Advisory Board

Gold Collective’s advisory board grants its collective members exclusive access to esteemed innovators and leaders who represent some of the brightest minds in business today. Our advisors are experts in their respective fields — from digital media to venture capital — who offer invaluable knowledge about the current business landscape, the demands of the modern consumer, and the scalability of small business.

Meet the Board

Gold Collective members gain direct access to these individuals through tailored members-only meetings and events. The Advisory Board also provides direction towards the Collective, assisting in shaping its membership curriculum, philanthropic endeavors, and member base.

Mike Albanese

Mike Albanese

Formerly the publisher of SPIN Media and president of Observer Media, Mike Albanese began his San Francisco–based publishing career at 7×7 and now lives in New York City and Miami. As CEO of Galore Media, a women-focused online hub for young, creative professionals, his expertise in publishing and consumer behavior informs his approach to storytelling across all platforms. Albanese also co-founded GRAND, a financial technology company that was acquired in 2020, and is now a partner at Show Ventures, a startup studio focusing on gaming and financial technology.

Go-to dining destination?
When not ordering Galore Arepa, a built-for-delivery food brand, my favorite spots in San Francisco are Liguria Bakery and Cafe de la Presse.
Last movie that blew your mind?
Parallel Mothers was fantastic, and I loved the documentary The Beatles: Get Back.
Last great book you read?
Les Misérables from the classics shelf, and The Idiot by Elif Batuman was a lot of fun.
Preferred way to unwind and recharge?
Beach and a book, yoga, or dinner with friends.
Moustafa “Mous” ElBialy

Moustafa “Mous” ElBialy

Mous ElBialy is the Chief Information Officer at Kleiner Perkins, where he leads all technology efforts. Prior, Mous was the Director of Technology at Social Capital and the Technology Services Manager at Sequoia Capital. He is an active board member for VCPEIT, a nonprofit community for forward-thinking technology executives, CIOs, CTOs, and key decision makers from private equity, venture capital, and leveraged buyout firms.

A great book that you’ve read recently?
Measure What Matters by John Doerr.
Your favorite local hidden gem?
The corner of Francisco and Hyde Streets and the San Francisco Art Institute campus.
A Bay Area cultural experience that you find yourself revisiting?
An urban hike around Telegraph Hill. So much history, architecture, and stunning scenery to take in.
Go-to dining destination?
Rich Table or Kokkari.
If you had to describe yourself as a Bay Area neighborhood or city, which would it be?
Jackson Square: the mix of heritage San Francisco and modern San Francisco. Between the historic brick buildings and boutiques, it's a piece of SoHo in SF.
Heather Hebert

Heather Hebert

A Bay Area native, Heather Hebert’s career has centered on the intersection of design, wine, and writing. For over 25 years, she directed marketing for an international architecture firm specializing in hospitality design, where she guided the firm’s brand identity, wrote about the firm’s projects, and worked with their clients to develop their early brand concepts. In 2017, Heather left to pursue her love of storytelling and now works with numerous design, hospitality, and winery clients both large and small to help them develop and convey their stories. Her first book, The New Architecture of Wine, was published by Gibbs Smith Publishing in 2019. Her second, At Home in the Wine Country (Gibbs Smith), was released in 2021.

A great book that you've read recently?
I'm a voracious reader but as far as business books go, one of my all-time favorites is Everybody Matters, by Bob Chapman.
Your favorite local hidden gem?
Muir Woods, as it's hidden in plain sight. With most of my clients in the wine country, I make the trek from Marin up north often and love the drive through Carneros. The scenery changes with the seasons, from buds breaking in the spring to the vineyard leaves turning brilliant hues in the fall.
A Bay Area cultural experience that you find yourself revisiting?
My husband and I are devotees of local playhouses - Marin Theatre Company, Berkeley Rep, and San Francisco Playhouse.
Go-to dining destination?
We are fortunate to live in the tiny town of Larkspur, which, I swear, has got to have the highest proportion of fabulous local restaurants to population ever: Rustic Bakery, Picco & Picco Pizzeria, Roma Antica, R'noh Thai, Bermatown, DJ's Chinese (our kids' favorite), Zinz Wine Bar (great appetizers too), to name just a few.
If you had to describe yourself as a Bay Area neighborhood or city, which would it be and why?
I feel like I'm right where I should be, so I think it would have to be Larkspur. It's everything I aspire to be–friendly, community oriented, supportive, sustainably minded, locally minded, and globally aware at the same time.
Nish Nadaraja

Nish Nadaraja

A branding and marketing consultant, Nish Nadaraja is deeply passionate about community management, brand evangelism, and customer loyalty. Nish is known for being one of Yelp’s first employees, serving as the Brand & Marketing Director and original Community Manager. Today, he’s a restaurant investor (Foreign Cinema, Noosh) and a Commonwealth Club of California board member.

