People
The strider
Cris Chater takes big steps in life and work, often to help those who need it most ~ By Mandy Behbehani; photos by Stuart Lirette. How does a woman who was a runway model for the late fashion luminary Bill Blass, spent a decade making award-winning environmental films, studied German at the Goethe Institute in [...]
Elaine Taylor: Living gluten-free
By Donna Lynn Rhodes. Elaine Taylor, co-founder and president of The Taylor Family Foundation, was 48 when she was finally diagnosed with celiac disease. She has been gluten-free in the nine years since, and is thriving after suffering for most of her life from “horrendous gastrointestinal issues, skin rashes, migraines, low thyroid, joint pain, severe [...]
Good company
With vision, hard work and business savvy, Lauren Jonas has built the Diablo Ballet into a cultural gem ~ By Karen D’Souza; photos by Jose Carlos Fajardo. When Lauren Jonas was 9 years old, she longed to pirouette. All the girls in ballet class were nervous about it. Not her. Scampering around the living room [...]
The change maker
Angela Benton is recasting the face of Silicon Valley ~ By Bonnie Wach; photos by Nikki Ritcher. Even for the Harvard-pedigreed and venture capital-connected, launching a startup in Silicon Valley can be a daunting and overwhelming process. For minority entrepreneurs with neither of these advantages, getting a high-tech business off the ground can seem like [...]
The road home
Leah Toeniskoetter has traveled the world, cycled hill and valley, raised money for good. Now, she’s helping her hometown thrive By Julia Prodis Sulek Leah Toeniskoetter was training for the Death Ride bicycle race, flying at full speed down Calaveras Road, when she spotted the doe and fawn ahead. What she didn’t see that day [...]
The social networker
Claudia Castillo Ross mixes corporate and philanthropic causes with great – and soul-satisfying – success By Bonnie Wach Photos by Jose Carlos Fajardo Like finding just the right shoes and jewelry to match your dress, pairing philanthropic causes to perfect PR events takes a keen sense of style and panache. More importantly, it takes a [...]
Baby love
Nonprofit helps clothe infants in need By Stephanie Simons Oakland’s Lisa Klein is hoping more people will take advantage of Loved Twice’s “buy one, give one” special. For every “ultimate philanthropic baby blanket” bought on LovedTwice.org, for example, one will be donated to a newborn in need. Of course, Loved Twice will happily take straight-up [...]
Lit lite
Pals tell story of woman on midlife quest By Julia Prodis Sulek In “Meant to Be,” a self-published book released earlier this year but perfect holiday vacation reading, two Bay Area women in their 50s create the character of Judith McCoy. Judith is a 50-something housewife on a journey of self-destruction, sexual discovery and, ultimately, [...]
Into the light
Allison Rix knows darkness and pain, but with the help of family, fashion and a trusty horse, she’s on her way back. Allison Rix buckled the shiny belt on the model wearing one of her summer dress creations, then smoothed the…
On the money
Emily Bach took on the family’s financial planning biz and built up a powerhouse. Are winners born or bred? In the case of Emily Bach, it’s definitely both – though it took her awhile to figure out what was in her genes. Her mother, Bobbi Bach, had been a…
