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Women of larchmont 2016
Larchmont Chronicle
August 2016
Meet Wilshire’s commanding officer of patrol for Wilshire
Patricia Klindworth Senior Director, Page Academy Patricia Klindworth is originally from the Midwest and has proven herself as an innovator and leader in the school administration field for over thirty-five years. She has served as Senior Director for Page Academy in their Orlando, Florida-based schools for the past twenty-five years. During the past two years she has served as an educational consultant for Page Academy. Ms. Klindworth recently relocated to California and will be serving as the Administrator of Page Academy - Hancock Park as well as supervising the Beverly Hills campus. Her extensive experience will offer professionalism, innovative ideas and strong leadership. Her exceptional commitment has earned her many professional awards and certifications. She has chaired and co-chaired on a multitude of accreditation teams including, but not limited to, SACS, MSA-CESS, AI and AISF. Page Academy welcomes Ms. Klindworth to the California campuses and looks forward to her never-ending dedication to Community and Parent involvement.
565 N. Larchmont Blvd. • 323-463-5118
Meredith Scott Lynn Founder & CEO of WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS Literacy Building on Larchmont Blvd! After two years on Larchmont, the company has grown and its Narrative & Creative Writing Course is being implemented in 38 states across the country! WRiTE BRAiN’s richly illustrated, wordless children’s books with lines on the pages, inspire kids to write and create their very own children’s book. After a 25-year career in the film and television industry, Meredith founded WRiTE BRAiN BOOKS offering innovative K-12 curricula and products that inspire kids of all ages become published authors. The company recently launched into retail and you can SEE WRiTE BRAiN’s LINE AT LANDIS TOY SHOP & CHEVALIERS ON THE BOULEVARD! Teachers and school-active parents, call us! 855.WB.BOOKS Visit our online store! www.writebrainbooks.com
Sarah Michael Novia M.S., Ed.S, LPCC, DCC Psychotherapy for Women Media Psych Expert Coining the term, “Theractress,” Sarah began her Hollywood career as a therapist on 6 seasons of the VH1 show, “Couples Therapy,” counseling struggling celebrities with their relationship woes. She can also be seen discussing pop-culture psychological issues on CNN, CBS, E! as well as many radio shows and podcasts, and she is available for media appearances. Sarah enjoys volunteering with Comfort Zone Camp (a bereavement camp for children 7-17) and The Harvat House Foundation (a safe space for adult male survivors of childhood sexual assault). In her private practice, Sarah treats individual women ages 20-40 suffering from anxiety, depression, trauma, and grief, with present-centered/future forward psychotherapy for optimal self-care and she holds a certificate in Mediation from The University of Connecticut. Her office is close to Larchmont Village at 6222 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 200. She is licensed in and accepts online appointments for CA, CT, and Montana residents.
323.813.6689 • www.knovia.com
Karla Ravandi
Pilgrim mom Karla Ravandi moves so fast that if you blink you might miss her! She is a busy industry professional as Creative Director for Acme Trailer Company, yet somehow finds time to be a passionate community volunteer, using her skills to create public service announcements for community organizations such as Chrysalis and Best Buddies. Her husband David is the founder and CEO of 123 Organic Tequila, and Karla works with him in branding and website design. In between, she runs to keep up with son, Luca, a high school student at Pilgrim School. She is the incoming President of the Pilgrim Parent Association for the 2016-2017 school year and we don’t know how she does it! But we are so glad that she does—Pilgrim School benefits greatly from her support. Thank you, Karla!
TONI KO, founder of Perverse.
