OUR TEAM
Our Leaders
Leonardo Lobato
Executive Director
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Leonardo has more than 20 years of international business and education experience. He was founder and CEO of the International Center for Reciprocal Training (ICRT), an organization supporting Latinx higher education students with international internships. At IAESTE Mexico (International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience), he facilitated internships for STEM and life sciences students in more than 80 countries. His business experience includes positions at Coors Brewing Company and Johnson and Johnson. Leonardo is a native of Mexico and holds master’s degrees from Stanford University and Thunderbird School of Global Management.
Dennis Agnos
Development Director
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Dennis joined La Luz as development director in 2024. Previously, Dennis was Chief Development Officer for Social Advocates for Youth, an organization that served children, youth, and their families through crisis stabilization, housing, counseling, and career services throughout Sonoma County. He led and managed all aspects of fundraising of SAY’s $8M annual budget. Dennis' 20-plus years of professional experience includes cultivation and solicitation strategy, board and volunteer management, and corporate investing in community at organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League, the San Francisco Symphony, and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He is a native of Chicago and a graduate of Bradley University located in Peoria, Illinois yet considers California his home having lived in the sunshine state since 2002. He and his partner reside in Healdsburg with their two daughters.
Sandy Sanchez
Programs Director
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Sandy was born and raised in Sonoma Valley. Wanting to give back to her community, she began volunteering at La Luz Center and became an intern while attending university. In May 2015, Sandy graduated from Sonoma State University with a Bachelors in Sociology. While doing a year of service work through AmeriCorps, she was able to assist La Luz Center by developing the infrastructure for the Volunteer Program. Sandy has held several positions with La Luz Center since 2015 and hopes to continue a lifelong career in the nonprofit sector. In addition to her passion for service work, she is the proud mentor of Sahudy, a local middle-schooler.
Dawn Williams
Architect of Financial Sustainability
Our Board
Jose Alvarez
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Jose Alvarez moved to Sonoma Valley in 1999 from Janamuato, Michoacan, Mexico. He attended Sonoma Valley High School and Santa Rosa Junior College. Shortly after graduating from high school, Jose started his banking career and has worked in financial services for 16 years. Jose is very passionate about financial literacy and has been partnering with local organizations over the last several years, sharing vital banking and money management information with the Sonoma Valley community. Jose has been recognized at the county level providing financial education. In 2018, Jose received the Forty Under 40 Award from the North Bay Business Journal, and in 2019 he was also recognized by the Business Journal with the Latino Leadership award for his work and dedication to improving financial literacy in our community. Jose is a former board member for the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center and he also serves as a board member and is part of the executive committee for the Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Kelli Anderson
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Kelli Anderson grew up in Hollister, CA, and graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Anthropology before starting her career in journalism as an intern at the Point Reyes Light. After moving to New York City, she joined Sports Illustrated, where she covered college basketball and the Summer Olympics, among other things, for more than 20 years. As a freelance writer, she has written about a range of subjects, from ground-breaking brain cancer research to innovative educational technology to the comparative coffee cultures of San Francisco and Seattle. She has lived in the Sonoma Valley for the last 24 years and is a member of Sonoma’s Impact100, a woman’s philanthropic organization.
Kent Anderson
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Kent Anderson is semi-retired retail executive, having spent the majority of his career with the Macy’s Corporation where he served as head of Marketing and Sales Promotion, Chief Financial Officer of Macys’ West Coast division, founder and longtime President of macys.com and finally Managing Director of Macy’s China. He is a transformative executive who introduced new technologies, built a multi-billion-dollar division, and brought the Macy’s brand to mainland China. Today, he is the CEO of Gear Up Consulting where he advises startups in the consumer-focused use of artificial intelligence and block chain technologies. Kent has been a board member of the San Francisco YMCA, the Global leadership Council of the College of Business at Colorado State University and the New York Fashion Institute of Technology focused on emerging retail concepts. He is a founding board member of the Village of Sonoma Valley and a mentor in the Sonoma Mentor Program. He has lived in Sonoma since 2017, and enjoys a variety of sports, gardening and wine making. He has been married for 45 years and has three adult children and 6 grandchildren.
