In honor of reaching our milestone of serving 20,000 women this week, we're sharing a perspective from Andrew Freeman, a founding Dress for Success San Francisco/San Jose Board Member, who served from 2006 to 2022.
Andrew Freeman, founding Board Member and 2022 Success Honoree, shares how a small idea grew into a movement supporting thousands of women.
When Dress for Success San Francisco first began, it did not look like the organization we know today.
There was no established office. No staff. No systems.
There was a group of people who believed in the mission working out of the basement in Old St. Mary’s Cathedral on California Street.
“We used to roll racks of clothes in and out of the church,” remembers Andrew Freeman, Founder of af&co., Co-Founder of Carbonate.
How the Idea Took Shape
Andrew helped launch the San Francisco chapter while working as a marketing director at Kimpton Hotels. According to Andrew, the idea began with Niki Leondakis, then a senior executive at Kimpton Hotels and now CEO of CorePower Yoga. During conversations about supporting women travelers and women in business, she encouraged the team to find a nonprofit partner that aligned with those values.
After discovering Dress for Success in New York and talking with Joi Gordon, the Chief Executive Officer of Worldwide at the time, Niki helped champion the idea of opening a San Francisco network member. She then tasked a small team with bringing it to life: Andrew Freeman, Christine Lawson, and Leslie Lerude.
Building It Piece by Piece
What followed were the earliest days of Dress for Success in San Francisco. Volunteers worked out of the St. Mary’s basement, bringing in donated clothing and helping women prepare for job interviews. They built the program piece by piece while learning the model from the national organization.
“The early days were like a true startup because we didn't even know what we were doing half the time,” Andrew says. “We just knew we had a common vision.”
That vision quickly grew beyond simply providing clothing.
More Than Clothing
Dress for Success helps women prepare for employment, build professional skills, and develop confidence as they pursue new opportunities. Over time, the San Francisco chapter expanded its programs and services to support women across the Bay Area.
The Stories That Stayed With Him
For Andrew, meeting the clients became the most meaningful part of the experience.
“What fascinates me most is learning people's stories,” he says.
Those stories also connected to his own life.
“My personal story is my mom could have benefited from an organization like Dress for Success and so it really resonated with me once I started to meet the clients.”
Freeman served on the Board for nearly two decades and helped bring early supporters, volunteers, and partners into the organization.
Looking back on the past 20 years, he still reflects on the women who trusted the organization during pivotal moments in their lives.
“We should all be very proud of the work we do and honored to work with the women that we've been able to serve,” Andrew says. “I always felt it was an honor to work with these amazing women.”
Still About the Women
And even as the organization has grown, Andrew believes the mission remains clear.
“The organization is about the clients.”
As Dress for Success San Francisco celebrates its 20th anniversary and inches closer to serving 20,000 clients, with Dress for Success San Jose, the impact of those early days continues to shape the future.
“An organization like Dress for Success starts with the heart and then it branches out in many ways,” Andrew says. That's what I think makes our 20th anniversary so special.”
Dress for Success San Francisco and San Jose is a leading resource for advancing women in the workplace. Our purpose is to empower women to achieve economic mobility by providing a network of support, workplace attire, and development tools for success.