Janelle Bailey

Janelle Bailey inspires students to find their purpose and pursue college as a launch pad to fulfilling it. In addition to personally advising hundreds of students on their college journeys, she develops staff into passionate educators who fiercely believe in, advocate for, and serve young people. Following roles in a research office and as a high school administrator, she is currently the Academic Affairs Director at College Track San Francisco, a non-profit organization that empowers students from underserved communities to get to and through college. She directs academic programs that include tutoring, standardized test prep, academic case management, and math intervention. Defying the stereotype of a strict academic, Janelle insists that program design addresses the whole student and manages a team of 10 staff with that vision. She particularly enjoys summer-camp-style rapport building and deep conversations in classroom settings and staff meetings alike.

Janelle encourages youth and adults through her approachable demeanor, self-deprecating love of data and systems, and deep convictions about the purpose and power of each person. Janelle’s work is her calling. She lives and works in Bayview-Hunters Point -- less than 5 miles from where she was raised. Yes, she is the unicorn San Francisco Native. Whether working in her office, co-running a Thanksgiving Day Camp in her spare time, or gathering in a nearby park for a church gathering or birthday party, she breaks out of her introverted shell to love and serve her neighbors. She participates in “House Church” in her own home with people from the community, her husband helped open a social enterprise restaurant down the block, and she’s mentored many youth and young adults who live nearby. She and her husband enjoy raising their daughter to love God, live compassionately, and laugh.