About Us
Our Mission  |  Our History  |  Job Announcements  | Our Administrative Team  | Our Sponsors
Elementary  |  Middle School  |  High School
Our Mission
The Richmond Neighborhood Center’s mission is to nurture a diverse urban community by developing and providing high quality youth, adult, and family programs that address critical community needs and foster respect for all people and our environment. We have been serving the Richmond District of San Francisco for over 40 years, working with more than 5,000 participants each year.
At our 10 public school sites, our programs include youth employment, multicultural clubs, academic support, case management, art, recreation and more. Additionally, we offer a wide variety of community programs including food security programs, summer camps, local business support, street festivals and more! With programming for people of all ages, The Richmond Neighborhood Center has become a trusted epicenter in the neighborhood and beyond.
Our History
Founded in 1980 as Richmond District residents rallied to save the former Lucinda Weeks School from demolition, the history of The Richmond Neighborhood Center is a testimony to the power of successful community activism. Built in the 1920s, the Spanish-style stucco buildings of our headquarters served as a maternity center and an orphanage. By the 1970s, the buildings had fallen into decay, and private developers planned to purchase the property to erect condominiums in its place.
Linda Fries, an artist who was raising two small children in the Richmond District at the time, was among the first to recognize the need for a community center. After learning about the plans for the new condo complex, she conducted a needs assessment of the neighborhood and discovered that there were more unmet needs for child care and other neighborhood services than any other district in the city. Residents banded together with Fries, established a non-profit organization, and secured a long-term lease from the property owner—the San Francisco Unified School District.
Since 1980, the Neighborhood Center has grown into a thriving, multi-purpose community center with programs serving all ages in the neighborhood. Our shared space flourishes with children hard at play at the Cross Cultural Family Center, jazz music piping through the Community Music Center, families seeking an after school program and lively crowds at our many events. The Richmond Neighborhood Center has truly become a second home for everyone in the community and we hope it will for you, too!
Our Staff
The Richmond Neighborhood Center relies on more than 150 dedicated and experienced staff to help our community thrive.
Meet our leadership team below!
Interested in joining the Neighborhood Center team?
Our Administrative Staff
Elementary
Raquel Lopez Monroy
Elementary School Programs Assistant Director
raquel@richmondsf.org
415-941-7772
Middle School
Jeannetta Mitchell
Family Partnerships Coordinator, Presidio
ms.mitchell@richmondsf.org
415-750-5240
High School
Brandon Acuna Embriz
Youth Development Assistant Program Manager
brandon@richmondsf.org
415-941-7764
Shervyn Sanchez
Healing and Well-Being Assistant Program Manager
shervyn@richmondsf.org
619-471-6339
Community & Food Security Programs
Our Board
Cliff Yee, MSW, President
Coro Northern California Senior Director of Training
Ariane Marcus, Vice-President
Verily Life Sciences Clinical Research and Innovation
Melissa Chu, Treasurer
Realtor, Intero Real Estate Services
Michael Fisher, Secretary
Amazon, Director & GM, New Services Management
Omer Chaudhary
KPMG Principal (Partner)
Will Chinn
Coro Northern California Senior Director of Training
Cathy Hongola-Baptista
Senior Director, Corporate Counsel California American Water
Lily Lin
Vice President, Global Communications Google Inc.
Michael Riordan
Supervisor, San Francisco Service Planning PG&E
John Vuong
FICO Business Operations Analyst - Lead
TBC
Michelle Cusano
Executive Director