Ko, Larchmont’s newest entrepreneur
By Brooke Stewart Toni Ko, Fremont Place, is the founder of Larchmont’s newest store, Perverse Sunglasses. Ko chose Larchmont as the location of her first store as well as the location of her home because she loves the friendly, neighborhood atmosphere. Ko moved to Los Angeles from South Korea with her family when she was 13. She first lived in Glendale then in Downtown. She purchased a home in Fremont Place a few years ago and has been restoring it ever since. Ko has had close ties to Larchmont for years. She would often visit the boulevard seeing friends who worked on the street. She enjoys going to restaurants and shopping on Larchmont, particularly at hat shop Goorin Brothers. Coincidentally, the owners are her neighbors. Perverse is Ko’s second business. She is best known for her makeup brand NYX Cosmetics, which she started when she was 25. The brand has been a huge success, selling at major retailers like Target and Ulta. In 2014, Ko sold the company to L’Oréal for $500 million. An entrepreneur at heart, Ko realized that after selling NYX she became “really bored and needed to start a new company.” Once she decided to create Perverse, the business took off. She opened Perverse’s doors in October 2015 and within six months had a full functioning e-commerce website featuring hundreds of different designs. With her hardworking team, Ko achieved in months what can take years for any entrepreneur. Ko’s ingenuity in business is demonstrated with the success of NYX Cosmetics, as well as the rapid growth of Perverse. There is no doubt that her newest venture will continue to thrive. Larchmont is fortunate to have a woman as successful as Toni Ko in the neighborhood.
By Billy Taylor After nearly nine months on the job, the commanding officer of patrol for LAPD’s Wilshire Division says she is “thrilled to be working in the community.” Capt. Patricia Sandoval is one of two commanding officers in Wilshire assigned to replace Capt. Howard Leslie last year. Capt. Rolando Solano was assigned as area commanding officer, while Capt. Sandoval was tapped to be patrol commanding officer. “As a patrol captain, I work to ensure we have sufficient deployment where it’s necessary, and that specific crime areas are covered as needed,” Sandoval explains. Born and raised in Canoga Park, Sandoval is a Los Angeles native and a 28-year veteran of the city’s police department. “As a teenager, I imagined myself as a news reporter,” Sandoval says with a laugh. But, while studying at San Diego State University, she says she was drawn to criminal justice. Immediately following college graduation (Class of 1988) Sandoval landed an internship at the LAPD. She was hired a couple of months later. “I worked in West Los Angeles division during my probation period, and I was then assigned to Van Nuys,” says Sandoval. Since then, she has worked her way up to sergeant, then detective, and now captain. Assigned to Wilshire Division since last December, Sandoval says “it’s a great place to be.
Capt. Patricia Sandoval
“I think it’s a tremendous community and I’m very fortunate to be a part of it.” What is her focus for Wilshire? “My number-one focus,” Sandoval says, “is to combat crime. I’m looking to identify our area’s top crime areas, and what we can do to drive it out and get rid of the problem. “I want to provide the best community service possible, and I’m focused on how to deploy officers to achieve that goal.” When asked what it’s like to be a female captain in the LAPD, Sandoval says she feels very fortunate for the trailblazers who came before her: “They paved the way. I’ve not really come up on any struggles,” adding, “I have a solid reputation, and that has allowed me to work without any issues from other officers, male or female.”
Alexandria House summer barbecue honors volunteers Grilled veggies and meats will be on the menu at Alexandria House’s volunteer appreciation summer barbecue Sat., Aug. 13 from 4 to 6 p.m. Alexandria House begins its own yearlong celebration “Becoming Twenty-One” Wed., Sept. 21. Community events will celebrate the organization turning 21 years old, culminating with a casino fundraising night. Since it opened its doors, Alexandria House has been a temporary home to more than 200 women and children, as well as hundreds of others who needed emergency help, said Judy Vaughan, Alexandria House’s founding director. She added that an estimated 500 children have gone through Alexandria House’s elementary and teen afterschool programs.
Volunteers and donors are always needed, from hosting fundraisers, to being “Top Chef” one night, to helping with the after-school program and thrift sales. To learn more, call 213-381-2649 or go to alexandriahouse.org.
Kitty adoptions, comedy CATbaret Area cat rescue group Kitty Bungalow Charm School for Wayward Cats has kittens and cats for adoption and is also seeking foster homes. Its sixth annual comedy CATbaret is Sat., Oct. 15. Proceeds from the benefit help homeless cats. Kitty Bungalow also has the only feral cat socialization facility in Southern California. Go to kittybungalow.org.