Liz Jackson-Simpson (she/her) is Chief Executive Officer of Success Centers, whose mission is to empower marginalized or disconnected community members through education, employment, and art—helping develop a sense of hope and purpose for their future. Founded in 1983, Success Centers serves some of the most vulnerable in San Francisco and Alameda Counties – including transitional age youth engaged in the justice and foster care systems, the homeless population, and re-entry community – with tailored workforce development programs and supportive services that lay a foundation for sustainable employment.
Liz joined Success Centers as the Chief Executive Officer in 2010, and has exponentially enhanced the organization’s capacity, increasing the budget from $500,000 to more than $7 million, and growing the staff from five to 56. A lifelong San Franciscan, born at the crossroads of Haight and Ashbury, Liz has spent the last 40+ years committed to disrupting systems of oppression, especially for those impacted by poverty and incarceration. Her career began at the Private Industry Council (now known as San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development), and she then spent 16 years working at the San Francisco Juvenile Probation Department creating job training programs and developing re-integration services for young people released from incarceration. Liz was also the first-ever Executive Director of Program Development for the YMCA of San Francisco—a position created specifically to leverage her enormous expertise. After serving a five-year stint, Liz embraced the challenge of becoming the first Chief Executive Officer of Success Centers. Liz says, “Along the way, I’ve learned three vital lessons: first, that systemic change requires both relentless advocacy and patient cultivation; second, that leadership is about building trust and nurturing people’s potential; and third, that resilience is not just an individual trait – it must be built into an organization’s culture.”
Reflecting on her well-deserved O2 sabbatical, Liz says, “This sabbatical is not a pause from purpose – it is an essential investment in my longevity as a leader. It is a chance to breathe deeply, recalibrate, and return to the work with renewed vision and strength.” Liz is thankful for an opportunity to renew her energy because there is so much work ahead. “I believe deeply in the power of this moment – not just for me, but for the movement I’ve nurtured over the past four decades. I am ready for a reset so I can rise again – grounded, whole, and ready for the next chapter of impact.”