2011 Board of Directors
Jaynry Mak – President
jaynry@sfwpc.org
Jaynry Mak is the Associate Director of Elder Financial Protection Network in San Francisco. She previously worked as a Special Assistant and Liaison to the Chinese American Community for the late United States Congressman Tom Lantos, representing California’s 12th district. She has also worked as the Chief Legislative Deputy to Supervisor Fiona Ma in San Francisco. In addition, she is an attorney at law and has held leadership positions in numerous local community organizations.
As a child of immigrant parents, Jaynry experienced firsthand her parents’ difficulty in adjusting to a new life in a foreign country and of the need for a voice for the underrepresented. She has clerked with the highly respected Judges Lillian K. Sing and Kevin McCarthy. Later, Jaynry worked at a private law practice before she decided to start her own law office in the Sunset, where she frequently represents non-English speaking clients. Jaynry knows that small businesses are important for preserving the character of our neighborhoods and strengthening the City’s economy. As past president of the Outer Sunset Merchant & Professional Association, Jaynry partnered neighborhood small business owners with the police to clean up graffiti and litter on merchant corridors. Jaynry, through her active involvement with community organizations, has demonstrated her commitment to finding real solutions to problems. As Chairwoman of the Board for Community Youth Center in San Francisco (CYC-SF), she fought to increase awareness and funding for critical programs that provide alternatives for our at-risk youth. As a member of the Community Council at the Sunset Neighborhood Beacon Center, she has been a strong proponent of after school programs for our children.
Born and raised in the Sunset District, Jaynry was educated at local schools – St. Stephen’s, Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, University of San Francisco, and USF School of Law. Jaynry lives in the San Francisco with her husband and their son.
Leah Rowell – Recording Secretary
leah.rowell@sfwpc.org
Leah Lavalle Rowell currently serves as a liaison to San Francisco for California State Senator Leland Yee, where she has spent the past three years working on a variety of community issues that impact San Franciscans on a daily bases. Having volunteered for many political campaigns at the local level, Leah has actively pursued a career in public service. After completing her Bachelors Degree in Political Science and Global Studies from CSU San Marcos, Leah continued her studies with numerous nonprofits, NGOs and women’s groups to advance women’s rights in Turkey through a postgraduate seminar program. While in Turkey Leah reconnected with her feminist roots, eager to return to San Francisco to delve into local politics and further the global women’s movement.
Michelle Myers – Corresponding Secretary
michelle@sfwpc.org
Michelle Myers comes to the San Francisco Women’s Political Committee with a varied background of non profit, issue advocacy work and electoral campaign savvy. As a community organizer in upstate New York, she helped open a chapter if Citizen Action of New York organizing around a variety of issues pertaining to social, racial, and economic justice. She moved to California in 2007 and has worked in the political community of San Francisco as a campaign coordinator and as an Account Executive for prominent political consulting firm in the City.
Michelle has a Bachelor’s degree from SUNY University at Albany, in Sociology and Political Science, and has continued her education taking classes at Syracuse University and City College of San Francisco.
Michelle is currently the Conservation Program Director for the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club. She oversees the organizing staff, manages the chapter communications, and coordinates candidate and issue based campaigns.
Treasurer – Professional treasury services provided by Henry C. Levy & Company Certified Public Accountants
Summer Graham – Assistant Treasurer
summer@sfwpc.org
Summer Graham received her Bachelor of Science Degree in International Relations and holds a Minor in International Business from San Francisco State University. Following graduation, Summer traveled to Spain to live and work abroad, as well as learn a second language.
Upon her return, Ms. Graham was appointed by Mayor Gavin Newsom to serve as Liaison to Districts 1, 2, & 7 within the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services and continues to work for the City & County of San Francisco. She has extensive experience in the areas of grassroots organizing, fundraising, strategic planning, media relations, and events management.
Summer is a former program fellow and graduate of the San Francisco Chapter of the New Leader’s Council Institute. She currently serves on the New Leaders Council Advisory Board and remains actively engaged in the local political community. Her background includes work in both the public and private sectors, with a focus on local issue initiatives, candidates, and has served as Deputy Campaign Manager for a recent district election.
