Penny Coulter
Chief of Protocol
Penny Coulter serves as Chief of Protocol for the City and County of San Francisco, appointed by Mayor Daniel Lurie. She leads the City’s diplomatic engagement—welcoming heads of state, consuls general, and global delegations to San Francisco. She also curates high-profile civic ceremonies and cultural events that strengthen the San Francisco’s international relationships and support the cultural and economic vitality of the city.
A respected community leader and philanthropist, Coulter is president of the Coulter Family Foundation, whose grants advance access to the arts and education. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the University of California San Francisco Foundation Board of Directors, the Board of Trustees of the Aspen Institute, and the Steering Committee for The Further Triennial, a cultural event uniting artists from Northern California. She has previously served on the University of Virginia College Foundation Board of Directors, the Board of Trustees of the California Academy of Sciences, the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, as well as several youth development programs and independent school boards.
A native of New Orleans, Penny attended the University of Virginia and Parsons School of Design. Prior to moving to San Francisco, she was co-founder and proprietor of a design firm in New Orleans—experience that continues to inform her eye for detail in civic protocol. Penny settled in San Francisco with her husband Jim over thirty years ago. Today they, their three children, and three grandchildren are all proud to call the City of San Francisco their home.
Meron Foster
Deputy Chief of Protocol
As the Deputy Chief of Protocol of the Office of Protocol, Meron implements cultural diplomacy programs that promote cross-cultural exchange between the people of San Francisco and their partners around the world. Meron works to advance the foreign policy goals of the City and County of San Francisco by creating an environment for successful diplomacy.
Prior to joining the Office of Protocol, Meron worked as a Program Associate at the James Irvine Foundation. There, she managed and processed over 400 grants across seven initiatives, valued at $153M. Earlier in her career, Meron worked at a family-operated nonprofit, working with AIDS orphans in Ethiopia. In that role, she served in various roles as Ambassador Program Coordinator, Project Manager, and Event Planner. She played a lead role in building international partnerships, creating and implementing strategic plans, and creating external communications and marketing strategies.
Meron holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Africana Studies from San Francisco State University and MBA in Management from Mills College. Though she is originally from Ethiopia, she now calls the Bay Area her home.
Felicity Hector-Bruder
Deputy Chief of Staff
Felicity Hector-Bruder is Deputy Chief of Staff to the Chief of Protocol. She previously served at the White House as Deputy Director of Events for Vice President Kamala Harris, coordinating receptions, seated dinners, bilateral meetings, and community engagements at the Vice President’s Residence. In that role, she created meaningful experiences for world leaders, elected officials, business leaders, and thousands of Americans from communities across the nation. Prior to that role, Felicity served as Associate Director of Operations and as Data Coordinator at the White House. Felicity has worked on multiple Presidential delegations and international visits, including to Japan, Ghana, and New Zealand. She has also worked in the think tank and nonprofit spaces, and has a background in data science, giving her a strong desire to engage at the intersection of international affairs, local policy, and public–private partnerships. Felicity graduated summa cum laude from American University with degrees in Data Science and Political Science.