Mayor London Breed has appointed lesbian former San Francisco supervisor Susan Leal to the powerful airport commission. Leal, who also previously served as city treasurer and general manager of the city's Public Utilities Commission, said she's pleased with her new role.
Leal was sworn in November 18, she said in a phone interview with the Bay Area Reporter. According to an announcement from San Francisco International Airport, her term runs until August 31, 2028. She filled a vacancy created by the departure of Everett A. Hewlett Jr.
Leal's appointment also increases out representation on the policymaking body. Jane Natoli, a transgender woman, was appointed by Breed in 2021 and now serves as vice president of the commission.
"I'm pleased to be appointed," Leal told the B.A.R. "It's a good way to put a lot of my past experience around infrastructure and finance — and almost 15 years on climate — to use."
Leal said the appointment happened "very fast." She said she has already attended two meetings.
Breed praised Leal in a Facebook post announcing her swearing in.
"Yesterday, we welcomed Susan Leal as San Francisco's newest Airport Commissioner," the mayor stated in the November 19 post. "Her deep commitment to public service and leadership will play a vital role in shaping the future of our world-class airport. Congratulations, Commissioner Leal!"
Leal pointed out that the airport, being near the shoreline of San Francisco Bay, will need to address various climate issues in the coming years. The commission, she noted, offers guidance and sets policy. It does not run day-to-day operations. That is handled by the airport director.
And related to that, Breed announced last month that she has hired Mike Nakornkhet to succeed retiring director Ivar Satero, who will step down in early 2025. Nakornkhet's appointment follows a nationwide search, a news release from Breed stated.
Nakornkhet most recently served as the chief financial officer and executive vice president of the Denver International Airport, the nation's third busiest airport, where he was responsible for the financial operations and a $12 billion capital improvement plan. Prior to joining the leadership of the Denver airport, Nakornkhet spent 13 years at SFO, including eight years as SFO's director of financial planning and analysis and acting managing director of finance. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from the Kelly School of Business at Indiana University, the release stated.
Leal said that Nakornkhet was already on the ground in San Francisco.
"He's here," she said, adding that he lived in the area for a long time when he worked at SFO.
"He's very familiar with SFO — he knows where things are," Leal said.
Leal also said that she is getting to know Natoli.
"She's super sharp and knows what she's doing," Leal said. "It's great to have a couple of queers on the commission."
Leal was appointed to the Board of Supervisors 31 years ago in 1993 by then-mayor Frank Jordan, as the B.A.R. noted in an article last year. She is so far the only Latina lesbian to serve on the board.
Supervisor-elect Jackie Fielder, who will represent the Mission in District 9 when she takes office next month, identifies as queer. She is also a Latina and will be the board's first Native American member. (Another out Latina supervisor, Christina Olague, who is bisexual, was appointed to the then-vacant District 5 supervisor seat in 2012 only to be defeated by Breed that November.)
In 1997, Leal campaigned for the open treasurer-tax collector's seat and won. She served in the position until 2004, when then-mayor Gavin Newsom appointed her as general manager for the SFPUC. (José Cisneros, a gay Latino man, was appointed by Newsom to succeed Leal and was just reelected to a historic sixth term November 5.)
The SFPUC board terminated Leal's contract four years later and voted in closed session to fire her. That was the year she'd been hit by a car and suffered a brain hemorrhage, as the B.A.R. reported. Leal ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2003 when Newsom won. Newsom is now California's governor.
Bevan Dufty, a gay man who is also a former San Francisco supervisor, praised Leal's appointment to the airport commission.
"Susan has an accomplished career delivering major infrastructure projects during her tenure at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission," Dufty told the B.A.R. "SFO will soon have a new director as Ivar Satero, its outstanding leader, is retiring, and Susan will be important to that transition."
Dufty just completed his eight-year tenure as an elected BART board member, he said, and his last meeting was December 5. Edward Wright, a gay man, won the District 9 seat that covers part of San Francisco and now succeeds Dufty on the board of the regional transit agency, which has a station at SFO.
Leal, who did not back Breed in her first race for mayor in 2018, following the death of mayor Ed Lee, nonetheless said she will miss Breed when she leaves office January 8. (Leal supported gay former supervisor and state legislator Mark Leno, who fell short in that race.)
Over time, however, Leal came to support Breed. "I watched her and I was impressed," she said.
"It's going to be sad to see her go. She was very dedicated to our community," Leal said. "As a lifelong San Franciscan, I am going to miss someone who is very tough, very smart, and very dedicated."
Leal said she does wish Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie well.
"I know him. He's also a San Franciscan," she said. "I wish Daniel well."
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