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 Science, the 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, Past President, San Francisco Board of Education and Director of Policy, Communications & Strategic Partnerships, San Francisco Department of Early Childhood
- Phil Ginsburg, General Manager, San Francisco Recreation and Parks
- Scott Sampson, Executive Director, California Academy of Science
2025 STEERING COMMITTEE
- Chad Nico Hiu, YMCA of San Francisco
- Damien Raffa, Presidio Trust
- Elena Norberg-Brown, SF Recreation & Parks
- Jessa Barzelay, California Academy of Sciences
- Jenny Lam, San Francisco Board of Education and San Francisco Department of Early Childhood
- Liz Winograd, Low Income Investment Fund
- Maria Durana, SF Recreation & Parks
- Marissa Cowan, YMCA of San Francisco
- Vanessa Carter, SF Unified School District
- Yakuta Poonawalla, Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
SF Children & Nature Staff
Maria Durana
Director of the SF Children & Nature Collaborative
SF Recreation & Parks Department
Member Organizations
Our participating organizations contribute financially and through staff participation to support the core activities of our collaborative work. Our member organizations are being updated for 2025-2029. Many thanks to our 2021-2023 member organizations listed below.
