Every year we take time in the fall to celebrate the women that make Plano run. This year, we’re featuring leaders from the arts community, nonprofits and even area schools. We are also so excited to announce that in honor of our 10th anniversary in November, we are hosting a block party at McCall Plaza on Saturday, Nov. 8 from 2 to 6 p.m. The party will feature raffle prizes from local businesses, live performances from Plano arts groups, booths from community partners, drinks and light bites.
Alyssa High-Coronado, Editor
Nationally recognized. Loved by
We’re proud to be recognized among the nation’s best for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and stroke care. But what means even more is seeing Texans like you become their very best. That’s the recognition we work for. And it’s what drives us to keep raising the bar for healthcare in Plano.
Poetic Beginnings: an Evening of Movement and Music was the National Ballet of Texas’ first performance, which debuted in August. Photography courtesy of Scott Chow.
B ALLET IN THE ’BURBS
Cindi Lawrence Hanson has created Plano’s first professional dance company story by Alyssa
High
Last year, on the final night of the Plano Metropolitan Ballet’s performance of Rapunzel, the audience became the first to hear of a new artistic venture based in Plano — director Cindi Lawrence Hanson announced the National Ballet of Texas, Collin County’s first professional ballet company.
Hanson began her dance training at the Royal School
of Dance in Winter Park, Florida, followed by continued studies at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Now, she’s known for her leadership in the Plano arts community, teaching students at Gotta Dance/Plano Metropolitan Ballet for over 30 years.
The ballet’s inaugural performance was held in early
August. Titled Poetic Beginnings: an Evening of Movement and Music, the program included seven newly commissioned works alongside live music by Resonance Collective performed for an audience of nearly 300 patrons. According to Lawrence Hanson, plans are underway for two spring performances at venues in Plano and Addison.
Following the National Ballet of Texas’ first performance in August, we caught up with Hanson to talk about starting the company.
What inspired you to start your own professional ballet company?
I have dreamed this dream of creating a professional company for a very long time. I always believed it would happen someday. My someday came last December when I decided to name the company National Ballet of Texas. That day the dream I dreamed became real.
How has this process been different from running Plano Metropolitan Ballet?
Plano Met is an exceptional student ballet company that I am so proud to
be a part of! It was founded in 1987 when so much was very different. I did not start Plano Met Ballet but rather inherited it as director in 1998. I was determined for Plano Met Ballet to have a special identity and began our tradition of fairy-tale ballets. A professional ballet company will offer new challenges and opportunities.
Performances by National Ballet of Texas will bring artistry and creativity to our community through world-class classical and contemporary ballet. From presenting renowned classical repertoire and brand-new works, the company aims to promote its art in an accessible way, focusing on outreach and education. Additionally, National Ballet of Texas works to ensure collaboration with other artists in the community — from musicians and visual artists to actors and designers — to present highly engaging, entertaining and emotive movements.
How did you select your performers?
To begin National Ballet of Texas, I first spoke to Sydney Blalock Ritchie about coming on board as ballet mistress. I knew exactly who I wanted to create
the choreography. Sydney Blalock Ritchie, Alex Hugo, Gabrielle Collins and Jennifer Mabus each agreed to be part of our inaugural performance. We then began our search for dancers, receiving bios and reels from many applicants. Contracts were awarded and we moved forward with casting and began rehearsals. Debra Collins, our costume mistress, began planning costumes on the first day.
What has the process been like of starting a professional company?
Beginning this new ballet company was such an exciting adventure! There was so much happening all at the same time with my dance school, Gotta Dance, Plano Metropolitan Ballet, and our first season of National Ballet of Texas. Sponsor letters, press releases and printing would not have made their deadlines without help from friends and associates who poured themselves into this project.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
A women’s division uniting women
THE PLANO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WOMEN’S DIVISION
story by Alyssa High
hen then-32-year-old Emily Zoog first walked into a Plano Chamber of Commerce Women’s Division luncheon in 2013, she didn’t know a single person in the room. She came armed with a handful of business cards, unprepared to “elevator pitch.”
