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Vanessa Richardson

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Vanessa is a former business journalist who has covered personal investing, venture capital, startups and business management for publications like Entrepreneur, Money, the San Francisco Business Times and the Sacramento Business Journal. Her portfolio also includes marketing work for clients like Intuit and Wells Fargo. For a change of pace, she used her scuba diving certification to edit Undercurrent, a Consumer Reports-style newsletter covering all things scuba, marine life and the oceans. She's also focused on the business of events and new ways to get journalism in front of, and more connected to, the public. Vanessa led events for INFORUM, the division of The Commonwealth Club in San Francisco that serves people in their 20s and 30s. Then she came home to her native Sacramento to launch California Groundbreakers, which creates civic engagement through live local events. With beer, wine and cocktails.

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Watch: Will the kids be all right?
How will this continued state of isolation during the pandemic affect the long-term mental health of children in California? We explored this question and discussed the impact of this unprecedented time on our state’s youth. CalMatters mental health reporter Jocelyn Wiener moderated the conversation about the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on mental health, what […]
By • August 20, 2020
Timothy P. White, Chancellor of the California State University system, left, prepares to testify on the failure to fully disclose a $1.5 billion surplus in a joint hearing of the Joint Legislative Audit, Senate Education, Assembly Higher Education and Assembly subcommittee on Education Finance committees on August 12, 2019. Photo by Anne Wernikoff for CalMatters
Events
Watch: Student Town Hall with CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White
CSU students: Got questions about what college will look like this fall? We hosted a virtual discussion with Chancellor Timothy P. White on how CSU campuses are addressing your concerns during the pandemic, from the cost of tuition to remote learning. This event took place on Wednesday, August 19. You can read a recap of […]
By • August 19, 2020
california schools distance learning
Events
Watch: The 2020-21 school year in California
As schools across California begin virtual instruction, students, parents and teachers have many questions and concerns after enduring a hectic spring semester. How will California’s 6 million students and their parents navigate this crisis — and when will students be able to safely return to some form of in-person learning? We had a conversation with […]
By • August 13, 2020
Events
Watch: The crisis in California mental health
Before the pandemic and recession, California was already struggling with a mental health system widely considered to be dysfunctional. Gov. Gavin Newsom promised “an aggressive agenda to lift California’s approach to mental healthcare into a national model.” What have the pandemic and recession done to this issue and these plans? What are the mental health […]
By • July 14, 2020
Events
Watch: What happens to California cities when jobs go remote?
CalMatters and the Milken Institute are teaming up to host a series of virtual discussions about California’s response, recovery, and resilience strategies in a post-COVID landscape, and what the “Future of Work” means now to educators, employers, college students and cities statewide. The Future of Work: What Happens to California Cities When Jobs Go Remote? […]
By • July 14, 2020

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