About Us

City Fields Foundation

The City Fields Foundation was established in 2005 to address the chronic shortage of playfields in San Francisco and help the City equitably provide sports facilities for youth and adult athletic leagues, school teams and physical education classes, and informal neighborhood play.

The foundation was started by three brothers, Bob, Bill and John Fisher, who grew up playing sports in San Francisco parks and wanted to make sure other city kids enjoy the same opportunities. The lack of available athletic fields and poor condition of many of the existing fields inspired the brothers to find a solution to increase play capacity at the city’s playing fields and recreation facilities largely used by families and kids.

Colin is suited up and on deck.

After visiting parks, speaking with members of the community and discussing their own experiences as parents whose kids played sports in San Francisco, it became clear that the best way to increase play capacity was to renovate existing fields with the new generation of artificial turf and help update the fields reservation system — two long-time goals of the Recreation and Park Department.

The Foundation has pledged up to $4.5 million as an initial gift to San Francisco to evaluate the City’s existing fields, renovate the athletic fields at Garfield Square and Silver Terrace parks with artificial turf, help develop a modern, equitable permit and reservation system, and plan additional potential field renovations in San Francisco parks.

The Team

Bob Fisher is a City Fields Foundation Trustee and Chairman of the Board of Gap Inc. A dedicated environmentalist, Bob sits on the board of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Conservation International as well as the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. He was formerly a Trustee of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy. Bob loves to fly fish for trout.

Taking the field at Silver Terrace

Bill Fisher Chairs the City Fields Foundation Steering Committee and is a Foundation Trustee. He is the principal of Manzanita Capital, a private equity investment firm, and either Chairs or is on the Board of several European investment companies. Bill also serves on the Board of the Exploratorium which was recently selected by its peers as the best science museum in the world. He loves to bike in the Marin Headlands.

John Fisher is a City Fields Foundation Trustee and President of Pisces Inc., an investment management company. John sits of the board of KIPP Schools, the Boys and Girls Club of San Francisco, San Francisco Day School and the Alliance for School Choice. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and four kids.

Dana Ketcham has worked with City Fields and SF Recreation and Parks to establish an inventory or city-owned athletic fields and reorganize the department’s outdated permits and reservations systems. A former coach, commissioner and president of Viking Soccer League, Dana’s tenure at the league was marked by reduced fees, increased scholarships and a league-wide focus on good sportsmanship, team values, and providing safe and fun athletic experiences for children of all skill levels. She also helped establish a spring softball league for girls in the City. Dana, her husband and their three children all play a variety of team sports in San Francisco, including soccer, softball, baseball and basketball and she remains active in organizing a variety of volunteer run leagues throughout the City.

Dan Mauer works in the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department’s Capital Division where he is directly involved in renovating and improving the City's park system. When he isn't sitting behind his office computer, he can usually find him chasing his three boys around the baseball or soccer fields. Dan is actively involved with children in various forms of athletics and mentoring programs. With what little time remains in the day, Dan spends on his perpetual home remodeling project.

Andrew keeps his eyes on the ball.

Susan Hirsch directs the City Fields Foundation and is president of Hirsch and Associates, LLC, a philanthropic advisory firm. A former competitive tennis, lacrosse, squash and field hockey player, Susan raised two soccer-playing children in San Francisco and has long been involved in advocating on behalf of kids and families. She is a member of the San Francisco School Alliance and the San Francisco Day School and serves on the board of the Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation.

Patrick Hannan is the Director of Communications, Planning and Programs for the City Fields Foundation. He is an avid hiker and occasional diver. Patrick is a trustee of the San Francisco Parks Trust and the former chair of the city’s Parks, Recreation and Open Space Advisory Committee. He lives with his wife and daughter in San Francisco.

Shelley Gabriel is the Manager, Administration, for City Fields Foundation, providing support for the many team players involved. Shelley was formerly the Program Director for Kalliopeia Foundation where she developed several funding programs currently serving youth in the Bay Area. Having grown up in the country, she enjoys spending her free time exploring Bay Area open space and parks with her teenage daughter and husband.

Matt Lockary is the project manager for the Garfield and Silver Terrace field renovations and a Vice President at BayCor Builders. Although the youngest of his two kids will soon graduate high school, Matt spent many years coaching their soccer and basketball teams. More recently, he and his wife have been very active in youth art activities, including fundraising for ‘Til Dawn, his daughter’s a capella group.

Renovated fields, Renewed Communities

Scott Emblidge provides legal counsel to the City Fields Foundation. A former San Francisco Deputy City Attorney (where he served as general counsel to the Recreation and Park Department), Scott is a founding partner at Moscone Emblidge and Quadra, a leading law firm in the City. He also serves as a mediator for the United States District Court, Northern District of California and for the California Court of Appeal, First Appellate District. Scott received his law degree, cum laude, from Harvard Law School and a B.A. in Political Science, with Highest Honors, from California State University at Fullerton. When he’s not buried in the law, Scott likes to coach his youngest son’s soccer and baseball teams, even though the eight-year-olds’ athletic skills far surpass Scott’s.

Bruce Powelson, Project Manager for Crocker Amazon Playground. Bruce has been translating from idea to Brick and Mortar for over 20 years. For the last nine years, much of his work has involved non-profits. His interests in construction have been revitalized by serving the needs of the community, particularly in creating opportunities for youth in an urban setting.

Christine Sculati provides grant writing and donor stewardship support for the Playfields Initiative. With over 16 years of professional experience in the social and environmental sectors, today she specializes in helping organizations improve visibility, build community and raise revenue through program planning, communications and fund development. In addition to team sports, she enjoys running, climbing and cycling.