Contact: Ling Woo Liu, lliu[at]sff.org
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – The San Francisco Foundation (SFF) has hired Karely Ordaz Salto as Director, Department of the CEO. Karely brings a breadth of experience and deep Bay Area connections to this newly created role, which will expand SFF’s presence in Bay Area communities and work closely with CEO Fred Blackwell.
“I’m excited to be working closely with Karely to realize our vision for a Bay Area where everyone thrives, regardless of race or zip code,” says CEO Fred Blackwell. “She understands the issues that are important to our communities and has experience across sectors to move us forward in systems change.”
Born in Michoacan, Mexico, and raised in East Oakland, Karely has centered her career around racial justice and equity, working in the nonprofit and public sectors. Most recently, Karely served as Chief of Staff at two Bay Area anchor institutions: Unity Council in Oakland and Hamilton Families in San Francisco. In these roles, Karely was a strategic advisor to Chief Executive Officers, led city-wide initiatives focused on collective impact, managed executive transitions, led strategic planning sessions, and raised over $7M to support mission-driven work. As Chief of Staff, she worked across organizations, in partnership with community and key stakeholders, to create sustainable social impact.
As a former legislative and mayoral aide for the City of Oakland, Karely worked on policy issues at the local, state, and federal levels, all centered around racial justice and equity. Her policy experience includes education, environmental justice, immigration, affordable housing, youth, and community development. Karely served as the Chair of the City of Oakland’s Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) Task Force where she aligned stakeholders around strategies to reduce sex trafficking of minors. She was instrumental in focusing the city’s efforts and launching ReportJohn.org, featured in the New York Times in 2016.
“I am thrilled to join the San Francisco Foundation during a time filled with opportunity for transformation and reimagination,” says Karely. “I look forward to building on existing partnerships and coalitions to advance a racial justice and economic inclusion agenda that takes a community-first approach.”
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The San Francisco Foundation is committed to a Bay Area where everyone can get a good job, live in a safe and affordable home, and exercise their political voice. The foundation advances its work through grantmaking, partnerships with donors, policy advocacy, and impact investing.
