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. 

Sena Christian is the former editor of Comstock’s magazine. During her journalism career, she has worked on the staff of two newspapers and one newsweekly, and regularly freelanced for national publications. She earned degrees from UC Berkeley and University of Oregon and was an environmental journalism fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder. Read more at www.senachristian.com. On Twitter @SenaCChristian.

Dave Kempa is a freelance reporter and adjunct journalism professor at American River College. A resident of Southside Park, he serves on the boards of local nonprofits 916 Ink and Alchemist CDC.

Willie Clark is a writer, editor, photographer, barrel-rider, reliable brave guy, and co-host of the 8 Bit Awesome podcast. You can find his scribings locally at the Sacramento News & Review, SF Weekly, and of course, here, and nationally at Polygon, Vice, Playboy, KillScreen and many other fine dining establishments … or you know. Read more of his work at willieclark.contently.com. On Twitter @_WillieClark.

Vanessa Richardson is a freelance writer in Sacramento who covers finance, startups and women in business. She also writes for Entrepreneur, Fortune and Money magazines.