NEWS
Mayor Lurie Appoints San Francisco Leaders To City Commissions And Bodies
Office of the MayorSAN FRANCISCO – Mayor Daniel Lurie today announced a series of appointments and reappointments to city committees and commissions. He nominated Mike Chen to the Planning Commission, John Peck to the Mission Bay Transportation Improvement Fund Advisory Committee, and Barbara Bella and Craig Paxton to the Ballot Simplification Committee. He renominated Lydia So to the Planning Commission and Carey Wintroub to the Recreation and Parks Commission. Mayor Lurie also appointed several new members to the Sweatfree Procurement Advisory Council and reappointed members to the Mayor’s Disability Council and Our City, Our Home Oversight Committee.
“Our administration is working every day to make our city work for all of our families, and this group of capable leaders will build on that work,” said Mayor Lurie. “From working conditions to city services, we are focused on the everyday things that affect whether a family can stay in San Francisco. We’re putting our foot on the accelerator with that work, and I look forward to partnering with these leaders to move it forward.”
Mayor Lurie has appointed the following individuals to join the Sweatfree Procurement Advisory Council:
- Ayesha Barenblat
- Marliz Copado
- Ernie Flores
- Rio Morales
He has reappointed the following individuals to continue serving on the Mayor's Disability Council:
He has reappointed the following individuals to continue serving on the Our City, Our Home Oversight Committee:
- Lindsay Haddix
- Jabari Jackson
- Bonnie Preston
- Scott Walton
Planning Commission
Mike Chen (new appointment) is a data engineer in the technology sector. He served on the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Citizens' Advisory Council from 2020 to 2024 and on the board of directors from 2024 to 2026. He is a renter, with bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Pennsylvania.
Lydia So (reappointment) is the founder of SOLYD Architecture, Management, and Design, with experience working on projects in the Bay Area and some of the world’s tallest buildings, advanced life science buildings, and the world’s first all-glass spiral staircase Apple Store in Japan. She has served on the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Historic Preservation Commission, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency board of directors.
Mission Bay Transportation Improvement Fund Advisory Committee
John Peck (new appointment) is a human resources professional with over 25 years of experience at Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco, where he currently serves as senior director of people services operations. He has served on the boards of the Mission Bay Transit Association and the Commercial Maintenance Corporation since 2009, chaired the University of California, San Francisco Housing Advisory Committee from 2016 to 2023, and contributed to national postdoctoral policy through the National Postdoctoral Association. Peck holds a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and a master’s degree in communications from San Francisco State University.
Ballot Simplification Committee
Barbara Bella (new appointment) is a seasoned executive, entrepreneur, and public servant with over four decades of experience spanning media sales, advertising, and civic leadership. She most recently served as a legislative assistant for District 3 Supervisor Danny Sauter, after 30 years as the founder, president, and owner of Barbara Bella and Associates (1990–2020). Bella has served on the board and as chair of the Golden Gate Philharmonic since 2004. She also serves as a trustee of San Francisco University High School and as co-chair of Neighborhood Enhancement for Russian Hill Neighbors. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communication arts from Marist College.
Craig Paxton (new appointment) is an economist and econometrician with over 36 years of experience in creating data-driven solutions to healthcare challenges. He retired as a principal at ECG, after co-founding and working as chief statistician of MD Ranger and Craig was co-owner and principal at Cattaneo and Stroud. He previously worked at Kaiser Permanente and served as a visiting professor at San Francisco State University and the University of San Francisco. Paxton holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Santa Clara University and a Ph.D. in economics from Northwestern University.
Recreation and Parks Commission
Carey Wintroub (reappointment) is a Stanford-trained business professional whose career spans equity research, executive search, entrepreneurship, and nonprofit leadership. She began her career at J.P. Morgan and Robertson Stephens, developing deep analytical expertise covering Latin American retail and software sectors before transitioning into executive search and ultimately finding her footing in the nonprofit sector. Wintroub founded Girls on the Run of the Bay Area in 2002, a curriculum-based nonprofit that has served over 30,000 girls across five Bay Area counties. She has also served on various public and private sector advisory committees and boards.
