Interesting People
Vote Of Confidence
By the end of this month, Courtney Bailey-Kanelos is going to be ready for one epic nap. As the Sacramento County registrar of voters, Bailey-Kanelos is in charge of making sure elections go as smoothly as possible—and the preparation for this year’s presidential election Nov. 3 has been a doozy.
“Preparing for an election is like planning a wedding—but for 800,000 people,” says Bailey-Kanelos, who, at 36, is one of the youngest registrars in the state. “I’m so impressed with everyone who works elections. I’ve never met a more dedicated group of individuals. When I was younger and I’d go to my polling place, I took for granted how much work had gone into it. It’s not just an 8-to-5 job. During big elections like this one, it’s not unusual for us to be here until midnight entering registration forms. We spend so much time together, we become like a tightknit family.”
Staying Afloat
In Sacramento, COVID-19 restrictions have pounded small businesses, sinking consumer demand and sales revenue. One entrepreneur who knows about that experience is Roshaun Davis, co-owner of Unseen Heroes, an events planning firm in Sacramento he began in 2012 with his wife, Maritza.
Unseen Heroes closed in mid-March after Gov. Gavin Newsom imposed stay-at-home orders that shut down large parts of the state’s $2 trillion economy. Small businesses operating on razor-thin margins still feel the pain.
Thank You for the Music
Michael Neumann has been thinking about the serenity prayer a lot lately: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”
Neumann has retired after 40 years as artistic director and conductor of the Premier Orchestra of the Sacramento Youth Symphony, an orchestral youth organization that started in 1956. What began as an ensemble of 55 youth musicians has grown into an award-winning powerhouse of 400 members from all over the region.
Play It Again, Al
Longtime Carmichael resident Al Striplen has led many lives as an educator, artist and musician, but the common thread among all his interests is his love of learning.
A native of Bakersfield, Striplen studied botany at Humboldt State before moving to Lake County to teach middle and high school sciences and, eventually, mechanical drawing (he says he’s been artistic for as long as he can remember).
A Better Way
Dr. Carl Shin has made a career of bucking the traditional medical establishment when it comes to pain management.
“After managing chronic pain for 20 years, I've discovered that I'm in a field where we do the same things over and over without really getting results. Since outcome and results don't seem to drive the pain-management business, I sought a better way,” Shin says.
Labor Of Love
When I ask Adrienne Sher what finally motivated her to start her own theater company—after 40-plus years working as an actor and director in New York, Florida, Colorado and California—her answer is simple.
“At some point you just need to do it,” Sher says. “Jump in the water, produce a play and see what happens.”
