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Executive Director
darin@livablecity.org
Darin Ow-Wing has been involved with numerous projects and organizations benefiting diverse communities across the San Francisco Bay Area. He majored in Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley and worked in youth development, culture work, and school reform for over 30 years. After joining Livable City as the Development Director in early 2020, Darin helped grew donor giving and triple the overall organizational budget. Having become the Executive Director of Livable City in January, Darin is excited to be part of an organization that is fostering community-driven change toward a regenerative economy.
His many interests include kayaking, astronomy, tide pools, native plants, and sustainability. His personal mission is to help people appreciate the interwoven nature of life on our little planet.
Deputy Director
sally@livablecity.org
Sally Chen is an organizer and advocate dedicated to building the capacity of working-class communities of color to feel safety, joy, and a sense of autonomy in their own neighborhoods. Before her current position, she held a variety of roles in her hometown of San Francisco, from running vocational training for Chinese immigrant workers to advocating for race conscious university admissions policies. As a first-generation college graduate from an immigrant family, she is a proud alumna of Harvard College, where she organized for racial justice issues including ethnic studies and affirmative action. Her testimony, writing, and analysis is featured in the Los Angeles Times, Bustle Magazine, and CalMatters.
In her spare time, she enjoys community gardening, long bike rides, and learning something new out in the world with friends and family – fun facts, creative hobbies, good restaurants, etc.
Program Director
jessica@livablecity.org
Jessica’s journey with Livable City began during her senior year at San Francisco State University, where she joined as a Communications Intern. Graduating in the Spring of 2021 with a Bachelor’s degree in English: Professional Writing and Rhetoric, Jessica seamlessly transitioned into the role of Program Coordinator for Livable City’s open streets and community-building programs, including Sunday Streets and Neighborfest.
Now serving as the Sunday Streets Program Director, Jessica wears many hats within the organization. In this role, she oversees the organization’s communications strategy, from managing social media accounts and newsletters to designing eye-catching graphics and flyers. Additionally, Jessica plays a pivotal role in programming Sunday Streets events, ensuring that each one is a memorable experience for all participants. Beyond her official duties, Jessica is known for her willingness to lend a helping hand to her colleagues, often assisting with IT tasks and offering support wherever needed.
Jessica’s passion for writing is evident in her work, and she aspires to advocate for a more livable city through her words and positive relationship building. She believes in the power of community engagement and is dedicated to creating vibrant and inclusive spaces for all.
Senior Policy Fellow
tom@livablecity.org
Tom served as the Executive Director of Livable City from June 2004 to December 2022 and now advises Livable City on policy and planning efforts. He has been an urban environmental activist since attending college at UC Berkeley, advocating for urban environmental restoration, better public transport, and the greening and revitalization of public streetscapes and open spaces. He played an important role in voter initiatives to create Octavia Boulevard and create a “Grand Central Station” at San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal that connects regional and intercity rail and bus lines.
He served as an elected director of the Bay Area Rapid Transit District from 1996 to 2016, where he has advocated for reinvestment and renovation of the BART system and improving BART practices in the areas of sustainability, accessibility, customer service, architecture, and urban design, and the creation of transit villages at BART stations.
Sunday Streets Program Mgr
isaac@livablecity.org
Isaac Santiago, a UC Berkeley graduate with a Bachelor’s in Political Science and a minor in
Public Policy, is an experienced community organizer and advocate. With honors and
scholarships, Isaac’s expertise spans outreach, research, and policy analysis. From organizing
tenant associations in San Francisco to conducting policy research in Washington, DC, Isaac’s
commitment to social justice and community engagement is evident.
As the new Sunday Streets Program Manager, Isaac leads initiatives that promote active,
car-free streets and bring people together to celebrate diverse neighborhoods. Outside of work,
Isaac enjoys exploring local parks, attending cultural events, and savoring good food with
friends. Isaac is excited to be part of the Sunday Streets team and looks forward to making a
positive impact in the communities served.
