Our Team
SF Children & Nature brings together educators, program directors, recreation and parks staff, health care and urban planning professionals —who are aligned with our vision, mission, and core values and interested in maximizing their impact through collective action.
Executive Co-chairs
The administrative “backbone” of the organization is jointly supported by SF Recreation & Parks, the Presidio Trust, California Academy of Sciences, the SF Department of Early Childhood, and YMCA – SF through our executive co-chairs:
Jamie Bruning-Miles
President & CEO
YMCA of San Francisco
Jean Fraser
Chief Executive Officer
Presidio Trust
Jenny Lam
Director of Policy, Communications & Strategic Partnerships
SF Department of Early Childhood
Sarah Madland
Acting General Manager
SF Recreation & Parks
Scott Sampson
Executive Director
California Academy of Sciences
Steering Committee
Chad Nico Hiu
Senior Vice President, Strategy, Innovation & Impact
YMCA of San Francisco
Damien Raffa
Senior Park Experience & Partnerships Specialist
Presidio Trust
Elena Norberg-Brown
Manager, Cultural Arts
SF Recreation & Parks
Jas Forsberg
Coordinator, SF Children & Nature
YMCA of San Francisco
Jessa Barzelay
Director of Guest Education and Academy Volunteers
California Academy of Sciences
Jenny Lam
Director of Policy and Strategic Partnerships
SF Department of Early Childhood
Liz Winograd
ECE Deputy Director, San Francisco
Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF)
Maria Durana
Director, SF Children & Nature
SF Recreation & Parks
Marissa Cowan
Vice President, Child & Youth Development
YMCA of San Francisco
Vanessa Carter
Environmental Literacy and Climate Resilience Program Administrator
SF Unified School District
Yakuta Poonawalla
Associate Director, Community
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Member Organizations
Our participating organizations contribute financially and through staff participation to support the core activities of our collaborative work.
