operated a jewelry design business called palet original. now, i am also a huge personal fan of tina marlin because not all neighborhood leaders are always positive and up beat. and that is tina marlin. not all neighborhood leaders are well liked by everyone that i know, and that is tina marlin. and not all neighborhood leaders know how to build a positive sense of community in the way that tina has. i also want to take a moment to recognize tina's family who is here, three generations of marlins who have been a real testament to your family leadership. after four years tina is stepping down as the president of russian hill neighbors and as you do that i wanted to take the opportunity to honor you today as the nominee and honoree for district 3. congratulations, tina. (applause) >> thank you, president chiu. you didn't tell me that i would have to speak, and i'm speechless. most of you who know me know

this is a rarity. as i have stayed in this chambers, given public comment, i have always been in awe of the building, of you who sit our elected officials and our gracious and under, you know, some unique situations at times. and never did i think i would be honored. this is a tremendous honor to me. without my family, my husband mike, kevin and kelly, my heart, and there are three young people here who own my soul. julian, katie rose, [speaker not understood], and the wonderful people i have -- who make me look good. the board of russian hill neighbors, all of you, and i truly believe that collaboration and inclusion is a winner every time. and every time i come here and

watch you do just that, it makes me feel like doing it a little bit better and i can't stop without thanking my parents for having the good sense to send me to 16 years of all women schooling. and for me having the good sense not to get kicked out of any of them. [laughter] >> so, with that, this is truly an honor that touches me deeply, and thank you. thank you all. (applause)

>> following me in the alphabet is our district 10 colleague, supervisor malia cohen. >> thank you. thank you. good afternoon, everyone. this is definitely one of the highlights of the year. i'd like to just take a moment to recognize and thank the commission on the status of women commissioners and staff. thank you for your leadership. i also want to acknowledge the friends of the commission as well for their heart felt leadership. one more acknowledge many. our corporate sponsors and community partners, thank you very much for helping us honor and recognize the heroines of

our society. with that, please welcome marlena jackson. (applause) >> this is a new woman that has come into my life. we met -- we had one phone call and i think we just hit it off and hit the ground running ever since. this woman has an incredible talent and vision when it comes to educating and training the next generation of young girls to take over the stem industry. that's the science, technology, engineering and math. she is a scientist at one of the leading biotechnology companies. she is the founder of next gene girls. this was started at the grassroots, an organization commit today empowering young women for under represented communities to see themselves in science by introducing the girls to the wonders and the many -- to wonder of the many different scienceses such as

engineering, technology and math professions. this is a visionary woman i set before you and it is a privilege to be able to honor her. but a little bit about who she is. she was born in the most beautiful part of san francisco. she was reared in the most wonderful promising talented part of san francisco. and without any further ado, you guys probably guess it had. that's bayview hunters point. you got to give the lady some credit. so, mom and dad, thank you very much for raising outstanding woman. (applause) >> now, ms. jackson, she understands the roadblocks and challenges many of our young people face when it comes to growing up in a challenged community around such as bayview hunters point. but she wants to change that. she wants to change the fact that often women, not just women of color, are sometimes considered to be invisible and silent. so, instead she is inspiring young girls to embrace the challenges and she's helping them to develop self-confidence so that they are able to see

themselves as future leaders. and, so, how could i not honor a woman like this? ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure to introduce to you again marlena jackson, my honoree. [cheering and applauding] >> i think first it's my honor to thank all of you, and especially thank malia cohen for honoring me. sometimes i kind of felt overwhelmed because i did not take this in. i have my dad crying over there and i haven't started yet. [laughter] >> but, you know, sometimes when you go throughout your day and you sometimes face barriers and you say to yourself, well, how can i be a visionary for my community? how can i make change in my community? and, so, that was really my inspiration for wanting to start my own organization, next gene girls really to celebrate our young women in the bayview hunters point community and really be able to give young

girls from that community something to aspire to. i think i have been very fortunate and blessed to have some wonderful people in my life who mentored me and got me to that place where i'm able to have a career at genentech and i love -- i'm very passionate about what i do in science. and, so, my hope for me on that level is, you know, do i start the next cancer drug, do i help the next person who is suffering from a disease that yet does not have a cure? so, how can we inspire our young girls to really start to think of themselves very differently? and i think at the end of the day, when a teacher can ask an entire class what do the sciences look like? and in particular my 9 year old daughter when she raises her hand, she says, a scientist looks like her mom. so, i think when we are able to do that, i think we have truly changed the perception of how girls kind of feel and think

