Meet our Board
Alan Becker
Alan Becker has had a long career in operations and finance, including 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 been working with transitional housing organizations for 8 years. He has worked with non-profits in Oakland (Camp Phoenix), Africa (One Acre Fund), and South America (Kallari) — and is passionately dedicated to the SafeHouse mission. Outside of work, Alan is a dedicated father of two, an improv comedy performer, and a lover of the outdoors.
Board Member
Anil Comelo
Anil currently serves as the City Manager for the City of St. Helena and has over 25 years of public sector management experience at several agencies including the cities of San Rafael, Oakland, Beverly Hills, and Richmond, Anil holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and a Master of Public Administration in Organizational Change and Public Policy both from California State University, East Bay. Anil has served on the boards of several organizations and currently serves on the board of the Network of Asian Public Administrators, (I-NAPA) and other professional boards and advisory bodies. Anil is passionate about solutions to education and
information gaps that exists for disadvantaged communities and the utilization of market based solutions to address intractable social, economic, and public policy challenges.
Board Member
Colleen Ma
Colleen Ma is currently a Senior Project Manager on the housing development team at the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, where she works on the financing and development of affordable housing projects in San Francisco. She has spent the last decade in the affordable housing space, having begun her career in community organizing and direct services in Los Angeles and San Francisco. She is a born and raised San Franciscan who is passionate about equitable development, sustainability, and supporting brilliant organizations like Safehouse with their much needed on-the-ground work. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geography/Environmental Studies from UCLA and a Master of Urban Planning and Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Outside of the Board, she volunteers with animal rescue organizations, as well as volunteers in a mentorship capacity to recent UCLA graduates and emerging leaders in the affordable housing space.
Board Member
Jeanine Nicholson
Jeanine Nicholson served in the San Francisco Fire Department for 30 years. First as a firefighter, then firefighter paramedic and ultimately as Chief of the Department. Nicholson was appointed as the 26th Chief of the Department and the only out LGBTQ chief in San Francisco’s history by then Mayor London Breed and served for over 5 years in that capacity. As Chief, she brought innovative solutions to challenges of inequity and lack of access to care. Under her leadership the Department launched Community Paramedicine programs such as Street Crisis and Street Overdose response teams to address the challenges faced by the unhoused, mentally ill, and drug addicted members of the community. These programs have since been replicated across the country. She initiated the City EMT program which provides at risk youth with an EMT class and wrap around services and a paycheck. Upon completion, individuals get an opportunity to do a paid internship on a San Francisco Fire Department ambulance. Ultimately the SFFD hired over 30% of graduates of this program as full time employees under Nicholson. Both programs included in their staff people with lived experience of the issues being addressed.
Now retired, Nicholson keeps busy exercising, writing, and training her dog Showtime to one day become a therapy dog. She is excited and grateful for the opportunity to work with the staff and board of San Francisco SafeHouse.
Board Member
Jim Fagler, AIA
Jim has over 36 years of professional architectural experience in San Francisco. He takes a result oriented, problem solving, team leading approach to project management, design and leadership, and has developed a reputation for integrity, honesty, tact and pragmatism with principle in relationship to clients, colleagues and friends.
Jim has completed substantial work with the Mayor’s Office of Housing, the Mayor’s Office of Community Development, the Mayor’s Office of Disability, the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, San Francisco Seismic Safety Loan program, and FEMA. He leads by example, with open, direct, collaborative communication with peers and sub- ordinates. Mr. Fagler has 26 years of multifamily housing design and production expertise and 9 years of custom home and commercial work experience.
BOARD CHAIR
Kathy Cheong
Board Member
Karen Schiller
Karen is a semi-retired nonprofit finance specialist. For 16 years, she worked at Congregation Emanu-El, the oldest synagogue west of the Mississippi, first as the Accounting Manager, then as the Director of Accounting. Prior to that, she worked as an independent consultant with small- and mid-size nonprofits, helping them to create better systems for managing their financial information, and she was a trainer with CompassPoint Nonprofit Services, teaching classes in bookkeeping and financial management for nonprofits. She has also served on various nonprofit boards, including San Francisco Women Against Rape and the Jewish Community Relations Council, as well as serving as president and treasurer for Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, San Francisco’s LGBTQIA+ synagogue, where she continues to be an active volunteer.
Board Member
LaTanya Bellow
LaTanya Bellow is the City Manager for the City of Emeryville, bringing over two decades of experience as a senior-level human resources executive, project manager, and financial strategist in municipal management. Most recently, she served as Acting City Manager and Interim City Manager for the City of Berkeley, as well as Interim Public Works Director, where she led the successful delivery of Berkeley’s 5-year paving plan. Her strategic leadership has been instrumental in overseeing operational departments, including Public Works, Parks and Recreation, Planning, Health, Housing and Community Services, and Neighborhood Services, underscoring her commitment to impactful community improvements.
LaTanya’s expertise also extends to financial management and strategic project oversight, with significant experience in land use development, capital improvement projects, and initiatives that foster vibrant, resilient urban environments.
LaTanya holds a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from California State University, East Bay, and is currently a candidate for a Doctorate of Public Administration. She is a certified Professional in Human Resources (P.H.R.) Additionally, she serves on the boards of the League of California Cities and CALPELRA, where she contributes as a moderator, presenter, and program contributor.
When she’s not working, LaTanya enjoys spending time with her close-knit family, cooking with her husband and three daughters, and playing with her grandson and grand-dog, Thor.
Board Member
Nöel Plummer
Nöel Plummer serves as Deputy Counsel for Contra Costa County in the Bay Area. A graduate of Yale University, Noël brings extensive professional experience working as an attorney and with Children and Family Services, demonstrating a deep commitment to advocating for vulnerable populations and supporting programs that strengthen families and communities. Noël has been a dedicated member of the San Francisco SafeHouse Board since 2023, contributing her expertise and passion to advancing the organization's mission of empowering women to rebuild their lives through safe and supportive services.
Board Member
Pamela Merchant
Pamela Merchant advises nonprofits on strategy, leadership and governance and previously served as SafeHouse’s Interim Executive Director. She is the former Executive Director of the Center for Justice and Accountability, a leading U.S. based human rights organization pursuing international human rights abusers through litigation. She has also served as a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, and as Special Counsel for the California Department of Justice and Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She has held leadership positions on numerous nonprofit boards and currently Chairs the Board of the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti.
Board Member
Susie Wong
Board Member
Picture and Bio coming soon.