Who is Sylvia?

It depends on the context.

If you ask Fast Company magazine, she is a Silicon Valley Public Relations Icon.

Strategist

Her current clients are in health care, wellness, education, and virtual training.

Founder

She founded Gracenet, a networking group for women in high tech with chapters in San Francisco and Los Angeles, and is also on the advisory board of BlogHer. For several years, Gracenet’s DisGraceful Award in Advertising – given to the most sexist ad in high tech media -- made the news itself and encouraged companies like IBM and InfoUSA to withdraw ads depicting women as inferior beings (not only to men, but to aliens as well!).

Networker

She organizes events that bring people together and are intended to generate ideas, sometimes even disruptive ones.

The Berkeley Cybersalon is an irregularly held event focusing on the impact of technology on some aspect of our (un)civilization. We usually invite experts to speak but the audience is invited to contribute to the discussion as well. These events are open to the public, held at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., in Berkeley, and archived on fora.tv.

The Last Friday Ladies Lunch (also for gentle men) draws women in all professions (or not) for vivacious discussions over lunch at the Hillside Club, 2286 Cedar St., in Berkeley, usually held on the last Friday of the month from noon to 1:30 p.m. Speakers include ordinary women doing extraordinary things.

Infusion is a monthly lunch about arts, society, and technology, held in partnership with the Berkeley Startup Cluster (see berkeleystartupcluster.net), When: the second Thursday of each month Time: noon to 1:15 p.m. Where: Freight & Salvage, 2050 Addison St., Berkeley Cost: $15 for lunch; free for talk.

To get on these mailing lists, contact whoisylvia@aol.com.

Cyclist

She's on the board of the East Bay Bicycle Coalition and working on a media campaign to get a bicycle/pedestrian lane for the west span of the Bay Bridge. She doesn't have a car so walks or bicycles everywhere and sometimes resorts to bumming a ride with a friend if public transportation is unavailable.

Blogger

To see what’s on her mind these days, see www.whoisylvia.typepad.com.