“Alison brings a deep understanding of finance, technology, and corporate governance to our board,” said Claudia Fan Munce, chair of the Nominations & Governance Committee of NACD Northern California. “Our chapter is dedicated to empowering directors and modernizing governance. Alison’s insights and vision will enhance our chapter’s ability to serve our members’ needs.”
“Alison’s long history of leading innovative and diverse teams will be invaluable to our growing chapter,” said Kim Box, chair of the NACD Northern California Chapter.
“Ira is a thoughtful and passionate leader, bringing decades of experience in corporate leadership. His tremendous insight, knowledge, and passion for advancing board excellence will help bring cutting-edge programming to our members,” noted Ms. Box.
“We’re excited to welcome Ira to the NACD Northern California Chapter’s Board of Directors, and I know that all of us will benefit from his leadership and expertise. His voice and vision will help make a positive impact in the boardroom,” said Ms. Fan Munce.
ABOUT THE NACD NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
NACD Northern California Chapter provides a forum for NACD members to exchange knowledge and discuss leading boardroom practices. NACD’s 20+ chapters enhance the value of NACD membership by providing directors with a local forum to address governance challenges to elevate their board’s performance. Members enjoy peer-to-peer dialogue about critical boardroom issues such as cyber risk, CEO succession planning, activism, and leadership. To learn more about NACD Northern California, please visit www.nacdnortherncalifornia.org.
ABOUT NACD
For more than 40 years, NACD has been on the leading edge of corporate governance, setting standards of excellence that have elevated board performance. NACD arms today’s directors with insights and education that drive their mission forward, while preparing a new generation of boardroom leaders to meet tomorrow’s biggest challenges. NACD is a community of more than 22,000 directors driven by a common purpose: to be trusted catalysts of economic opportunity and positive change—in businesses and in the communities they serve. To learn more about NACD, visit www.nacdonline.org.
Cruise writer & expert Gene Sloan has penned what is to me an excellent & highly accurate article on the great Crystal Cruises. I am sharing it here because I too sincerely hope that Crystal survives and returns to the seas. Crystal is outstanding – and then some!
Good journalists are supposed to be impartial. They stay neutral when reporting the news. And even as someone who has built a career writing about the fluffiest of topics — cruising — I have tried to hold fast to such principles.
Crystal is, without a doubt, the finest cruise line that I have ever experienced — and I have sailed with more than 40 cruise brands. The possibility that it won’t be around to continue to set the bar for what a great cruise line can be fills me with sadness.
I will lay my bias on the table right here, for everyone to see: I really want Crystal to survive.
Whether it does or not seems up in the air.
For now, the suspension of operations at Crystal, which specializes in luxury cruises, is just temporary … at least, that’s what the line is saying. On Wednesday, Crystal said it only canceled sailings of its three oceangoing ships through the end of April. It canceled sailings of its five river ships through the end of May.
But the line’s fate is now in the hands of liquidators for its parent company, Genting Hong Kong.
Genting Hong Kong said on Wednesday that it was nearly out of cash and filed for what is known as a winding-up petition with a court in Bermuda, where it is registered. This clears the way for liquidators to sell or shut down divisions as part of an orderly restructuring.
What happens next is unclear.
In a filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Wednesday, Genting Hong Kong said some of its business activities, including (but not limited to) the operations of its Asia-based Dream Cruises division, would continue as its liquidators pursue a financial restructuring “in order to preserve and protect the core assets and maintain the value” of these assets during the process.
However, it said it expected the majority of its existing operations to “cease to operate.”
Genting Hong Kong has a controlling interest in three cruise lines — Dream Cruises, Asia-based Star Cruises and Crystal — as well as shipyards in Germany and a Resorts World casino in Malaysia.
Why I am rooting for Crystal Cruises!
The luxury corner of the cruise world in North America is dominated by just a few major players, most notably Crystal, Silversea Cruises, Seabourn and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. Together, they operate about two dozen ocean ships.
Over the years, I have sailed with all of these lines many times, and there is no bad apple in the bunch. They all are wonderful cruise operators, with beautiful ships, carefully crafted itineraries and — most importantly — generally impeccable service.
But among them all, Crystal has always stood out. It’s something special.
There is a culture on board Crystal ships that is like nothing I have experienced anywhere else at sea — and this is coming from someone who has sailed on more than 160 cruise vessels operated by 41 different lines. I’ve easily taken more than 200 cruises in all.
The service on Crystal ships is consistently intuitive and flawless at a level that makes it extraordinary. It’s often the little things that tell the tale.
