Dickinson Alum Tackles San Francisco’s Homelessness Crisis as Inaugural Chief Equity Officer

Dickinson College Posse alum Anthony Bush was recently selected as the inaugural Chief Equity Officer and Deputy Director of Equity for the San Francisco Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. After more than 10 years building inclusive infrastructure in education spaces, Anthony is applying his expertise to homelessness, one of the most critical issues facing the Bay Area today.

In recognition of his professional achievements, Anthony was awarded the 2024 Ainslie Alumni Achievement Award. Recipients of the prestigious honor are selected for their potential to create meaningful, far-reaching contributions to society as demonstrated by their track record of significant accomplishment. The winner also receives a $10,000 no-strings-attached grant.

“My time at Dickinson as an American studies major gave me the tools I needed to be successful in my role now; it made me comfortable identifying and questioning systems of oppression,” Anthony says. “And I never felt isolated on campus because of the large and warm Posse presence there. Posse helped me be brave.”

Watch the 2024 Ainslie Alumni Achievement Award video honoring Anthony Bush.

The experience inspired Anthony to begin his career as a teacher and to support, among others, students that shared his identity.

Teaching at different schools in D.C. and then in New York, Anthony noticed a pronounced need for greater diversity among educators. In 2016, he experienced his first anti-racist training and realized that he had found his passion. It wasn’t long until Anthony became DEI Coordinator at KIPP in the Bronx, providing programming for both staff and students on power, privilege, and oppression.

After successfully advocating for comprehensive anti-racism trainings for teachers and students at several institutions, Anthony made his move to the Bay Area.

In his current role, he leverages the work he did in schools within his department, setting the tone for a culturally competent workplace.

“We launched the BIPOC Equity Fund as a means to support community organizations of color,” Anthony says. “I am most proud of the trust that we have built between my department and the community organizations we work with. When they see me in a place of leadership, they can feel I am invested and making an effort and therefore trust our team more to support them.”

Reflecting on Posse, he says, “I am proud to be able to help those who are most vulnerable. My passion and the way that I show up, be it unorthodox, has been validated. Posse saw that in me when I was in high school.”