board of directors

	President Jan Kucker Jan introduces her clients to their personal angels and spirit guides through her intuitive readings. Her business empowers people to reach for the stars and to accomplish their dreams by understanding their life journey and goals. With over twenty years experience Jan has built an excellent reputation within the community and across the nation as the psychic with a loving heart. Fourteen years ago Jan was one of the founding mothers of Connections and she is delighted to see the group flourishing and expanding. Her goal as President is to support the board’s decision making and create a positive place for businesswomen to network.

	Vice President Karen Halseth Karen is a Certified Life Coach, Skilled Intuitive, Workshop Facilitator, and Inspirational Speaker. She enjoyed careers in hotel operations and day spa management for 20 years before turning her passion for personal development and transformation into her unique coaching business, Inspired Life Story. With her engaging style, insightful approach and practiced methods, Karen guides clients into living the life they truly want. She models a commitment to values, vision, and purpose, which leads to increased personal and professional success and satisfaction. As Vice President Karen is committed to offering professional and informative meetings with a dash of fun for good measure.

	Secretary Catherine Held, PhD Catherine Held, PhD is a hands-on healer in her practice Ancestors’ Way and a freelance grant writer for non-profit organizations. She has a diverse background in business, non-profits, and in the healing arts. A mom of two teenagers, she is also “Grandma Cat” to two grandchildren born to her grown stepdaughters. Catherine leads women’s groups to the Ukraine, and thrives on art and travel. Check out her website at www.ancestorsway.com. She loves Connections because she believes that “When you empower women, you transform communities.”

	Treasurer Kathleen Hoare Kathy was introduced to Connections is 2002 as a grateful scholarship recipient while attending SRJC, working and raising, as a single parent, her pre-teen daughter. Now a graduate of SSU with a B.S. in Business Administration (Finance), she is a licensed loan agent with Residential Pacific Mortgage, contentedly and energetically working from her home office in Santa Rosa. Being self employed most of her professional life and a residential real estate investor herself, Kathy specializes in mortgage financing for the self-employed, for real estate investors and for first time home buyers. She rejoined Connections for professional community in January 2007 and deeply values the friendships she has been establishing since then. Contributing to the Board allows her to expand her relationships and makes Connections feel like home.

	Membership Director Pam Soekland As a Financial advisor, Pam is able to fulfill her lifelong passion of making a daily difference in the lives of others. Pam enjoys leading her clients through a process to build solid financial plans that will enable them to realize their retirement dreams. The dynamics of the financial industry keep her challenged and learning. Leadership, coaching and education are natural to Pam. As a former high-tech manager, Pam led a department of 350 procurement professionals in sites around the globe, to accomplish the company objectives and meet their personal development goals. Married for 20 years, with three beautiful daughters, her family loves to golf and travel. Pam believes strongly in the power of Connections, and is committed to growing the membership.

	Communications Director Denise Brodt Denise Brodt is a communications expert with 20 plus years producing written and visual communications. She enjoys helping other business owners market and promote their businesses in cost-effective ways. Her three companies, ClicksOncall.com, PromosOncall.com and GrafixOncall.com, help clients leverage even the smallest of advertising budgets to get the biggest bang for every dollar spent. Denise is thankful for Connections and its supportive community of women. She says no other networking group in the county comes close in achieving its unique blend of networking, education and giving back to community. She loves how we share, encourage and celebrate each other.

	Meetings Director Jenna Montgomery Jenna Montgomery was born and raised in Sonoma County. She studied nutrition in San Diego before partnering with her mother, Renee Russo, to run the Thermography Center of Sonoma County. She and her husband Miguel, love to Salsa dance, live in Santa Rosa with their Golden Doodle “children,” Chai and Lexi. Jenna enjoys spending time in her garden, working with design and teaching breast health techniques to women in the community. Jenna has been an active member in Connection for the past year. She loves the women of Connections and values the group holds and chose to get more involved this year by becoming a board member.

	Community Outreach Director Cecilia “CiCi” Wilcoxon Cecilia has been a businesswoman since 1975, owning and operating a Women’s Clothing Boutique, a Coffee House/Art Gallery, and a Custom Clothing Design Company. During these years she was restoring vintage houseboats and Victorian era homes. Through her love of homes and architecture, she went into Real Estate in 1998. With a lifelong dedication to service and volunteerism, Cecilia has been a maker of crib quilts for babies born at-risk, a massage therapist for critically ill patients, taught music and sewing to orphan youth in Mexico, and continues to sing in hospitals, prisons and senior homes. She is honored to be the Community Outreach Director, enriching the lives of women through higher-education scholarships, donations and member participation.

	San Rafael Team Leader Andrea Devaux Originally from New Zealand, Ms. Andrea Devaux has become both a business and community leader in the San Francisco Bay area over the past 20 years. While leading the global expansion of her telecommunications business, ACN, Andrea is also one of the top continuity supervisors in the San Francisco film industry. For fun she teaches weight training, kick-boxing, spin, Pilate’s & yoga at various Marin gyms. That energy also allows her to be a public speaking & media coach for individuals as well as several non-profit organizations including, St. Anthony’s Foundation. But most importantly to Andrea, she is a mother to two wonderful daughters, ages 5 & 11.