Mayor Lurie Appoints Community Leaders, Experts to Key San Francisco Commissions and Committees

SAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today announced the appointments of community leaders and policy experts to key commissions and committees, supporting his work to make San Francisco safer and stronger and to drive the city’s comeback. The mayor appointed Jacqueline Francis to the Asian Art Commission, Eleanor R. Cox to the Historic Preservation Commission, Elijah Mercer to the Juvenile Probation Commission, and Yvette Edwards, Ryan Hazelton, Eloise Krehlik, Prasanthi Patel, and Jenny Pearlman to the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth, and Their Families' (DCYF) Oversight and Advisory Committee.

“These appointees have proven their commitment to their professional communities and will bring unique perspectives to their roles on these critical city commissions and committees,” said Mayor Lurie. “With their years of experience, professional knowledge, and community engagement, they will drive San Francisco’s comeback, and I look forward to working with each of them.”

Jacqueline Francis serves as dean of the humanities and sciences division at California College of the Arts (CCA). Since 2008, she has taught in the graduate visual and critical studies and undergraduate history of art and visual culture programs. Dr. Francis has also taught in CCA’s fine arts division and mentored fine arts, design, and architecture division students. She has held key leadership positions at CCA, including serving as chair of the visual and critical studies program and as vice president of the Faculty Senate. She earned tenure and was promoted to professor in 2022. Dr. Francis is an art historian, curator, and creative writer. She researches and writes about modern and contemporary U.S. art histories.

Eleanor R. Cox is a senior preservation specialist at MIG, Inc., where she manages cultural landscape projects across significant sites including Pinnacles National Park, Pearl Harbor National Memorial, and Yosemite National Park. Cox has held leadership positions with the California Garden and Landscape History Society and has presented at national and statewide conferences for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the California Preservation Foundation. Her expertise is grounded in cultural landscape preservation, architectural history, and climate adaptation for historic resources. She holds a master’s degree in historic preservation from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in history from U.C. Santa Cruz.

Elijah Mercer is a data strategist and community advocate with extensive experience using data to empower communities and drive systemic change. As a data coordinator and program manager at the Instituto Familiar de la Raza, Elijah has led contract compliance, performance monitoring, and partnership development across large initiatives focused on immigrant and minority communities. Mercer is the founder of Data for JustUS, a consulting firm that helps nonprofits and community organizations build their data capacity and improve operations. He has held previous roles at the Vera Institute of Justice, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, and the New York City Police Department. Mercer graduated with a Master of Information and Data Science from U.C. Berkeley and has published research on criminal justice and media representation.

Yvette Edwards is an education advocate. Her early work supporting law students in test preparation sparked a commitment to teaching and mentoring first-generation students. Over time, she has used her legal skills to advocate for systemic change in public education. As a mother of one child in San Francisco public schools, Edwards has taken on leadership roles within her community, co-founding the African American Parent Advisory Council at Sunnyside Elementary and serving on the PTA. Her efforts have focused on creating inclusive, supportive environments where Black children and students with diverse learning needs are fully seen and supported. Edwards lives in the Portola area.

Ryan Hazelton serves as executive director of Mariposa Kids. After graduating from U.C. San Diego, Hazelton spent several years in the tech sector before transitioning into nonprofit fundraising, beginning with Holy Family Day Home. He went on to serve as senior philanthropy officer at Safe and Sound and later as interim development director at Gateway Public Schools. Hazelton currently serves on the board of directors of 18 Reasons and Safe and Sound, is a member of the San Francisco Child Care Planning and Advisory Council, is active in the San Francisco Children and Youth Fund's service providers working group, and serves as an emeritus board member at Tandem, Partners in Early Learning, and Thomas Edison Charter Academy.

Eloise Krehlik is a rising freshman at Lick Wilmerding High School and will hold the youth seat on the DCYF Oversight and Advisory Committee. She was born and raised in San Francisco and attended the Presidio Knolls Mandarin immersion school for over a decade and is a former citywide commissioner on the San Francisco Youth Commission. As a biracial and bilingual individual, she uses her native-level proficiency in both languages to connect with diverse communities and empathize with their stories. During her term as commissioner, she aimed to amplify the voices of all youth across the city. Her current work focuses on transit, housing, the environment, and the Free Muni for Youth program, and she serves as a nonprofit liaison for Walk SF and SF Transit Riders.

Prasanthi Patel currently serves as chief operating officer for a dental nonprofit in San Mateo. She has extensive experience in health education and promotion, including teenage sex education programs and support for young families through case management and food bank initiatives. Her experience includes working in hospitals in Los Angeles and community programs, leading her to roles in the San Francisco Department of Public Health and running citywide health initiatives focused on evaluation and clinic support, particularly in oral health. Patel earned a master’s degree in public health from U.C. San Diego and is a mother of two children in the San Francisco Unified School District.

Jenny Pearlman has served as the chief policy officer at Safe and Sound in San Francisco since November 2012. She played a primary role in developing and implementing San Francisco's Family First Prevention Services Plan. Pearlman has held several positions at Safe and Sound, including associate director of strategic partnerships and policy and senior program manager. She also worked as a consultant for Pearl Nonprofit Consulting and has served as a senior staff attorney at Public Advocates, Inc. Pearlman holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Foreign Service in international law and politics from Georgetown University.