Yohana Quiróz, Ed.D.
Chief Operations Officer (COO)
Dr. Yohana I. Quiróz has worked with Felton Institute since 1997 and is a senior executive with over 25 years of experience advancing early care and education (ECE), family support, mental/ behavioral health, and other social services. She leads a staff of 155 serving approximately 2,000 clients every year, with a budget of $13 million in city, state, and federal contracts, as well as small and large grants.
Yohana I. Quiróz, Ed.D.
Dr. Quiróz is a passionate and experienced two-generation advocate, committed to making her cradle to college vision a reality. She has served on the board of the National Association for the Education of Young Children and chaired the Office of Early Care and Education Citizen’s Advisory Committee, and many other children and family committees. Dr. Quiróz has devoted her career to issues affecting children under five, including those with medical and special needs, youth, including pregnant and parenting teens, and underserved, at-promise populations.
Dr. Quiróz grew up in San Francisco’s Mission district. Her lived experience as a teen parent and former client of Felton Institute, as well as first-hand knowledge of the issues impacting families, has instilled in her a passion for equity, social justice, coalition building, and advocacy to foster systemic change. She is continuously examining Felton’s on-going work to create anti-racist policies, structures, and conditions that will disrupt patterns of racism.
Dr. Quiróz brings a skilled passion for creating a culture of philanthropy, including shared responsibility for business development, grant writing, and cultivating strong donor relationships. She has been instrumental in leading strategic partnerships, agency-wide growth initiatives, program development, and expansion efforts, including new ECE co-development projects with affordable housing communities in three different San Francisco neighborhoods. Under her leadership, the Children, Youth, Family, and Transitional Age Youth (CYFTAY) Division has tripled from $4 million to $13 million over the past 6 years. In her current role, she is responsible for leading, managing, and overseeing operations and facilities, quality assurance, grant writing, fundraising, strategic partnerships, growth initiatives, new acquisitions, quality assurance, and the CYFTAY services. Dr. Quiróz also helps set, and continuously align, the organization around key strategic priorities, driven by an understanding of the needs of the communities we serve, the ever-changing non-profit landscape, and Felton’s internal core capabilities.
As a lifelong learner and advocate, Dr. Quiróz strives to ensure Felton’s collective work always centers on, celebrates, and uplifts the lived experiences of BIPOC children, youth, and their families, as well as the workforce that cares deeply for their lives and education.
Dr. Quiróz earned a doctorate in Educational Leadership in P-20 from San Francisco State University. Additionally, she holds a Master of Arts degree in Organization and Leadership in Education from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Child and Adolescent Development, with a concentration in Early Childhood Education from San Francisco State University.
She lives in the East Bay with her husband, two daughters, parents, and the newest addition to the family, Snoopy, a lovely puppy. During her free time, she enjoys gardening, cooking, and mentoring young people.
“The need for quality ECE is greater now than ever. Felton Institute has chosen to play a significant role, by continuing to advocate for, expand on, and address the access to quality care and education for San Francisco’s low-income families.”