ALF's The Dialogue Podcast

In this episode, we are joined by Senior Fellow Jessica Paz-Cedillos (ALF Class XLI) and Vanessa Shieh, Co-Executive Directors at the School of Arts and Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza in East San José.

During the pandemic, the Mexican Heritage Plaza became a community hub for essential resources and information, feeding over 50,000 residents, testing 15,000 individuals, and vaccinating 25,000 people.

We talk to Jessica and Vanessa about their work at the Mexican Heritage Plaza over the last several years, their ability to pivot during the pandemic, and their unique journeys to their current leadership roles. We also learn about the Fellows Program dialogue exercise that had a significant impact on Jessica during a critical time in her life.

About Jessica Paz-Cedillos

Jessica is the daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico and El Salvador. She was born and raised in East Oakland and knows firsthand the impact that arts and culture can have to build pride, preserve our heritage, and fuel community and economic development. Jessica has dedicated her career to the public sector, working for organizations like the ACLU and SOMOS Mayfair, where she helped to double the organization’s budget. Jessica is excited to be leading the School of Arts & Culture at the Mexican Heritage Plaza — a vibrant, cultural institution in East San Jose — and looks forward to continuing her work in the Mayfair community.

About Vanessa Shieh

Vanessa lives, works, and plays in San Jose. She has served as the Associate Director for the School of Arts and Culture at MHP since 2012 and is now the organization’s longest-serving employee. During that time, she has helped to transform the Mexican Heritage Plaza from an underused facility into a trusted community hub and anchor. With over 15 years of experience in nonprofit accounting and organizational development, Vanessa continues to ground the Plaza’s team and partners in strategic perspectives that seek answers to the question: how can we create a better normal?

She served as the Interim Executive Director for the organization between June 2018 and February 2019. Before joining the School, Vanessa worked with Cultural Initiatives Silicon Valley; Reading Partners; and Next Door Solutions to Domestic Violence. She is deeply committed to finding the intersection of the local community’s needs and the creative sector’s insights. Vanessa has an MBA with an emphasis in Accounting from Golden Gate University and a BA in English from the University of San Francisco.

In this episode, we're bringing you another Senior Fellows Spotlight where we offer a glimpse into the personal and professional journeys of some of the most remarkable leaders in the ALF network.

Listen as we hear from veteran business leader and ALF Senior Fellow Linda C. Lawrence (Class XIII) about her work in the early days of global technology firms like Netscape and Apple. She offers us insight into how she navigated being the only woman at the table and how she worked to establish her place in the male-dominated international executive space. She also shares how she learned the value of service at an early age and how those values have shaped her personal and professional trajectory.

Linda Lawrence, is a successful global business leader & advisor -- both for profit (Trustworthy AI, Owl Eye Media, Netscape/AOL, Apple Computer, and Dogfight LLC, producers of the award-winning film Speed & Angels);  and for impact (Truhoma, Let It Ripple, Zero1, Open Media Network, American Leadership Forum, Friends of Franklin Scholars, Computer Museum/Computer Bowls).

Recorded live during our Jan. 13 event featuring Judge LaDoris Hazzard Cordell, ALF Senior Fellow (Class VIII) and author of Her Honor: My Life on the Bench… What Works, What’s Broken, and How to Change It.

Recorded live during our October 19, 2021 event: A Conversation with Darren Walker, President of the Ford Foundation.

ALF Senior Fellows, Fellows, and guests heard from Darren Walker in dialogue with ALF CEO Suzanne St. John-Crane. The two discussed reparations and what we, as leaders in our community, can do to repair and heal our communities and democracy.

ALF Board Chair and Senior Fellow Jon Hicks (Class XXXI) opened the session, followed by ALF Senior Fellow Carol Larson (Class XV), who introduced Mr. Walker.

Darren Walker has been included on numerous leadership lists, including Time’s annual 100 Most Influential People, Rolling Stone’s 25 People Shaping the Future, Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business, Ebony’s Power 100, Out magazine’s Power 50, and the Wall Street Journal’s 2020 Philanthropy Innovator.

ALF Silicon Valley CEO and host of The Dialogue Podcast, Suzanne St. John-Crane, is joined in this episode by Senior Fellows Jayne Battey (Class XXIV) and Mark Bahaus (Class XX) to discuss what we can all do in the face of a changing climate.

Jayne and Mark each give insights into their personal and professional conservation and climate action journeys and discuss how others can help reduce the footprint we leave on the planet.

Our guests are both members of ALF's Climate Action and Sustainability Affinity Group, which aims to bring together a diverse group of leaders to consider cross-sector solutions to accelerate carbon reduction locally.

