The director of San Francisco’s Dream Keeper Initiative has left the scandal-plagued program, officials confirmed with The Standard.
Saidah Leatutufu-Burch’s last day was Wednesday. The nature of her departure wasn’t immediately clear.
The Dream Keeper Initiative, a $300 million program directed toward Black community programs, has been under scrutiny in recent months over potential misspending of funds.
The program, a flagship project of Mayor London Breed, was conceived in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd.
In September, The Standard revealed that Sheryl Davis, executive director of the Human Rights Commission and a key decision-maker for the Dream Keeper Initiative, had signed off on $1.5 million in contracts to a nonprofit led by a man she shared a home with. A separate report shows that a nonprofit that received Dream Keeper Initiative funds submitted invoices for expensive dinners, liquor, and travel.
Davis resigned following publication of The Standard’s story and a San Francisco Chronicle report raising questions about a trip to Martha’s Vineyard that may have been inappropriately billed to the city.
Attempts to reach Leatutufu-Burch weren’t immediately successful. Mawuli Tugbenyoh, acting head of the Human Rights Commission, confirmed that Leatutufu-Burch is no longer a department employee but declined to comment on a personnel matter.
“As far as her departure, it seemed like she knew what she was doing, but it seems like a lot of stuff is coming out that none of the commissioners were aware of,” said Robert Sandoval, who sits on the board that oversees the Human Rights Commission, when told of Leatutufu-Burch’s departure.
“We just want to make sure this ship is righted,” Sandoval added. “And continue to do good work for the city.”