welcome back to the san francisco board of supervisors meeting of tuesday, march the 19th, 2013. madam clerk, could you call our 3:30 special order? >> yes, mr. president. it is now time for the friends of the commission on the status of women inspiring innovation through imagination, celebrating women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. >> i want to welcome all of you to this very full house and this wonderful celebration for women's history month to recognize the efforts of women in our great city and county of san francisco. women's history month is a time to appreciate the contributions of our women leaders in our communities who have been courageous in proving the quality of life for all san franciscans. since 1996, the san francisco commission and the department on the status of women ~ has recognized the vital work and contributions of women throughout our community through this program, and i would like to invite dr. emilie morasi who is the executive director of that agency to say a few words about the history

of this event. >> thank you very much, president chiu. i am joined today by commissioner kay [speaker not understood]. i'd like to ask her to come on up. she's very familiar with these chambers, having served as clerk for many, many years. and if there are any other commissioners who joined us, please come on up. i have just returned from japan through the u.s. japan council and as a guest of the ministry of foreign affairs. 10 of us throughout the united states traveled to japan for a week. we met with the prime minister and the foreign minister, and i was invited to speak among other things about women's issues. my staff has just returned from new york where they participated at the u.n. on the status of women. they presented three panels, talking about san francisco's response to domestic violence, human trafficking, micro finance, and [speaker not understood] quality of the work place. they also traveled to washington, d.c. where they met with staff of the white house council on women and girls.

so, san francisco is nationally, internationally recognized for our work on gender issues. as you know, we're the first municipality to adopt a local ordinance reflecting the principles of the u.n. convention to eliminate all form of [speaker not understood] against women. at least count 186 [speaker not understood] adopted this convention with the major exception of the united states. march is women's history month, and this month we are acknowledging particularly women leaders in science, technology, engineering and math. and recently the commission held a hearing on girls and technology. we heard from google and twitter about alarming decreases in young women and girls interested in the sciences. so, i'm looking forward to hearing the stories of our honorees and i just want to invite commissioner golden gate to say a few words. >> once again, it is a privilege to be before the

board. i think this is my sixth slot as a commissioner and i always appreciate this day because it represents wonderful women in san francisco and welcome to all the new women on the board. and we will certainly get some more, i'm sure. i'll hand it back to president chiu now. >> thank you. and without further ado, i'd like to recognize my colleagues who will each be making brief presentations for their honorees. we mix up the order to keep it interesting. today what we will do is go in alphabetical order starting at the very top of the alphabet with the letter a, supervisor avalos from district 11. >> thank you, president chiu. today i am honoring an exemplary woman who has done so much to support women in my district, also throughout the city of san francisco. as you know, my district has experienced numerous homicides and has been reeling from the

spate of gun violence. while it's been a tough year i appreciate the work of our crisis response team and honor stephanie [speaker not understood]. so, stephanie, please come up. [cheering and applauding] >> it sounds like stephanie has quite a fan base here in the room. stephanie felder is the director of comprehensive crisis services for the city and county of san francisco providing crisis to intervention, mobile crisis for adults, child in crisis response teams for families [speaker not understood] violence. for nearly two decades of service she has given tremendously to our communities, supporting families and bringing mental health services directly to our neighborhoods. she has helped many mothers to overcome the loss of their children through homicide, suicide, or other crises. she has helped hundreds of victims of violence including

domestic violence victims deal with posttraumatic stress and also to ensure that they get linked with wrap around services. led by the example of her parents, she started her work in the community at the age of 14 by participating in community health fairs volunteering for the american cancer society and assisting with coordination of community programs through her church. [speaker not understood] received her education from oakwood college and california university where she obtained a master's degree in psychology. ms.felder started in the city as a clerk with child crisis and worked her way up to management, to the management level and is now the director of the city's integrated response system. she has demonstrated exemplary leadership, administratively and in the field. she is well loved by her staff as you can tell, and lead her staff by example, working with a team and not above them. she has a hands-on -- she's a hand on manager who doesn't

just sit behind her desk, but works closely with her team. and directly with victims and their loved ones. she believes that mental health services need to be brought directly to communities. she is proactive in setting her team to neighborhoods with the greatest need for behavioral health services to engage the community through activities and to build the relationships and trust so that those who may need services and support can be more open to seek the help that they need. to this day she participates in weekly meetings with the street violence response team to make sure that all families impacted by violence get linked to wrap around services. stephanie makes it happen. ms. feld certificate very humble, but she is truly an unsung she ro in the city and county of san francisco and serve as a great role model not only for women, but for all of us in public service. stephanie, thank you. [cheering and applauding]