As a fifteen year resident of San Francisco, Summer is passionate about growing the base of young women engaged in the local political process and fostering opportunities for the next generation of emerging progressive leaders.
Dr. Amy Bacharach – Policy Chair
amy@sfwpc.org
Dr. Amy Bacharach is a policy researcher with California’s Administrative Office of the Courts, Center for Families, Children, and the Courts, where she focuses on juvenile delinquency and collaborative justice issues. She has conducted extensive research on juvenile issues including runaway behavior, substance abuse, and prostitution in adolescents in the US and Mexico City. Her passion is policy research on various social justice issues, particularly women’s and children’s rights and human trafficking.
In addition to her research, Amy is an adjunct professor at Argosy University, a policy guru, and a political activist. She served on SFWPC’s Policy Committee for two years prior to becoming chair of the committee and represents SFWPC on the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking (SFCAHT). She is also a recent graduate of Emerge California, a program that trains Democratic women to run for office, and is a member of the California Democratic Women’s Caucus and Children’s Caucus. She was recently elected as a 12th Assembly District Delegate. She also serves on the Board of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW).
Originally from Philadelphia, Amy has lived in France and Mexico City and enjoys traveling around the world to learn how culture affects women’s and children’s human rights (and to have good food and wine). She was a recipient of a Fulbright Award to study women’s experiences with a new law allowing them to ask for divorce in Egypt. In her free time, she researches cupcake baking (and by research, she of course means experimenting with recipe concoctions and baking and eating lots of cupcakes). Amy holds a Ph.D. in Forensic Psychology and a certificate in Organizational Development.
Schuyler Hudak – Policy Co-Chair
Schuyler@sfwpc.org
Schuyler Hudak has spent her career working in civic and political organizing for San Francisco and California. She began her work in education policy for Mayor Gavin Newsom, followed by working to improve the city’s public schools at the San Francisco School Alliance. Schuyler was a senior staffer on the Jerry Brown for Governor 2010 campaign, and led the Governor’s 2011 Inauguration. Today she is working to elect Dennis Herrera as the next Mayor of San Francisco.
Schuyler is a proud Bay Area native and UCLA alum. In addition to her career in politics, she volunteers extensively throughout the city and is the 2012 Chair of the Junior League Fashion Show. She was selected as a member of the Chamber of Commerce Leadership San Francisco Class of 2010 and is a graduate of the New Leaders Council Class of 2010.
Rosie Dilger – Fundraising Chair
rosie@sfwpc.org
Kay Vasilyeva – Endorsements Chair
kay@sfwpc.org
Native San Franciscan Kay Vasilyeva has been a proud Board member of SFWPC since 2008 and currently serves as the Public Relations Chair, managing all external communication. Kay graduated cum laude from the University of San Francisco with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Politics with a concentration in Politics of Justice and Public Administration, two key areas of public life that have guided her professional development. Kay has a breadth of local campaign experience ranging from strategic messaging to rigorous field organizing, and has worked on several public progressive campaigns. Kay is a founding member of the District 5 Progressive Democratic Club with a strong interest in the economic and environmental development of her native Western Addition and the Divisadero Commercial Corridor.
Her non-political interests include locally-oriented sustainable agriculture and food policy, seismic planning and safety in building infrastructure, and community disaster preparedness. Kay currently works for the City and County of San Francisco as a Planner in Citywide Emergency Logistics and Disaster Preparedness and heads an innovative Emergency Resource Management program. In her professional capacity, Kay helps to educate groups and individuals about the importance of investing in their community’s infrastructure resiliency, and advocates for extensive personal preparedness planning.
Thea Selby – Programs Chair
thea@sfwpc.org
Thea Selby is a 10-year small business owner of Next Steps Marketing, Inc, a San Francisco-based audience marketing company, where “we get audiences online, in print and at retail.” Mother of two boys, Thea was elected President of the Lower Haight Merchant + Neighbor Association in 2009, where she leads the 3X yearly smash success Lower Haight ArtWalks, brings neighbors and merchants together for hands-on community safety meetings, and helped facilitate a 16-artist 2,000 square foot mural complete with 7’ pink bunny statue to cover a frequently blighted UC Berkeley wall at Laguna and Haight. Thea is Vice Chair of the Citizen’s General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee, on the Geary Bus Rapid Transit CAC, proud Emerge 2010 graduate and Programs Chair of the SFWPC Board.