“I didn’t even know how to network,” Zoog says. “I was just excited about how many business
Over the past 12 years, Zoog has gone from a nervous newcomer to director of the Wom-
In 2014, Zoog joined the Women’s Division board as treasurer, using her banking background to work with the Chamber’s
“Even in banking, I had never worked with financial statements,” she says. “Suddenly I was in a room with these incredible leaders, thinking, ‘How did little Emily get here?’”
She soaked up every lesson she could — from how to run a meeting, to how to handle tough conversations, to how to carry herself with professionalism and confidence.
“Some of these women mentored me from afar without even knowing it,” she says.
The Women’s Division has been a Plano Chamber of Commerce mainstay for more than five decades, historically centered around monthly speaker luncheons that drew in more than 200 attendees.
After the pandemic led to declining numbers, Zoog decided it was time to shake up the norm.
“We wanted to make networking comfortable for newer, younger members who might be nervous walking into a big room,” she says.
Last year, the division launched “Ladies Lunch Out,” a
small group-based lunch hosted at several restaurants in the city every quarter, mixing members and non-members alike.
“It forces people out of their comfort zone, but in a smaller, more intimate setting,” she says. “We’ve never had to use our backup conversation prompts — the talk just flows.”
Topics range from personal branding to work-life balance, and the events regularly fill to capacity without any formal marketing.
Zoog also served as president last year when the division hosted its first Women’s Division Summit, a half-day event featuring keynote speakers, a panel and a live podcast recording. Hosted at the Hope Center, it drew 110 attendees in its inaugural year. This year, the summit will take place on Oct. 9, and Zoog is hoping to draw in even more attendees.
“Our theme last year was about building confidence,” she says. “This year, it’s ‘No Apologies’ — we’re not just building confidence anymore. We are confident.”
The summit reflects a shift Zoog has seen in women’s professional lives.
“I’m seeing more women leave corporate roles after decades to start their own businesses,” she says. “They’re not waiting for permission — they’re creating the opportunities themselves.”
Throughout these changes, Zoog says one thing has stayed the same: the Women’s Division’s culture of support.
“You always hear that women at the top will step on others to stay there,” she says. “Yes, that happens, but 95% of the women I’ve met want to lift each other up and see each other succeed.”
She still remembers the first person she met at her first luncheon — fellow banker Joan Calhoun — who introduced her around and made sure she didn’t feel lost.
“Now I see our members do the same for new faces,” Zoog says. “Circles open up, conversations shift to include them. It’s phenomenal to watch.”
While the Women’s Division is a warm entry point, Zoog encourages all professionals to see the bigger picture of what the Plano Chamber offers: advocacy, education, sponsorship opportunities and connections that can open unexpected doors.
“If you’re a business owner or the face of your company, the Chamber is a great start,” she says. “It has absolutely pushed me out of my comfort zone and into rooms I never thought I’d be in — with the mayor, city leaders and so many inspiring women.”
And for Zoog, that first step into the luncheon room in 2013 was just the beginning.
Illustraion by AlonzoDesign
LOVE LIFE AND PIZZA LOVE LIFE AND PIZZA
LOVE
The Love Life and Pizza dough is fermented for 48-72 hours for a complex flavor and cloud-like texture.
PIZZA
PIZZA
CLARA CHIAPPARDI BRINGS HER ITALIAN HERITAGE TO LOCAL PIZZA AND PIZZA-BASED PHILANTHROPY
story by Artina Belivan |photography by Kathy Tran
Clara Chiappardi, owner of Love Life and Pizza and a first-generation Italian-American based in Plano, grew up with a deep appreciation for food’s ability to create connection. Some of her earliest memories were on a small balcony in the Valles region of Italy, where she would help crush fresh tomatoes and prepare dough alongside her father’s cousin.
“It was the best pizza I’ve ever had,” she says. “And I was just a little girl.”
That memory became a seed. Even as she studied fine arts and pursued a career in graphic design and art direction, the love of food stayed with her.
“Food was always emotional for me. I didn’t realize it would become my entire life,” she says.
In 2006, Chiappardi and her husband began exploring pizza as more than a meal but as a form of art and a lifestyle.
Two years later, they opened their first restaurant, Cavalli Pizza, while Chiappardi was pregnant with their first child. Months into business, her husband was diagnosed with leukemia. Pregnancy, cancer treatment schedules and operating a new restaurant were a daily juggling act.
