Ingrid Mezquita

As a San Francisco native growing up in the vibrant Mission District, Ingrid has been driven and inspired by envisioning a better future for San Francisco’s most vulnerable children.  Ingrid’s outlook and commitment to racial equity shaped her early experiences. Ingrid’s background before government includes the nonprofit sector, where she contributed to early childhood growth as a strategist, developer, director, adviser, consultant, and board member. Being passionate about improved public policy is the foundational experience Ingrid brings to the newly formed Department of Early Childhood with a core understanding of how systems change shapes policy and is purposeful in eliminating disparities for people of color.

Ingrid is the inaugural Director of DEC and is intentionally focused on educational equity and seizing the opportunity to help design and implement San Francisco’s universal preschool system by supporting creative, risk-taking, innovative solutions that established a new normal for preschool enrollment. During Ingrid’s leadership at First 5 San Francisco and then the Office of Early Care and Education, preschool participation for African American and Latino children grew from 69% to 92%. Now, as the Director of DEC, Ingrid is driven by hope, and it’s reflected in her personal and collective commitment to facilitate transformation through implementing strategies that are equity-driven and to ensure resources are focused for children to thrive in a community that respects their culture, language, and heritage.