Julia Behrs – Membership Chair
julia@sfwpc.org
Leah Pimentel – Advisory Board Co-Chair
leah@sfwpc.org
Leah Pimentel is a third generation San Francisco Bayview Hunters Point community member that brings her knowledge of sustainability and environmental justice to SFWPC. She is an Outreach Coordinator with GRID Alternatives, providing low-income San Francisco Bayview and Potrero homeowners with free solar electric systems that significantly reduce their PG&E bills. Leah recently started her own non-profit organization, Communities of Dreams to improve the health and quality of like for low-income, ill, homeless and underservundeserved and individuals in the Bay Area. Constantly thriving to give back to others, Leah serves as a board member for the San Francisco Housing Development Corporation to help San Francisco residents in affordable housing, and is a Commissioner on the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo). Leah started the Harvey Matthews Bayview Hunters Point Democratic Club to establish a strong and inspirational voice to improve and maintain the quality of life and sense of community for its neighbors. Recently, Leah was elected to 13th AD Delegate to the California Democratic Party.
Leah holds a BS in Business Administration from Sonoma State University and MBA in Sustainable Enterprise (Green MBA) from the Dominican University of California.
Frances Hsieh – Advisory Board Co-Chair
frances@sfwpc.org
Frances is currently a Legislative Aide for Supervisor John Avalos, who represents District 11 on the Board of Supervisors of the City and County of San Francisco. In this capacity, she performs a broad range of duties – supporting and advising on legislative matters, managing constituent outreach and response, and overseeing the office’s administrative affairs.
Frances has an extensive background in legislative and political affairs on both the local level and state-wide level. Previously, she was the Deputy Director of Public Affairs for NARAL Pro-Choice California, educating voters and advocating on behalf of pro-choice legislation and candidates. Prior to joining NARAL, Frances served as a District Representative for State Senator Carole Migden and has been a legislative aide to then-Supervisor, now Assemblywoman Fiona Ma. She has over 10 years of electoral and political campaign experience, from field work for local ballot initiatives to strategic direction for candidates for local and state offices. Until recently, she served as the Endorsements Chair for the San Francisco Women’s Political Caucus and now serves as the Advisory Board Co-Chair. Frances also serves on the Executive Board of the Coalition of Asian American Government Employees. Frances attended the University of California, San Diego, earning a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Russian and Soviet Studies.
Laura Hahn – Political Action Chair
laura@sfwpc.org
Laura is a San Francisco Bay Area native that began her works as a feminist activist as the president of the Women’s Empowerment Club at her high school. She attended the California State University at Chico where she was the director of the Associated Students Women’s Center on campus, the only completely student-run non-profit women’s center in the country. She earned her degree with honors in Multicultural and Gender Studies with an emphasis in Women’s Studies and was awarded the Outstanding Graduating Senior award from her department.
Laura has worked for a variety of political, non-profit and issue advocacy organizations. She was the California State Organizer for NARAL Pro-Choice America, the Political and Field Manager of the Sierra Club San Francisco Bay Chapter and an Account Executive for MSCH Partners Political Consulting.
Laura is currently an independent political consultant and contractor. In her free time Laura enjoys camping, riding her bike in every corner of the city and rolling strikes in the San Francisco Punk Rock Bowling League.
Janine Salalac – Public Relations Chair
janine@sfwpc.org
Janine Salalac is currently the Finance Director for the Bevan Dufty for Mayor campaign here in San Francisco. Prior to this campaign, Janine worked for the political media consulting firm Terris, Barnes and Walters. She has also previously worked for EMILY’s List, a political action committee with the aim of electing pro-choice, Democratic women and is an alumni of their Campaign Corps program.
An avid supporter of pro-choice and women’s groups, Janine is inspired to do work with and for women’s organizations, like SFWPC because she realizes that our mother’s fought hard to improve women’s rights and equality, but the job is not done yet.
She is originally from Yorba Linda in Southern California and graduated with a BA in Political Science from San Diego State University in 2005. Janine has been happy to call San Francisco home for the last 4 years.
