Arts Leadership Award Program

Representing Alameda County Supervisorial District One —

Vanessa Thomas is the Co-Founder of the Dublin Arts Collective. She is also an active supporter of many local organizations including the Pleasanton Art League, Livermore Art Association, Tri-Valley Artist Studio Tour, Tri-Valley Cultural Tourism Working Group, and Lapis Lazuli Art Club. Vanessa is a South African-born, mixed race, freelance journalist with a scientific and research background who has made Dublin her home since 2013. She views herself as a catalyst for connecting people. Her involvement in community-based projects began in her teenage years in South Africa and has continued ever since. Vanessa is also a writer and contributor to the Dublin Patch, a TEDx speaker, and the author of a children’s book. She is an exhibiting artist, published floral photographer, and the owner of an online floral photography site named Fables and Flora. Vanessa was nominated for Dublin Citizen of the Year in 2017 for Volunteer Work in the Arts and in 2019 she was the recipient of the Mayor’s Award for her volunteer contributions to the community with the Dublin Arts Collective. She writes about, supports and promotes the artists and art scene in Dublin and the Tri-Valley area.