NEN Executive Steering Committee Bios
- Cindy Brandon
Executive Director, SF SAFE
Ms. Brandon is the Executive Director of SF SAFE. She has degrees in Criminal Justice and Political Science, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. Cindy has been the Executive Director since November 2004 and has over 13 years of experience in the criminal justice field, both in the public and non-profit sectors. Past positions include the Executive Director for the San Mateo County Criminal Justice Council, and the Victim Services Coordinator in two Counties. She has been trained and certified in crisis intervention, victim advocacy and conflict resolution. She was recognized by the San Mateo County Victim Center and the San Mateo County Police Chiefs' and Sheriff Association for her involvement and contributions. During her 3 1/2 years at SAFE, she has provided presentations on SAFE services, personal safety, crime prevention, NERT training, and Neighborhood Watch. Along with raising more funds than in any other year at SAFE, Cindy has implemented various projects such as Annual Events, Fundraisers, Newsletters, Kids & Cops Program, NERT Trainings, and the quarterly Block Captain & Leaders meetings. She has participated in citywide efforts such as the Neighborhood Empowerment Network, Community Policing Advisory Committee, Police Effectiveness Review and the Disaster Recovery committee. She is also a trainer for California's Citizen Corps Neighborhood Watch Train-the-Trainer program.
- Harold Brooks
CEO, Bay Area Red Cross
Harold Brooks is CEO of the American Red Cross Bay Area Chapter. He is responsible for overseeing the strategic development of one of the leading American Red Cross chapters in the country, serving over 4.5 million people in six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area; and for managing day-to-day operations for over 3,000 volunteers and 100 employees. Brooks is currently steering the Red Cross towards executing the Bay Area Campaign for Emergency Preparedness, one of most extensive community preparedness campaigns ever developed with a goal of training one in four Bay Area residents with life saving skills within five years.
Prior to joining ARCBA in 1997, Brooks was CEO of the Metropolitan New Jersey Chapter, where he restructured the chapter to better meet community needs and face the challenges in one of America's toughest urban areas-Newark and Paterson, New Jersey. Brooks also launched a significant major gifts campaign that positioned the chapter to develop a successful capital campaign. In an effort to further enhance Red Cross services to the community, Brooks recruited high quality paid staff, as well as respected community leaders to help revive the board of directors.
- Gerald Eisman
Director, Institute for Civic and Community Engagement of SFSU
Gerald Eisman earned his doctorate in Mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1977. He joined the faculty of Computer Science at SF State in 1989, where he served as full professor and chair for 9 years. His teaching and research has bridged his two disparate interests: systems theory and community scholarship. Within the discipline, he has published extensively on automata theory and neural network systems. Since the mid-90s, his work has focused on how the knowledge processes of the university can combine with the knowledge assets of communities to generate new knowledge that has direct impact on community needs. In 1998, he became the Community Service-Learning Director, expanding the program into 43 departments of the University, and from 2004 to 2006, he served as the first Service-Learning Faculty Scholar in the California State University Office of the Chancellor. In fall 2006, he returned to SF State for a position within the Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and was named its Director in May 2008.
- David Gershon
Founder and CEO, Empowerment Institute
David Gershon, founder and CEO of Empowerment Institute, is one of the world's leading authorities on behavior change and large-scale transformation. He applies his expertise to various issues that require organizational, community or societal transformation. His clients range from large organizations and cities to social entrepreneurs and transformational small businesses. He has addressed issues ranging from organizational talent development to environmental behavior change; from emergency preparedness to low-income neighborhood revitalization. Longitudinal research studies indicate that adopted behavior changes are sustained over time.
He conceived and organized in 1986 in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and ABC Television, one of the planet’s first global initiatives, the First Earth Run. At the height of the Cold War, using the mythic power of relaying fire around the world, millions of people in partnership with the world’s political leaders and media participated in creating a profound sense of our connectedness. This even also raised millions of dollars for the neediest children in the world.
