Head of Student and Family Services

Mele Lau-Smith grew up in San Francisco and attended SFUSD public schools. She raised four children on her own and was an SFUSD parent for 20 years. Mele has over 30 years of experience in both the public health sector and school districts with a particular focus on transformational anti-racist policies that promote social justice in education and public health practices. She joined SFUSD in 2012 as the ExCEL Program Manager and until February 2020 served as the Executive Director in Community Schools & Family Partnerships and the Office of Pupil Services. She has deep experience and expertise in partnering with community groups, community organizing and strategic planning, evaluation, policy analysis and development and mobilizing stakeholders to support and address issues impacting students and families.