Zack Quaintance has more than a decade of experience working in the media. His writing has appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Dallas Morning News and the Austin American-Statesman. He lives in Northern California. Follow him on Twitter @zackquaintance.

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. 

Jeremy Maron is an Independent Wine Consultant, beer/wine/spirits enthusiast and long-time Sacramento resident. Contact him through www.jeremymaron.com.

Trish Moratto Litke is a communications consultant who specializes in public relations, social media strategy, copywriting and journalism. She is an outdoor enthusiast and avid traveler, which has taken her to more than 40 countries. She is based among the pine trees in Grass Valley. 

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.

Kevin McCarthy is an independent consultant whose work focuses on challenges faced by leadership teams implementing strategic change. He is also an executive coach. Previously, Kevin worked as an associate with Change-Logic, a global firm that focuses on large organizations working to align ambidextrous strategic change efforts.

Ryan is a certified residential appraiser in the Sacramento area. He helps illuminate the local real estate market through his Sacramento Appraisal Blog. Ryan is a teacher at heart and regularly does classes for both appraisers and agents. His clients include homeowners, governmental agencies, attorneys, real estate professionals and lenders.

Ken James is a 24-year veteran photojournalist who started his career with the Fairfax Newspaper Group in Sydney Australia. Since relocating to California in 2002, Ken has contributed to many newspapers and wire services such as Bloomberg News, United Press International (UPI), The New York Times and San Francisco Examiner. In 2005, Ken spent six months covering the Iraq war and later documented the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Ken has actively covered state politics and gubernatorial elections, including the 2003 Recall. Besides covering national and local news events, Ken contributes monthly photo essays to Comstock’s and Sacramento Magazine. For more, visit www.kjamesimages.com.

Allen Pierleoni is a freelance writer in Sacramento. He worked for the Sacramento Bee as a writer and editor in the features department for 30 years, and has written about homelessness for the Miami Herald and the San Jose Mercury News.

Tiffany Duong is a freelance journalist and environmental advocate, writing about conservation, green technology and sustainability, and eco-travel. Her work draws on experiences in the field, observations about business and culture, and research on novel approaches to tackle environmental concerns. She earned her B.A. in International Development from UCLA and her J.D. from U.