Vanessa Balderrama
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Vanessa Balderrama, was born in Merida, Yucatan and lived there for 6 years before migrating to California. Vanessa has called Sonoma home over 35 years, she attended Flowery, Altimira and Sonoma Valley High School. Vanessa fell in love with our beautiful small town and community and feels truly fortunate to raise her two boys here with her husband Sean. Before serving as Sonoma’s Branch Manager at North Bay Credit Union, Vanessa’s career began at Basque Boulangerie Café and span over 21 years starting in the deli department with promotions to café manager and onto office manager/sales representative. Vanessa is passionate about her community and dedicated to volunteering her time and leadership. Vanessa’s values align with La Luz’s mission, on family services, economic advancement, and community engagement. She is also a member of Rotary Sonoma Springs, Sonoma Valley Chamber of Commerce and Sonoma Valley High School Booster Club. Vanessa volunteers at local park clean ups, partnered with La Luz’s tutoring program at El Verano School, local job fairs and events. She participates in Octoberfest, John’s March Against Stomach Cancer and Relay for Life and loves to attend the Sonoma International Film Festival, Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival, and many more events Sonoma Valley has to offer. Vanessa likes to spend time with her family barbecuing, listening to music, dancing or just sitting on the couch relaxing watching a Giants game.
Kimberly Blattner
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Kimberly Blattner moved to Sonoma in 1982. She was raised in Oregon and came to California in 1967 to attend Stanford where she received a B.A. in Political Science and captained the women’s varsity swimming team. She received an M.A. and elementary and secondary teaching credentials from UC Davis and taught high school from 1975-1990. She chaired the English Department at Sonoma Valley High School from 1988-90. In 1994, she and her husband, Simon, remodeled an 1881 farmhouse and received the League for Historic Preservation Award. Since coming to Sonoma she has served on the boards of the League of Women Voters of Sonoma County, the Sonoma Valley Fund (VP), Sonoma Valley Collaborative, Valley of the Moon Music Festival (President), Catalyst Fund Steering Committee. For the SV Art Museum, she chaired Wet Paint and Great Places Great Spaces. She also served on the city’s Community Services and Environment Commission for eight years. For La Luz, she co-chaired Noche de Luna and the Capital Campaign, chaired the Board of Directors twice and has served on the governance, strategic planning and development committees. In 2020 and 21 she and her husband were selected as the city’s alcaldes (honorary mayors) and as the Muses for the Community Center in 2023, both honors for their service to the Sonoma community.
Bill Blosser
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Bill Blosser grew up in Oakland, California and moved to Sonoma in 2011 with his wife Dorinda. In 1970 he co-founded Sokol Blosser Winery in the Dundee Hills of Oregon, building it to one of the largest wineries in the state. The winery is now operated by one of his sons and his daughter, leaving Bill time to continue his long history of public service. In Oregon, he successively served as chair of three state commissions and served on numerous industry and non-profit boards. He also worked many years for an international engineering firm; his work took him to live and work throughout Latin America. Prior to joining the Board, he served on the La Luz Latino Leadership Program committee.
Ligia Booker
Founder & Board Emeritus
Meg Kellogg
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Meg Kellogg has lived in Sonoma since 2018 and Berkeley, SF and Atherton before that. Serving the Latinx community is Meg's priority. She is a Spanish translator for FISH and on the Board, PR and Noche Committees for La Luz. In College years, Meg worked with the economically disadvantaged in Morelia, Michoacán. Meg is also part of Sonoma's Impact100 and on the San Francisco Opera Guild Board. Meg has experience in all spheres of health care management: medical groups, hospitals, health plans, government and medical technology investments. She served as Director of Strategic Planning and Product Development at Kaiser Permanente, Founding Co-editor, Medical Technology Stock Letter, Director of Corporate Planning for Pacific Medical Center and has held leadership positions in the US Health Care Financing Administration, Washington DC. Her last "gig" was as Founder and Director of the Global Health Leadership Forum based at UC Berkeley and Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona. Meg is a graduate of UC Berkeley and holds a masters in Community Health from Stanford University. Meg speaks French and Spanish.
Patricia Moncada
Beth Stelluto Dunaier
President
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Beth Stelluto Dunaier and her husband, Howard, have lived in Sonoma County for nearly 20 years, moving from Kenwood to Sonoma in 2018. She is a graduate of Middlebury College and the Wharton Graduate School of Business. After a rewarding career in Personal Finance as a marketing and business line executive with Charles Schwab and other organizations, Beth shifted her attention to the intersection of philanthropy and business. She is an advisor to the Marin Sonoma Impact Venture Fund, invests in start-up organizations and serves on several non-profit boards addressing systemic change in environment, social justice and economic opportunities. Beth joined the La Luz Board in 2020 and serves as the Board Vice President and chair of the Microloan Committee. Beth enjoys being outdoors here in beautiful Sonoma, singing with the Free Spirits Gospel Choir, learning Spanish – poco a poco, and simply enjoying life with a rich network of amazing friends and family.