
A Life-Long Resident of Contra Costa County, Lynn Mackey, Superintendent of Schools for Contra Costa County
Q: When did you decide you wanted to become a teacher?LM: I never thought about being a teacher before I became a teacher. I had volunteered at our county jail when I was in college. When I graduated, I needed a job, and someone at the jail let me know about a part-time job teaching Adult Basic Skills at the jail. I applied for the job, signed up for a credential program and fell in love with the work. I have been in education ever since. Q: Tell us how yo..
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Congratulations to Rosie Reid, 2019 California Teacher of the Year!
Rosie Reid Teaches teaches English to ninth through twelfth grade students at Northgate High School, Mount Diablo Unified School District in Walnut Creek, Contra Costa County. Q: Can you share with our audience what grade and school you teach at?RR: I teach 9-12 grade English and English Language Development at Northgate High School in Walnut Creek. Q: Why did you want to become a teacher?RR: When I was a little girl, I lived in rural Mendocino County. We ..
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A conversation with Kelly Perkins, Contra Costa County Teacher of the Year and California Semi-Finalist at Ygnacio Valley High School
Q: Can you share with our audience what grade and school you teach at?KP: I teach high school special education- students with moderate-severe learning disabilities at Ygnacio Valley High School.Q: Why did you want to become a teacher?KP: I have always loved working with kids. I started at a young age volunteering at our church and it became a natural path after several volunteer opportunities in high school and then college. I enjoy watching a child’s fac..
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Exclusive Interview with Kim Christfort; National Managing Director of The Deloitte Greenhouse™ & Book Author, Helping Executives Tackle Tough Business Challenges
Kim Christfort is the national managing director of The Deloitte Greenhouse™ Experience team, which helps executives tackle tough business challenges through immersive, facilitated Lab experiences, and client experience IP such as Business Chemistry. As part of this role, Kim leads US Deloitte Greenhouses, permanent spaces designed to promote exploration and problem solving away from business as usual.Q: Can you tell our audience about your position at Del..
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She Enjoys Empowering Others to do Their Best, Meet Maria Pappas, Vice President of Development at The Tech Museum
Q: Tell us about your time working with the American Heart Association?MP: The AHA was a great training ground. I had an incredible experience and learned so much while I was there. My first two years were in the LA office, then I came back to the Bay Area where I was originally from. After about 6 years, I was promoted to Executive Director here in Silicon Valley. Then I had my first child and made a tough decision to go part-time. Stepping out of the ED ..
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Meet Candace Hirleman Archer, Vice President, Audience Development at Disney ABC Television Group, ABC7 KGO-TV
Q: Tell us about your position as Vice President of Audience Development at ABC7?CH: My job is about creating a relationship with audiences. Like any good relationship … sure, we want you to like us, but what we really need is your loyalty. I have the privilege of leading an amazing team of creative producers, marketers, and designers as we develop and share ABC7’s brand story. Our team’s purpose is to build awareness and loyalty by both elevating our cont..
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Business Owner, Strategist and Coach. A Conversation With Sandra Bevins Hughes
Q: What does being a member of NAWBO Silicon Valley mean to you?SH: Connection and Collaboration with like-minded women business owners who remain authentic and heart-centered as they focus on their businesses, families and community are the main benefits of being a member of NAWBO Silicon Valley. Q: How has NAWBO Silicon Valley helped you as a business owner?SH: We don’t know what we don’t know. In a community like this, I meet women who are ahead of me ..
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A Special Conversation with Senator Dianne Feinstein on Developing Groundbreaking Skills
Q: What advice do you have for young women who want to pursue a career in politics?Senator Feinstein: I really think a woman must do her apprenticeship in this arena. Find out if you have the motivation and the staying power, because it truly is a difficult path. Become active in politics. Become an advocate. Speak out. Earn yourself those credentials. Work as a staffer in Washington or in state or local government. It’s very important that you know whethe..
