Nikesh Patel

Born in San Francisco, and raised in a single-room occupancy hotel in the Tenderloin, Nikesh Patel’s first experience with serving the City and County of San Francisco began nearly twenty years ago as a high school intern with the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Followed by a summer internship with the San Francisco Ethics Commission, and multiple clerkships and permanent positions with the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office and, most recently, the Office of Cannabis, his career path has long aligned with his love of, and gratitude for, the city that has raised him.

Nikesh currently serves as the Director of the Office of Cannabis. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from Stanford University, a Masters of Science in Migration Policy from Oxford University (UK), and a Juris Doctor degree from the Berkeley School of Law.