Sweatfree Procurement Advisory Council
Ayesha Barenblat (new appointment) is a San Francisco-based labor rights advocate and entrepreneur with roughly 20 years of experience in ethical fashion and sweat-free procurement. Born in Pakistan, she has advised brands like Nike and H&M on sustainable supply chain strategies, helped to launch HERproject.org, and worked on the International Labor Organization’s Better Work program. In 2015, Barenblat founded Remake, which is now a nationally recognized movement that has mobilized 7 million citizens, trained 2,000 grassroots ambassadors, and recovered millions in stolen wages.
Marliz Copado (new appointment) is a Bay Area native who specializes in supply chain management, with a core focus on supporting small businesses in public procurement. She began her career in fashion retail at Coach (2005–2010), before taking on fashion sustainability consulting roles, including at Earthjustice and Ditto Sustainable Brand Solutions. She worked at 24 Seven Talent and then Louis Vuitton, Circa of America, and Old Navy. In 2020, Copado joined the University of California, San Francisco, overseeing sourcing from small, local, and diverse businesses across both real estate and healthcare procurement. She has a Green MBA in sustainable enterprise from Dominican University in San Rafael.
Ernie Flores (new appointment) is a procurement and supplier diversity leader with more than two decades of experience turning sourcing into a force for both operational excellence and community impact. He began his career at Cargill and then moved to Johnson Controls to manage 12 commodity categories and roughly $140 million in annual spend. At PG&E, he handled fleet procurement and headed infrastructure-scale construction sourcing, before joining CBRE to lead real estate sourcing for the Union Bank account across more than 6 million square feet. At Kaiser Permanente, Flores now manages supplier development and small-business procurement programs. He also served on the Veterans in Business Network board and the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council.
Rio Morales (new appointment) is a labor and economic development professional whose career centers on building inclusive economies and advancing worker-focused policy. He currently serves as a political organizer with the Alameda Labor Council, AFL-CIO in Oakland. He previously spent nearly two years as an at Estolano Advisors, working as an urban planning and public policy consultant for public agencies and nonprofits. Morales served as a graduate student researcher in the Green Economy Program at the U.C. Berkeley Labor Center.
Our City, Our Home Oversight Committee
Lindsay Haddix (reappointment) is an affordable housing executive and urban planner with extensive experience leading housing justice advocacy, policy implementation, and public-private investments. She currently serves as the executive director of East Bay Housing Organizations, overseeing advocacy and operations across Alameda and Contra Costa Counties, after managing a $150 million community housing fund at Meta and serving at the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing and affordable housing agencies in New York City. Haddix is a member of the Urban Land Institute's Housing the Bay Steering Committee. She holds a master’s degree in city and regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies from Brown University.
Jabari Jackson (reappointment) is a community advocate, restorative justice leader, and public servant who has lived experiences with incarceration, addiction, and homelessness. Jackson provides case management and operational oversight as a supervisor at Westside Community Services and serves as a member of Positive Directions Equals Change, Mentoring Men's Movement, and Inside Circle, providing mentorship to help justice-involved individuals, youth, and adults heal from trauma, build accountability, and navigate barriers to successful societal reintegration. He served two terms as co-chair of the San Francisco Reentry Council, in addition to his service on the Our City, Our Home Oversight Committee. He holds an Associate of Science degree in drug and alcohol counseling and credentials as a community health worker and reentry specialist.
Bonnie Preston (reappointment) is a senior public affairs and healthcare executive, having worked served twice as acting regional director for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Region 9. She has worked on a range of healthcare issues, including the recertification of Laguna Honda Hospital and the Garfield Memorial Fund at Kaiser Permanente. She holds a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and a bachelor’s degree from U.C. Berkeley.
Scott William Walton (reappointment) is an experienced public servant, program designer, and administrator with a background in government management, housing stabilization, and emergency services in San Francisco. He has held a series of roles across the City and County of San Francisco, retiring in 2022 as the manager of navigation center and shelter programs for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing, overseeing family, youth, and adult shelters; adjusting program models for coordinated entry; and serving as the department’s disaster preparedness coordinator. Before serving in government, Walton worked at Episcopal Community Services of San Francisco, the Community Center Project of San Francisco, Digital Queers, Horizons Foundation, and the Pacific Center for Human Growth—supporting LGBTQ+ youth and adults as well people affected by HIV/AIDS, among other communities. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in social science from The Ohio State University.