Susan Gilmore
Class of 2025
Susan Gilmore, a proud third-generation San Franciscan, grew up in San Francisco as the eldest of three children in a family deeply committed to public service.
Her great-grandfather, Angelo Rossi, served as Mayor of San Francisco for two terms in the 1930s. Her mother, Barbara Gilmore, now 95, was an active volunteer in political campaigns, youth organizations, PTAs, and historical society functions.
Susan’s father Edward, a mechanical engineer, founded his own HVAC company, which he ran well into his 80s. He is fondly remembered by his family for his creativity, practical jokes, and household “inventions,” which greatly influenced Susan’s entrepreneurial spirit and sense of humor.
Susan knew early on that she was destined for a career in education. At just 10 years old, she transformed a walk-in closet in her home into a classroom, using Girl Scout cookies as incentives to attract neighborhood children to her “school.” Her parents’ suitcases, turned sideways, became makeshift desks, and she even created library cards so her students could “check out” books from her personal collection. Her “school” soon caught the attention of neighborhood parents when their five-year-olds began to read!
Susan loved spending weekends at her grandparents’ home in Millbrae where she and her cousins would spend endless hours exploring the open space behind her grandparent’s home and playing among the corn stalks in their veggie garden. It was there that she developed a passion for gardening and the taste of fresh produce which helped inspire the North Bay Children’s Center’s award-winning Garden of Eatin’ program.
When she first started her career as a preschool teacher in the late 70’s in Marin County; most children attended half day programs, and most families were able to live on a single household salary. In the 1980’s moms began returning to the workforce shortly after giving birth— as dual incomes were necessary to support a household in the bay area.
As the demand for childcare increased, so did the number of single moms who became dependent on our welfare system—unable to return to work because of the lack of affordable childcare.
At the age of 28, she co-founded the North Bay Children’s Center, a non-profit childcare program headquartered in Novato serving infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. One of her driving motivations for founding NBCC was to address the inequities she witnessed as a young preschool teacher in her local childcare system. She believed that every child deserved access to high-quality childcare, and that every woman should have the opportunity to seek employment while raising children. Susan was encouraged and supported in this endeavor by her dear friend and mentor, Ethel Seiderman. In 1973, Ethel founded the Fairfax-San Anselmo Children’s Center, which has served as a model for other programs throughout the nation.
In 1988 NBCC opened its doors in Novato for 60 children becoming one of the first center-based childcare programs in the North Bay to provide subsidized care for infants and toddlers. The need for such services continued to grow and so did NBCC which now serves over 600 children at 14 locations between Marin and Sonoma County.
For 36 years, Susan has led NBCC, championing its mission to provide affordable, high-quality childcare and early learning opportunities for the community’s most vulnerable children. To date, NBCC has served over 10,000 children through partnerships with six school districts across Marin and Sonoma counties.
Susan has instilled in her team a mindset of openness, adaptability, and resourcefulness. Under her visionary leadership, NBCC has addressed critical issues that impact the health and wellbeing of young children and their families.
A recognized innovator in early care and education, Susan developed groundbreaking initiatives such as the “Garden of Eatin’ Living Curriculum,” which weaves nutrition and environmental education into NBCC’s daily programming. Her passion for this project was inspired by Alice Waters along with her own experiences as a child in her grandparents’ garden.
Her inspiration for cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients stems from her parents, who are both gourmet cooks. From a young age, Susan accompanied her mother every Saturday as they scoured San Francisco neighborhoods, sourcing ingredients for that week’s meals. Their day began in North Beach, continued through Chinatown, and ended in the Marina. Fast food was never an option, and dining out was reserved for special occasions.
One of Susan’s greatest achievements is the design and construction of NBCC’s new 20,000-square-foot facility which is set to open at the beginning of summer 2025. Once complete, it will serve as a national model for best practices in childcare and environmental education.
What truly sets this campus apart is its innovative Learning Lab, designed to support the broader community of Early Childhood Educators. This dynamic space will be a hub for research, training, and collaboration—advancing NBCC’s mission to improve the quality of childcare far beyond its own doors.
Beyond the classroom, Susan has demonstrated exceptional leadership during times of crisis. During the 2017 Sonoma County wildfires, she led efforts to support families and teachers displaced from seven of NBCC’s locations in evacuation areas. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, and schools closed, she worked closely with county emergency services to provide critical childcare for medical first responders and essential workers, ensuring NBCC adapted to meet the community’s urgent needs.
Susan’s commitment to addressing emerging challenges led her to present to the Early Care Climate Task Force, where her contributions and NBCC’s innovative practices were featured in the Early Years Climate Action Plan. This plan highlights strategies to help children from birth to age eight thrive despite the growing impacts of climate-related events.
With a passion for collaboration and system change, Susan’s entrepreneurial spirit has inspired transformative progress in early childhood education, creating brighter futures for children across all income levels.
Susan and her husband David live in Petaluma and balance their busy work schedules with entertaining, cooking, traveling, and enjoying the great outdoors.
Susan has two grown children, Sam and Erica, and is expecting her first grandchild in July 2025.
When asked when she plans on retiring … Susan’s response is “What? I’m just getting started”!
