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 include AirSet (www.airset.com) and Vidoop (www.vidoop.com) as well as Engage Her (www.engageher.org), an organization dedicated to using digital technologies to give greater voice to minorities and women in the U.S.

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 Wednesday lunch held at the Berkeley Repertory Theater in downtown Berkeley that showcases influential thinkers who bridge technology with the arts, politics, and media.

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

Cyclist

She’s also served on the board of the Grizzly Peak Cyclists and encourages everyone to take up cycling or at least not run over a cyclist.

Blogger

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