“I was navigating motherhood, running a business and sitting in hospital rooms,” she says. “It pushed me to the edge.”
They later moved to the Northeast and opened another restaurant, which Chiappardi says was well-received. In 2015, her husband got sick again. He died the following year.
“That was the moment everything changed,” she says.
She sold the restaurants and eventually moved back to Texas. Despite the heartache and relocation, she was still not ready to give up the food service industry entirely. She revived an old idea they had started years ago — a pizza truck — and named it Love Life and Pizza.
The name turned into an expression of her own journey, she says: loving what you do, sharing it with the world and ending up happy and fulfilled, despite the painful pages.
Now, Love Life and Pizza comes to North Texas on a regular basis, selling handmade pies out of a roving kitchen and connecting with customers at every stop. Chiappardi got remarried, and her new husband is now just as obsessed with the venture as she is. Their marriage, she says, gave new life to the truck and all it represents.
Running a business, however, has not come without its challenges. When the pandemic hit, she sold the last brick-andmortar eatery and moved fully into the mobile kitchen. That change became all the more personal when she discovered she had a wheat allergy. Instead of retiring, she adapted. Today, Love Life and Pizza offers three gluten-free pizzas, an immediate hit with customers.
“It made me see that any challenge can become something new,” she says.
She is also an ambassador for Women in Pizza, an international organization empowering women across the culinary landscape. Through the network, she’s met entrepreneurs, artisans and chefs who share information, refer one another to employment opportunities and provide encouragement in a profession that often isolates.
“It’s not always the guy who does the work,” Chiappardi says. “Women are given real challenges in this profession, and I want to do my part to change that.”
Community is always at the center of what Chiappardi does, whether that is serving local organizations in Plano or building connections with women she will never meet in person.
“When women are empowered, we all benefit,” she says. Her advice to young women considering doing something of their own is not to wait. “If you believe your vision, move forward. Do it because you care about it, not for the money. Surround yourself with people who believe in you and stay open to learning. Your ideas matter. Your voice belongs here.”
by Kathy Tran
women making a difference
Story by Alyssa High |
the fore front
Plano
Photography
leading the league
For Junior League of Collin County President Shun Thomas, the League’s headquarters isn’t just an office — it’s her “happy place.”
It’s where women connect, train and launch projects that change lives in Collin County.
Thomas’ path to the presidency began long before she lived in Plano. Growing up in South Oak Cliff, she admired the poised, purposeful Junior League members she saw in the community.
“I knew I wanted to be one of them,” she says. “I loved the way they gave back to the community and what they stood for. I saw that in my parents, too — they were very active in the community.”
After earning her bachelor’s degree in mass communications, Thomas began a career in the corporate world and joined the Junior League of Dallas. Less than five years later, she felt a calling to education and transitioned to teaching, starting as a special education teacher at Carpenter Middle School before moving to Weatherford Elementary.
“I wanted to work with elementary school students, and that was such a blessing, because they learned from me as their teacher, but I learned so much from them,” she says. “It softened me up a bit, because I learned not to sweat the small stuff. … I learned that everybody is different and by them being different, they can contribute to this world and make the world a better place.”
She later taught at Barron Elementary before moving into leadership as the special education team leader at Guinn Special Programs Center.
“Those were my babies, too. People think Guinn Special Programs, ‘That’s where all the bad kids go.’ But little did people know, there were kids who were trying to get caught up on credits so they could graduate on time, kids that fell on hard times and fell behind in school,” Thomas says. “It was a joy to work with those teachers across the district to help those students to the finish line.”
Her last position with Plano ISD was as the district’s Section 504 coordinator, guiding educators throughout the district in compliance and student disability services. Today, she serves as an educational specialist at Children’s Health Plano, working with students in the Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) program.
Since she’d been teaching in Plano ISD and her husband had ties to the city, Thomas trans-
ferred her membership to the Junior League of Collin County in 2019.
“I came in already a leader, but Junior League taught me how to enhance those skills, how to refine them,” she says. “Something as simple as facilitating a meeting or building an agenda — it’s about doing those things with purpose.”
