joined the DBI in 2000 as a field inspector. He became chief building inspector in 2013 and stayed on the job for the next until he was appointed as DBI director in 2020 by the Building Inspection Commission. O’Riordan replaced predecessor Tom Hui, who was appointed head of DBI by Mayor Ed Lee in 2013. Hui was suspended in March 2020 for allegations of accepting gifts from developers. Back ↑
Director of Public Health
Daniel Tsai
Department of Public Health
Appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie on Feb. 11, 2025.
Prior to this post, Tsai’s career focus has been in healthcare. Tsai was appointed in 2021 to lead the nation’s Medicaid program — the country’s public health insurance program for low-income people — at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Biden-Harris administration.
For about four years as the head of Medicaid, which the Trump administration is now looking to shrink, Tsai led the agency to strengthen the care for mental health and substance use. He also focused on interventions for individuals experiencing homelessness with medical and behavioral health conditions.
Before that, Tsai served as Massachusetts’ Medicaid Director for over six years from 2015 to 2021 and was the state’s longest-serving Medicaid director in nearly two decades. Tsai was also previously, for eight years, a partner at McKinsey’s healthcare and public sector practices, where he worked in areas such as state Medicaid programs, healthcare providers, and health plans. Back ↑
Who’s leaving?
Dr. Grant Colfax was appointed by former Mayor London Breed in January 2019. Colfax was trained at the University of California, San Francisco, and worked as Director of National AIDS Policy at the White House from 2012 to 2014 under the Obama Administration. During his time as the DPH head for six years, Colfax guided the city through the Covid-19 pandemic. Back ↑
Director of Public Works
Carla Short
Department of Public Works
Appointed by former Mayor London Breed on Nov. 8, 2023.
Prior to her role as director, Short served as interim director of Public Works, beginning in August 2021. Before that, Short was the superintendent of the city’s Bureau of Urban Forestry for eight years, from 2015 to 2023. The bureau is a division under Public Works that manages city-owned street trees. She worked her way up through the division, starting as an urban forester in 2004. Back ↑
Executive Director of the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
Shireen McSpadden
Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
Appointed by former Mayor London Breed in April, 2021.
Before becoming the head of the city’s Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, McSpadden was the head of the Department of Disability and Aging Services for more than five years, from 2016 to 2021. Back ↑
Director of the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development
Daniel Adams
Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development
Appointed by former Mayor London Breed on Jan. 16, 2024.
Prior to this role, Adams worked as her senior advisor for housing initiatives from 2021 to 2024. Adams has also worked in the mayor’s housing office for about nine years, as director of program development and a senior project manager from 2007 to 2013, and as deputy and acting director from 2017 to 2020. In between the two periods, Adams worked for housing developers for four years, including two years at MidPen Housing as housing development director, and two years at BRIDGE Housing as a real-estate development director. Adams succeeded Eric Shaw. Back ↑
Executive Director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development
Sarah Dennis Phillips
Office of Economic and Workforce Development
Appointed by former Mayor London Breed on May 31, 2023.
Prior to her role leading OEWD, Phillips worked as a senior director at the development firm of Tishman-Speyer and was formerly deputy director of development for Breed. Phillips started her role on June 12, 2023 and succeeded Kate Sofis, who was appointed by Breed as the managing director of the War Memorial and Performing Arts Center. Back ↑
Executive Director of the Human Services Agency
Trent Rhorer
Human Services Agency
Appointed by former Mayor Willie Brown in October 2000.
Rhorer’s post as the head of the city’s Human Services Agency started more than two decades ago, when he was appointed by then-Mayor Willie Brown. Back ↑
General Manager of the Public Utilities Commission
Dennis J. Herrera
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
Appointed by former Mayor London Breed in April 2021.
Herrera joined the Public Utilities Commission in 2021 after serving as San Francisco City Attorney for nearly 20 years. Former Mayor London Breed tapped Herrera in April 2021 after longtime former PUC head Harlan Kelly resigned in December 2023 to face federal bribery charges. In March 2024, Kelly was sentenced to federal prison for four years for six fraud and bribery charges. Back ↑
Airport Director
Mike Nakornkhet
San Francisco International Airport
Appointed by former Mayor London Breed on Nov. 26, 2024.
