Join the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, Sonoma City Council Member Patricia Farrar-Rivas, and Connie Schlelein for an afternoon dedicated to exploring the future of Sonoma Valley’s creative economy.
This gathering will bring together voices from across Sonoma Valley to discuss how creativity, entrepreneurship, arts, and community can work together to strengthen our local economy. This is an opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and be part of the conversation around building a thriving and sustainable creative community in Sonoma Valley.
Keynote Speaker
Laura Callanan, Founding Partner, Upstart Co-LabLaura Callanan is founding partner of Upstart Co-Lab, which connects artists, impact investors and social entrepreneurs to grow the creative economy. She served as senior deputy chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts and worked at McKinsey and the Rockefeller Foundation, where she co-led its first impact investing efforts.
Speakers
Sondra Bernstein, Founder, the girl & the figSondra Bernstein, Sonoma Valley restaurateur, co-founded the girl & the fig in 1997, Poppy in 2025, and Dead Letter with PROTO.loque, an immersive digital art gallery, in 2026. She brings food, wine, art, and community together. The Sonoma Valley Chamber named the girl & the fig the 2014 Business of the Year.
Caitlin Cornwall, Senior Project Manager, Sonoma Ecology CenterCaitlin Cornwall is a biologist, botanist and Senior Project Manager at the Sonoma Ecology Center. Her work spans climate adaptation, multi-benefit water management, riparian ecology and environmental indicator reporting. She is also a founding member of the North Bay Climate Adaptation Initiative and the Sonoma Valley Collaborative.
Sam Coturri, Winery Sixteen 600Sam Coturri leads Winery Sixteen 600, which he co-founded in 2007 with his father, organic viticulture pioneer Phil Coturri, and family. The winery crafts small-batch, single-vineyard wines, focused on Rhône varieties, from certified organic vineyards. Its tasting house near the Sonoma Plaza features Grateful Dead memorabilia and Stanley Mouse-designed labels.
Greg Derochie, FilmmakerGreg Derochie is a Canadian-born filmmaker with about 25 years of experience in visual effects, writing, directing and editing. His mystery drama Solitary screened at festivals across the U.S. and won the New Visions Award at Cinequest. His visual effects credits include Black Panther, Spider-Man, Lost in Space and Godzilla.
Katherine Fulton, Co-Chair, Sonoma Valley Catalyst FundKatherine Fulton is a philanthropy consultant and co-chair of the Sonoma Valley Catalyst Fund, which she helped launch in 2020 as a pandemic emergency response. The volunteer-led fund raised over $1.6 million, made 44 grants and became a permanent resource for the Valley. In 2022 she received Philanos’s Willoughby Award.
Leonardo Lobato, Executive Director, La Luz CenterLeonardo Lobato has led La Luz Center since 2021. The nonprofit serves about 40% of Sonoma Valley’s Latino residents yearly and was the Chamber’s 2025 Nonprofit of the Year. Born in Mexico, he held corporate roles at Johnson & Johnson, Coors and Western Union, then led an international workforce-training nonprofit.
Sam Paone, Founder, Golden State Pickle WorksSam Paone is founder and “Chief Fermentista” of Golden State Pickle Works, a Sonoma County company she launched in 2014. She hand-crafts fermented vegetables, pickles, hot sauces and probiotic condiments from local farm produce and kitchen trimmings. She also hosts Jarring Everything on Eat This TV and teaches fermentation workshops.
Kala Stein, Kala Stein StudioKala Stein is a ceramic artist and designer known for mold-making and casting. Her vessels and installations explore water, fragility and changing landscapes, with works at Opus One and Darling Wines. Former Director of Ceramics at Sonoma Community Center, she works from her studio at Sonoma’s La Haye Art Center.
Tara Thompson, Director, Creative SonomaTara Thompson has directed Creative Sonoma, the county’s agency supporting artists and creative businesses, since late 2023. She was Santa Rosa’s Arts and Culture Manager, championing public art after the 2017 wildfires. There, she oversees grants, professional development and arts education, and leads a county public art plan and policy.
Ward Wolff, Director, Upstart Co-LabWard Wolff is Director at Upstart Co-Lab, which mobilizes impact investment for creative enterprises and real estate. He helped develop and launch New York City’s Inclusive Creative Economy Fund with LISC and co-authored a Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco paper on the Community Reinvestment Act and the creative economy.
Space is limited and registration is required. Please RSVP to secure your place at the event.
If the Event is sold out, please utilize the "Waiting List" feature and we will add additional guests if cancellations occur.
For questions or more information, please CLICK HERE to contact event Co-Host Connie Schlelein.
Have a login? Login Now
{{vm.loginInfo.errorMessage}}
Create an Account
Forgot your Username or Password?
Register as Guest
Address
Phone
{{slot.Name}}
{{ vm.EventInfo.EventSettings.NoShowPolicy }}