The San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade is proud to announce that former San Francisco Fire Department Chief Joanne Hayes-White and San Francisco Giants pitcher Dave Dravecky will serve as 2019 parade Grand Marshals. Hayes-White was sworn in as Chief of the San Francisco Fire Department – the largest urban fire Department in the world with a female Chief – by then Mayor Gavin Newsom, now Governor of California.

Dravecky, of Italian descent, played for nine seasons in Major League Baseball, and was named an All-Star in 1983. After his career ended early due to cancer, he recovered from arm surgery and went on to begin a new career as a motivational speaker.