San Francisco supervisors on Thursday grilled three former executives of the defunct Parks Alliance during an investigatory hearing into allegations of financial misconduct at the once-influential nonprofit.
The Parks Alliance for more than a decade controlled millions of dollars used for park improvements, art projects, and trail repairs throughout the city, before shuttering last month amid accusations that it had mismanaged donations and used restricted funds to cover its own operating costs.
The scandal involving one of the city’s most renowned nonprofits has sent shockwaves through San Francisco’s tight-knit philanthropic world and prompted investigations by the city attorney and district attorney.
Around 50 people attended the hourslong hearing, which elicited laughs, applause, and grunts of frustration. Supervisors on the Government Audit and Oversight Committee demanded that the nonprofit’s former executives — longtime CEO Drew Becher; his successor, Robert Ogilvie; and board treasurer Rick Hutchinson — respond to the allegations and explain what they knew, and when, about the organization’s finances.
“We’re here to demand answers from the Parks Alliance,” said Supervisor Shamann Walton, who initiated the hearing in early June after sending subpoenas to the three executives. “This is about public trust, accountability, and the real consequences of failed oversight.”
The executives largely provided muted answers to the intense lines of questioning, leaving supervisors exasperated.
Hutchinson testified that the nonprofit’s leaders first became aware of possible financial mismanagement in June 2024. But when pressed for details on why or how funds were misused, Hutchinson drew a blank.
“We didn’t know what we didn’t know,” said Hutchinson, whose responsibilities as Parks Alliance board treasurer included managing the nonprofit’s finances.
Becher, who quietly resigned in February after initial allegations of financial impropriety surfaced, offered similarly tepid answers to questions about when donors and city officials were notified about the nonprofit’s crumbling coffers. Becher claimed he was provided incorrect information from his financial team and alleged that he was often in the dark about the nonprofit’s fiscal health.
“I do take responsibility, but I can only make decisions based on the information I’m given,” he said.
About an hour and a half into Becher’s testimony, his attorney, David Callaway, walked up to the microphone to shield his client from additional questioning.
“He’s done,” said Callaway, a former federal and state prosecutor.
Before that, Hutchinson and Becher both appeared to push most of the blame on the nonprofit’s former COO, Justin Probert. In a stunning allegation, Becher said Probert had never logged into the organization’s financial software during his tenure at the nonprofit — leaving the group without the critical information needed to catch problems.
Last month, The Standard reported on a Parks Alliance Board of Trustees document that alleged Probert had engaged in “financial malfeasance,” an accusation that can prompt criminal charges. Probert was fired from the nonprofit in February 2024.
The executives’ answers drew sharp rebukes from Supervisor Jackie Fielder, who said she was “disappointed” that they had failed to provide substantive explanations for the nonprofit’s downfall.
“This just seems like a bit of a Ponzi scheme,” added Supervisor Stephen Sherrill.
The Parks Alliance was for years considered one of San Francisco’s most prestigious nonprofits, bolstering private funding for green-space projects that couldn’t be covered by city funds from taxpayers. The nonprofit worked closely with the city’s Recreation and Parks Department, and its board members at times included some of the most well-connected names in San Francisco politics.
The Parks Department now faces a city audit over its relationship with the Parks Alliance. Meanwhile, dozens of neighborhood groups are scrambling to recover funding they had parked with the nonprofit, which held donations for the local organizations under a fiscal sponsorship model. Some of those groups are out hundreds of thousands of dollars.
During public comment on Thursday, community groups lashed out at the Parks Alliance, alleging that they had for years faced financial issues with the nonprofit, including delayed reimbursements.
The Parks Alliance was first enveloped in controversy in 2020, when it was linked to disgraced Public Works chief Mohammed Nuru, who was sentenced to prison in 2022 for what the federal government called a “long-running scheme of bribes and kickbacks.” Nuru was accused of directing donations to Parks Alliance accounts and using that money to influence contracting choices, though nonprofit officials denied unethical activities.
Two months after Becher resigned, the San Francisco Chronicle reported on a leaked email between a top Parks Alliance donor and a board executive that revealed how $3.8 million in restricted funds set aside for specific projects had instead been used by the nonprofit to cover its operating costs.
The Standard reported in May on records that revealed that Becher handed out bonuses to top management as the nonprofit’s finances were crumbling. Other documents showed that the nonprofit had for months failed to complete a financial audit requested by the city but still was able to receive grant funding and avoid being added to a nonprofit “watch list.”
In late May, Mayor Daniel Lurie cut off city funding to the Parks Alliance. Days later, the nonprofit folded through an Assignment for the Benefit of Creditors, a mechanism that helps wind down an organization by identifying parties owed money.
Several community organizations are in discussions on whether to create a new entity like the Parks Alliance. The city, meanwhile, is owed $1.1 million from the Parks Alliance, according to the Parks Department.
The members of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee voted to continue their probe and said they would call on others, including representatives of city departments, to testify about the nonprofit scandal. Walking out of the Board of Supervisors’ chambers, Walton was asked whether he was satisfied with Thursday’s hearing.
“Of course not,” he said.