Program and Development Associate
reina@livablecity.org
Reina Terry is Livable City’s Program and Administrative Associate. She is passionate about creating open spaces for communities to gather. Born and raised in San Francisco’s Bayview Hunters Point with over ten years of experience in organizing events in the Bay Area, Reina finds great joy in promoting the success of women-owned, minority-owned, and/or small businesses by helping to build networks and organizing public spaces where owners can expand and grow their businesses.
When she is not planning and organizing events, Reina enjoys spending time with her family and friends making memories, and going on small adventures because she is a firm believer that “celebrating life is as just as important as living it.”
Consultant
tamara@livablecity.org
Tamara is the founder and CEO of Burge LLC, established in 2020 with the aim of promoting a stronger sense of community among people. Tamara’s deep passion for giving back to society led to the creation of the company.
In response to the isolation and depression faced by many people during the COVID-19 pandemic, Tamara initiated block parties in the community, which provided a much-needed outlet for socialization and fun. The events also allowed neighbors to develop relationships, fostering a stronger sense of community among people.
Tamara gained experience in event planning while organizing parties for her three children. She firmly believes that organizing community events brings generations together and fosters a positive atmosphere for everyone involved.
Through the work of Burge LLC, Tamara hopes to continue promoting a strong sense of community and facilitating deep connections among people. The company seeks government grant funding to further expand their efforts and reach more communities in need.
Finance Manager
Dan Kluger has been in the business of assisting Bay Area nonprofits and small businesses with their financial accounting for the past 15 years. He’s happy that at Livable City he’s able to help in encouraging the smart and equitable use of our urban environment for all to enjoy.
When not playing with spreadsheets, he enjoys playing banjo & guitar for square dances, playing games & puzzles, and learning to play folk instruments from around the Americas. He’s been happily exploring the land and waters of California since he arrived here in 1983.
President
Michael T. Nguyen is the Director of IP Operations and a patent attorney at Patent Law Works and specializes in protecting software inventions. Born in Chicago and raised in the suburbs of many cities around the country, Michael has always loved the energy of city living and has enjoyed living in the Twin Peaks neighborhood of SF for over ten years. Michael sits on the LGBTQI+ Advisory Committee of the San Michael T. Nguyen is the Director of IP Operations and a patent attorney at Patent Law Works and specializes in protecting software inventions. Born in Chicago and raised in the suburbs of many cities around the country, Michael has always loved the energy of city living and has enjoyed living in the Twin Peaks neighborhood of SF for over ten years. Michael sits on the LGBTQI+ Advisory Committee of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission and is Chair Emeritus of the GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance (GAPA), an advocacy organization that envisions a powerful Queer, Trans, Asian and Pacific Islander community that is seen, heard, and celebrated (www.gapa.org). Michael’s alter-ego drag persona, Juicy Liu, performs regularly in the Castro and was crowned Miss GAPA in 2016. Over the years, Michael/Juicy has personally raised thousands of dollars for community organizations in the Bay Area, including the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, SF AIDS Foundation through AIDS/Lifecycle, GAPA, and Prism Foundation. In 2022, Michael was nominated by Sen. Scott Wiener as a Pride Month Honoree for his community work. Michael holds a JD from the University of California Hastings College of the Law and a BA (cum laude) in Computer Science and Music from Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.
Betsy has lived in San Francisco for 18 years, during which time she has lived in at least eight different neighborhoods. She is a product attorney at Apple and recently completed her six-year term on the Advisory Board at One Justice, a non-profit that facilitates pro bono legal services to under-served communities in California. As a parent to two young kids, Betsy believes that cities are foundational to raising tolerant, accepting, and curious children; and in order to realize this potential, a successful city must have dynamic public spaces where people from different neighborhoods and backgrounds may interact in meaningful ways.
Treasurer
Becks is a Product Management Director at Google. Becks has been an SF resident for 17 years and is passionate about Livable City’s values of creating shared public spaces, 15-minute neighborhoods, and greening the city. Becks also loves skiing, reading, bike riding, spending time with her partner Mark walking around the Mission and finding ways to create connection and community.