About our guests:

Jayne Battey is the founder and owner of Miramar Farms, a leadership development center north of Half Moon Bay. Jayne provides senior leadership coaching and facilitation for organizations working primarily on environmental, health, housing, and education work. She is vice-chair the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and previously served on the boards of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Youth Outside, and Cabrillo Education Foundation. Jayne is a member of the ALF National Board of Trustees.

Mark Bauhaus is a market-oriented systems thinker, Environmental Entrepreneur, Partner @JustBusiness, Mentor to purpose-driven startups, Senior Advisor to Joint Venture Silicon Valley, and an American Leadership Forum Senior Fellow. He served 35+ years as a technology EVP / General Manager building global businesses up to $5 Billion revenue in internet consulting, software, hardware and networking products at Juniper Networks, Sun Microsystems, and Hewlett-Packard. Mr. Bauhaus graduated with a B.S. degree in "Business Management and Environmental Systems Analysis" with high honors from the University of California at Davis.

Extraordinary people. Transformative year. It's a phrase we often use here at ALF to describe the Fellows Program, and it's a description that takes on added meaning for ALF Class XXXIX.

When Toni Vanwinkle, Senior Director of Digital Workplace Experience at Adobe, and Miguel Marquez, Chief Operating Officer for the County of Santa Clara, accepted the invitation to participate in Class XXXIX, they had no idea just how transformative - and challenging - the experience would be.

Toni and Miguel chat with CEO Suzanne St. John-Crane about embarking on their 2020 Fellows journey amid a pandemic and other crises while simultaneously building a support system for each other in an extraordinary year of upheaval and uncertainty.

Listen to Toni and Miguel discuss how the container was set virtually for intense conversations, bonding, and reimagining a new normal.

Recorded live during our June 11 event, Why Equality Is The Future of Work: Preparing For The Post Pandemic Workplace, the ALF network joined author Michelle King and host Jon Hicks to discuss being a leader for gender equality and equity in the workplace.

Participants also gained insights into moving from goal to action to create more equitable policies, practices, and cultures that support our people, organizations, and businesses.

Featuring Michelle King, globally recognized expert on gender equality and organizational culture, author of THE FIX: Overcome the Invisible Barriers that are Holding Women Back at Work, and founder and managing director of Equality Forward, a global consultancy that specializes in building cultures of Equality.

Hosted by ALF Senior Fellow and Board Vice-Chair, Jon Hicks (Class XXXI).

In celebration of Pride Month, we've turned The Dialogue podcast microphone over to three Senior Fellows who join us to discuss a brief history of the LGBTQ+ community in Santa Clara County.

Our guest host for this special episode is Dr. Amor Santiago (Class XV), Vice President of Development and Community Affairs at Project Open Hand.

Joining Amor is Terry Christensen (Class XIV), Professor Emeritus, SJSU; Host and Executive Producer of Valley Politics for CreaTV; and Ken Yeager (Class VI), Former SCC Supervisor; Executive Director, BAYMEC Community Foundation; Creator of QueerSiliconValley.org.

Our three guests delve into key milestones in the LGBTQ+ rights movement locally and beyond, reflect on the road ahead, and preview the culmination of decades of experiences in the new exhibit titled Coming Out: 50 Years of Queer Resistance & Resilience in Silicon Valley, opening June 25th, 2021.

Learn more about Queer Silicon Valley and the exhibit at History San Jose at queersiliconvalley.org.

In this episode, we continue with our Senior Fellows Spotlight series, where we offer a glimpse into the personal and professional journeys of some of the most remarkable Senior Fellows in the ALF network. In today's show, we're pleased to feature a truly inspiring individual, San José Fire Chief Robert Sapien of ALF Class XXV.

Robert talks to us about early memories of growing up near King and Story in East San José and reflects on his mother's impact on his sense of community and his commitment to the common good.

We also hear Chief Sapien discuss his career trajectory, key lessons he's learned along the way, and his view of seeing our way through what currently divides us.

Robert attended Archbishop Mitty High School in San José and joined the San Jose Fire Department as a firefighter in 1989. He rose through the ranks as a fire engineer, fire captain, battalion chief, and Deputy Chief of Bureau of Field Operations.

In 2016, Robert was appointed Assistant Fire Chief, then Acting Fire Chief in 2017. He was officially appointed Fire Chief in 2018.

Robert participated in ALF Class XXV and joined the ALF board in March 2020.

Recorded live during our April 22nd event, Stop AAPI Hate: A Conversation with Dr. Russell Jeung. Featuring Dr. Russell Jeung, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and Chair, Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University.

Listen to Dr. Jeung and members of ALF's AAPI Caucus discuss the experiences of the AAPI community in this time of resurging anti-Asian violence and what we can do to stand united against all forms of racism.