Over the years, Thomas has served as a committee member, governance director and vice president. Her favorite role? Overseeing the Community Impact Council.
“It gave me the opportunity to lead women who were out in the community making a difference every day,” she says.
Under her leadership, those women organized several community service efforts, including facilitating arts-and-crafts days for children in the eating disorder unit at Children’s Health Plano, helping unhoused families dine with dignity at Community Garden Kitchen and mentoring youth in the Collin County Juvenile Detention Center through the JUMP program.
The League’s reach goes beyond direct service. JLCC facilitates the Collin County Council on Family Violence, bringing together law enforcement, nonprofits and advocates to strengthen resources for survivors. It also distributes grants to nonprofits like Hope’s Door New Beginning Center and City House — many funded by its signature holiday gift market, ’Neath the Wreath.
Since its inception, ’Neath the Wreath has raised more than $5.4 million for the community. This year’s event, held Nov. 6-9 at the Plano Event Center, will mark a milestone.
“This year is our 30th year for ’Neath the Wreath, and it’s going to be something special,” Thomas says. “Not that the other years were not, but the 30th year will be something special. It means a lot to us.”
Thomas stepped into the presidency during a time of rebuilding. Membership numbers had dipped during the pandemic and have not yet returned to pre-2020 levels — but she’s optimistic.
This year, 97 women joined the League, and Thomas says they are “on fire” to work. “They want to get in there and volunteer, to serve our community with fidelity,” she says.
“We’re everywhere,” she says. “In nonprofits, in civic organizations, in arts boards. That’s the goal — to create more leaders who will serve with heart.”
impactingcommunity
The Plano Art Association brings in visual artists from Plano and the surrounding areas to increase awareness and development of the visual arts in the community. Melanie Brigante, the outgoing president of PAA, has worked with the nonprofit organization for years, helping grow membership and providing outlets for artists to display their work.
Brigante’s career background is not in the arts, however. Although she’s worked to uplift local artists, she spends her days as a realtor and with other area groups and nonprofits, including serving on the boards of the All Community Outreach and the Allen Sports Association and committees with the Commercial Real Estate Women and the Women’s Council of the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.
As she steps down for the next president of PAA, she is continuing to serve — now as a member of the board of directors for PAA.
Your career outside of the arts has been in taxes and real estate. How do the two interests balance for you?
My first career was in the not-for-profit sector, where I worked my way up to an executive director position for a community service organization in West Texas. There, I helped small communities grow by lifting up their residents so they could contribute in a positive way to the cities where they live. During this time, I learned how important it is for members of a community to work together to strengthen and enrich those communities.
My background in real estate began while working in that West Texas community. I took real estate courses to expand my work opportunities, and I eventually landed a job with the State Property Tax Board. (That government entity no longer exists, and its function was taken over by the Texas Comptroller’s Office.) There, I developed my valuation and negotiation skills, and I eventually moved to the DFW area, where I continued in the in the property tax consulting, and I launched Delahn Realty, a boutique real estate company.
I find it personally fulfilling and enriching to help develop, promote and support organizations serving the best interests of our community. When I learn of organizations that I relate to, I’m drawn to them and I seek opportunities to get to know the members of those organizations. I find the best way to meet fellow members is to serve those organizations in roles that I can be effective in.
How did you first get involved with the Plano Art Association?
I’ve always gravitated toward drawing and other creative activities. With my busy schedule, I lose sight of carving out time to develop my craft. I began focusing my artistic endeavors on photography. It started with a few workshops, and I have found that photography gives me an excuse to explore the great outdoors and to truly enjoy and appreciate my time out in nature.
While I was taking various art and photography classes at Collin College, I came across information promoting the Plano Art Association Studio Tour. I signed up for the studio tour, met a few PAA members, and I joined PAA a few months later. I didn’t really meet many people in the organization until a few years later when I began to volunteer help on various committees.
What are you most proud of in your time as president?
I’m most proud of securing space for and launching the Plano Art Association Gallery at the Shops at Willow Bend. This has been a game-changer for our organization as it provides continuous opportunities for our members to share and promote their talents and their work.
