Policy & Social Justice Division Overview

HRC's Policy & Social Justice Division collaborates closely with other governmental agencies, community based organizations, and members of the community to address a wide range of civil rights and other related social justice issues affecting the residents of San Francisco.

 

Policy Division Staff

Headshot of Sneh Rao, Director of Policy for the San Francisco Human Rights Commission

Sneh Rao, Director of Policy

Sneh Rao is Director of Policy at the Human Rights Commission. He oversees government and community partnerships on a wide range of civil rights issues including criminal justice reform, immigrant rights, and hate violence. He has worked closely with LGBTQ communities on violence prevention and police reform; Latinx communities on Sanctuary City policies and know-your-rights trainings; African American communities on racial equity; and Arab, Muslim, and Sikh communities on Islamophobia and post-9/11 ethnic and racial discrimination. Sneh also manages the agency's Civil Rights Division, which enforces municipal laws and policies that prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, sex, disability, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, and other protected classes.

Before joining the Human Rights Commission, Sneh was a director at an international human rights organization and advocated on social, political, and economic policy issues across Latin America. He was also a fellow through the Thomas J. Watson Foundation and researched health and safety issues affecting sex workers internationally. In addition, he served with the office of former US Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) and provided support to Appropriations and Foreign Relations committee staff. He is currently a community advisory board member at Strut, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation’s health and wellness clinic in the Castro District. Sneh speaks Gujarati, Spanish, Portuguese, and French. He graduated magna cum laude from Macalester College and holds a Master in Public Policy from Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Headshot of Amelia Martinez-Bankhead, HRC Staff

Amelia Martinez-Bankhead

Amelia M. Martinez-Bankhead has been a direct service provider and advocate in the nonprofit sector for 20 years in the Bay Area and also serves on several local nonprofit boards of directors and advisory committees. As a native of San Francisco and daughter of immigrants, she is fully invested in her work in this sector, focusing on youth, health, education, immigrant rights, and issues affecting vulnerable communities. Prior to joining the HRC Policy and Social Justice Division, Ms. Martínez-Bankhead worked with a federally funded education program in the Mission District serving low-performing schools, working with a wide range of community partners on issues affecting the population served.  Ms. Martinez-Bankhead has a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and a Master's degree in Nonprofit Administration from the University of San Francisco. In 2017, she joined the HRC to work on the My Brother and Sister’s Keeper Initiative and is currently the Director of Community Engagement.

 

Headshot of David Miree, HRC Staff

David C. Miree


David C. Miree has a BA in Political Science from the University of Tennessee/Knoxville, an MPA in Public Administration and a J.D. from UT College of Law. Mr. Miree has served as counsel to clients from marginalized communities at both administrative and trial levels. Mr. Miree joined HRC’s Policy & Social Justice Division in 2011 and is the lead coordinator for the agency's African American Community Empowerment Initiative (AACEI). In addition, Mr. Miree manages HRC’s communications and media relations. Prior to joining the HRC, Miree served as the Deputy Director of Communications and Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the City and County of San Francisco Mayor’s Office.