San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today commemorated Women’s History Month with a virtual celebration and ceremony honoring four women for their contributions to San Francisco. The 2021 San Francisco Women’s History Month theme is “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to be Silenced.” The San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women and the Department on the Status of Women co-hosted the event.

During the event, Mayor Breed spoke about the importance of supporting programs and resources that assist women, families, children, and San Francisco’s most marginalized residents. She emphasized the importance of addressing disparities that exist in society, and the need to create equitable policies that support women and girls in the workplace, in education, and in health care. Throughout her time in office, Mayor Breed has worked to make sure women are represented in government. Since January 2020, she has nominated, appointed, or reappointed 93 women to San Francisco commissions, or 53% of the total appointments she has made. Of those, 58% are people are color. 

“Throughout the year, we must reaffirm our commitment to ensuring that women and girls everywhere—especially here in San Francisco—are able to grow, succeed, and thrive,” said Mayor Breed. “I want to thank the awardees for their contributions to our city, and I look forward to celebrating Women’s History Month and continuing to lift up the achievements of all women in our community. We must continue our efforts to make our society more equitable, and keep fighting for a better future for everyone in our city.”

She presented certificates of honor to four women in recognition of their contributions to San Francisco.

She presented a certificate of honor to Brittney Doyle, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of WISE Health, in recognition of her efforts to address health inequities in underserved communities. Throughout the pandemic, WISE Health has provided free COVID-related services to seniors in San Francisco, with a specific focus on reaching residents of the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood.

A certificate of honor was also presented to Susanna Lau and Lana Nguyen, the co-founders of SupplyHopeInfo, for their work to provide school supplies to San Francisco students. Susana and Lana, both high school seniors at Washington High School, launched the SupplyHopeInfo charity in May 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mayor Breed also presented a certificate of honor to Dr. Carina Marquez, an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and an infectious disease physician and researching. Mayor Breed commended Dr. Marquez for her work providing HIV primary care at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital’s Ward 86, inpatient and outpatient consultation in infectious diseases at the hospital. Dr. Marquez also leads the SALUD clinic, a clinic housed within Ward 86, that provides multidisciplinary care to monolingual Spanish speaking patients living with HIV.

“Women’s History Month coincides with the start of Spring when life begins anew and we’re reminded of the endless possibilities for women, girls and trans people” said Kimberly Ellis, Director of the Department on the Status of Women. “San Franciscans are incredibly fortunate to have these phenomenal women leading their communities during these difficult times. Together, we are creating the “herstory” that today’s little girls will one day cite as inspiration for their own achievements.”

“Each of these honorees embodies the very best of what we celebrate during Women’s History Month—determined and passionate leaders who aren’t waiting for permission to make an impact today—not in some distant future—in their fields of expertise,” said Breanna Zwart, President of the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women.

The women that Mayor Breed has newly appointed or nominated since August 2020 are:

• Christina Dikas, Historic Preservation Commission
• Ruchira Nageswaran, Historic Preservation Commission
• Raquel Bito, Building Inspection Commission
• Safiya Miller, Workforce Investment San Francisco
• Lori Dunn-Guion, Workforce Investment San Francisco
• Lawanda Dickerson, Small Business Commission
• Sascha Bittner, Disability & Aging Services Commission
• Michelle Carrington, Disability & Aging Services Commission
• Fiona Hinze, SFMTA Board
• La’Shawndra Breston, Treasure Island Development Authority
• Julia Prochnik, Treasure Island Development Authority
• Dr. Carolyn Ransom-Scott, Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure
• Bivett Brackett, Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure
• Camila Andrea Mena, Immigrant Rights Commission
• Vanessa Aquino, Human Rights Commission
• Dr. Laurie Green, Health Commission
• Tessie Guillermo, Health Commission
• The Honorable Malia M. Cohen, Police Commission
• Katherine Chu, Juvenile Probation Commission
• Dr. Eurania Isabel Lopez, Library Commission

###