Contact us at financial.justice@sfgov.org for all general inquiries.
Michelle Lau, Acting Director
Michelle Lau is the Acting Director of The Financial Justice Project in the Office of the Treasurer for the City and County of San Francisco. San Francisco is the first city in the nation to launch a Financial Justice Project to assess and reform how fines, fees, and financial penalties impact the city's low-income communities of color. In this role, she conducts research on fine and fee pain points to assess and advance potential reforms locally and statewide in California, designs and implements discounts and alternatives to fine and fees, and amplifies The Financial Justice Project's communications strategy. Prior to her work with the City, Michelle worked as a civic sector consultant where she partnered with government agencies, foundations, and not-for-profit organizations. Michelle holds a Master of Public Policy from UC Berkeley and an undergraduate degree from Princeton University.
Cecilia Perez, Manager
Cecilia Perez (any) is a project manager on the Financial Justice Project team. In this role, she manages communications outreach and strategy, evaluates program performance, and manages relationships with City departments, community organizations, and advocates.
Cecilia is passionate about racial, economic, and environmental justice. Prior to joining the Financial Justice Project, Cecilia taught an undergraduate economics course for the PPIA Junior Summer Institute Fellowship Program—a program that prepares BIPOC undergraduate students for careers in public service.
Cecilia’s lived experience growing up in a poor immigrant community, and her professional experiences in the private, non-profit, and public sectors, have informed her nuanced approach to problem-solving and reimagining more collective and intersectional public policy and economic frameworks. Cecilia holds a Master of Public Policy degree from the University of California, Berkeley.
Max Wolf-Johnson (he/him) is a graduate student intern supporting the Financial Justice Project and the Office of Financial Empowerment. Originally from San Francisco, he is a current Master of Public Policy student at the University of California, Berkeley. Previously, Max served as a legislative staffer for a member of the U.S. Congress, where he worked on issues related to education and socioeconomic mobility, including higher education access, the cost of college, equitable student outcomes, and student loan debt and repayment. Max holds a bachelor’s degree, also from UC Berkeley.