Nakornkhet succeeded Ivar Satero, who worked at SFO for more than 40 years, and as the airport’s director since 2016. He is retiring at the end of 2024. Nakornkhet will remain at the Denver International Airport as its chief financial officer and executive vice president before he takes over Satero’s position. Prior to his role at the Denver International Airport, Nakornkhet worked at SFO for 13 years from 2008 to 2021, including eight years as SFO’s director of financial planning and analysis and acting managing director of finance from 2013 to 2021. Back ↑
Executive Director of the Port of San Francisco
Elaine Forbes
Port of San Francisco
Appointed by late Mayor Ed Lee in October 2016.
Forbes has 24 years of City Hall experience in San Francisco. She has been the executive director of the city’s port for eight years and, prior to this, she was the chief financial officer at the port for about five years. Before working for the city’s port, Forbes served for four years as the finance director for the Planning Department. Prior to working at Planning, Forbes led the Board of Supervisors’ Office of the Legislative Analyst. Back ↑
General Manager of the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department
Phil Ginsburg
The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department
Appointed by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom in July 2009.
Following a recommendation by the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Commission, Newsom appointed Ginsburg General Manager in July 2009. Before his 15-year tenure to lead the department, Ginsburg worked as the chief of staff of then-Mayor Newsom for two years from 2006 to 2008. In 2019, Ginsburg was appointed to the California State Parks and Recreation Commission by Gov. Newsom and reappointed in 2022. He was named to the National Recreation and Park Association Board of Directors in 2022. Back ↑
Transition Director
Sara Fenske Bahat
Transition Team
Bahat managed the post-Sept. 11, 2001, recovery at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. There, Bahat worked from the perspective of New York’s relationship to the financial services sector. On Lurie’s campaign trail, Lurie said he counted Michael Bloomberg, New York City’s mayor from 2002 to 2013, as a model mayor. Lurie says he wants to revive San Francisco like Bloomberg rebuilt Manhattan after 9/11. Back ↑
Transition Counsel
Ann O’Leary
Transition Team
Transition Team Senior Advisor
Ben Rosenfield
Transition Team
Rosenfield, San Francisco’s “adult in the room,” stepped down as city controller only this February at the age of 50 after working at City Hall for nearly 27 years. During his time in city government, Rosenfield served as the mayor’s budget director for five years, and as the city controller for 16 years. Back ↑
Transition Team Co-chair
Sam Altman
Transition Team
Cofounder and CEO of OpenAI
Altman is the Cofounder and CEO of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence firm best known for ChatGPT. He is also the chairman of Helion, a fusion research company, and Oklo, a nuclear technology company. Altman was previously the president of Y Combinator from 2014 to 2019, a tech venture capital firm. In an interview, Lurie said he would work with Altman to bring AI into city government. Back ↑
Transition Team Co-chair
Joanne Hayes-White
Transition Team
Fire Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department from 2004 to 2019
Transition Team Co-chair
José A. Quiñonez
Transition Team
CEO of Mission Asset Fund
Transition Team Co-chair
Ned Segal
Transition Team
Co-chair of Lurie’s mayoral campaign
Segal was most recently the chief financial officer of Twitter. He also serves on the board of Tipping Point Community, the nonprofit grantmaking organization that was founded by Lurie. Segal sits on the executive committee and leads the nonprofit’s fundraising of nearly $50 million every year. Segal began his career at Goldman Sachs and was most recently as a managing director and the head of global software investment banking.
On Dec. 17, then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie named Segal as his chief of housing and economic development, overseeing downtown revitalization, housing, and economic development of San Francisco. Back ↑
Transition Team Co-chair
Michael Tubbs
Transition Team
Former Stockton mayor
Tubbs was elected to the city council in Stockton at the age of 21 in 2013 and served as a council member until 2017. Tubbs then became the mayor of Stockton in 2017 at the age of 26 and served until 2021, when he was defeated in his reelection bid. Back ↑
Transition Team Co-chair
Nancy Tung
Transition Team
San Francisco prosecutor
Tung was elected as the chair of the San Francisco Democratic Party in April 2024, after winning a second term as a member of the county Democratic party. Tung has also been a prosecutor for 24 years and works in the San Francisco district attorney’s office. Back ↑
Transition Team Co-chair
Paul Yep
Transition Team
Chief of Public Safety (named by Lurie on Jan. 2, 2025)
Yep was named as the Chief of Public Safety on Jan. 2, 2025 by then Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie. Yep served as the commanding officer of the Richmond Station, Central Station, the Staff Services Division, and Northern Police Station. Yep endorsed Lurie for his mayoral bid in February 2024. Back ↑
Altman is going to donate a million to Trump’s inaugural fund: https://apnews.com/article/sam-altman-donald-trump-openai-3b7a87037f3718eb3edc73e94be8a61a
The mayor-elect should be held accountable for working with an unethical fascism-sponsoring individual.
