About Bess Hanish

Bess “Ibtisam” Hanish is a Deputy City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, serving as General Counsel to multiple client departments and divisions including the Department of Public Health, Population Health. She is the first Yemeni Paul & Daisy Soros Fellow and the first Yemeni Truman Scholar, honors that underscore her exceptional leadership, academic distinction, and commitment to public service.

Ibtisam earned her J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law after graduating from Amherst College with degrees in Anthropology and Political Science. She was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and previously worked at the White House and the U.S. Department of State. In her current role, Ibtisam advises senior public officials and agency leadership on complex legal and policy matters in public health.