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Women who Move the City |
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The women who are shaping San Diego’s future are doing so in unique ways, by tapping learned skills and inherent talents. Their influence has increased our understanding of health alternatives and our renewable energy potential. They have inspired an appreciation for hospitality, community and diversity. Perhaps best of all, their impact has started a ripple effect that reaches beyond our region.
DEBRA L. REED
The first job Debra L. Reed had when she graduated summa cum laude from the University of Southern California remains one of her favorites. As a consulting engineer at Southern California Gas, her responsibilities involved assessing the needs of large commercial and industrial customers and devising a workable plan to save energy. Reed remembers the time she suggested energy-efficient wasteheat-recovery boilers to a brusque commercial laundry customer. He was suspicious of a young woman giving him business advice, but her expertise won him over.
“We became good co-workers on getting things done at his facility,” she says. “He ended up getting an award for energy efficiency.”
In 1988, Reed became the first appointed female officer at SoCalGas, and for a decade, she assumed leadership roles in human resources, administration, marketing and environmental engineering. The scope of those positions made her uniquely qualified to understand her company, her customers and her colleagues from many perspectives.
Two years ago, Reed, now 52, was promoted to president and CEO of San Diego Gas & Electric and Southern California Gas, both subsidiaries of Sempra Energy. SoCalGas is the nation’s largest natural-gas distribution utility, while SDG&E is a regulated public utility. Together they serve more than 20 million consumers. She knew her success would be linked to her ability to engage her staff in creative solutions that resulted in customers experiencing the positive results of energy efficiency.
“I wanted to find ways for our employees to be creative and to use technology to better serve our customers,” she says. “I see energy efficiency as a win-win situation. It helps customers lower their bills and value our resources.”
Reed acknowledges that energy efficiency requires change and sacrifice, and that applies to her personal life. When she and her husband moved to their Rancho Santa Fe home, they began a remodeling project. The house was equipped with an older solar water-heating unit, with leaking tanks and unsightly panels on the roof. The cost to remove it was far less than the cost to replace it, and the appearance of the home would be improved by its absence.
“It would have been nice to get rid of those tanks,” says Reed wistfully. “But we decided to replace it because it was the right thing to do.”
Recently, Reed introduced her solar initiative in San Diego, a five-year plan that would collectively generate enough electricity to power 50,000 homes. Part of the plan calls for installing electricity-generating solar panels atop parking structures. These photovoltaic panels track the path of the sun, and that tracking technology can produce nearly double the electricity of fixed rooftop solar panels.
“There is so much to our plan, and it starts with energy efficiency,” says Reed. “Over the past 10 to 15 years, San Diegans have saved the equivalent of two power plants. I want to continue to be a leader in those efforts.”
DR. ERMINIA GUARNERI
Mimi Guarneri was 8 when her mother died; her father passed away when she was 17. The loss sparked a desire to become a physician, so that others would not experience losing loved ones at such an early age. Her grandmother raised her to believe that there were no limitations on what one could achieve.
“She was a strong proponent of education and taught me that one’s path in life could be shaped by having the best education possible,” says Guarneri, 48, who co-founded the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in 1999 with health practitioner Rauni Prittinen King.
After earning her medical degree, Guarneri served as chief medical resident at Cornell Medical Center. Licensed in California and New York, she is board-certified in cardiology and in nuclear, internal and holistic medicine.
Launching the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine was challenging because it represented a paradigm shift in patient treatment.
“We trained in a disease-care model—if someone breaks down, a healthcare practitioner steps in to patch them together,” says Guarneri, who has authored The Heart Speaks (Simon & Schuster, 2006) and numerous scientific articles that address the mind-body connection. In contrast, “The Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine is based on the premise that health is more than the absence of disease. It’s proactive, partnering with patients to achieve maximum health. We believe disease is preventable through diet, exercise, stress management and medication.”
For more information or tickets to our third annual Women who Move the City event, click here!
The Institute of Medicine and The Bravewell Collaborative, a foundation dedicated to advancing integrative healthcare, have partnered to convene a summit that will explore integrative medicine in Washington, D.C., on February 25-27, 2009. Guarneri is one of 12 individuals in the United States appointed to the planning committee. She says the model of integrative medicine is not only being embraced in San Diego, it’s impacting the future of healthcare throughout the world.
“We have major epidemics that revolve around obesity, diabetes, heart disease and stress, all of which are preventable by changing one’s lifestyle and environment,” says Guarneri. “I believe integrative medicine has the tools to bring those changes to fruition.”
JANICE BROWN
On a desk in the tastefully decorated conference room of the Brown Law Group, a small silver frame holds a snapshot of the late San Diego attorney Bonnie Reading. Janice P. Brown cites her as a mentor she’ll never forget.
“She had a sense of my future that was beyond what I could see,” says Brown. “She taught me that it’s okay to be scared, and if someone growls at you, you may have to growl back. I got an award from the California Association of Black Lawyers in 1995, and the ceremony was up in Los Angeles. She introduced me at that dinner, and it was a big deal because she was going through chemotherapy. She died that fall but she looked awesome; she didn’t even look sick. She brought other people from the firm where we worked and they came. I’ll never forget it.”
