Sally Fernandez, Founder
Francis Bacon once said, “The truth is hard to tell, it sometimes needs fiction to make it plausible.” Well, when Sally met Francis, she discovered her writing style, and began seamlessly blending fact with fiction…or fiction with fact…you be the judge. If you relish suspense thrillers with a tinge of conspiracy, you will enjoy Sally Fernandez’ novels. Readers have said she pens “riveting plots of intrigue and political awakening.”
But she wasn’t always twisting facts with fiction. Heavily endowed with skills acquired in banking, she embarked on her writing career. Fernandez’ focus on computer technology, business consulting, and project management, enhanced by business and technical writing, proved to be a boon. Her books of fiction also reflect the knowledge garnered from her business experiences while living in New York City, San Francisco, Hong Kong and Florence, Italy. A world traveler, Fernandez has visited every continent and over sixty countries. That included a scientific expedition in Antarctica, four African safaris, archaeological digs in Majorca and Peru, along with high-altitude treks in Bhutan, Tibet, and Mongolia.
Fernandez’ foray into writing fiction officially began in 2007, when the presidential election cycle was in full swing. The overwhelming political spin by the media compelled her to question the frightening possibilities the political scene could generate. As a confirmed political junkie, she took to the keyboard armed with unwinding events and discovered a new and exciting career.
With two award-winning series, The Simon Hall Series and The Max Ford Series, there was one topic that kept emerging in each novel—that of climate change. At first, Fernandez followed the money, and then took to following the science.
Now, here is where life imitated art. While researching material for her novel Climatized, soon to be a major movie, Fernandez faced the Climate Change debate dead center, as she worked in collaboration with scientists from NASA. During the process, she witnessed how scientific data was being distorted among the populace, and how politics trumped the facts. Then, when the “Greta Thunburg Movement” went viral, Fernandez realized that there was a void among young minds in the absence of healthy debates. This revelation led her to a not-so simple twist of fate, by establishing The Institute for Climate Truth, a 501(3)c Foundation dedicated to one mission: Inquiry, Not Ideology.
For more on Fernandez, wearing her author’s hat, check out www.sallyfernandez.com
Lynn Yen, Executive Director
Lynn Yen is the Executive Director of the Institute for Climate Truth, whose mission is to foster dialogue and inquiry in the areas of the sciences, especially on the topic of Climate and Energy.
Ms. Yen is also the Founder and Executive Director of the Foundation for the Revival of Classical Culture, founded in 2011, whose mission is to revive the study and practice of the Classical principle in music and science, especially among the young, and to place the immortal words and music of Bach, Mozart, Beethoven and others at the disposal of those that most need and want them. In the past decade, the Foundation has worked with over 200 NYC public schools, presented hundreds of concerts including major concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, artists’ visit to public schools, summer schools, internet broadcasts and pedagogical writings.
Ms. Yen began studying piano at the age of 7, at the same time as she began studying Chinese calligraphy. She competed for and won awards in both fields throughout her pre-teen and teenage years. Later, pursuing other interests, Ms. Yen attended New York University’s Stern School of Business on a full scholarship. Upon graduation, she went to work in the non-profit sector, as the director of programming and operations for the highly successful Greenwich Film Festival. She then worked in finance, where her main areas of focus were advising non-US based natural resource and alternative energy groups in the execution of partnerships and acquisitions with US based firms, and in assisting clients with their capital raising needs. Ms. Yen spent several years in fundraising and operational capacities, during which she worked with a variety of organizations ranging from start-ups to the Fortune 500. She eventually decided to act in order to realize her love for, and ability to contribute to a “higher calling”, that of education and culture. In 2010, she began the groundwork for what led to the formation of the Foundation for the Revival of Classical Culture, which she established in 2011.