Steve Martarano was a reporter at the Sacramento Union for 10 years during the 1980s and worked as a sportswriter, on the daytime crime beat, and reviewing concerts. He retired after working in government public affairs for almost 30 years for several state and federal agencies, most recently for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Bay-Delta office.

Karen Wilkinson is a freelance writer.

Shannon is a freelance writer and former editorial intern for Comstock’s. In addition to working in higher education, she returned to her first love — the written word. As a cultural historian and outdoor aficionado, she writes on a broad range of subjects.

Amber K. Stott is founder and chief food genius of the nonprofit Food Literacy Center. She’s creator of the California-wide Food Literacy Month and a freelance food writer. She’s been named “Food Revolution Hero” by Jamie Oliver Food Foundation, Food Tank’s 20 Innovators Protecting the Planet and a TEDx Sacramento Changemaker Fellow. 

Joan Cusick is an experienced journalist who started her career as a reporter and editor for The Commercial Appeal newspaper in Memphis. From the newsroom, she moved into the corporate world, serving as a communications director for Maybelline, FedEx and Charles Schwab.

Alastair Bland is a freelance journalist based in San Francisco. He writes about agriculture, the environment, fisheries and beer. His work has appeared online in NPR’s food blog The Salt, Smithsonian.com and Yale Environment 360 and in print in the Marin Independent Journal, the East Bay Express and the Sacramento News & Review.

Tania Fowler, owner and founder of Interplay Coaching, is a business coach focused on working with executives and their teams to help drive stronger team engagement and performance.

Kachet Jackson-Henderson is the face behind The Lipstick Giraffe, a Sacramento-based fashionable lifestyle brand. In addition to creating content for the TLG blog, Kachet handles wardrobe styling for special events on behalf of local and national retailers as well as personal style consultations. She can regularly be found on Good Day Sacramento and FOX40 offering style tips and showcasing season’s hottest trends. By trade, Kachet’s background is in marketing and advertising, with over five years of experience both agency and client side. She is currently an independent professional, specializing in social media, content strategy and public relations.

Lisa Mooney is a Chico-based freelance writer who focuses on international trade, food and wine. Her work has appeared in California Magazine, American Taste, and she currently serves as senior editor of The American Exporter.

Jennifer von Geldern is a freelance writer for Comstock’s magazine.