San Francisco, CA - Pau Crego, the Executive Director of San Francisco’s Office of Transgender Initiatives (OTI), announced his departure from the position effective December 15, 2023. Crego, who was hired as Director of Policy in 2017 by founding Director Theresa Sparks, rose to Deputy Director in 2019 and later became Acting Executive Director in 2021. Mayor London Breed appointed Crego to the role permanently in April 2022.
Established in 2017, OTI advocates for and uplifts the voices and needs of trans and gender nonconforming San Franciscans by acting as a bridge between communities and local government in the pursuit of equity. In partnership with San Francisco’s City and community leaders, Crego made history during his tenure by launching and implementing first-in-the-nation initiatives, such as Mayor Breed’s plan to End Trans Homelessness by 2027, and other economic development programs focused on trans communities most impacted by poverty.
“Pau has dedicated his career to serve our diverse, vulnerable communities and I know he will continue to be a fierce advocate for San Franciscans of all backgrounds, especially our transgender residents,” said Mayor London N. Breed. “We thank him for his tireless work and dedication to ensure our City can continue to remain at the forefront of expanding LGBTQ+ rights and policies.”
“I want to thank Pau for his six years of service to the City and County of San Francisco - the last two years serving as our Executive Director of Transgender Initiatives," said City Administrator Carmen Chu. "Through his leadership, the City has moved forward tangible strategies to end trans homelessness, to create more economic stability and opportunities for the trans community, and to advance awareness and training for our citywide workforce. I will miss working with Pau - his ability to build champions and partners throughout our City, and his dedication and selfless support and advocacy for the transgender and gender nonconforming community is inspiring in the midst of increasing discrimination and violence against the TGNC community across the country.”
“It has been a tremendous honor to serve transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex San Franciscans and the City for the past six years at the Office of Transgender Initiatives (OTI),” said Pau Crego, Executive Director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives (OTI). “I am deeply proud of our collective accomplishments in San Francisco thus far, which were made possible thanks to strong collaborations between community members, City leaders, and City departments. I am confident that, in the years to come, OTI will build on these successes by continuing to uplift the needs of our diverse communities and supporting City departments to deliver high quality services to all residents.”
“Pau has led OTI with integrity, heart, and compassion during his tenure as Executive Director," said Richard Whipple, Deputy Director of the Office of Civic Engagement & Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA). "Throughout his time at OTI, Pau and I worked closely together on collaborative initiatives that support the intersection of trans and migrant identities. Together, our sister agencies have been able to launch economic empowerment programs for trans Latina immigrants, build resources to support free asylum legal services for trans and GNC immigrants, and much more."
Community has been at the heart of Crego’s leadership approach, centering voices from community leaders, particularly through the office’s Trans Advisory Committee (TAC). In recent years, Crego worked closely with the TAC to bridge and strengthen trust between trans and gender non-conforming communities and the City, as well as support and advise community leaders’ policy recommendations.
“Under Pau Crego’s leadership, the trans community has grown stronger here in San Francisco. During his tenure, we saw the launch of several citywide policies such as Mayor London Breed’s ending trans homelessness initiative,” said Honey Mahogany, Co-Founder of The Transgender District, Co-owner of The Stud SF, and Chair of San Francisco Democratic County Central Committee. “In addition, Pau has been able to help strengthen and empower trans organizations to navigate these sometimes-turbulent dynamics in a way that has made these organizations in San Francisco stronger, more savvy, and more collaborative. It will be hard to find someone who can bring the community together in this way, his leadership will be sorely missed.”
“It has been especially valuable, both to myself and the greater trans Latina community in San Francisco, to have known Pau Crego for many years in a variety of roles” said Sofía S. Ríos Dorantes, Deputy Director of El/La Para Trans Latinas. “Pau’s leadership as a Spanish-speaking immigrant, has resulted in improved trust and stronger relationships between the City and trans immigrant communities of San Francisco. I worked with Pau to develop an economic development fellowship program for trans Latinas, and his experiences and insights were instrumental to the success of this program. As a beloved leader in our community, his legacy will inspire future generations of young trans leaders.”
Throughout his tenure at OTI, Crego also worked closely with elected officials and pertinent City departments to develop several equity policies for trans, gender non-conforming, and LGBTQI+ City employees and residents. He was instrumental to the creation and implementation of gender inclusion policies for the City and County’s Department of Human Resources and for City College of San Francisco; and advised City departments on the execution of all-gender restroom legislation, sexual orientation, and gender identity (SOGI) data collection policies, among others.
“Pau Crego has worked for nearly two decades to advance equity for LGBTQ+ people, particularly transgender and nonbinary communities,” said San Francisco district 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman. “He has been with San Francisco’s Office of Transgender Initiatives from its inception in 2017. As Executive Director, Pau has been instrumental in expanding transgender rights and resources in San Francisco, increasing City funding for critical transgender community services, designing a professional development program for transgender immigrants, and spearheading the passage of transgender inclusion policies both at the City and at City College. San Francisco has benefited greatly from Pau's leadership and we will miss him dearly.”
“Pau’s legacy will continue to shape our work for years to come,” said Shireen McSpadden, Executive Director of the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. “We are committed to building upon the foundation Pau has laid and prioritizing the needs of transgender individuals experiencing homelessness. Pau’s work will serve as a guiding light as we continue our mission to create a more inclusive homelessness response system for all.”
In addition, throughout his time at OTI, Crego also accomplished the following:
- Increasing critical funding for trans and LGBTQ+ services to better match community needs in the areas of housing, healthcare, arts and culture, violence prevention, and leadership and economic development.
- Launching, with local groups, a coalition of LGBTQI+ organizations to strengthen safety infrastructure and strategies in light of increased anti-LGBTQI+ hate.
- Developing and instituting policy and training efforts to increase trans and LGBTQ+ inclusion across City departments, such as all-gender restroom legislation; sexual orientation and gender identity data collection for City employees; LGBTQ+ Cultural Heritage Strategy.
- Designing and piloting a professional development fellowship program for transgender immigrants, in collaboration with the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA) and El/La Para TransLatinas.
- Ensuring the City’s COVID-19 emergency response included efforts focused on the unique needs of LGBTQ+ people, particularly by housing vulnerable individuals in Shelter-in-Place hotels during the pandemic.
Prior to his time at OTI, Crego worked in various roles at the University of California, providing technical assistance and education on HIV and substance use to providers across the country. He also worked at El/La Para TransLatinas as the agency’s first case manager, and at Larkin Street Youth Services in programs serving LGBTQ+ youth and youth living with HIV. Crego is also a part-time faculty in the Health Education Department at City College of San Francisco, and a published author and translator in the fields of trans health, gender inclusion, and public health. Crego holds a Master of Public Health from the University of California, Berkeley.
Following Crego’s departure, the City Administrator’s Office will lead a search process for the next Executive Director for the Office of Transgender Initiatives.
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