David is the author of nine books including the best-selling Empowerment: The Art of Creating Your Life As You Want It, which has become a classic on the subject and his most recent book Low Carbon Diet: A 30 Day Program to Lose 5,000 Pounds which won the Independent Publishers 2007 “Most Likely To Save The Planet” book Award. He is currently writing Social Change 2.0 – Unleashing Social Creativity and The New Practice of Empowerment. Considered a master personal development trainer, he co-directs the Empowerment Institute Certification Program, a school for transformative change leadership. He has lectured at Harvard, MIT, and Duke Universities and served as an advisor to the Clinton White House and United Nations on sustainability and behavior change issues. His work has received considerable media attention and many honors.
- Michael Pappas
Executive Director, San Francisco Interfaith Council
Michael Pappas was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey. He graduated from Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA) in 1983, after which he successively worked as a lobbyist, Regional Field Director for a presidential campaign and investment banker for the oldest municipal bond firm in New Jersey.
In 1987, he left the world of politics & finance and enrolled at Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology, attaining an M.Div. with honors in the class of 1992. An ordained priest of the Greek Orthodox Church, Michael served parishes in Palos Hills, IL, Stockton, CA and San Francisco, CA.
During his sixteen-year ministry, he was a prolific writer, contributing articles to numerous religious and secular periodicals. As well, he devoted energy to work with the homeless and furthering ecumenical/interfaith relationships. After stepping down from active ministry in 2004, he was selected by the San Francisco Interfaith Council to the newly created administrative position of Executive Director.
Michael is father of two sons, George and Paul, and one daughter, Julia.
- John Power
Executive Director, The Volunteer Center
As Executive Director of The Volunteer Center Serving San Francisco and San Mateo Counties, John leads an organization that for over sixty years has nurtured respected and long-standing relationships among the Bay Area’s business, government, nonprofit and volunteer communities. Prior to joining The Volunteer Center in 1999, John served for nearly a decade on the staff of San Jose Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, as her Deputy District Director and a chief policy advisor in health and human services, housing & homelessness, immigration, the environment and civil justice. An avid volunteer, John is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Goodwill Industries of San Francisco, San Mateo & Marin, and on the statewide Volunteer Centers of California Board. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Berkeley and an MBA from Santa Clara University.
- Kelly Quirke
Executive Director, Friends of the Urban Forest
Kelly Quirke is the Executive Director of Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF) in San Francisco. FUF is a community-building organization that has planted more than 42,000 trees along the streets of every San Francisco neighborhood since 1981 (www.fuf.net).
Prior to joining FUF, Kelly was the interim director of the International Bill of Rights (IBOR) Project, which seeks to establish, with international collaboration, a legally enforceable Bill of Rights for all the worlds' peoples. Kelly is also the former Executive Director of the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), and before assuming the position of Executive Director, Kelly served as RAN's first Campaigns Director.
For seven years prior to joining RAN, Kelly campaigned at Greenpeace, finishing his tenure there as the national coordinator of Greenpeace's U.S. Temperate Forest campaign. Before that, he worked on Greenpeace's Offshore Oil, Energy and Climate campaigns. As the national coordinator of Greenpeace's public outreach and scientific area of the USA Climate Campaign, Kelly's work included educating and politicizing the insurance industry regarding the economic and environmental risks and realities of global climate change.
- Dr. Isabel Wade
Executive Director of the Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC)
Dr. Isabel Wade, Executive Director of the Neighborhood Parks Council (NPC), created this organization in 1996 in an effort to "take back" the parks, which have suffered decline due to budget cuts. NPC has grown to include 120+ park groups and 4,000 park volunteers, who have joined forces on behalf of their local parks. NPC provides a critical link among San Francisco citizens, neighborhood parks and city government. Groups sponsor work days and special events to directly improve the condition and usage of their parks.
In 1993, Dr. Wade received one of the first national awards for excellence in the environmental field from Good Housekeeping Magazine. She founded the State of California's Urban Forestry Program in 1977 under Governor Jerry Brown; was the first President of San Francisco Friends of the Urban Forest; founder of the California Relief Program at the Trust for Public Land and a co-founder of the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. Dr. Wade served on the Commission on the Environment for the City of San Francisco from 1994-1996. She has a doctorate in Environmental Planning from the University of California at Berkeley and is a resident of San Francisco and Sonoma, California.