A great book that you’ve read recently?
A sweeping read of American history is Jill Lepore's These Truths. Really timely in understanding the context of our nation and current quagmire.
Your favorite local hidden gem?
I never leave without buying something from Karl the Store in Sausalito. A favorite recent purchase was an original Walt Disney comic panel.
A Bay Area cultural experience that you find yourself revisiting?
My son, Dash, and I enjoy meandering through the Exploratorium. Pro tip: it's dog-friendly.
Go-to dining destination?
I'm an investor in Foreign Cinema and Noosh, so I’m biased toward those two. I also love Kokkari and Cotogna as we live in Jackson Square.
If you had to describe yourself as a Bay Area neighborhood or city, which would it be?
The Mission, of course. In what other neighborhood can you find a dive bar, trendy boutique, dispensary, and fine dining on the same block?
Alf Nucifora

Alf Nucifora

Alf Nucifora is chairman and founder of LuxeSF, an influential sales and marketing organization known for its thought leadership and trend foresight in the luxury marketplace. The Australian-born, Harvard-trained professional brings more than three decades of experience in multinational advertising and Fortune 500 strategy to the respected Bay Area group, which specializes in real estate, wine, travel, home, style, and design. Additional expertise in brokered relationships, top-tier networking, and event programming have made LuxeSF a model in the industry.

Favorite book authors?
Anything by John le Carré and the work of entertaining and articulate business authors such as Michael Lewis. Stephen Covey also remains a mentor in spirit.
Favorite experience unique to the Bay Area?
My weekly visits to Napa and time spent with winery cohorts. My fealty to the Golden State Warriors is well known among my friends.
Preferred way to unwind and recharge?
My daily walk around Cavallo Point and under the Golden Gate Bridge leaves me a new man and a better person.
Go-to dining destination?
I always return to Slanted Door in San Francisco’s Ferry Building. My favorite lunch spot is Farmstead in St. Helena—the ham sliders and meatballs never disappoint.
Zahid Sardar

Zahid Sardar

Zahid Sardar is a San Francisco–based editor, writer, educator, and curator specializing in architecture, interiors, and design. Currently, he co-produces a webcast series, Spotlight with Zahid Sardar, featuring West Coast design personalities. In addition to serving as an editor at SPACES magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle, Zahid has written several books and taught design history at the California College of the Arts. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Dwell, Elle Décor, and House Beautiful.

A great book that you’ve read recently?
Season of the Witch: Enchantment, Terror, and Deliverance in the City of Love.
Your favorite local hidden gem?
The bar terrace at EPIC Steak.
A Bay Area cultural experience that you find yourself revisiting?
Zuni as a gathering place.
Go-to dining destination?
Foreign Cinema.
If you had to describe yourself as a Bay Area neighborhood or city, which would it be?
North Beach, for its global influences.
Melissa Wagner

Melissa Wagner

Melissa Wagner, founder of Wagner Creative, is a marketing and business development professional who has found her niche in the architecture, design, and construction industries. An important part of her bicoastal practice, she says, is “crafting an integrated, purposeful brand strategy for each client and promoting women in design.” Her full-service agency combines creative vision and intelligent networking and values the potential of collaborative promotion. Originally from Detroit, Wagner is also a fine artist, maintaining her creative practice at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Your favorite local hidden gem?
The eucalyptus forest at the Presidio is home to two Andy Goldsworthy installations.
Favorite museum, gallery, or cultural institution?
Alonzo King LINES Ballet and the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Go-to dining destination?
San Francisco has so many great restaurants known for their food and architectural design—Foreign Cinema and Rintaro are at the top of my list. In New York City, you can find me at the bar at Balthazar!
Preferred way to unwind and recharge on the weekend?
Time in nature, like a run or hike outdoors, followed by creative time in the studio.
Last film that blew your mind?
Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog.
Stacy Williams

Stacy Williams

A true authority on the Bay Area’s design community, Stacy Williams serves as the Executive Director of AIA San Francisco and the Center for Architecture + Design. Over the past nearly 20 years, she has directed architecture-and-design initiatives by partnering closely with city agencies, public utilities, and numerous professional groups. Stacy believes in harnessing the power of community and civic engagement and implements policies and programs to create better environments through design.

A great book that you've read recently?
Not a business book, but an eye-opening read is Factfulness by Hans Rosling. A statistician with a sense of humor is such a rare thing.
Your favorite local hidden gem?
Samovar Tea in Yerba Buena is my downtown oasis. Sitting in its glass box restaurant with a perfect pot of sencha tea is a much-needed respite from a busy day.
A Bay Area cultural experience that you find yourself revisiting?
Café 5 at the SFMOMA Sculpture Garden, designed by Jensen Architects
Go-to dining destination?
Foreign Cinema in San Francisco, Buckeye Roadhouse in Mill Valley, and Sushi Ran in Sausalito.
If you had to describe yourself as a Bay Area neighborhood or city, which would it be and why?
If I had to choose, I would pick Valley Ford in Sonoma. I can be a bit of an introvert and need a rural setting to recharge. Living in the city is energetic, but the beauty and solitude of the valley is revitalizing.