about themselves. and that's really what i wanted to do with next gene girls. i want young girls to really look differently about how they feel and think of themselves. so, it doesn't mean that they may not necessarily do science as a career, but we are about inspiring to think of the many different career options that are available to them. so be it that they through science, they get an mba, they become a venture capitalist. they are becoming your scientistses who are sitting at the bench. i think those are all real possibilities for the students -- for the young girls, particularly of the bayview hunters point community because that is where [speaker not understood]. my parents were born in san francisco. my grandmother migrated here from louisiana. and, so, we are four generation bayview hunters point residents. we are very proud of that, and we want to be able to figure out how we can make change in that community and really start to inspire young girls to really think about stem as a really truly viable career

choice for them. and, so, through science that's how we're going to start to change lives. thank you very much for honoring me. >> thank you. [cheering and applauding] >> thank you so much, supervisor cohen. let's go to our next colleague, representative in the middle of the alphabet, supervisor jane kim. >> thank you. and i actually have a video to showcase my awardee today. i just want to say it's great

to see such a diverse array of women leaders in multiple fields. the woman that i'm recognizing today is [speaker not understood] who is a small business owner in district 6 in the tenderloin. and i will let the video speak for itself. [video presentation] >> this is a long time proprietor [speaker not understood]. on the ground floor [speaker not understood]. 10 years ago, right in the heart of the tenderloin. [inaudible] >> you're doing great, sweetheart. >> [speaker not understood]. my two sisters, [speaker not

understood]. my husband is [speaker not understood]. my br they are [speaker not understood]. so, we are really [speaker not understood] team, a very strong team. >> the service that she offers, low-cost food here at manor house is so important to the seniors and other low-income people who live in the tenderloin. >> she gives you more than you can eat. i love the [speaker not understood] down here. these are my neighbors and this is mimi, and this is the big night out. >> [speaker not understood] mash potatoes, corn and [speaker not understood]. that's really good. ♪ >> you got shrimp, you got steak, you got corn. what area -- this area here is going to cook all of [speaker not understood]? those are great. >> [speaker not understood].

not even for myself, [speaker not understood]. >> [speaker not understood] she was closed about sick months. what you see now is the renovation. >> my customer is not my customer, is not my friend. i build my relationship with 16 years. i earn their respect. >> you got people that come here [speaker not understood]. she says don't worry about it. >> [speaker not understood], it's her generosity of spirit. she's just a very genuine person. >> even if you can't afford anything on the menu, people come in here just to get off the street and sit there, have a time out.

>> mimi's been doing this for a long time. she helped a lot of peepful. she helped me when i was in my addiction. >> this is not just a place to get cheap food. [speaker not understood] and great community. >> [speaker not understood]. i tell them, we love you. >> so, i want bring up mimi yee up here. i don't know if don, a member, would like to come up as well. mimi, i'm not going to make you speak. i'm really touched that you came today. i have been trying to honor mimi for months. she is an institution in the tenderloin neighborhood and she is a woman who is one of my

heroes and someone who i really respect for what she does. she has maintained the small business and restaurant in the tenderloin for 17 years and she just retired three weeks ago to the chagrin and sadness and tears of many of our constituents and residents. as the video showcased, she is a place where our residents feel comfortable going to where they can afford to come and sit down and have coffee, a breakfast, or lunch. and really grateful also to tenderloin development corporation for encouraging these types of small businesses by subsidizing them so they can be there for our residents. people believe these types of businesses can't exist in san francisco. mimi is a testament to the fact it can. she really resisted coming here and i just really want to thank you for being here to be acknowledged. i decided to honor mimi because i thought she would not be here today. i felt her story was important to share with the city.

it's more about mimi and knowing there are individuals like you who are just incredible figures and share so much love with the city and with our residents. and i was at captain garrity's police station meeting last night. when i announced way honoring you for women's history month, 60 or 70 residents erupted in applause and the captain also wanted to thank you and he misses you tremendously. so, thank you for being here. >> thank you. (applause) >> thank you, kim. thank you, supervisors. thank you, everybody, for this great honor. i want to start off by thanking so many people who have helped me along the way. my father, my sister and my family who has pitched in and support me during those great years.