I saw you were recently promoted to join the board of directors. How are you hoping to serve in this position?
I’m hoping to continue promoting the PAA and helping the current and future leadership teams raise awareness of the Plano Art Association as a key contributor to the culturally rich and diverse art scene that the City of Plano offers its residents and visitors.
For those in the community unfamiliar with PAA, how can community members and fellow artists get involved?
PAA is open to all members of Plano and surrounding areas. Any artist or art lover/supporter is welcome to visit our gallery located in the Shops at Willow Bend, and to join us as a guest at our monthly membership meetings and our recurring shows. We also work with the city to bring a monthly Art & Culture Quest to the Historic Downtown Plano.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
4 LIONEL BART’S OLIVER!
THURSDAY, 7:15 P.M., COURTYARD THEATER, 1509 H AVE., $15
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A MUSICAL BASED ON CHARLES DICKENS’ OLIVER TWIST, PERFORMED BY NTPA.
6
SATURDAY, 6 P.M., HAGGARD PARK, 901 E 15TH ST., $28.99
PLANO WATER LANTERN FESTIVAL 2025
AN EVENING OF COMMUNITY LANTERN-LIGHTING, MUSIC, FOOD TRUCKS & CELEBRATION OF HOPE AND CONNECTION.
SEPT
12
SWADESHI MELA – DALLAS | INTERNATIONAL TRADE FAIR
FRIDAY, 11 A.M., PLANO EVENT CENTER, 2000 E SPRING CREEK PARKWAY, $5
A VIBRANT CELEBRATION OF SOUTH ASIAN CULTURE—HANDICRAFTS, FOOD, PERFORMANCES,AND NETWORKING.
SEPT
18 2025 PLANO BALLOON FESTIVAL
THURSDAY, 5 P.M., OAK POINT EVENT FIELD, 2801 E SPRING CREEK PARKWAY, $10
OCTOBER
SEPTEMBER
FOUR-DAY FESTIVAL FEATURING HOT-AIR BALLOON LAUNCHES, EVENING GLOWS, FIREWORKS,
LIVE MUSIC, FOOD, CARNIVAL RIDES AND KIDS’ ACTIVITIES.
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25 ART & WINE WALK – RODEO BARBIE EDITION
SEPT
SATURDAY, 8 A.M., WINDHAVEN MEADOWS PARK, 5400 WINDHAVEN PARKWAY A 1-MILE FUN WALK AND 5K RUN TO RAISE MONEY FOR THE L. CHRISTINA SMITH DOMESTIC ABUSE
THURSDAY, 6 P.M., DOWNTOWN PLANO ARTS DISTRICT, 1021 E 15TH ST., $15 A COZY, FAMILY-FRIENDLY FESTIVAL WITH VENDORS, PUMPKIN PAINTING AND A LIVE DJ.
28
DOWNTOWN PLANO FALL FESTIVAL
SUNDAY, 11 A.M., DOWNTOWN PLANO, 1021 E 15TH ST., FREE A COZY, FAMILY-FRIENDLY FESTIVAL WITH VENDORS, PUMPKIN PAINTING AND A LIVE DJ.
OCT
4 PLANO ART & CULTURE QUEST
OCT
4 SPOOK ALLEY 2025
SATURDAY, 7 P.M., THE TEXAS POOL, 901 SPRINGBROOK DRIVE, $5
SATURDAY, 12 P.M., MCCALL PLAZA , 998 E 15TH ST., FREE INTERACTIVE DOWNTOWN ART HUNT—DISCOVER MURALS, SCULPTURES, LOCAL CULTURE.
CHILLING HAUNTED WALK—SPOOKY FUN FOR THE FRIGHTFULLY BRAVE.
OCT
12
NIGHT OUT ON 15TH
SUNDAY, 5 P.M., DOWNTOWN PLANO ARTS DISTRICT, $150 AN EVENING OF WINE, CONVERSATION AND FOOD FROM LOCAL RESTAURANTS TAKE OVER 15TH IN SUPPORT OF EMILY’S PLACE.
OCT
17
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS & SHADOWS
FRIDAY, 6:30 P.M., PLANO ART ASSOCIATION GALLERY, 6121 W. PARK BLVD.,$20
OCT
ART EXHIBITION WITH MOOD-LIT GALLERY EXPLORATION—PERFECT ART OUTING.
