Members of SafeHouse's Board of Directors gathered together.
Board of Directors
Betsy Dodd, President
Sister Rosina Conrotto, Secretary
Alan Becker, Treasurer
James Fagler
Carola Shepard
Julietta Hua
Juliann Sum
Susie Monson
Betsy Dodd, President
Sister Rosina Conrotto, Secretary
Alan Becker, Treasurer
James Fagler
Carola Shepard
Julietta Hua
Juliann Sum
Susie Monson
Betsy Dodd, SafeHouse Board Member, President
Before retiring, Betsy Dodd practiced environmental and land use law in San Francisco. She grew up in a small town in Michigan, graduated from Radcliffe College, Harvard University, and attended UC Davis King Hall School of Law. After practicing law and raising two children, Betsy now spends her time volunteering for social justice and service organizations. She is a long-time member of the SF interfaith Council board, currently serving as Secretary. Betsy is a member of Calvary Presbyterian Church and serves on their Faith in Action committee and Poverty Task Force. She is also a mentor and active volunteer with San Francisco Achievers, which provides educational support to young Black men.
Betsy has served on the SafeHouse board for over three years, and as President for over two years. She is passionate about the work of SafeHouse, and loves working alongside our dedicated staff and board members.
Before retiring, Betsy Dodd practiced environmental and land use law in San Francisco. She grew up in a small town in Michigan, graduated from Radcliffe College, Harvard University, and attended UC Davis King Hall School of Law. After practicing law and raising two children, Betsy now spends her time volunteering for social justice and service organizations. She is a long-time member of the SF interfaith Council board, currently serving as Secretary. Betsy is a member of Calvary Presbyterian Church and serves on their Faith in Action committee and Poverty Task Force. She is also a mentor and active volunteer with San Francisco Achievers, which provides educational support to young Black men.
Betsy has served on the SafeHouse board for over three years, and as President for over two years. She is passionate about the work of SafeHouse, and loves working alongside our dedicated staff and board members.
Sister Rosina Conrotto, PBVM, SafeHouse Board Member, Secretary
Sr. Rosina was born in Gilroy, California the second of three daughters. She attended St. Mary elementary school and Gilroy High. After high school she attended San Jose State University for two years and then entered the convent of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sr. Rosina continued her education at University of San Francisco where she earned a BA in education and Santa Clara University where she earned an MA in Counseling Psychology.
Sr. Rosina taught elementary school for one year and then was a high school teacher and counselor for fourteen years at Presentation High School in San Francisco. After that time she served in various roles of congregational leadership and spent thirteen years in retreat ministry.
During her term in leadership, Reverend Glenda Hope invited Sr. Rosina to found, with her, a safe house of women leaving prostitution and in January of 1998, San Francisco SafeHouse was born. Sr. Rosina counts this is as one of her most proud accomplishments and truly a blessing.
Sr. Rosina was born in Gilroy, California the second of three daughters. She attended St. Mary elementary school and Gilroy High. After high school she attended San Jose State University for two years and then entered the convent of the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Sr. Rosina continued her education at University of San Francisco where she earned a BA in education and Santa Clara University where she earned an MA in Counseling Psychology.
Sr. Rosina taught elementary school for one year and then was a high school teacher and counselor for fourteen years at Presentation High School in San Francisco. After that time she served in various roles of congregational leadership and spent thirteen years in retreat ministry.
During her term in leadership, Reverend Glenda Hope invited Sr. Rosina to found, with her, a safe house of women leaving prostitution and in January of 1998, San Francisco SafeHouse was born. Sr. Rosina counts this is as one of her most proud accomplishments and truly a blessing.
Alan Becker, SafeHouse Board Member, Treasurer
Alan Becker is the Chief Product Officer at SnapStrat, an Oakland based data analytics and AI startup. His non-linear career has included hardware operations management at Apple, chemical engineering at Dow, and work at a host of startups and non-profits. The common thread is that Alan seeks out hard problems and great teams, and works to continually champion perseverance, collaboration, and diversity. Alan has worked with non-profits in Oakland (Camp Phoenix), Africa (One Acre Fund), and South America (Kallari) — and is dedicated to the SafeHouse mission. Outside of work, Alan is a dedicated father of two and comedy improv performer with Berkeley’s Stone Soup Improv.