my wonderful staff members who have stood by my side and helped me make the restaurant so successful. i also want to thank you, my customers, who become my friend and who make the restaurant more than a restaurant. over the course of 17 years because of the wonderful kind people, the restaurant become a community where everybody, regardless of age, background, come together to eat, talk, and celebrate. it is you who come out day after day to support me. and i think because you gave me the chance to achieve my dream. last, but not least, i want to thank you, the wonderful people

of tndc who gave me so many opportunities and gave me the tools to achieve. most of all, i want to thank you, don. don, thank you for helping me when i need a ride and thank you for being so supportive and understanding. most importantly, thank you for being a friend. with you as a leader, i am looking forward to see the many other ways the tndc stewardship of the tenderloin will help the community grow and shine. words cannot express how honored i am to receive this award. so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, jane kim, and thank you, everybody. thank you. (applause)

>> thank you, supervisor. our district 1 colleague representing the m of the alphabet, supervisor eric mar will make the next presentation. >> thank you, president chiu. i'd like to ask if gail [speaker not understood] could come forward. thank you to dr. andrei shorter and the status of friends of women as well for choosing a really important topic. our district's honoree is a teacher, and i think teachers make the world go round. and i think education is the great equalizer in our society. and as we talk about gender

equality, gender equality in math and science is such a critical area. and i'm really pleased with such great honorees, but i'm focusing on an amazing, amazing teacher who began over 45 years ago at washington high school. and i think there's a lot of ego pride in our neighborhood. she is an amazing toeholder we are honoring for women's history month. her contribution is in the field of mathematics at washington high school, go back over 40 years. and she is always encouraging and challenging girls and young women to study advanced courses and to consider opportunities in majoring in math and science and going on to really apply their learning. but i think she's -- when i review the different comments about her from less experienced teachers and students, the words that come out are nurturing and supportive and just a really person that

brings everyone together as well. one of the events that washington high does is the pie day or pi day. i know in the math department the teachers bring different types of pies. it is an atmosphere of sharing and mutual support she brings to really support not just the students, but also fellow teachers. she is a san francisco native who attended star of the seal elementary in the richmond. she grew up in the sunset, though. and she graduated with a bachelor's in math from san francisco college for women, now usf lone mountain campus. she later got her master's degree with a focus on secondary math education from usf in ysidro 79. she began teaching, i mentioned, in '67 as a student teacher at washington high school ~, was hired in '71, and she became a prominent figure serving as a math department head through the '90s and through 2011 and also starting the advance placement or ap statistics program at

washington that we're very proud of in 1997. some of her greatest accomplishments include her promotion of stem or science technology and engineering and math courses for young girls and women, not just at washington high, but throughout the school system. in the '70s she observed a national trend in our public education system that saw a steady drop out of female students in upper division courses. since then she focused her energies and work to lead project that lead greater numbers of women and girls in advance calculus and statistics classes. but also really responsible for a great increase in the ap exam scores at washington high. she also frequently encourages her former students, young women to share their experiences working in the math related careers from her classes to their work in the industries as well.

really supporting equality and gender equity in tomorrow's work force as well. i wanted to thank dennis kelly from the teachers union and linda plaque who i believe are here that stand behind our math teachers in the school district as well. she also helped to organize the expanding your horizons conference which is an outreach program designed to meet the potential needs of young female students in career field, predominantly performed by men through hands on experience. she creates programs. she shows through example and she nurtures and supports her students. overall her work has boosted the confidence, nurtured and actively supported young women in academics and to be a productive force and a better future for many. i'll lastly conclude by saying there is a digital divide that really plagues many low-income communities. there is also a gender divide as well in math and sciences and we need our champions like gail [speaker not understood] to continue their work. and i just wanted to honor you for your over 40 years at

washington high school. so, thank you so much and can we have a hand for ms. barrett. thank you. (applause) >> thank you very much, supervisor mar, for this great honor. and i thank dennis kelly and president of the usf and linda mag for attending and nominating me. ~ plaque i do want to thank last but not least my husband who is here who has put up with my an ticks for the last, i hate to say 40 years, but it has been 40 years. it's a job i really, really like doing and no day is ever the same. and every day presents new challenges and i embrace these. i just want to say i looked at many of these fine women who preceded me, and i would suspect hopefully they took math in high school and did not drop out. it's very important and it's [speaker not understood] filter for getting into the sciences.

