Sonia Melara

Office Hours: by appointment

Biography

Sonia Melara, MSW has been on the part-time faculty of the School of Social Work since 2001. She has served as Field Education Director and the BASW Program Coordinator. She received her BA in English and MSW from San Francisco State University. In her regular professional career, Ms. Melara is the Executive Director of Rally Family Visitation Services of Saint Francis Memorial Hospital. Ms. Melara has over 30 years of administrative experience in government, the non-profit and for-profit sectors, including serving as Executive Director of the San Francisco City and County Department on the Status of Women.

Ms. Melara has a long history of community participation as a member of several non-profit boards and commissions. At the present time, she serves on the Board of Directors of the Metta Fund. She has served under 5 San Francisco Mayors on several Commission appointments, including as member and President of the San Francisco Health Commission and the Immigrant Rights Commission.  Most recently, she served as member of the Police Commission and the Commission on the Status of women. Ms. Melara is a co-founder of California’s first shelter for survivors of domestic violence, La Casa De Las Madres. She is co-founder of La Cocina, a business incubator for low-income women who want to start their own business in the food industry. President Carter appointed her to serve on the National Advisory Commission on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.