18
PLANO INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL 2025
SATURDAY, 11 A.M., HAGGARD PARK, 901 E. 15TH ST., FREE
OCT
MULTICULTURAL CELEBRATION WITH MUSIC, DANCE, GLOBAL FOOD BOOTHS & WELLNESS FAIR.
24 POP 2000 HOSTED BY ’NSYNC’S CHRIS KIRKPATRICK
FRIDAY, 6 P.M., LEXUS BOX GARDEN AT LEGACY HALL, 7800 WINDROSE AVE., $32.90 A NOSTALGIC 2000S MUSIC CELEBRATION HOSTED LIVE BY CHRIS KIRKPATRICK. OCT
24 THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW
FRIDAY, 7:30 P.M., WILLOW BEND CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 6121 W. PARK BLVD., $20 PREPARE FOR A CULT-FAVORITE LIVE PERFORMANCE OF THE ICONIC MUSICAL.
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THE ART OF BEING SEEN
EMILY MCSHANE IS MAKING ROOM FOR UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES — ONE FRAME AT A TIME
story by Niki Gummadi photography by Rae Overman
When Emily McShane’s fifth-grade classmates were asked “Which college do you want to go to?” most answered with the expected “UT,” “A&M” or maybe “Harvard.” McShane, however, said she wanted to attend the Ringling College of Art and Design, where she could study at one of the country’s top-rated animation programs.
Now, seven years later, the Plano resident and recent Hockaday School graduate’s love for animation is winning her awards. In October 2024, McShane’s new animated film Crushed won the Emerging Artist award at the All American High School Film Festival in New York City.
Crushed follows the story of Alyvia, a student who develops a crush on her classmate after starting at a new school. The pair grow close, and Alyvia finds the courage to come out to her classmate and reveal her true feelings, only to be met with rejection. After making her first film I Love You So Mush about queer joy,
McShane says she wanted Crushed to be about a tough reality that a lot of queer teens could relate to.
“Even though it’s literally about rejection and one of the tough parts about being queer, which is coming out about your feelings, it’s more than just popping a question about a crush. It could literally make or break a relationship that you have built with people,” she says.
This film is a fitting addition to McShane’s filmography, which is filled with animation and visual designs that aim to show underrepresented and diverse voices. McShane says she started thinking about the social impact her art could have while in middle school. At the time, her mom showed her a virtual gallery opening that featured works that were all about the current state of the Black Lives Matter movement. Ever since then, she says, she has been intentional with her art, especially with Crushed
“It’s very important to me that, like,
art is very political, and since I have this platform of making the film, it’s important to me that I use it to make a statement,” she says.
McShane has always been a selftaught artist. She says she has loved making art for as long as she can remember and was always “drawing on scrap paper on every possible surface that I could.” In elementary school, she did her first film festival. Her first art award came in the second grade during a district-wide art competition, which she says affirmed her skills as an artist.
Though there weren’t many opportunities for her to pursue art in middle school, McShane continued to develop her skills at home. When she reached Hockaday for high school, McShane says she was given the opportunity to explore more disciplines. She joined music clubs, the school musical, started taking dance lessons and even joined the drill team. Her passion, however, remained with film and visual design.
McShane began applying for art-focused internships and submitting her work to competitions and festivals. She was a teen ambassador at the Dallas Museum of Art and attended the Ringling PreCollege program. Her art has earned her a number of honors and awards, including the YoungArts Merit Award in Film in 2023.
To stay within the film’s budget, McShane did all of the writing, editing and directing herself. For other aspects of the film, she tapped the talents of her friends also involved in the arts. After one friend helped her edit the script, others were cast as actors and met with McShane whenever they had free time during the school day to film their lines. A musically-inclined friend from elementary school composed the film’s original score.
The film took McShane six months overall to finish and submit to competitions, but she continued to make small changes on it for a couple of months until she felt it was ready. Though the making of Crushed was time consuming, with McShane sometimes having to work 30-40 hours a week on it, she says, “If you love something so much, there will always be time for it.”
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