Mariah is a Bay Area native, and creative media producer with expertise in community engagement and digital outreach. Her work is centered on connecting communities to information and collective action. She has supported various social justice, housing, and economic policy efforts including working for NYC’s Office of Nightlife (ONL) and Pratt Center for Community Development’s Made in NYC initiative where she managed marketing and membership for over 1,300 small businesses. Earlier in her career, Mariah was an Associate Producer for NBC News. While at NBC, she produced creative content for 200+ local news stations across the U.S. and worked on live TV events including the TODAY Show, 2012 and 2016 Presidential Elections, and the 2016 Rio and 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. Mariah is also the co-founder of BRN GRL SPK Art Collective which created opportunities for women and femmes of color to express themselves through poetry, music, and events while supporting grassroots and community-based organizations like Black Girls Code, WeAct for Environmental Justice, and Freedom For Families.
Mariah has a B.A. from Dominican University of California in Communications and Media Studies and M.S. in City and Regional Planning from the Pratt Institute. She is currently the communications and community engagement lead in the Community Equity Division at San Francisco Planning, working to deliver over 46,000 affordable homes by 2030.
Justin Bigelow is an attorney in Oakland at Goldfarb & Lipman LLP, where he represents a variety of local governments, affordable housing developers, and other nonprofit clients throughout California. He assists clients with a range of issues relating to real estate transactions and compliance with planning and environmental laws. He has experience in affordable housing, landlord-tenant, municipal law, tax-exempt entity law, property management, entity formation, and employment law. Justin is originally from Minnesota, where he earned a bachelor’s degree at Macalester College. He earned a Juris Doctor from U.C. Hastings (cum laude) and a Master in City Planning from U.C. Berkeley.
José is a Project Manager with San Francisco’s Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure.
Bert is a bicycle advocate specializing in transportation and secure storage. He is currently developing a Bay Area intermodal bicycle-sharing program and teaches safety courses as a League of American Bicyclists certified instructor. Bert also serves as Chair of the San Francisco Bicycle Advisory Committee. Formerly, he worked in engineering and construction project management. He is a graduate of the University of Washington, where he studied Urban Development.
Secretary
Melyssa is a bicycle advocate and a resident of San Francisco since 2004. As a law student in San Francisco, she realized bicycles not only move people around cities, but also help save the planet, provide exercise, create communities, and assist with mental health. She was a board member of Lyon-Martin Health Services starting in 2011, then upon the merger of HealthRight 360 until early 2020. Currently, she is the Secretary of the San Francisco bicycle advisory committee and was a founding member of the San Francisco Bike Party. She sees her work with Livable City as an extension of her prior work with community health centers.
Fay Darmawi is a film festival producer, community development banker, and urban planner interested in using all forms of media to create lasting social change. She is the Founder and Executive Producer of the SF Urban Film Fest, a film festival focused on civic engagement inspired by great storytelling. Her 20 years of experience as a leader in affordable housing finance, including managing the low-income housing tax credit platform for Silicon Valley Bank, as well as 5-years of screenwriting training, informs her media-related work.
Sasha Magee works for the City and County of San Francisco to help the city serve its residents better online. A long-time activist, Sasha came to Livable City through causes like rent control, affordable housing, workers’ rights, and environmental justice. When not working for San Francisco Government or Livable City, Sasha is usually reading, riding his bike, building trails, or making pizzas in his backyard oven.
Staff Directory
Darin Ow-Wing, Executive Director
darin@livablecity.org
Jessica Tovar, Program Director
jessica@livablecity.org
Sally Chen, Deputy Director
sally@livablecity.org
Tom Radulovich, Senior Policy Fellow
tom@livablecity.org
Isaac Santiago, Sunday Streets Program Manager isaac@livablecity.org
Reina Terry, Program & Development Associate, reina@livablecity.org