if you can't get through the filter called calculus, you get nowhere. and we really encourage our girls at the high school and our young men, i don't want to neglect either gender, but classes in high school, thanks to the board of supervisors and the rainy day funds if i can put in, and the voters of san francisco for feuding the school so we can keep our classes at 35, 36, which is good. ~ funding you go to college and you take calculus and you could have 500 in your class and meet three days a week and have study groups. some of you have experienced. it's very easy to drop out of calculus and not continue. so, i think this is a thing, if you can just get the students through their tough times in high school that college is a lot easier for them and success. and this is really what i profess doing nowadays. so, anyway, i'm very happy to have taught -- excuse me, president kelly's daughter also who pursued four years of math at washington with ease.

just to encourage the young women to continue and not give up and that so often it was years ago when i was in school, it was [speaker not understood] a young woman got through geometry. that's just fine. you got a pat on the head. if you got a c in it, you're fine, you've made it through the world. that's not the case any more. and it even wasn't the case then because everybody can learn mathematics. and that's why i keep doing it after all these years, and hopefully i'll continue awhile longer. i do enjoy t. thank you very much for this wonderful honor. (applause) ~ (applause) >> i'd like to recognize our

next colleague from district 4, katy tang who has two presentationses to make today. >> good afternoon. today i do have the honor of presenting two commendations. one for district 4 honoree, and also on behalf of supervisor mark farrell who unfortunately couldn't join today. so, i will start out with district 4 honoree, laura hamm. if she can please come up. (applause) >> laura is the sustainable development policy director over at spur, the san francisco planning and urban research association. laura in her work coordinates spur's work in five major policy areas. green buildings, water supply, wastewater, energy and climate change. prior to joining spur laura worked for the u.s. environmental protection agency office of inspector general where she conducted research and analysis that produced recommendations for the epa to better manage environmental problems. in this position she worked on

a va right of policy issues such as enforcing the clean water act and managing electronic waste. she previously worked for the northern forest center on rural development and conservation in the northeast. in addition to her many professional accomplishments, laura has always been very involved and engaged district 4 residents and really happy to learn recently that she is a neighbor practically of mine. she served as a district 4 representative on the puc citizens advisory board for three years. she spent two years on the advisory council of the department of the environment's initiative called bc3, the business council on climate change. and she is currently on the board of friends of the urban forest. and laura is also an author. so, in her spare time she wrote a book called "at home in the northern forest." laura lives with her husband darrell and children liam and [speaker not understood]. her husband and son are here

today. she is proud of a street tree and sidewalk garden and want to see more of though in the sunset. for that, i'd like to thank laura for all your service in the community. (applause) >> thank you so much, supervisor tang, and also thanks to carmen chu who helped select me for this recognition. i'm really so, so honored to have been chosen and to share the spotlight for a few hours today with this amazing and inspiring group of women. thank you so much. i chose to apply my science and policy education towards sustainability. i have worked for more than 15 years in community forestry, conservation based development, water quality science, fixing national environmental programs and now working to harmonize to build a natural [speaker not understood] in san francisco and the bay area. i've been lucky to work with dedicated and really big hearted people. all of whom believe we can and should do more to reduce our

ecological footprint and are working to figure out how. through my work today at spur and with friends of the urban forest, we're helping to move the city forward towards a more sustainable future where there are trees and sidewalk gardens everywhere, where we have zero carbon and an imminently [speaker not understood], not just preparing climate change, but doing everything we can to stop it. i have an [speaker not understood] policy science education and social responsibility and to get to do it here in san francisco where most people believe this is the right direction to be going, any city can demonstrate a model of sustainable development of the world, san francisco is going to be it. so, i would like to again thank you, supervisor tang. i'd like to thank my family for the many ways you support me and my work. my husband is here today, my mom is also here, my son, one of my two kid. and i would especially like to tha