Our Staff

Children's Council of San Francisco is committed to a high-quality work force. Our 125 employees represent many ethnic, geographic, and cultural backgrounds. Staff speak more than 15 languages, well representing the diversity of our community. We place great emphasis on the professional development of our employees. We urge them to become informed about child care issues. Our staff are sensitive to the needs of San Franciscos families and child care providers. We pride ourselves on effective fiscal, human resources, technical, and facilities management.

Senior Managers

Linnea Klee, Ph.D. Executive Director
Linnea Klee became Executive Director in 1993. Prior to coming to the Children's Council, Dr. Klee was Director of the Center for the Vulnerable Child at Children's Hospital in Oakland, California. She has specialized in health and mental health needs of children in foster care and child care policy. Earlier work included anthropological research on the effect of divorce and alcoholism on families, women's childbirth choices and the historical impact of infectious disease. She has been principal investigator on several federal grants and published numerous professional journal articles in these areas.

Dr. Klee completed her Ph.D in medical anthropology at the University of California, San Francisco in 1983. She holds a Masters degree in cultural anthropology and a BA degree in psychology.

Dan Safran, Ph.D. Deputy Director
Dan Safran has been Deputy Director since 1999. Previously, Dr. Safran was Chair of John F. Kennedy University's Graduate Program in Organizational Psychology. He has also held faculty positions teaching social work and early childhood education at several other universities. He founded and directed the Center for the Study of Parent Involvement.

Earlier, Dr. Safran directed Peace Corps training in Kenya and served as a community development consultant in the Balkans and Middle East. He has also worked as a community organizer. Dr. Safran has a Ph.D. in education from the University of California, Berkeley, a Masters in social work and a BA in anthropology-sociology.

Farris Page, Ph.D. Director of Provider Services
Farris Page is the Director of Provider Services. She has worked as a mental health consultant and program director at the Children's Council since 1989. Previously, she worked in foster care, mental health and early childhood education. Dr. Page currently supervises staff who provide training, consulation and technical assistance to child care providers.

Dr. Page holds a Ph.D degree in education (organization and leadership) from the University of San Francisco, a Masters in human development from Pacific Oaks College and a BA degree in psychology. She has over forty years of professional experience.

Brenda Puckett - Director of Human Resources
Brenda Puckett became Children's Council's Director of Human Resources in 1999. Previously she worked as human resource manager and personnel/staffing coordinator for Family Support Services and for CPC Walnut Creek Hospital. She has also worked as a substitute teacher in kindergarten and first grade.

Ms. Puckett completed her BA degree at the University of San Francisco in 1973 and has completed a year of graduate studies.

Stephanie Simcox Director of Data Management of Subsidy Payments
Stephanie Simcox has worked for non-profit agencies for almost 20 years, and for Childrens Council for 17 years. She currently oversees the CEL, Data, and Subsidy Payments departments. She is also a member of the Board of CAPPA, a statewide association of agencies like Childrens Council. She brings her knowledge, experience, and perspective to the state and federal level.

Ms. Simcox completed a B.S. in business administration - operations management from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

Johan Uselman Director of Finance
Johan Uselman joined Children's Council in 1994 as Assistant Controller. In 2002, he became our Director of Finance. Mr. Uselman brings over 20 years of experience in accounting and auditing to our organization. Prior to coming to Children's Council, Mr. Uselman spent 6 years in the wine industry as a controller of a French wine company. He was also self-employed, providing tax and accounting services.

Since 2003, Mr. Uselman has volunteered on the Board of Directors for The Children's Book Press. He currently serves the organization as Board Treasurer. From 2000 - 2002, Mr. Uselman sat on the Board of Directors at Whitney Young Child Development Center.

Tim Clark – Director of Administration
Tim Clark is our new Director of Administration. He holds a B.A. and M.B.A. in Business Administration and Management and has over 20 years of experience in business management and operations. He is excited to bring his expertise to Children's Council, where he is responsible for the Operations and IT departments of the agency. He also oversees risk management and strategic planning.

Mr. Zapote completed BA and MA degrees in education from Escuela Nacional de Maestros and the Universidad Pedagogica in Mexico City. He has served on the Boards of Directors of Aguilas and Our Family Coalition. He also served for several years on the EOC-Head Start Policy Council.

Bryce Skolfield - Director of Public Policy
Bryce Skolfield joined Children's Council in September 2006. Previously, Mr. Skolfield was the Director of Public Policy and Civic Engagement at the Youth Leadership Institute. He provided both the overall vision and day-to-day management of the institute's policy and civic engagement programs and campaigns.

His experience includes working on state-wide teen pregnancy, nutrition wellness and education budget and equity campaigns, providing training and consulting services to a wide range of audiences, and mobilizing non-traditional leaders in the policy development process. Prior to joining the institute in 2002, Mr. Skolfield was the Executive Director of the Eden Area YMCA in Hayward, Calif., for three years; with an emphasis of providing strong programs in the realm of youth and family services.