A few months ago, when I was sitting in the Palm Court lounge on Crystal’s new expedition ship, Crystal Endeavor, the room’s bar manager, Ana, arrived with a cappuccino. She quietly placed it on the table in front of me while I was typing away on a story.
I hadn’t ordered the cappuccino, but I was indeed ready for one, which she somehow intuitively knew. She clearly had taken note in the days before that I liked to slowly sip on a coffee as I wrote in a corner of the room. She must have noticed that my coffee orders on board were invariably cappuccinos, not Americanos or lattes.
Ana also struck up conversations with me at times when I visited her bar, but she seemed to know just the right time to do so and just the right time to leave me alone. That’s a fine line to walk, and she walked it like a pro.
I wrote about this at the time, as it was a perfect example of the amazing, anticipate-your-every-need service that is a hallmark of Crystal.
It’s the sort of service that points to a company not only hiring the very best people in the business but also training them extensively and about as perfectly as possible.
Crystal’s crew members are not the only ones who are a delight, though. So are the passengers. It’s a truism of cruising that every line has its own culture when it comes to their regular crowd, and Crystal ships are a second home to some of the most interesting, fun and engaging people you’ll find at sea. I always enjoy being around them.
The best outcome:
The next few months could go a few ways for Crystal.
In a statement Wednesday, the line said its suspension of operations for the next few months would “provide Crystal’s management team with an opportunity to evaluate the current state of business and examine various options moving forward.”
That leaves open a lot of possibilities. It’s also not clear how much of a vote Crystal’s management will get when it comes to choosing a path forward. Judging from Genting Hong Kong’s filing with the Hong Kong stock exchange on Wednesday, the company’s liquidators will have the biggest sway over what comes next.
In the filing, the company suggested the liquidators would pursue a financial restructuring that could keep at least parts of the company running. However, they also would have the power to “dispose of all or certain of the company’s assets with a view to maximizing value and returns for creditors.”
That could mean that Crystal resumes operations as a division of a restructured Genting Hong Kong. It also could mean it resumes operations under the ownership of another cruise company, hedge fund or other entity that buys it during the liquidation process. It also could mean the brand is shut down completely or sees some of its eight vessels sold off for cash to interested buyers.
I like to think that Crystal has such a loyal following and offers such a unique brand promise that someone either within or outside of Genting Hong Kong will see the value of it as an entity kept whole and make a play to keep it running just as it is.
Given Genting Hong Kong’s not-so-great track record in overseeing the brand, the best outcome to me would be for the line to be sold to a financially sound buyer who won’t make too many changes to what it is now.
Media contact: David Perry & Associates, Inc. (415) 676-7007 / news@davidperry.com
MEDIA ADVISORY / Onsite Coverage Request:Tuesday, January 18: 11:30am
WHO: Ron deHarte
WHAT: Announces candidacy for District 3 Palm Springs City Council
WHEN: Tuesday, January 18: 11:30am
WHERE: Ruth Hardy Park (700 Tamarisk Road)
WHY: “As a small business owner, gay, Hispanic, father of two, I want Palm Springs to forever be a great place to live, work, and visit. I am running because I am a resident who cares about Palm Springs and believes we can have safe streets, sound economic development, a robust tourism economy, and accessible housing while being a leader in sustainability. I am running for Palm Springs City Council to represent you and make decisions that will benefit the district and the city as a whole.”– Ron deHarte
Early Endorsements:
Gail Christian and Lucy DeBardelaben
Christy Holstege
Jerry Keller
Geoff Kors
Joy Brown Meredith
Lisa Middleton
Ron Oden
Bryan Reyes
Dr. Les Zendle
About Ron deHarte:
An eleven-year resident of Palm Springs, Ron deHarte was appointed to the Palm Springs Human Rights Commission in 2016 and subsequently elected chair, a position he continues to hold. Ron has a long list of accomplishments demonstrating his dedication to the growth, safety, and success of Palm Springs and his neighborhood, District 3. Ron serves on the City of Palm Springs Police Chief’s LGBTQ Advisory Committee, is a member of Main Street Palm Springs and the Community Leadership Council and was invited to serve on the City of Palm Springs Business Transition & Re-entry Task Force. Ron has also served on the Community Development Block Grant Citizens Advisory Committee and the Palm Springs Public Library strategic planning process to establish direction for the city’s library facility. Ron is also a part of numerous community-based initiatives and is on the board of directors for Safe Schools Desert Cities, Palm Springs Pride, and the United States Association of Prides.
