Lessons learned from former community-oriented department heads, a civil rights attorney and a former controller who has ideas about making the city more flexible and responsive.

About the Speakers

Margaret Brodkin is one of the nation’s leading children’s advocates. She was the executive director of Coleman Advocates for Children and Youth for 26 years, leading systems change work in juvenile justice and social welfare, budget advocacy, and parent and youth organizing. In 2004, she was appointed by Mayor Newsom as the director of the San Francisco Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF), where she developed innovative models for coordination, partnerships, service delivery, policy and civic engagement. She directed San Francisco’s New Day for Learning, a public/private partnership to promote Community Schools. In 2014 she founded Funding the Next Generation, an initiative to promote local dedicated funding streams in cities and counties throughout California.

Sheryl Davis is a passionate advocate for equity, and educational opportunity. Davis is the creator of Everybody Reads, a summer learning, family literacy and reading development initiative centering BIPOC youth. Throughout her career and many roles, she has continued to design programs and curriculum centered around social justice, racial equity, student wellness and achievement. Davis is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco and senior advisor at the Institute for Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School. 

Ed Harrington was controller for the City and County of San Francisco from 1991 to 2008 and the general manager of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission from 2008 to 2012. During that time he was also chair of the Water Utility Climate Alliance, president of the Government Finance Officers Association and a member of the Financial Accounting Foundation Board. Since his retirement Harrington has worked extensively with governmental and nonprofit organizations. He is on the boards of SPUR and the Children’s Funding Project and is an adviser to California’s Funding the Next Generation. Harrington was the treasurer of Greenpeace International for six years and is currently the treasurer of WEDO, a global women’s advocacy organization. He is an advisor to the WaterNow Alliance, an organization of elected and appointed officials who oversee local utility agencies, focusing on financing green distributed water and wastewater infrastructure.

Saidah Leatutufu-Burch, Ed.D. (“Dr. Sai”) is a Black and Indigenous Samoan organizer, cultural orator, and a dedicated disruptor of anti-Black racism and systems rooted in white supremacist ideology. A daughter of San Francisco, Dr. Sai values racial equity, justice, and the power of the people. Most recently, Dr. Sai served as the director of the Dream Keeper Initiative at the San Francisco Human Rights Commission—a $60 million-annual effort aimed at advancing prosperity, equity and community well-being across San Francisco’s diverse Black communities. She is a skilled architect of systems that build organizational infrastructure, drive economic resilience, and operationalize equity within government, fostering environments where the communities served have the opportunity to flourish. As a storyteller and organizer, Dr. Sai recognizes the power within communities that are often neglected. She designs initiatives that challenge conventional thinking, implementing bold, innovative solutions to empower marginalized communities to thrive. She brings a deeply held belief that Black liberation and Indigenous sovereignty are within reach in her lifetime, guiding her relentless commitment to transformative, community-centered change. Dr. Sai holds a BA in politics from the University of San Francisco, an MPA from San Francisco State University, and a Doctor of Education in Organizational Change and Leadership from the University of Southern California. Rooted in her dedication to preserving the vibrant culture and legacy of the North Beach and Bayview-Hunters Point neighborhoods that raised her, Dr. Sai is passionate about cultivating the collective power, voice, and future of her community.

Passionate, outspoken and insightful, Areva Martin is an award-winning civil rights attorney, national bestselling author and one of the country's leading influencers shaping public discourse on issues of race, politics and the law. She is the founder and managing partner of Martin & Martin, LLP, one of Los Angeles’ premier Black, female-owned law firms. She is one of the nation’s leading attorneys on reparations and restorative justice. Areva is an on-air legal commentator and host of the daily news and opinion streaming and radio talk show "Areva Martin in Real Time" on KBLA. She has written hundreds of articles and op ed pieces for publications including USA Today, Ebony, CNN.com and Thrive Global. Areva has front-page and in fold features in Power, Forbes, Redbook, Essence, Gladys, Sheen, Ebony and Gazelle magazines. Martin’s books include, The Everyday Advocate: Standing Up for Your Child with Autism; Make It Rain: How to Use the Media to Revolutionize Your Business and Brand; and Awakening: Ladies, Leadership and the Lies We’ve Been Told. The founder and CEO of the statewide social justice and disability rights organization Special Needs Network, Martin is a leading voice on autism and advocacy for the special needs community.