Brown’s career in law wasn’t intentional. She had hoped to be a radio or TV journalist, but a bad bicycle accident changed her course.
“My face was so disfigured that I thought I couldn’t do that kind of work,” she says. “I applied to the Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, Washington, and graduated in two years.” Over time, Brown’s injuries healed, and in 2003, she launched her own firm. Staffed with six attorneys, her organization specializes in employment law and business litigation.
Brown currently lives in Kensington with her husband, Marine Lieutenant Colonel David Fennell. Her latest passion is a new consulting business called Beyond Measure (powerfulbeyondmeasure.com), an organization she believes will help to positively influence future lawyers to reach their goals.
“One of the benefits of being 50 is that I understand that time is mighty precious and there is less of it to waste,” says Brown. “I think I can help shape San Diego by helping to encourage young lawyers to take risks and follow up with the things Bonnie taught me to do. It’s not just about my coloring or being a woman; it’s diversity of thought. I think that’s what I offer. I’ve gotten a number of attorney awards, but I think Beyond Measure is what I’m supposed to do— help young people be the best they can be.”
DEBORAH SCOTT
The importance of hospitality was bred into executive chef Deborah Scott, much the way genteel manners are a part of growing up in the South. Childhood summers were spent fishing with her dad on the outer banks of North Carolina, and cooking the catch of the day was a communal effort that helped to enrich her family relationships.
“We would dig a big hole in the sand, put coals and wood in it, then put a grate over it and cook everything right there on the beach,” says Scott, 54. “I’ve always loved eating outside on the grill. When you are picking crabs apart around a table, it’s more of a social event rather than just a dinner.”
Scott decided to pursue a career in culinary arts and completed her graduate studies at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. She then relocated to Southern California, eventually becoming head chef for Indigo Grill. It was there that restaurateurs Lesley and David Cohn discovered her talent for melding the flavors and cooking techniques of Pacific Rim and Latin cultures. Impressed with Scott’s innovative recipes, sensuous presentation and easy-going nature, the couple suggested a partnership.
“There wasn’t a lot of fusion food at that point. And talking to guests has always been a natural thing for me,” Scott says. “I think people appreciate the acknowledgment and the fact that you care.”
The Cohns and Scott joined forces in 1995, and today, Scott works as executive chef at three notable San Diego restaurants, including Island Prime, Kemo Sabe and Indigo Grill. But she is not satisfied with creating a memorable dining experience; her vision for a new venture is to raise the bar in the field of hospitality, which she’ll do by creating a more integrative dining experience.
Recently, Scott and the Cohns have partnered with Sunroad Harbor Island, a subsidiary of Sunroad Enterprises, to operate a restaurant, lounge and event center in close proximity to Island Prime, with the same waterfront views. The venue will occupy the former Reuben E. Lee restaurant, after undergoing a $9 million renovation due for completion by 2011. There, Scott will develop her concept for resort cuisine—a trend that will undoubtedly be mimicked throughout San Diego, much like her concept for fusion food. Her signature bottled water, which benefits Project Wildlife, also will be sold at the new establishment.
“It will have an island feel,” says Scott, famous for dishes such as nut-crusted Brie and “Skirts on Fire,” a charbroiled steak lavished with Mandarin-serrano relish. “I’ll do outdoor cooking with a grill and interact with the guests. Service and food are important, but one thing I bring to the table is my ability to make guests feel valued.”
DIANA SPYRIDONIDIS
When Diana Spyridonidis first came to San Diego, she worked as a representative for City Councilmember Toni Atkins, where she learned about the policy issues that affect affordable housing and the revitalization of older urban neighborhoods.
“There were times when we had to fight for funding to go toward homeless housing programs in San Diego,” says Spyridonidis, chief executive for the San Diego Business Improvement District Council, a nonprofit umbrella organization that represents 16,000 small businesses throughout the city. “She really taught me to take care of and serve the public.”
Born in Boston, Spyridonidis came to San Diego eight years ago and lives in North Park. She says that she grew up with diversity, mom-and-pop stores, public transportation and access to good schools. Her goal is to bring those elements to San Diego neighborhoods.
Spyridonidis earned degrees in political science and Spanish from Bridgewater State College. Now she hopes to rally a voice for the underdog. At 31, she’s just completed her first year at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where she intends to further her career in social justice.
“I hope to remain involved in issues that affect economic development in San Diego neighborhoods—things like housing and infrastructure, a huge issue in San Diego,” says Spyridonidis, a North Park resident. “There is such a backlog for street resurfacing, sewer lines and sidewalk improvement. There has to be an emergency for things to get done, because there is not enough money to be proactive.”
As for impacting the future of San Diego, Spyridonidis can count a pair of recent success stories.
“There are two new neighborhoods that we just gave grant funding to. One is Barrio Logan, and the other is Sherman Heights,” she boasts. “I’m really excited, because it’s been the first time we’ve been able to bring funding that will help promote the small businesses there. They each received $8,500 toward festivals, street banners and other programs that promote shopping in the neighborhood.”
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