>> first of all, i just want to thank supervisor avalos for nominating me for such a prestigious award. i'm glad to be a part of women making history here in san francisco and being able to provide services to hopefully decrease the violence here in this community. i also would like to thank the people at the department of public health for trusting me in leading our crisis services, as well as i want to recognize charlie and john, my direct supervisors, for pushing and pushing and having faith in me. then i'd like to thank my staff who are here who allow me to -- [cheering and applauding] >> to [speaker not understood] above and beyond and provide 24-hour service to the city for [speaker not understood] and thinking out of the box and working diligently for me.

i also importantly want to thank my family for coming and supporting me and being understanding [speaker not understood] and just coming here, taking a day off. and above all, i want to thank god for blessing me with such a job where i can help the community. thank you once again, supervisor avalos. thank you to the community of san francisco, and i look forward to providing ongoing services to you all. (applause) >> going down to the letter b will be our supervisor from district 5, supervisor london breed. >> thank you. i'm so honored today to honor

an incredible, wonderful person in the health arena, ms. debby davidson who has spent -- you can clap. [cheering and applauding] >> ms. davidson ha worked the last 30 years spending her life improving the health of san francisco residents. she is a family nurse practitioner specializing in family and women's health and practices at the women's clinic in the western addition. she has worked at the women's clinic in district 5 since 2008 and at new generation health center in district 9 since 1997. she has also worked at laguna honda hospital, castro mission health center, planned parenthood, san francisco general, and san francisco family planning clinic. she is known for her caring, patient, and thoughtful nature. debby has mentored hundreds of young women with an interest in health care and in that role

she has demonstrated what excellent health care should look like. there are thousands of women and teens in san francisco who have debby to thank for an outstanding health care experience, for making them feel cared for, most importantly, for listening and being responsive to their concerns. ms. davidson has spent a lot of time working with the western addition health training program. the program was launched specifically to address health care needs in the western addition and seeks to train and empower women in -- women of color who have interest in careers in the health community while increasing the amount of outreach and services the clinic provides to western addition residents. on behalf of -- and just a side note, the women's clinic specifically has worked with numerous programs serving young people in our communities, specifically mo magic. they've had an incredible experience. i'm just so honored to have her here and have other women from

the women's clinic. and i just want to thank you on behalf of myself, the members of the board for just really your commitment, your dedication to making sure that everyone has access to health care and to be -- and being a mentor and being so nurturing and so supportive of creating the next generation of women in the health care industry. so, thank you so much, and i have this certificate to give to you to honor you. so, if you want to say a few words, be my guest. >> thank you, supervisor breed, for this recognition. you've given me today. ~ i'm kind of a one on one person, unexpected surprise, very appreciative. and i feel so lucky to have a career i've loved for 35 years. what i love best about my work is the ability to help a person who is coming in for medical care to find a way not only to solve their immediate problem, but also to guide them in

keeping healthy and safe in a way that fits in with their personal belief and their family and their community. so many people in the clinics i've worked in are struggling with really hard problems in their life, financial distress, violence and abuse in the home, addiction, death in the community. and because these problems can present major roadblocks to attaining a safe, healthy, and happy life addressing these problems are a big part of my job. and receiving this recognition, i can't help but think of all the people who helped someone like me be more effective on my job. my fellow clinicians who have such expertise and from whom i have learned so much, and all the staff members that i've worked with and all the clinics that i've worked in. ~ who contribute to -- such a large amount to patient care and makes them feel welcome and comfortable. and to the administratorses of all the clinics i've worked in to make all the clinics run

smoothly and thrive, and the youth of this city who are training to become future workers in health care, they're a constant inspiration. and all the people in our community who provide services and run programs that deal with specific problems, that i need to refer my patients to, such as human trafficking, domestic violence, addiction, homelessness, need for job training, mental health, and those community centers that can give such a friendly and supportive gathering place for people. so, once again, i thank you all for this recognition. [cheering and applauding]

