Dear Friend,

I am delighted to share exciting news about the future of Friends of the Children-SF Bay Area (Friends-SF): Ashlei Hurst will become our Executive Director on November 1, 2026!

Earlier this year, our Board of Directors and current Executive Director, Susan Corlett, began planning for this important transition. Ashlei joined Friends-SF in May as Associate Executive Director, with the intention of succeeding Susan. After seeing her leadership firsthand, the Board unanimously voted to promote her. We have tremendous confidence in her ability to lead Friends-SF into its next chapter.

During her 13 years at Mercy Housing California, Ashlei held significant community leadership roles, most recently serving as Regional Vice President of Community Life and leading the HOPE SF initiative in Sunnydale. Ashlei has guided impactful community programs, managed multimillion-dollar budgets, and built strong teams around a shared mission. Bringing expertise in strategy, program development and implementation, team leadership, and organizational management, Ashlei has a strong track record of transforming vision into results that advance mission and strengthen communities.

Since joining Friends-SF, Ashlei has already made a significant impact, recruiting a new Program Director, launching our youth enrollment process, and earning the respect and confidence of our staff through collaborative and thoughtful leadership. Ashlei has also prioritized listening and learning—taking time to understand the strengths, needs, and aspirations of our staff, families, and community. That intentional approach is helping Friends-SF deepen community partnerships and expand our service area into Visitacion Valley, strengthening our ability to serve children and families across the greater District 10 neighborhoods in Southeastern San Francisco.

This transition comes at an extraordinary moment for Friends-SF. As we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we are launching an ambitious Five-Year Strategic Plan to strengthen our programs and more than double the number of children we serve.

I also want to recognize and thank Susan for her exceptional leadership and contributions over the past seven years. During her tenure as Executive Director and previously as Director of Development and Communications, Friends-SF acquired and opened our first permanent Youth Center in Bayview Hunters Point, secured significant philanthropic investments, strengthened our organization, and helped lead the development of our new strategic plan.

Susan has also played a central role in preparing Ashlei to succeed her. We are deeply grateful for her vision, dedication, and commitment to the children and families we serve, and we are delighted that she will remain with Friends-SF through May 2027 to support Ashlei and our fundraising efforts.

Reflecting on this transition, Susan shared:

"Leading Friends-SF has been one of the greatest honors of my career. I am incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together and couldn't be more excited about our future. Ashlei is an exceptional leader, and I have complete confidence in her ability to guide Friends-SF into its next chapter. I look forward to supporting her success and the continued growth of an organization that means so much to me."

Finally, thank you for your generosity, partnership, and belief in our mission. Your support has made our progress possible, and we look forward to all we will accomplish together.

Our vision remains the same: one day, every child who needs a Professional Mentor will have one.

With gratitude,

Abhi Talwalkar
Board Chair
Friends of the Children-SF Bay Area