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    gwyn-135x157Gwyn Waters
    Founder and Lead Director

    Now living and working in San Francisco, Gwyn is the daughter of a French Literature Professor and a High School Teacher/Peace Corps Volunteer. She was raised on the shores of Narragansett Bay, with summers on Hatteras Island and sabbatical stays in Oxford and Paris.

    In the Bay Area, she was lucky enough to work in the rapidly growing, entrepreneurial environments of The Sharper Image and Backroads, Inc. She is forever grateful to the founders of those companies for providing great challenges and ever changing opportunities, and for their unrelenting drive to create exceptional customer experiences.

    The chance to wear many hats and thrive in the midst of chaos, sometimes far from home, helped Gwyn transition to the career she loves as a Personal Assistant (where she continues to work for one of the Bay Area’s leading entrepreneurs).

    In 2008 she founded The Personal Assistant Network, the first professional organization for Personal Assistants and Estate Managers in the Bay Area. Members share trusted resources, attend seminars focused on professional development, and enjoy the myriad benefits of being part of a community of colleagues.

    cathie-c2-135x157Cathie Caris
    Director of Membership

    As Director of Membership, Cathie gets us all involved in The Personal Assistant Network private online community and spearheads offline team building initiatives too. She’s got a great group to work with, representing a range of experiences and skills in private service. Onboarding new members and keeping longtime participants enthused is how she gets her kicks!

    Cathie is a dedicated career Personal Assistant and Estate Manager with over 15 years of experience managing home offices, estates and busy lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her areas of expertise include oversight of multiple properties locally and overseas, staffing and training, and coordinating complex international travel.

    A California native, Cathie lives with her husband in the East Bay and is passionate about travel, photography and the San Francisco Giants. In her free time, you’ll find her hiking, biking or cooking.

    cecelia-b2-135x157Celia Barbaccia
    Global Director of Meetings & Events

    Celia is a native San Franciscan and lives in our fair city. Her event planning repertoire includes producing weddings and countless fundraising galas. She also comes equipped with a culinary and retail background, making her an excellent Personal Assistant and Special Projects Manager – and naturally a fabulous Global Director of Meetings & Events for The Personal Assistant Network!

    As our Global Director of Meetings & Events, Celia organizes professional development seminars, social gatherings, vendor showcases and more, in San Francisco, Napa/Sonoma, and on the Peninsula. She also oversees our activities in New York. Celia is constantly scouting locations for The Personal Assistant Network meetings, recruiting speakers, and spearheading complex logistics. We are lucky to have her at the helm.

    As if all that weren’t enough, she loves to travel, cook and garden. She can often be found volunteering, with efforts focusing on promoting sustainable agriculture and supporting underserved communities.


    Dale Simpson
    Dale Simpson
    Director of Meetings & Events, New York

    Dale’s corporate career was in the cosmetics, jewelry and accessories industries, where she managed sales divisions – which included producing special events for sales force and retail accounts. Her experience with complex logistics and managing staff and customer relationships led to a new career in private service working with philanthropists, helping them manage many aspects of their busy lives.

    With her background in event planning and her connections and passion for the world of the arts, Dale is the perfect person to coordinate The Personal Assistant Network east coast calendar, developing our professional development series, social events, and exposure to new and interesting venues and speakers.

    A long time New York resident, Dale is a regular theater goer, and is a season subscriber to The New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. You might also find her at the opera or in the audience for a gala at Lincoln Center, where she volunteers. Other volunteer work includes the Lighthouse Guild.

    Kristen LyonsKristen Lyons
    Director of Online Resources

    After a 12+ year career in the creative and chaotic world of advertising, Kristen started her own business, Bella Concierge, in 2006 and has been helping clients enjoy more time for themselves ever since!

    As Director of Online Resources, Kristen manages The Personal Assistant Network’s proprietary database – full of over 600 vendor referrals from both coasts, all accompanied by peer reviews. Our members have an ever present need for qualified vendors and service professionals – Kristen’s Director role is key to our success as an organization, and provides one of the biggest benefits we offer.

    Kristen is a Bay Area native living in San Francisco, and has always enjoyed traveling the world to explore new cultures, food, wine, and people. She speaks fluent Italian and lived and studied in Italy for several years, returning to visit whenever she can.

    Ellen_McDermott-135x157Ellen McDermott
    Director of New Memberships, New York

    Ellen has a background as an educator, and spent her early teaching career in a school specializing in Applied Behavior Analysis, working with students with autism and autism-like behaviors. She transitioned into private service, managing the lives of a busy bi-coastal family, and now plays a key role as an Executive Assistant to the Founder and CEO of a leading gene therapy development company.

    As Director of New Memberships for New York, Ellen is charged with growing the member base for The Personal Assistant Network in Greater New York. She’s kept busy coming up with initiatives to connect with all of the Personal Assistants, Executive Personal Assistants, House Managers and Estate Managers we haven’t met yet!

    When she’s not working, Ellen is traveling the globe – anywhere her points can get her, practicing yoga, snowboarding and playing golf. Favorite travel stops include England, Ireland, Israel, Paris, Bordeaux or any region in France, and Sun Valley ID.

    Twitter Feed

    gwynwatersFollow

    Founder of The Personal Assistant Network

    gwynwaters
    gwynwatersgwynwaters@gwynwaters·
    13 Oct

    Going to Poland to help Ukrainian Refugees
    https://gofund.me/b18244bb

    Reply on Twitter 1580627723000508417Retweet on Twitter 1580627723000508417Like on Twitter 1580627723000508417Twitter 1580627723000508417
    gwynwatersgwynwaters@gwynwaters·
    17 Sep

    Hugs from Przemysl https://goingwaybackeast.org/2022/09/14/hugs-from-przemysl/

    Reply on Twitter 1570965740840439808Retweet on Twitter 1570965740840439808Like on Twitter 1570965740840439808Twitter 1570965740840439808
    gwynwatersgwynwaters@gwynwaters·
    6 Sep

    Jonathan P Baird: Varian Fry, American Holocaust rescuer https://www.concordmonitor.com/Jonathan-P-Baird-Varian-Fry-American-Holocaust-rescuer-43893155

    Reply on Twitter 1567273519075176448Retweet on Twitter 1567273519075176448Like on Twitter 1567273519075176448Twitter 1567273519075176448
    gwynwatersgwynwaters@gwynwaters·
    24 Aug

    The Linda Lindas joined by ’80s icon during Outside Lands set https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/music/heres-what-you-missed-if-you-slept-in-the-second-day-of-outside-lands-2022-a-blistering-set-by-the-linda-lindas

    Reply on Twitter 1562556294803832835Retweet on Twitter 1562556294803832835Like on Twitter 15625562948038328352Twitter 1562556294803832835
    gwynwatersgwynwaters@gwynwaters·
    10 Aug

    Issey Miyake, Who Opened a Door for Japanese Fashion, Dies at 84 https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/09/fashion/issey-miyake-dead.html?smid=tw-share

    Reply on Twitter 1557162993980301312Retweet on Twitter 1557162993980301312Like on Twitter 1557162993980301312Twitter 1557162993980301312
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