On January 15, 2025, the Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD) Executive Director Sarah Dennis Phillips announced the appointment of Iowayna Peña as San Francisco Workforce Development Director. A division of OEWD, Workforce Development trains and connects unemployed, underemployed, and hard-to-employ residents to sustainable job opportunities in a variety of industries. Peña officially started her new role on January 6 of this year.
Many of you might already know her because Peña is an active leader in the LGBTQ community. She previously served as co-chair of The Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club and has worked closely with organizations that support communities of color and LGBTQ youth, such as LYRIC and the 3rd Street Youth Center & Clinic.
“Iowayna brings exactly the right mix of public-sector passion and private-sector know-how to supercharge our work creating pathways to good paying jobs while advancing equity and inclusion. Her expertise is bolstered by her ability to listen to stakeholders and partners across our employer and labor communities, and her collaborative approach will ensure our city’s economic growth reaches the residents and workers of San Francisco.” said Phillips. “We are thrilled to have Iowayna join the city’s leadership team.”
“I am deeply honored and excited to join this incredible team,” said Peña. “I look forward to collaborating with businesses, educational institutions, and our community partners as we create and implement targeted, evidence-based programs that address the specific needs of our diverse labor market. My goal is to empower and support San Franciscans through innovative programs that ensure our workforce attains the necessary skills to thrive in a rapidly evolving economy, while driving sustainable growth and prosperity for the city as a whole. Together, we will build a stronger, more resilient workforce, ready to meet the challenges of today and the opportunities of tomorrow.”
Prior to joining OEWD, Peña was the Director of Government Affairs & Real Estate Development for the San Francisco Giants. During her 5 seasons with the Giants, she played an integral role in delivering phase one of the Mission Rock development project, a new mixed-use neighborhood along the city’s southern waterfront that added 537 units of housing, 30% of which are below market rate, and created over 8,500 new jobs for local residents. She led the launch and implementation of Mission Rock Academy, an apprenticeship program focused on training and placing residents from underrepresented communities in the building trades—and more notably recognized for its women’s construction training cohort. In 2023, the San Francisco Business Times named her one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business.” The San Francisco Bay Times has also honored her at its annual event celebrating Black LGBTQ+ women leaders and allies, held during Black History Month.
Peña was a Legislative Aide and District Director for Supervisor Malia Cohen in 2018 and worked at OEWD as a development project manager before transitioning to the San Francisco Giants in 2020. Before her recent appointment at OEWD, she served on the City’s Workforce Investment San Francisco Board, a body of diverse business, community-based service providers, labor, government, and education stakeholders who are responsible for developing the City’s Workforce Development Plan.
“Having worked closely with Iowayna, I can attest to her brilliance and her commitment to improving the lives of all San Francisco residents,” stated State Controller Malia Cohen. “I can think of no better person to lead the City’s Workforce Development division. She has what it takes to ensure that underserved communities have access to opportunities to enhance their skills and to good-paying jobs and to meet the demands of our employers so that they can remain competitive and strong.”
According to Meg Anne Pryor, Apprenticeship Coordinator for Local 3, District, “Iowayna is a great person for this job. She has always been a fighter and advocate for women in the working industry, supporting them any way she can. She is going to do great things for the City of San Francisco.” https://bit.ly/4hwm1C0
Empowering LGBTQ+ Black Women & Allies
Published on February 13, 2025
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