Aumijo S. Gomes

Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives

Aumijo S. Gomes was born and raised in San Francisco, and is a product of the City’s public, private and parochial schools. He received his Bachelors Degree in Psychology from George Washington University in Washington D.C., and his Masters Degree in Psychology from New York University. Aumijo has spent his career working for and supporting programs that provide opportunities for young people. He started his career providing internships for youth in City Departments at San Francisco YouthWorks, eventually serving as director for seven years.

Combing his love of music with his passion for working with youth, Aumijo became the Director of Program Operations for the Kanye West Foundation in Los Angeles in 2009. After two years, he returned to San Francisco to work for the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families as a Program Officer. In 2014, Aumijo was promoted to Director of Programs and Planning, overseeing DCYF’s grantmaking, contracting and technical assistance work. In 2020, he was promoted as the Deputy Director of Strategic Initiatives where he leads the department’s strategic planning, data and evaluation, and diversity, equity and inclusion work.

What inspires you to do this work?

As a person who grew up in San Francisco in a low-income family, I believe strongly in the work that DCYF does to provide opportunities for children, youth, TAY and their families. My own experiences have highlighted how important it is to have access to programs and resources that expose young people to things that can help them grow and develop in positive ways. That is even more true in a city where there is a vast gulf between those with means and those without.

I started my career off as a direct service provider working with high school kids to give them opportunities to experience work and find their focus. Now at DCYF, I get the incredible privilege to be part of providing these types of opportunities to thousands of youth every year. I remain inspired by and committed to the young people in this city and relish the opportunity to be a part of supporting the program and activities that help them grow up happy and healthy.

s “Making San Francisco a Great Place to Grow Up.” Do you believe this? Tell us why.

San Francisco can be a great place to grow up. We have many great things that are tough to find in other cities. The diversity of the people that live here, the beautiful surroundings and the liberal sensibilities are all things that make San Francisco a great place to grow up. Unfortunately, the City also has characteristics that make it a hard place to grow up, especially for youth and families without a lot of means. I grew in San Francisco at a time when there was a middle class here. Nowadays, it’s tough for families to survive in the City on a six-figure income. That makes it harder for the folks without means to grow up here, and it requires us to do a lot more to provide the things they need. San Francisco is still a great place to grow up, but just not as easily in the past.

Is there a song or anthem that inspires your grind and motivates you to serve our communities?

“Humble” by Kendrick Lamar.