San Francisco, CA

Advancing a Holistic System of Care for the Homeless
San Francisco is piloting an innovative model of healthcare for adults experiencing homelessness. The city and county’s Whole Person Care program assesses patient needs based on a variety of factors that can affect a person’s wellbeing, including housing status, mental health, substance abuse, and involvement with the criminal justice system.... Read more
San Francisco as the Innovation Capital of the World
FUSE Executive Fellow Rebecca Foster acted as a senior advisor in the San Francisco Mayor's Office of Civic Innovation, focusing on public private partnerships and the intersection of investment and critical social priorities. She explored innovative financing mechanisms including a public-private Housing Accelerator Fund and evaluated pay for success as... Read more
San Francisco as the Innovation Capital of the World
Rahul built San Francisco’s entrepreneurship-in-residence (EIR) program in collaboration with the White House to help address critical national issues such as healthcare, transportation, public safety, education, energy and infrastructure – with the overall goal to lower costs, increase revenue, enhance productivity and help save lives. Mayor Ed Lee was named... Read more
Strengthening Emergency Services
The City and County of San Francisco’s Division of Emergency Communications has 160 public safety dispatchers who collectively provide round-the-clock 9-1-1 emergency assistance. To improve the agency’s management of the complex and fluctuating staffing requirements, FUSE executive fellow Marilyn Varnado worked with the agency to reduce staff scheduling challenges and... Read more
Designing a Framework for Equity In City Services
As in many other American cities, demographics such as race, ethnicity, and gender identity influence San Francisco residents’ outcomes in income, education, health, justice involvement, and other key areas. To establish a baseline of the city’s efforts to address inequities, FUSE executive fellow Sami Iwata partnered with the Controller’s City... Read more
Connecting and Communicating Housing Resources to Those In Need
As one of America’s most expensive places to live, the City and County of San Francisco are committed to maximizing the creation and preservation of affordable housing. The Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development enlisted FUSE Executive Fellow Kimberly Dubin to help amplify public awareness of the city’s efforts... Read more
Opening Doors to Meaningful Employment
As a FUSE Executive Fellow, Gusti worked on multiple strategic workforce initiatives at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, including apprenticeship programs for skilled labor positions, succession planning, and professional development opportunities for the organization’s 5,700 employees. Gusti utilized her workforce development and project management background in order to develop... Read more
Reducing Traffic Fatalities to Zero by 2024
Ben Matranga worked on Mayor Ed Lee’s Vision Zero initiative to reduce traffic fatalities in San Francisco to zero by 2024. Ben worked to direct, coordinate, and communicate critical, multi-faceted initiatives and ensure successful implementation. The Vision Zero initiative brought together numerous city departments to focus on five critical areas... Read more
Utilizing Technology to Increase High School Graduation Rates
Tim worked with the San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) to implement new technologies and programs aimed at closing gaps in the digital divide. During his tenure, the library was able to launch The Mix at SFPL, a digital media lab and makerspace for Bay Area Teens, and a Career Online... Read more
Leveraging Strategic Data Analytics
The San Francisco Human Services Agency administers social service programs to promote the wellbeing and self-sufficiency of more than 200,000 low-income and vulnerable individuals. The agency hired FUSE Executive Fellow Sima to analyze data the agency is collecting through its newly upgraded systems and to integrate that analysis into its... Read more
Building a Strategic Marketing Function 
In response to national healthcare reform, the Department of Public Health has undertaken several initiatives, including building a world-class trauma center and developing a citywide health network. Having functioned historically as a safety net provider for vulnerable populations, the San Francisco Health Network is now also working to become the... Read more
Creating A STEM Collective Impact Campaign
There has never been a greater need in this country for professionals trained in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The Bay Area is home to some of the world’s most innovative companies and is uniquely positioned to lead the way in educating its young people for STEM careers. The... Read more
Developing a Human Capital Management Plan
One of the busiest airports in the world, San Francisco International Airport (SFO) also strives to be the best airport in the world by providing the highest level of safety and customer service. With 1,600 employees, it is crucial for SFO to excel at recruiting, developing, managing, and retaining world-class... Read more
Reforming Citywide Purchasing Processes
San Francisco is one of the largest purchasers of goods and services throughout the Bay Area and conducts transactions with the private, public and social sectors totaling over $1 billion annually. As part of a major upgrade of its financial systems, the City hired Rob to help overhaul its purchasing and... Read more
Improving Overnight Worker Transportation
San Francisco’s 24-hour economy requires thousands of workers in the entertainment, healthcare, manufacturing and other industries to commute during late-night and early-morning hours. The overnight public transit system does not currently align with these needs, however, leaving many workers without access to safe, affordable and reliable transportation options. The Office... Read more
Enhancing Women’s Economic Empowerment
Although women are a vital force within the economy, they are compensated at a significantly lower level than their male counterparts and are continually underrepresented across professions and leadership positions. In response, the cities of San Francisco and Oakland will co-host a regional Women’s Empowerment & Opportunity Summit. Autumn was... Read more
Increasing Citywide Emergency Preparedness
The San Francisco Department of Emergency Management leads the city’s planning around response and recovery from a wide array of potential disasters. Because emergency management is a constantly evolving practice with new standards and new strategies for preparation, response, recovery and resiliency, plans must be updated regularly to stay relevant.... Read more
Promoting Collaborative Police Reform
Following a spate of controversial public safety incidents, Mayor Ed Lee and other city officials called on the Department of Justice’s office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) to assess the SFPD and provide a roadmap for improvement. In October of 2016, COPS released its report introducing the launch of... Read more
Financing Seawall Fortifications to Protect San Francisco
The Port of San Francisco has the responsibility of maintaining more than seven miles of waterfront along the City of San Francisco, including the three-mile seawall that protects this vital area. With significant vulnerabilities, including seismic weaknesses, the seawall requires a comprehensive redevelopment plan. FUSE Executive Fellow Keven Brough worked... Read more
Developing Talent for Operational Excellence
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) strives to be one of the best airports in the world and the top employer in the Bay Area. To help achieve this goal, FUSE Executive Fellow Mark Avnet partnered with SFO to design and implement the SFO People Strategy, a first-of-its-kind strategic roadmap enabling... Read more
Improving the Care Experience for Patients and Staff
The San Francisco Health Network (SFHN) serves more than one in eight San Franciscans annually. Along with several projects to improve the patient experience, SFHN is committed to providing a positive care experience across the network. FUSE Fellow Cori Schauer helped design a service framework to change the SFHN’s approach... Read more
Climate Action Through Electric Vehicle Readiness
To help San Francisco develop a plan for widespread electric vehicle adoption, FUSE Fellow Lars Peters developed a series of recommendations based on best practices from cities around the world and input from city and community stakeholders. Lars based his recommendations on analysis of available data, oriented them towards specific... Read more
Designing Fleet Management for a Sustainable City
The City and County of San Francisco owns and operates a fleet of more than 7,000 vehicles and pieces of equipment that provide vital functions to the city. As the Fleet Management Division moves to new facilities, FUSE Fellow Keigo Yoshida partnered with the City Administrator’s Office to analyze vehicle... Read more
Strengthening Accountability With Online Technology
The San Francisco Ethics Commission was established to provide education and enforcement of ethics, campaign finance, and lobbying laws. FUSE Fellow Gayathri Thaikkendiyil was tasked with developing a plan to redesign and modernize the commission’s website and e-filing project, with the ultimate goal of increasing public engagement and government accountability.... Read more