Juliann Sum, SafeHouse Board Member
Juliann retired in 2019 as Chief of Cal/OSHA, the state agency charged with enforcing workplace safety and health requirements throughout California. Prior work experience includes conducting research and educational projects at UC Berkeley, litigating complex insurance cases for a law firm, and creating and managing an occupational health program for a labor union. She has a law degree from UC Hastings, a master’s in environmental health sciences from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s in biophysics from Brown University.
In addition to serving on the SafeHouse board, Juliann volunteers for Refugee and Immigrant Transitions as a tutor for high school students in Oakland and coordinates weekly social runs for her running club. In the past, she has volunteered as a mentor for students in Cambodia and Thailand learning English language and for students in Oakland training to run marathon and half marathon races.
Juliann retired in 2019 as Chief of Cal/OSHA, the state agency charged with enforcing workplace safety and health requirements throughout California. Prior work experience includes conducting research and educational projects at UC Berkeley, litigating complex insurance cases for a law firm, and creating and managing an occupational health program for a labor union. She has a law degree from UC Hastings, a master’s in environmental health sciences from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s in biophysics from Brown University.
In addition to serving on the SafeHouse board, Juliann volunteers for Refugee and Immigrant Transitions as a tutor for high school students in Oakland and coordinates weekly social runs for her running club. In the past, she has volunteered as a mentor for students in Cambodia and Thailand learning English language and for students in Oakland training to run marathon and half marathon races.
James Fagler, SafeHouse Board Member
James Fagler, a Registered California Architect since 1988, has been on the Board of Directors of SafeHouse for two years, serving as Board Secretary during that time. James previously worked at Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) where he was the lead architect in the design and construction of 555 Ellis Street family housing, a joint venture between AND and San Francisco Network Ministries (SFNM). James also provide services to SFNM for the assessment, procurement and renovation of the existing SafeHouse building and is currently providing pro bono services for various aspects of the buildings care and maintenance, including providing for the donation of new plumbing fixtures throughout all of the existing bathrooms.
James is a Principal at Gelfand Partners Architects and has committed the past 25 years of his professional career exclusively to the construction and renovation of service enriched affordable housing, including SRO’s, family housing, homeless shelters and transitional housing.
James Fagler, a Registered California Architect since 1988, has been on the Board of Directors of SafeHouse for two years, serving as Board Secretary during that time. James previously worked at Asian Neighborhood Design (AND) where he was the lead architect in the design and construction of 555 Ellis Street family housing, a joint venture between AND and San Francisco Network Ministries (SFNM). James also provide services to SFNM for the assessment, procurement and renovation of the existing SafeHouse building and is currently providing pro bono services for various aspects of the buildings care and maintenance, including providing for the donation of new plumbing fixtures throughout all of the existing bathrooms.
James is a Principal at Gelfand Partners Architects and has committed the past 25 years of his professional career exclusively to the construction and renovation of service enriched affordable housing, including SRO’s, family housing, homeless shelters and transitional housing.
Carola Shepard, SafeHouse Board Member
Carola Shepard is beginning her second 3-year term on the SafeHouse Board. Prior to joining the Board, Carola worked at SafeHouse for five years as its Development and Business Manager, responsible for fundraising, donor relations, and grant-writing. She reconnected with and developed new relationships with small foundations and Bay Area congregations to expand the base of support for SafeHouse. In addition to her commitment to SafeHouse, Carola serves on the Board of the Pacific Heights Residents' Association and is an active volunteer at St. Ignatius Church.
Julietta Hua, SafeHouse Board Member
Julietta is Professor of Women and Gender Studies at San Francisco State University, where she teaches courses on migration, human rights and law. She is the author of _Trafficking Women's Human Rights_ and is currently at work on a book about taxi driving in the Uber economy (co-authored with her colleague, Kasturi Ray). Julietta is also a member of Hand In Hand, an Oakland organization of domestic employers working for better work conditions and wages for domestic workers.
