Elaine Forbes

Elaine Forbes leads the Port to responsibly manage the waterfront as the gateway to a world-class city and advances environmentally and financially sustainable maritime, recreational, and economic opportunities to serve the City, Bay Area region, and California.

At the recommendation of the Port Commission, Mayor Edwin Lee appointed Elaine Forbes Executive Director of the Port on October 12, 2016. Elaine is one of 12 women Port Directors in the United States. Before her appointment as Executive Director, she served as Deputy Director for Finance and Administration for the Port for six years.

Prior to joining the Port, Elaine held executive management and leadership positions at both the San Francisco Planning Department and the San Francisco International Airport. She also worked for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget Analyst’s Office providing fiscal and policy analysis and evaluating and reporting on complex municipal issues.

Before beginning her tenure with the City and County of San Francisco in 2000, she worked as a redevelopment agency planner for the City of Oakland. She also has worked for several non-profit land use policy and economic development organizations including the Urban Strategies Council and the California Budget Project.

Elaine holds a Master’s degree with honors from the University of California, Los Angeles in Community and Economic Development, as well as a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors from Mills College in Oakland. She is also a member of the Phi Beta Kappa Society. She was born in San Francisco and resides in the Castro neighborhood with her partner.