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Her Passion is to Make Women’s Lives Easier, Meet Dr. Sophia Yen, Co-Founder of Pandia Health
Q: What does being a member of NAWBO Silicon Valley mean to you?SY: Women business owners helping each other and networking. Q: How has NAWBO Silicon Valley helped you as a business owner?SY: It has introduced me to inspiring women and providing connections with other business owners. Q: What service(s) or product(s) do you offer/manufacture?SY: We provide the end to end solution for prescription birth control – from an online doctor’s visit to getting a..
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Meet Nicola Casale, North American Director, Yellow Goat Design
Q: I like the name “Yellow Goat Design” – tell us a little about the business.NC: Thank you! Yellow Goat is an award-winning, bespoke studio comprised of creators that specialize in the design and fabrication of custom lighting, screens and installation art. The company was founded on the gold coast in Australia nearly 20 years ago by Jerzy and Sandra Lesko. The “Yellow Goat” icon was painted by Jerzy as an artist many years ago. It was his first art piece..
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She Designs Work Cultures That Support and Promote Women. Meet Diane Flynn, CEO ReBoot Accel
Q: Where were you born and raised … what led you to Silicon Valley?DF: I was born and raised in Minnesota. I came to Silicon Valley to attend Stanford, then spent time in Chicago and Boston for work and graduate school, and returned when I got married in 1988. Q: Tell us about some of your past positions you’ve held.DF: I was an associate consultant at BCG (The Boston Consulting Group) before attending Harvard Business School. After getting my MBA, I join..
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Meet Flordelisa "Flor" Harris, Insurance Broker & Consultant at Benefits Simplified Insurance Solutions, LLC
Q: What does being a member of NAWBO Silicon Valley mean to you?FH: Being a NAWBO member brings me a lot of pride and inspiration, as I’m surrounded by women business owners who continually strive to run a successful business while focused on the importance of family and community. Q: How has NAWBO Silicon Valley helped you as a business owner?FH: The organization has helped me tremendously, as I can tap into a variety of women business owners in differen..
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She is Responsible for Analyzing, Interpreting & Forecasting Economic Trends in Real Estate. Meet Deputy Chief Economist for CoreLogic. Selma Hepp
Q: I understand you were an international student ... what lead to you study abroad?SH: I was both an international student coming from Croatia to U.S., but also went on a study abroad to Denmark while at a university in Virginia. I came to study in the U.S. following the war in former Yugoslavia. I studied international business as an undergraduate and I thought my career would be in international trade. I wanted to travel everywhere, and I took the advan..
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Entrepreneur & Business Owner Randi Ross, an Accomplished Executive With Extensive Domestic & International Experience in Business Development
Q: What does being a member of NAWBO Silicon Valley mean to you?RR: It is an opportunity to propel myself to the next level of growing my business by connecting with high caliber, accomplished women business owners. It is an incredible opportunity to learn from their experience and realize I am not alone. Q: How has NAWBO Silicon Valley helped you as a business owner?RR: It has given me an opportunity to create awareness of my product and services with a ..
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She's Most Concerned With Climate Change and the Need for More Mental Health Services. Councilmember, Margaret Abe-Koga
Q: What advice do you have for young women who want to pursue a career in politics?MAK: Know why you want to be in politics and especially if you want to run for elected office. Have a firm grasp of your values, principles and the causes you care about, and have a vision of what you want to accomplish in office. Then go out and get involved in those causes so that you can meet other like-minded people who can become your base of support. Q: What is one sk..
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She's a City representative on the Sewer Authority Mid-Coastside and serves as Vice-Chair. Meet Former Half Moon Bay Mayor, Debbie Ruddock
Q: What advice do you have for young women who want to pursue a career in politics?DR: The first thing people wanted to know when I campaigned for office was, “Why are you running?” You need to have an authentic answer. What is your passion? What do you care about? What value can you add to your community? For me, the driver was my passion for protecting our coastal environment. My journalism and public relations background provided a strong foundation for..
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