Meet Cathleen Gouveia, Design Principal at Cathleen Gouveia Design, Allied ASID
Q: How did you get started as a Designer?CG: I was classically trained at The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan where I learned to draft and draw. My professors encouraged me to transfer to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) because my mind works differently than most designers and decorators. I find a narrative in the client’s words, in their life story, and what they are most passionate about - and I use that to inspire design. I initiated the Mas..
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Meet Michelle Thomas, Associate ASID Principal Designer, Thomas Designs – Design with a Conscience
Q: How did you get started as a Designer?MT: Design and furniture was always my passion and from a young age, I found myself rearranging, re-painting and re-constructing homes of my family and friends. The summer before Senior year in high school I took a job at the medical group my mom worked for and began what became a 2-year career in the customer service/ relations department. Though this was not what I wanted for my end game, I think it helped me unde..
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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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Meet Stacey Lapuk, Principal Designer at Indigo Interiors, Inc. Award-Winning Interior Design
Q: How did you get started as a Designer?SL: I grew up in an arts-oriented family, and was admitted to the Fine Arts program at the University of CT. Armed with a BFA, I came out to CA and first worked in the advertising industry. I entered UC Berkeley's Interior Design/Interior Architecture program and began building my client base. To me, a home is a 3-dimensional painting in which my clients get to live and thrive. Q: Can you describe to our readers a ..
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Meet Vicky Nguyen, Senior Investigative, Reporter & Anchor NBC Bay Area News
Q: Can you share a little history how it all began, starting with the experience of May 4, 1979?VN: My parents fled Vietnam as boat people when I was an infant. They wanted to escape Communism and provide opportunities for me, their only daughter, in the United States of America. After a harrowing journey to Malaysia, my family stayed in a refugee camp for more than year, then we were sponsored to America by a family and church community in Eugene, Oregon...
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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 Alison Whittaker, Certified Interior Designer
Q: How did you get started as a Designer?AW: I was always interested in interior design but initially pursued an advertising/marketing degree in college because of my family’s newspaper business. I also loved fashion and that was where I started my career in the Bay Area doing Trend Shows for Nordstrom as they were expanding new stores. Although I loved fashion, Interior design was like a little bird on my shoulder and I was drawn to go back to school to s..
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Meet Sabrina Alfin, LEED GA Principal Designer
Photography, Dean J. Birinyi Q: How did you get started as a Designer?SA: Interior design is my second career. I spent 25 years in client-facing roles at ad agencies in NYC, Boston, and San Francisco working on both brand and digital campaigns for large national and global companies, most recently in the tech sector. Towards the end I was getting antsy about my career path; the ad business was a grind and I really wanted to express myself more creativel..
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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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Meet Selma Hepp, Vice President, Business Intelligence Pacific Union International
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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Meet Roberta Kiphuth, President of Detati Digital Marketing
Q: What does being a member of NAWBO Silicon Valley mean to you?RK: For me being a member of NAWBO means being a part of a group of strong, independent and innovative business women. Learning and sharing with them has been extraordinary.Q: How has NAWBO Silicon Valley helped you as a business owner?RK: It has made me a better leader and business owner by being able to tap into a larger brain trust of other business owners to get insights and support with b..
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Meet Randi Ross, Entrepreneur & Business Owner, Silicon Valley Tracker
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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Meet Kari Hall, Meteorologist at NBC Bay Area News
Q: What made you decide to go in the field of telling the weather?KH: Weather always has been my passion. As a child, I would tell people I wanted to be a meteorologist and they would say…well, that’s different! I grew up in Louisville, KY where there’s extreme cold, lots of snow, flooding, drought, crazy storms, and extreme heat. The wide range of weather through the year raised my curiosity about why it occurs. I began reaching out to local meteorologist..
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Meet Peggy McConnell, Owner/Broker, McConnell Real Estate, Tiburon, CA
Q: How long have you been in the Real Estate business? PM: Twenty years. I specialize in residential real estate in Marin County. I love houses and helping people find their HOME. I love listing and selling homes and finding and meeting the new homeowner. Q: What designations or certifications do you hold?PM: California Real Estate Broker Q: What percentage of your clients are buyers vs. sellers? PM: 50/50 I maximize what a Seller nets - quickly and effi..
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Meet Margaret Abe-Koga Councilmember, City of Mountain View
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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Meet Dr. Anjuli Mehrotra, Silicon Valley Allergy and Asthma, Inc
Q: What triggers allergies?AM: Allergies are an immune response developed by the body towards an ordinarily harmless substance, to which it has developed a type of hypersensitive reaction. Allergies can generally be triggered by environmental allergens, foods, stinging insects (bees/wasps/hornets/fire ants) or drugs. Common environmental allergens include dust, animal dander, mold, and pollens from trees, grass, or weeds. The most common food allergens are..
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