Speaking of fascism…
You’re trying to lay blame at Lurie for working with someone who supports Trump, President-elect. Whatever you think of Trump is fine, but you’re advocating for single-party exclusive local rule also.
Food for thought.
Single party sounds pretty but supporting a cult leader who is allowing the richest person on earth to destroy the federal agencies that are safety nets for the poorest people is a little different than just working with a Republican.
This is reform? No shake up at dbi even? ML writers and many readers know what’s up at dbi much better than I do but from where I sit it seems like the situation could hardly get worse. Maybe try killing a chicken to scare the monkeys, as the saying goes?
Seriously. O’Riordan should never have been appointed in the first place.
DBI should be the first place Lurie lifts the rug and does some house cleaning. Lurie would be hard pressed to get of civil servants without merit but he certainly could break up the gang that runs DBI by relocating the managers to other departments and firing those whom are at will employees. (i.e. Director Patrick O’Riordon and Deputy Director Matthew Greene specifically)
Any shakeups which happen at DBI likely wouldn’t be announced till after the Inauguration. Keep in mind that many people are likely facing layoff. They’re not going to deliver the earth shattering news while the transition is ongoing, and during holidays no less.
Time to replace everyone .
The “warm your chairs” , overpaid , arrogant , do nothing Breed appointees who have wasted time and taxpayer money on bad decisions and policy are the part of the sleaze corruption and need to be fired .
Sam Altman?
Where is the nearest cynic clinic? I’ve been here too long to say San Francisco will do much better under a Mayor Daniel Lurie. Don’t get me wrong, I wish him nothing but the best.
It’s ironic because I am a devout optimist.
The intersection of the pandemic and fentanyl crises combined to make a sum greater than individual parts, which were plenty bad by themselves, and that these are slowly ebbing away as time goes on. The Covid pandemic’s gone, but the lasting local business and QOL effects are still there. Fentanyl deaths will still occur but there’s more narcan and enforcement going on than was available before. So those things are improving more by themselves from the low-water mark of 4 years ago, regardless really of Lurie’s actions or anything deliberate. He’ll be rewarded for that slight uptick whether his programs have much effect or not, just like Breed tried to claim slight upticks were the result of her “strong” political stances – it’s a PR pitch, almost PR teeball. The question now is with the 3/4 of a Billion deficit Breed’s corrupt failure of an strong-arm administration built, all those misplaced non-profit Millions here and multiple Billions borrowed for underground Subway stations that are hardly used and don’t connect to the rest of the city, all of these things coming due at once, where does Lurie make the cuts necessary to repair the ship of state? Well, he’s a politician and a wealthy politician, so the most vocal and likely most well-heeled of his constituency will likely get the most of what they want. It would take a rather politically naive (or insanely brave) leadership to ignore the demands of a City Family that corruption built. These choices indicate he’s not going to do that. It’s the “New” City Family, same as the OLD City Family. Time will tell but I’m with you, the promises made cannot be kept except by extraordinary fortune and superhero political efforts, and Lurie is no superhero far as I can see. I think though he will get a political buffer period because most SF’ians know just how incalculably BAD the previous 4 administrations really were for the long term health of the City, from Brown to Newsom to Lee to Breed. Lurie can point that finger for a long time and not be wrong, but that won’t solve the problems either. Keep that optimism tempered and bring it out where you can to help – just mind that we don’t reward the same old guard for the same old problems as has been our trend for 2+ decades.
There’s little mentioned about Lurie’s stance regarding officer oversight and the city’s resounding defeat of Prop. D. Department of Police Accountability (DPA). Paul Henderson is/was a London Breed loyalist and is strictly out for higher ground. He’s done nothing but feather his nest while the investigators are overworked and managed by incompetent lifers. The mediation program has languished. Time for the Mayor-elect’s transition team to take notice, do a nationwide search for an oversight professional and reframe DPA’s management with a principled reset.
Who is the current Director of Real Estate?
Still looks pretty White to me. Welcome to the new Amurican Oligarchy.
Giving Zou and Lam “genius door-knocking” credit for Lurie massively defeating London Breed is pretty generous to Breed’s overall public perception and legacy, and to those lauded for capitalizing on it.
Had Zou and Lam not existed at all the results would have been similar. Her BS finally caught up.
48hills.org/2024/11/why-london-breed-lost/
Lurie doesn’t need to pretend to have done something politically extraordinary via basic campaigning.
Pat yourselves on the back fine but let’s get real. Breed did it to herself.