Our Board of Directors

ANNOUNCEMENT: A Legend is Gone...
Click here to read about arrangements for Mrs. Elouise Westbrook who recently passed away

Our current Board of Directors includes the following dedicated individuals, who bring a wealth of experience and wisdom to SMHC. In keeping with our commitment to community-oriented care, over half of our Board members are SMHC clients.

Aida Parks, President
JoAnn Miller, Vice President
Virginia Mendoza, Secretary
Elizabeth Santos, Treasurer
Engracia Alvarado
Mark Beasley
Amanda Edwards
Barbara Vogelsang
Dr. Willis L. Warner
Elouise Westbrook


Meet Elouise Westbrook

For over forty years her voice has trumpeted the needs of the poor, the forgotten, and the ignored. Her message was heard from the streets of San Francisco to the halls of the US Congress. She is the ultimate people’s politician. Her distinctive speaking style, her unorthodox politics, and her persuasive techniques gained her the reputation in Hunter’s Point as the “ultimate weapon.” Mrs. Elouise Westbrook is known for her tireless effort to bring quality health care services to all residents throughout this city, state and country. In 1999 Mrs. Westbrook received the National Association of Community Health Centers Lifetime Achievement Award. It is this legacy that led to the decision to name the newest development in South of Market, Westbrook Plaza, in her honor.

Mrs. Westbrook was born April 20, 1915 in Gatesville, Texas. She moved to San Francisco by way of Waco, Texas in the 1940s, residing in the South of Market community. Early in her career she became known as the people’s advocate; working to bring better housing and healthcare to the residents of Bayview Hunter’s Point, South of Market Area, and vulnerable residents throughout San Francisco. She has served as the President of the San Francisco Housing Authority Commission, and the Bayview-Hunter’s Point Joint Housing Commission, She was a member of the Mayor’s Committee for Community Development, the Golden Gate Transportation Advisory Board, and the Board of Regents of Lone Mountain College. Today she remains a Life Member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Mrs. Westbrook’s commitment to community service is deeply rooted. She was active in the development of ambulatory health care services at San Francisco General Hospital and Medical Center, where she worked as the Director of Patient Advocate Multi-Cultural Program. She was president of the Western Association of Community Health Centers and a member of the American Hospital Association. In 1983 Mrs. Westbrook’s name was placed in the U.S. Congressional Records by San Francisco Congressional Representative, Sala Burton. And in 1987 she was awarded the “Certificate of Merit for Outstanding Black Women” from Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm.

Her tireless efforts have earned her a reputation as being an outstanding citizen of the City of San Francisco. In 1983 Mayor Dianne Feinstein declared July 16th as Elouise Westbrook Day.

 Local Woman Fights for Community Improvements