As a city commissioner, a small business owner, gay, Hispanic, father of two, Ron has a diverse set of skills and perspectives that help him serve his community. He believes in and understands the importance of safe streets, economic development, tourism, accessible housing, being a leader in sustainability, having walkable neighborhoods, and accessibility to natural resources.
Ron first thought of running for city council while working on community projects with George Zander, who passed away in 2015 after sustaining a hate crime injury. George’s decades of social justice and human rights advocacy inspired him. He worked for the entire community and bucked the status quo. George thrived in all things political. George planted the seed and Ron was asked to run but was not yet ready to be a politician, focusing his energy on working with nonprofits, providing empowerment opportunities for youth and raising awareness of the vast diversity of our city.
Today, after fifteen years of service with a focus on international human rights and community service, Ron is now ready, prepared, and eager to work for the residents of District 3 as their City Council Representative. Ron brings a balanced perspective on issues related to safe streets, economic development, and infrastructure. His past service to the community clearly shows that he is committed to doing the right job for the right reasons. Now is the time for Ron to bring his experience to the Palm Springs.
11 January 2022 Scipio, IN: Pen It! Publications, LLC has released CUTTING OF HARP STRINGS, the new novel by E.G. Kardos. In it, Eli tells the story of his teenage-self in the 1970s when one person upends his plan and his life is destined to change. Forever to please, Eli follows a comfortable and preordained path but is unaware of the pounding message in his head that says success, happiness, and love follow a narrow path. Polar opposite, he and Aiden are paired as roommates their senior year in boarding school. They clash not fully aware of their true selves, yet their friendship unfolds in ways neither had ever before experienced. Caught off guard, their relationship deepens but like a gut punch, a promise Aiden made to himself changes everything.
Years later, fraught with regret, denial, and his restless spirit, Eli treks to the secret location that he and Aiden once shared to search for his peace. Will he find his answers?
A poignant coming-of-age story of friendship, living in the moment, and love is a poetic mosaic of joy, heartbreak, self-reflection but most of all, utter bliss.
E.G. Kardos, a fiction writer, is the author of four books. Important to him, he bases his work on the beauty that surrounds all of us—both in nature and in each other. His view of spirituality, friendship, love, and connection to the universe inspired him to write CUTTING OF HARP STRINGS. He lives in Richmond, Virginia.
Here’s what they’re saying…
“… a compelling and engagingly written story of friendship, the word used to describe a long, slow process of enlightenment as well as a term applicable to the process of healing and learning to make sense of life. Spanning twenty-five years, and centered around a secluded spot of inspiration, Cutting of Harp Strings is a strongly recommended and emotionally moving saga.” — James A. Cox, editor-in-chief, Midwest Book Review.
“In Cutting of Harp Strings, E.G. Kardos continues to show a creative imagination, a wicked sense of humor and a depth of characterization. — Jay Strafford, retired books editor, Richmond Times-Dispatch.
Lectures, guest appearances, interviews and review copies are available by contacting Rachel Hale, Marketing Director at Penitpublications@yahoo.com or E.G. Kardos directly at www.edwardgkardos.com.
About Pen It! At Pen It!, we strive to share new writers with fresh stories to readers. We have a book for everyone as we believe readers hunger for a diverse and imaginative world to explore to feed their souls. We publish across most categories and interests and provide some of the most inspiring stories told. We are proud of our latest work of Literary Fiction/Coming of Age/YA, Cutting of Harp Strings: a novel.
CUTTING OF HARP STRINGS: A NOVEL (ISBN: 978-1-63984-010-6) is published in hardback (260 pages), paperback (978-1-63984-009-0) and e-book by Pen It! Publications, LLC. Retail price $20.99 for hardback, $12.99 for paperback and $3.99 for e-book. Copies may be purchased from the publisher, Amazon, or any bookseller worldwide, and by contacting the author at www.edwardgkardos.com.
Discounts for quantities purchased may be available. For more information, to include price for store purchases and return policy, please contact Rachel Hale (marketing director), the publisher, Debi Stanton (president) at penitpublications@yahoo.com or the author at www.edwardgkardos.com
Charlotte Mailliard Shultz Memorial Postponed Due to Omicron Surge
Service Originally Planned for January 13th To Be Rescheduled
7 January 2022 – San Francisco, CA: The Memorial Service for Charlotte Mailliard Shultz originally scheduled for Thursday, January 13 at 3pm at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral (1100 California Street atop Nob Hill) will be rescheduled due to the current Omicron / COVID surge. A new date will be announced in the coming days.
