Breed picks activist Ellis to head department on status of women
San Francisco Mayor London Breed announced Tuesday that progressive activist Kimberly Ellis will serve as the director of the city’s Department on the Status of Women, an agency that promotes equitable treatment for women, girls and nonconforming people.
For nearly a decade, Ellis worked as executive director of Emerge California, the largest regional training program for aspiring female political candidates.
Breed called Ellis “a tireless advocate for those who are too often overlooked in our society, and I know that in this role she will continue that work by improving the lives of women and girls in San Francisco” in a statement announcing Ellis’ appointment.
In 2018, she launched Unbought — Unbossed, an organization that works to amplify the voices of politically progressive activists.
Ellis has twice sought to lead the state Democratic party, but lost both elections, in 2017 and 2019.
The Department on the Status of Women was established in 1994 to ensure equitable treatment and foster the advancement of the women and girls in San Francisco through programs, policy recommendations and legislation. Ellis will replace Emily Murase, who resigned in March to run, unsuccessfully, for the District Seven seat on the Board of Supervisors.
“We know that when we raise up women, girls, trans people and our gender nonconforming, every aspect of our society improves,” Ellis said in a statement. “A new era has begun in America and it’s time we empower all marginalized people in the dismantling of systemic racism and the white male patriarchy that has held too many back for far too long.”
Vanessa Arredondo is a San Francisco Chronicle