Back to Business Toolbox

Erin Lebacqz created the High-Value Writing program to help business writers develop more clarity and confidence in their writing. Her new book, High-Value Writing: Real Strategies for Real-World Writing, is based on conversations with thousands of writers around the world, and provides down-to-earth strategies and examples. Erin has been teaching writing for 25 years, both in the United States and internationally.

Isabelle Marcus  is the  Founder and CEO at Columbus Consulting Group [https://www.columbusconsultinggroup.com/], a cross-border consulting company that she created in NYC back in 2006. Over the past 16 years, she has been assisting top entrepreneurs and executives to set up their business in the United States. Isabelle is very active bridging the French-American business community, whether she acts as an Advisor for French- American companies, an expert with the French American chamber of commerce or as a sponsor of French-American accelerator Tech programs. 

David G. Robins is the Senior Instructor – Job Search Accelerator (JSA) Program at JVS-San Francisco. He has been an instructor in job search skills for over 15 years and is also a Career Advisor. David’s background includes experience in large multi-national companies, small and medium size companies, non-profits and government. He earned his certificate as a Certified Professional in Learning & Performance (CPLP) from the international Association of Talent Development. Originally from Brooklyn, David lived 29 years in San Francisco before moving to Oakland. David loves to spend time singing and watching TV, sometimes too much TV.

Tara Blau Smollen is an award-winning actor, director, and theater professor. She holds an MFA in acting from the National Theater Conservatory in Denver and has worked extensively both Off-Broadway and in regional theater across the U.S. As a professor, she has taught at numerous colleges in the Bay Area including SF State, Contra Costa, and Los Medanos.

During the pandemic she saw a need to support creatives, coaches and individuals with learning how to present themselves with more authenticity, when speaking online, so she set up her own coaching business, TBS Coaching. Her client list includes, actors working on MFA auditions, organizations working on immigrant rights and policy at the state level, the health care industry, working with indigenous women on finding their voices and prepping clients for online interviews with Fortune 500 companies.

Producer, writer, and publicist Stefanie Small has worked a lifetime in the arts – both in front of the cameras, on the stage, and behind the scenes.  She is currently retained by clients for strategy, web, and media development that is accessible, engaging, and in support of their communications strategies.

As a professional, Stefanie spent years as a content creator for an educational nonprofit, as a podcast producer for multiple entities, and kept a roster of independent clients that she supported in (re)launching their businesses.

Prior to those years, Stefanie was a sought after publicist in the Bay Area’s performing arts market, working first for the premier arts presenter of the West Coast, Cal Performances at UC Berkeley, then with the boutique PR firm CBPR.

“Amber is a Branch Manager for Bolt Staffing, a Bay Area staffing agency owned by a French family. She has both a Bachelor’s Degree and a Master’s Degree in French and Francophone studies, from UCLA and UC Davis, respectively. She lived in France for a year, where she taught high school French, and has studied the differences between French and American cultures. Her favorite author is Jean Genet, and her favorite places in France are the Parisian catacombs and the Pont du Gard.”