Welcome Esan Looper, TLCBD Director of Youth Voice

We have embarked on a new youth-focused program led by TLCBD’s Director of Youth Voice, Esan Looper. He is uniquely qualified to carry out this vision over the next three years. He has deep roots in the neighborhood and comes from a background in community development and education. Esan has spent the last fourteen years working with the Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco and we’re excited to have him continue his work in the Tenderloin with the TLCBD!

At the core, Esan believes in the Tenderloin youth. He has been uniquely tasked with imagining a Youth Voice Program that will center youth by aligning and mobilizing community members and non-profit organizations to center the needs of Tenderloin youth. The program will ultimately develop a Fellows Program that will listen to and amplify the voices of teens and other transitional age youth.

Born and raised in San Francisco, Esan is no stranger to the Tenderloin—its beauty, potential, and challenges. He’s the son of Kathy and “Father of the Tenderloin” Leroy Looper, founder of Reality House West, the non-profit that owns the Cadillac Hotel. He worked most recently as the Senior Director of Club Services at the Boys & Girls Club. During his 7 years as the Clubhouse Director at the Tenderloin Clubhouse, he played a critical role in the reopening of Boeddeker Park in 2014, ultimately leading to the BGCSF becoming the Master Tenant at the park.

Esan has a BA in English from St. Michael’s College and graduated from San Francisco’s Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School. Besides the 14 years with Boys & Girls Clubs of San Francisco, he also served as Director of the Providence Summerbridge Program (now known as Breakthrough Providence). This nation-wide program served urban middle school students and prepared them for success in college preparatory schools.