Meet the Dream Team behind VISIONALITY - making magic happen with coffee and kindness
Emily Barany
Emily Barany is a serial social entrepreneur, who has launched a half a dozen businesses aimed at making the world a better place. In 2011 she launched VISIONALITY with a mission to help organizations dream big and a commitment to transform their dreams into reality. What’s Emily’s dream? She wants to be part of something BIG – projects that are bigger than the people involved and causes that will change the world.
Awards and Recognitions include:
– Top 40 under 40 Business Leaders by the Pacific Coast Business Times
– Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti’s Small Business Recognition Award
– Alumni of the Year for the Ventura County Leadership Academy
– Innovator of the Year by the National Association of Women Business Owners, Ventura County Chapter
– Leadership Award by the Workforce Development Board of Ventura County
– Social Entrepreneur of the Year, The Spirit of Entrepreneurship
Originally from Colorado, Emily graduated from California Lutheran University with majors in Communications and German and a minor in Philosophy. Emily loves doing agility with her best friend Scooter and baking complicated desserts to share with the people she loves.
Llewellyn Somers
Jeanette Villanueva
If Jeanette described herself in one word, it would be "communicator." She usually has something to say, whether writing in her diary as a child, debating in high school, or working as a broadcast journalist after college.
Jeanette joins VISIONALITY with more than 20 years of experience. Most recently, serving as the Director of Business Development and Marketing at Vista del Mar Hospital. She also has extensive experience in higher education, working for many years as the Director of Marketing at Ventura College and California Lutheran University. Because she enjoys work that matters, she has worked as an Executive Director for the Brain Injury Center of Ventura County and other nonprofits in affordable housing, healthcare, and social services. Jeanette holds a master's degree in Public Policy and Administration from California Lutheran University and a bachelor's degree in Radio-Television/Journalism from CSU Fresno
Jeanette enjoys gardening and home improvement projects, and on weekends you will usually find her covered in paint or dirt and loving it. Jeanette has two amazing adult children and lives in Oxnard with her husband and mom.
Katie Pearson
Katie is a woman of many talents and skills, all of which have led her to a life in fundraising. She went to school for art history, which led her to work in museums and eventually in development. With passion for the work she does, Katie loves to find ways to help her clients find new and creative avenues for fundraising. She puts flexibility and a listening ear together to help her clients and colleagues move through difficult times, major transformations, and help them accomplish their goals. Katie has seen it all and her focus at all levels is to see a marked difference through her work and partnerships.
Katie’s love of art has taken her around the world to museums, historical sites, and sometimes alleys (in search of Banksy). She has been known to get in spirited discussions defending the brilliance of abstract expressionism and validity of Jackson Pollock’s work.
Nico Gervasoni
Nico is thoughtful and creative - traits that shine with his work and clients. He is always able to see beyond the project at hand, and has a compassionate way of moving his clients through difficult tasks or decisions. He comes from an extensive development background, having worked in the development office for UCLA's Luskin School of Public Affairs, and another boutique consulting firm similar to VISIONALITY. He loves sportball - especially when it's UCLA, the Chargers, or the Dodgers (and has all the World Series superstition habits to back it up), and is also an avid runner (especially half marathons), and a lifelong learner.
He recently earned a Masters of Theology from Loyola Marymount University, and hopes to continue to make the world a better place through his actions and his profession.
Taryn Choquette
Simply put, Taryn gets things done. No matter how unconventional a solution needs to be, she always finds it, implements it, and adeptly and clearly communicates it to others. Taryn brings vast event management experience to VISIONALITY, having planned “Texas-sized” events during her time living in Austin and more recently for the Santa Barbara Zoo. She is passionate about social justice and leaving the world better than she found it, and volunteers as an administrator for the Oxnard LGBTQ+ community group. You can probably find this die hard Swiftie at Taylor’s next concert, or listening to the Red album (Taylor’s version, of course) while honing her skills on that day’s New York Times crossword puzzle. Taryn and her wife live in Ventura, where they dote on their dog, Brady and cat, Tuukka, take in the beach, tend to their garden, and watch women’s soccer at all hours of the day (...yes, this has included games in Australia at 4 am).
Breanne Foster
Breanne Foster is a creative intellectual with a dedication to finding the truth, solving the puzzle, making an impact, and helping others. She was already a published author and poet when she went into the Journalism program at CSUN, from which she graduated with her B.A. as the top student in the department. While in school, she wore many hats while working at the student newspaper, inserting herself as a reporter, editor, and leader. Soon after graduation, she found herself swept into the nonprofit world working as an executive assistant at the Ventura County Community Foundation. It was while working with the nonprofits and the local community that she truly felt she was finally able to best use her skills and make a true difference to the world.
In her free time, you can find Breanne reading (or writing) a book, decorating a cake, or making music in one of several local community bands where she plays percussion.
Delaney Rodriguez
Delaney is a writer by trade, with their professional background in technical and proposal writing with a BA in English from California Lutheran University. With experience as a proposal and marketing writer in private and public sectors in healthcare, law offices, and many other industries, they think of themself as a "Jack of all trades" when it comes to writing. They're great at connecting ideas, and people describe them as “versatile and easy to work with.”
Delaney prefers to spend personal time with their housemates and cats. They also write a weekly trivia quiz for a nearby brewery. They enjoy board games and D&D and they LOVE poetry.