Urban Yoga Palm Springs Virginia

Chris Alling

The principal of Xavier College Preparatory High School in Palm Desert took on leadership of the Coachella Valley’s Jesuit school before the first class of freshmen walked through the doors in 2006. As head of a new educational institution that includes a curriculum distinct from other schools, he is involved in setting its future course, fulfilling the needs and desires of students and their parents, and garnering appreciable community support.

Photo credit: J. Fredric May

Leonore Annenberg

The second wife of the late publisher and U.S. ambassador Walter Annenberg served as chief of protocol under President Ronald Reagan and continues to impart a distinctive taste, style, and elegance that have distinguished the city of Rancho Mirage and other desert communities. Mrs. Annenberg’s immense contributions to the arts, education, and science will surely inspire a new generation of philanthropists.

Photo credit: Scott Avra

Leisa (pictured) and David Austin

With their iconic building on Highway 74 in Palm Desert, the owners of Imago Galleries have established themselves as an important resource for art collectors and students. They have mounted world-class exhibitions and impacted many private collections. Additionally, they are involved in numerous community activities. This summer, they participated in Adventures of the Mind, a national mentoring program for high school students.

Photo credit: J. Fredric May

Kathleen Bennett

The director of sales and marketing for the Classic Club and a fixture in local tourism circles has spearheaded the development of programs to boost revenue for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic. Bennett is active with the Palm Springs Desert Resorts Convention and Visitors Authority, Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism, and Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International. She is also a founding member of the Desert AIDS Project 100 Women Partner for Life program and is helping establish a desert chapter of the National Philanthropic Association.

Photo credit: J. Fredric May

Edra Blixseth

The co-owner of the exclusive Yellowstone Club near Big Sky, Mont., emerged from an abusive first marriage to write the 1987 book Uncharged Battery, which was required reading for UCLA social work students and police investigators. Today, she focuses on Shelter From the Storm, which provides housing, counseling, and education for abused and battered women and their children.

Photo credit: Sherri Breyer-Mardones

Frank Bogert

Few Coachella Valley residents have lived here as long as this 97-year-old, who moved to Palm Springs in 1927 and served as mayor from 1958 to 1966 and from 1982 to 1988. Outspoken and often audacious, he has been an important part of the fabric of Palm Springs and has preserved much of its history in writing and in documentary films.

Mary Bono

The U.S. 45th Congressional District representative is serving her fifth full term, having won landslide support in each election. Among her committee appointments, she serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and co-chairs the Congressional Salton Sea Task Force. She has secured millions of dollars for local transportation and environmental projects and promoted national monument status for the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto mountains.

Michael Braun

The vice president of Wessman Development has been the public voice of John Wessman and has maintained a calm and reasoned stance to controversy and criticism, particularly with regard to the long-shuttered Desert Fashion Plaza in downtown...