Mohammed Nuru
Mohammed Nuru was appointed by City Administrator, Naomi Kelly and Mayor Ed Lee to the position of Director of the San Francisco Department of Public Works in March 2012, after serving as Interim Director from August 2011. Mr. Nuru directs and leads DPW’s four divisions, whose responsibilities range from engineering, design and construction management and the project delivery of capital projects and programs to graffiti removal, street cleaning and public engagement programs. He is responsible for directing and managing DPW’s $165 million budget with a workforce of 1,200.
Prior to his appointment, he served as the Deputy Director of Operations for the Department of Public Works for eleven years, where he managed three bureaus that supported and maintained the City’s infrastructure including Street and Sewer Repair, Street and Environmental Services and Building Repair. As Deputy Director of Operations, Mr. Nuru was responsible for: spearheading the Mayor’s Community Corridors Program; initiating the 7501 apprenticeship program, which provided entry level positions to individuals wishing to transition into construction jobs; instituting the annual employee health fair; serving as Chair of the Graffiti Advisory Board and liaison with other City and State agencies, including CalTrans, BART, and the Golden Gate National Recreation Area; and appointed to the Housing Authority Transition Team that was tasked with repairing vacant housing units, introducing garbage/recycling services and general grounds maintenance.
Mr. Nuru also created the Mayor’s Arbor Day Program that planted 5,000 trees annually over five years; beautifying street medians and gateways to the City; promoting open space gardens through Street Parks Program; expanding the Adopt-a-Street Program; creating the Community Clean Team to lead neighborhood clean-ups around the City throughout the year and investing in community partnerships.
Prior to joining DPW, Mr. Nuru served as the Executive Director of the San Francisco League of Urban Gardeners (SLUG). He also worked as a landscape architect, planner, and project manager in the United States, Africa and Saudi Arabia. He has a B.L.A. in landscaping architecture. Mr. Nuru lives with his children in the Bayview Hunters Point neighborhood and volunteers with various organizations and neighborhood clean-up groups all year round.
