The Country Friends has announced that longtime community leader Sandra Maas will serve as honorary chair of the nonprofit’s annual Art of Fashion runway show and luncheon on September 11 at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe. South Coast Plaza, event partner for the 21st straight year, will feature fall fashion from its unparalleled collection of luxury retailers and international designers including Bally, Balmain, Max Mara, Monique Lhuillier, Oscar de la Renta, Stella McCartney, and more.
Community volunteer Sophia Alsadek and Anna Laurel, an anchor and reporter at KFMB-TV/News 8, are co-chairs of the event which draws hundreds of attendees to The Inn’s lawn to sip, shop and raise funds for dozens of nonprofits. KGTV/10News anchor Kimberly Hunt will once again grace the stage as emcee.
“The Country Friends Board of Directors selected Sandra as honoree because of her long commitment to the San Diego County community,” Janean Stripe, TCF’s board president shared with GB Magazine. Maas is past board president of the Women’s Museum of California and founding host of the Emmy Award-winning video series Trailblazing Women. Honored as a San Diego “Woman of Distinction” by San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria in 2023 and as a “Woman of Influence”, she is a renowned public speaker and moderator. The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary recognized her as a “Woman of Dedication” in 2016 for her philanthropic work. Maas currently serves as a trustee of the San Diego History Center and liaison for the Women’s Museum of California. She is also on the board of the Matthews Foundation. A broadcast veteran, her anchoring and reporting for KFMB-TV and KUSI-TV have earned numerous awards from media organizations and honors from the San Diego County Medical Society.
Alsadek, known unofficially as the “Mayor of Rancho Santa Fe,” is a longtime resident and community volunteer for many causes including the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club and the Osuna Committee for the Rancho Santa Fe Association. She earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in systems engineering at the University of Southern California and worked in technical support and systems tests for Motorola and the Hughes Space and Communications Group.
Laurel, an award-winning news anchor and reporter at KFMB-TV/News 8, is known for her incisive storytelling and deep commitment to giving people a voice. As the daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher, she grew up with a broad world view, one that continues to shape her journalism today. A graduate of the University of South Carolina, she reported for television stations in Missoula, Montana; Phoenix, Arizona; and Raleigh, North Carolina before returning to California. Laurel has a passion for meeting people, sharing their stories and amplifying voices that she believes need to be heard.
Emcee Kimberly Hunt is a 13-time Emmy award-winning anchor for ABC/10News who has covered political conventions, Super Bowls, and the Academy Awards. She has interviewed sitting Presidents, politicians, and Hollywood stars. Hunt has also earned accolades for hard-hitting stories dealing with drug cartels, sex trafficking, and dangerous chemicals in the Tijuana River, to name just a few.
The 2025 Art of Fashion will include a champagne reception, runway show, luncheon, opportunity drawing, live auction, and boutique shopping at South Coast Plaza mini-boutiques set up on The Inn’s lawn. To buy tickets or become a patron, visit www.thecountryfriends.org or call (858) 756-1192.