>> thank you, supervisor breed. going next in the alphabet will be our district 9 colleague, supervisor david campos. >> thank you very much, mr. president. you know, on this day that we're honoring women, i think it's only appropriate that we were talking earlier about legislation, that at the very core it's about honoring women by respecting the right to choose for themselves what to do with their bodies. it is my honor right now to call upon tom sullivan, the amazing that we're honoring unfortunately could not be here today. her name is magy sullivan. i think it's quite, quite lovely that her father, tom sullivan, is here. and it is my honor to honor -- a pride to honor a teacher in one of our schools. you know, there's something very special about teachers. [speaker not understood],

kelly, the president of the teachers union here earlier. you know, teachers play a very important role in the lives of not only our city, of this state, of this country. and maggie is truly an example of what you want every teacher to be. and i'm sure that it's a great deal of pride, a great deal of pride for her dad that she has raised a daughter that has done so much. maggie sullivan is currently the chair of the math department at philip and [speaker not understood] high school here in the portola neighborhood that i'm proud to represent. for those of you who may know remember that burton high school was actually created -- established in 1984 as a result of a consent decree following a lawsuit by the naacp against the san francisco unified school district. and the purpose of that consent decree was to really provide equal educational opportunities for all children in san francisco. and ms. sullivan has certainly helped to make that happen.

she has been teaching math at burton high school for the past eight years, and she has truly been a leader throughout her tenure. she currently teaches advanced algebra honors, algebra and geometry. and i can tell you the impact that a teacher can have on the life of a student from my own personal experience is really tremendous. and i certainly remember my geometry teacher to this day, [speaker not understood]. not only her math lessons, but the life lessons she taughtv me stayed with me. ms. sullivan is widely respected for her innovative teaching style. she encourages her students to learn from one another through creative and collaborative approaches. and she truly expects the very best of every one of her students. she was recently nominated to be one of the -- to be recognized as one of the best teachers in san francisco, and the person that nominated her

said, ms. sullivan makes the subject enjoyable and holds all of her students to the highest standards. and, of course, holding the attention of young people in this day and age of facebook, twitter, and handheld devices is a pretty impressive accomplishment. and not surprisingly, in 2008 ms. sullivan was named one of the san francisco's best teachers by the san francisco examiner. so, we're very proud to have her working in district 9. and it is truly my honor to welcome tom sullivan, her father, to accept this award on her behalf. mr. sullivan, thank you. (applause) >> thank you very much. it's a pleasure to accept this award for my daughter, maggie. as you all know, teaching is not a 9:00 to 5:00 job. she is very dedicated, hard working, loves the kids, loves her school, engages in after

school programs, organizes the drama club. i as her father am very proud to be here to accept this honor for her. thank you very much. >> thank you. congratulations. (applause) >> thank you, supervisor campos. i have the honor of following david campos in the alphabet and will be making the next presentation. every year, as i'm sure is the case with all my colleagues, i have a lot of trouble picking one woman to recognize today because i think as is true for all of our districts, we have

so many leaders who happen to be one. and each of us have community leaders who appear to be everywhere, doing everything, at every time of the day. in my district that would describe my honoree tina marlin. tina, could you stand up? (applause) >> it has been observed that district 3 that i have the honor representing has some of the most significant and sophisticated neighborhood associations in the city. tina has served as the president of one of the largest and most effective neighborhood groups in the city, russian hill neighbors. since my first year in office 2009, overseeing nine committees, overseeing over 2 dozen board members and hundreds of members. i know that supervisor farrell from district 2, who shares representing russian hill with me, would agree on that. tina is someone who, in addition, though, to leading her neighborhood association, has led in so many areas. she has been the board member

of the police department's northern station community police advisory board, and i want to take a moment to recognize i think captain anne mannix is here who probably should be recognized today as one of the most outstanding police captains within the police department. (applause) >> tina has served on department of public health health matter boards. she served on the executive committee of the north beach community coalition and helped to advocate during a ten-year saga the north beach library which will hopefully be built soon. and tina is a small business woman. for those of you who love fine jewelry, she has owned and 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]