Bay Area

14th Annual Powerful Women of the Bay Luncheon

The 14th Annual Powerful Woman of the Bay Luncheon was held at Scott’s Pavilion in Jack London Square on March 30. The event celebrated women that are passionate about educating, empowering, and connecting with women in business and the community.

Published

2 years ago

April 15, 2023

Oakland Post

14th Annual Powerful Women of the Bay Luncheon

By Carla Thomas

Honorees included Tali Bray, Wells Fargo Executive Vice President of Technology Diversity, Community & Sustainability. Bray leads a global team with focus on strategy, cultural transformation, and sustainability.

Dr. Chris Wachira, Founder & CEO of the Wachira Group received the C. Diane Howell Entrepreneur Award. C. Diane Howell was the publisher of Black Business Listings, a publication created to connect, promote and inform Black business owners. Wachira, a Kenyan born entrepreneur and her husband Chadwick Spells are the owners of Karibou Wine Lounge in Alameda.

California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis was also recognized. Kounalakis is the first woman lieutenant governor of California and also serves as California’s representative for International Affairs and Trade.

California Assemblymember Mia Bonta was also recognized. Bonta serves the 18th Assembly District of the East Bay, including Alameda, Emeryville, and Oakland. Bonta’s husband in attendance, California Attorney General Rob Bonta acknowledged his wife’s accomplishments.

Honoree Nola J. Turnage is the senior manager of Legal Operations of Contracts for Okta, Inc. Turnage and her team are responsible for managing Okta’s go-to market agreements worldwide.

The head of Uber’s Public Policy and Communications in the Western U.S., Ramona Pierto, was recognized. Pierto leads the work spanning policy, stakeholder, community engagement, and corporate communications.

Artist Chrisel Ahime Martinez was honored. Martinez is an artistic director fusing her political ideologies and grassroots understanding with her love for public programming. The DWJ Public Policy Initiative develops leaders for public office. The seven-month fellowship is named in honor of Dezie Woods Jones by BWOPA, Business Women Organized for Political Action.

President and publisher of the San Francisco Business Times, Mary Huss was honored. Huss currently serves on the San Francisco State University Foundation Board and Silicon Valley Leadership Group.

The Innovator Award was presented to Ay’Anna Moody, Social Impact & Sports Senior Director for the Golden State Warriors. Moody launched Generation Thrive that has served over 6,000 educators with free professional development and learning opportunities.

State Controller Malia Cohen provided the keynote address. Elected in November 2022 as chief fiscal officer responsible for the world’s fifth-largest economy, Cohen is responsible for protecting and accounting for the state’s financial resources.

Cohen serves on 70 boards and commissions and chairs the Franchise Tax Board. The nation’s two largest public pension funds, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) and the California State Teacher’s Retirement System (CalSTRS), which have a combined portfolio of $750 billion, are also boards Cohen serves on.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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May 30, 2025

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The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

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May 25, 2025

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Chevron Richmond Installs Baker Hughes Flare.IQ, Real-time Flare Monitoring, Control and Reduction System

While the sight of flaring can cause concern in the community, flares are essential safety systems that burn pollutants to prevent them from being released directly into the atmosphere. They activate during startup and shut-down of facility units or during upsets or equipment malfunctions. The typical flare stack is about 200 feet high so that vapors are well above street levels.

Published

3 weeks ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Image courtesy The Richmond Standard.

The Richmond Standard

Chevron Richmond recently installed flare.IQ, a real-time, automated system that will improve the facility’s flaring performance.

The technology, developed by Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business, uses sensors to monitor, reduce and control flaring in real time. It collects and assesses data on refinery processes, such as temperature, pressure, gas flow and gas composition, and adjusts accordingly to ensure flares burn more efficiently and cleanly, leading to fewer emissions.

“The cleaner the flare, the brighter the flame can look,” said Duy Nguyen, a Chevron Richmond flaring specialist. “If you see a brighter flame than usual on a flare, that actually means flare.IQ is operating as intended.”

“A key element in Baker Hughes’ emissions abatement portfolio, flare.IQ has a proven track record in optimizing flare operations and significantly reducing emissions,” said Colin Hehir, vice president of Panametrics, a Baker Hughes business. “By partnering with Chevron Richmond, one of the first operators in North America to adopt flare.IQ, we are looking forward to enhancing the plant’s flaring operations.”

The installation of flare.IQ is part of a broader and ongoing effort by Chevron Richmond to improve flare performance, particularly in response to increased events after the new, more efficient hydrogen plant was brought online in 2019.

Since then, the company has invested $25 million — and counting — into flare minimization. As part of the effort, a multidisciplinary refinery team was formed to find and implement ways to improve operational reliability and ultimately reduce flaring. Operators and other employees involved in management of flares and flare gas recovery systems undergo new training.

“It is important to me that the community knows we are working hard to lower emissions and improve our flaring performance,” Nguyen said.

Also evolving is the process by which community members are notified of flaring incidents. The Community Warning System (CWS), operated by Contra Costa County is an “all-hazard” public warning system.

Residents can opt-in to receive alerts via text, e-mail and landline. The CWS was recently expanded to enable residents to receive notifications for “Level 1” incidents, which are considered informational as they do not require any community action.

For more information related to these topics, check out the resources included on the Chevron Richmond, CAER and Contra Costa Health websites. Residents are also encouraged to follow @chevronrichmond and @RFDCAOnline on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter), where additional information may be posted during an incident.