Trustee Candidate Lisa Wynn Calls for Career Pathways, Budget Accountability at City College

Lisa Wynn, a candidate for the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees, wants at least 25% of students access to internships, describing that figure as the bare minimum for the city. 

“Come on, we’re a tech-savvy city,” she said.

Expanding hands-on training and accountability for public spending are centers of her platform.

Wynn wants more certificate programs and specialized training is another priority to help workers advance in their careers. She described her vision as developing “smart city students” prepared to participate in San Francisco’s changing economy, emphasizing the need to connect students with career opportunities.

Turning those proposals into policy would be her central challenge if elected. An expanded internship program would require employer partnerships, funding and a plan for student participation. Greater financial accountability would also require clear procedures for reviewing spending and tracking projects.

She questioned whether voter-approved funding had delivered the improvements students and community members expect.

Wynn said Proposition A passed in 2020 and that $38 million was allocated. Contrasting renovations at Ocean Campus with the Evans Center project, she said the project “did not move forward as anticipated.” She described the situation as a lack of follow-through and investment in District 10.

She said the loss of the Evans and Downtown centers represents a setback for the communities City College serves, particularly students who have relied on those locations for classes.  Wynn said, “CCSF was a cornerstone for me, and it should be for others. I want to keep it that way.”

Wynn began attending City College in 2008, and later returned as a student parent, earning associate degrees in science and liberal arts during 2025. Balancing school and parenthood helped shape her understanding of the challenges students face, she said.

She graduated from the California Institute of Integral Studies in May 2026 with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies. She plans to pursue a master’s degree and study law.

Financial transparency is another priority. 

Wynn said that personal conflict among board members distracts from students’ needs.

She describes herself as a systems thinker and a “cleanup woman” who wants to address problems and improve the board’s operations.“I think my perspective coming into the board of trustees is very refreshing, very new,” she said.

Her background includes public service, community organizing and mental health advocacy. Wynn served as chair of the San Francisco Behavioral Health Commission and worked with the San Francisco Department of Public Health on programs that help people develop professional skills. She also described her experience working with budgets totaling about $3 billion.

Wynn said her commitment to mental health advocacy grew from personal experience. In 2017, she was shot five times in Oakland and struggled to find support. She described the process of seeking help as difficult to navigate.

A year later, she founded United in Love, a nonprofit aimed at reducing stigma around mental health services and providing the kind of support she had sought, she said.

Wynn supports Free City, City College’s tuition-free program for eligible San Francisco residents. In May, she participated in a protest at San Francisco City Hall opposing proposed cuts to the program.

She also worked with San Francisco Rising. Wynn said she helped establish a pathway for City College students to work with San Francisco Rising and organized about 500 students to travel to Sacramento to advocate for education and budget issues.

Born in San Francisco, she spent part of her childhood in Samoa. Samoan was her first language, and Wynn describes herself as biracial, with Samoan heritage through her mother and a military family history through her father. She said these experiences have formed her views on identity, belonging and access to public institutions.

“We’re here at City College to play our part and to make it better. We’re not here for a long time,” she said.