Daring Women
Lots of Joy, People and Pie
Lorrie Baldevia: 'If you can't change the environment, change the game & how you play'
As Lorrie Baldevia says, “It’s not who you know. It’s who remembers you.” Baldevia, a native of Guam, was recently promoted to platform president at insurance brokerage AssuredPartners, where she oversees Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. The company is closing in on $100 million in annual revenue, and the region includes about 350 employees. Baldevia,…
The Fixer: Alicia Crank
Seattle CityClub executive director Alicia Crank wants to inject respect into civic discourse, one conversation at a time
Alicia Crank wants you to know this: She’s on a mission to elevate civic discussion in Seattle and beyond. Crank, a long time fundraising executive who has worked at AtWork!, YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, and CityYear Seattle, took the executive director role at Seattle CityClub 18 months ago. The nonprofit seeks to improve…
Community, Coffee, Culture
Darnesha Weary has big plans for Black Coffee Northwest. Many don’t even involve caffeine
DarNesha Weary first bonded with her husband, Erwin, over coffee. Their first date was in a coffee shop. It makes sense, then, that the couple — married for 25 years — now own Black Coffee Northwest. Caffeine, though, isn’t the most important part of the growing company. The Wearys launched Black Coffee Northwest in June…
Lots of Joy, People and Pie
Lorrie Baldevia: 'If you can't change the environment, change the game & how you play'
As Lorrie Baldevia says, “It’s not who you know. It’s who remembers you.” Baldevia, a native of Guam, was recently promoted to platform president at insurance brokerage AssuredPartners, where she oversees Oregon, Washington, and Northern California. The company is closing in on $100 million in annual revenue, and the region includes about 350 employees. Baldevia,…
The Fixer: Alicia Crank
Seattle CityClub executive director Alicia Crank wants to inject respect into civic discourse, one conversation at a time
Alicia Crank wants you to know this: She’s on a mission to elevate civic discussion in Seattle and beyond. Crank, a long time fundraising executive who has worked at AtWork!, YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, and CityYear Seattle, took the executive director role at Seattle CityClub 18 months ago. The nonprofit seeks to improve…
Community, Coffee, Culture
Darnesha Weary has big plans for Black Coffee Northwest. Many don’t even involve caffeine
DarNesha Weary first bonded with her husband, Erwin, over coffee. Their first date was in a coffee shop. It makes sense, then, that the couple — married for 25 years — now own Black Coffee Northwest. Caffeine, though, isn’t the most important part of the growing company. The Wearys launched Black Coffee Northwest in June…
Building a Better Nugget
Rebellyous Foods founder Christie Lagally is bringing plant-based chicken to the masses
As the name of her company implies, Christie Lagally believes that rules are meant to be broken. Lagally in 2017 founded Seattle-based Rebellyous Foods, a company whose proprietary technology allows it to produce plant-based chicken nuggets, tenders, and patties at a fraction of the cost of competitors. Lagally, a former mechanical engineer at The Boeing…
A Passion for Many Missions
KD Hall has racked up a long list of accomplishments. She’s not done yet
KD Hall launched her own eponymous communications firm. Two years later, she founded the KD Hall Foundation, a nonprofit that offers educations and workforce preparation and workshops for women and girls. She is also a four-time Emmy nominee who has produced several short films and a 10-episode television talk show series. She was recently appointed…
Radical Transparency
Leslie Miller says measurable progress happens when people question the status quo
Leslie “LAM” Miller is a true pioneer in the space of indie and hybrid publishing, where authors have more control over the process. In 2006, Miller left a successful career as a publishing industry executive and cofounded Girl Friday Productions, a women-owned and -led book production company. Miller, also an instructor at the University of…
A New Leaf
A trip to Asia sparks a business idea and career change for Rachel Barnecut
In 2019, Rachel Barnecut visited some of Asia’s historic tea plantations and discovered matcha — a specially grown, finely powered green tea rich in antioxidants that contains an amino acid that helps decrease stress levels. “I discovered a love for the taste, the benefits and how it made me feel,” she recalls. “I was focused…
Devoted to Art
Eli Cheatham is the artist formerly known as “Lizzie.” Cheatham, who calls herself a passionate art lover, learner and communicator, is the founder of Seattle’s EMC Spaces, an art acquisitions and design consulting firm committed to creating spaces that reflect the passions and values of the people who inhabit them. She is also the director…
Why Every Story Needs to Be Told
Audrey Cavenecia believes purposeful storytelling can be a powerful agent for change
Count Seattle Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll a huge fan of Audrey Cavenecia. “Audrey saw my passion for wanting to amplify other people and knew how to turn it into a company,” Carroll told Forbes magazine. It’s her expertise and vision that have made this possible. When I get around people with that kind of…
Going For The Green
Tami Fujii turns a lifetime love of golf into a growing business
To golf aficionado Tami Fujii, the sport consists of a lot more than a 3-wood down the middle of the fairway or a 35-foot putt for birdie. Fujii is the cofounder and chief strategist at Kinona, a growing online womens golf apparel and fashion company whose products are also found in 300 pro shops across…