Mabel Teng is a lifelong advocate, learner and game changer. She brings to her work a wealth of community organizing experience, policy-making expertise and social sector advocacy and leadership experience spanning from Boston to San Francisco.
Advocate and Policy Maker
In over three decades of public service, Mabel has been a frontline advocate for the equality of women, workers, LGBTQ and a wide array of social and economic justice issues. Mabel’s public service career spanned from 1990 to 2005 as she won four competitive citywide races, unseating well-funded incumbents with teams of dedicated volunteers and an inspiring message for change. She served on the San Francisco City College Board of Trustees, SF Board of Supervisors and as County Assessor-Recorder.
Trail Blazer
In 1984, Mabel introduced Jesse Jackson at the Democratic National Convention held in San Francisco as the first API woman ever to do so on a national platform and subsequently co-chaired the 1988 Jackson for President Campaign in California. She was deeply involved in and organized the Justice for Vincent Chin committee.
In 1994, Mabel became the first Asian woman elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, opening the door to a new generation of API’s aspiring to political office and progressive politics for social change. Mabel’s tenure as a lawmaker was marked by her innovative effort to connect communities of color to advocacy and public policy. Her advocacy legacy includes the creation of the nation's first Immigrant Rights Commission and the author of the Equal Access to Services Act, mandating language access to city departments. She co-authored and passed legislation to create the Cultural Equity Grants program of the San Francisco Arts Commission, and pioneered the use of surplus city funds to save arts and music programs in public schools.
As San Francisco’s Assessor-Recorder, Mabel’s proudest moment was officiating the marriage of Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon on Feb 12, 2005. Her team worked closely with then Mayor Newsom to facilitate the City’s same-sex marriage program, marrying 3,998 couples.
Today, Mabel serves as the Executive Director of the Chinese Culture Center, a leader in shifting the dominant narrative of Asian Americans through art interventions.
Mabel’s consulting areas are in effective advocacy, policy-making and legislative change, voter education and engagement, and making community voices heard in the legislative process.
