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Barbara DeGrande - Jason DeGrande

Barbara DeGrande is a writer, film critic, and blogger, with years of experience as a program developer. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies from U.C. Santa Barbara and a Master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Antioch University. She has owned her own business as a salon owner in the Wine Country of Northern California and as a Marriage, Family, and Child Therapist (MFT) in Southern California. She has worked as a project financial analyst, technical editor, AutoCAD draftsman, programmer and technical contractor in engineering, and was the only female team member on the hookup and commissioning of Platform Hermosa on the California coast north of Santa Barbara. She has also managed a construction project including awarding of all bids and provision of all construction oversight. She has worked in Juvenile Justice, managed and developed forensic mental health programs and directed the Ventura County MIOCR (Mentally Ill Offender Crime Reduction) grant, a collaboration between Behavioral Health, Probation, Sheriff's Department, Public Defender's Office, District Attorney's office, and Superior Court.

Barbara lived on the banks of the Russian River in Sonoma County when her children were growing up, later moving to the Ventura County beach area. Barbara is a mother of two sons and a grandmother of four children in a multicultural family. She is currently the Dallas Vegan Culture Examiner for Examiner.com as well as a Feature Writer for Suite101 in the Documentary Film section. Barbara maintains a blog, Veganacious, and corresponding podcast. She has also contributed her writing to other blogs, most recently an anti-torture treatise featured on a political blog. Barbara appreciates documentaries as a source of information, particularly in this era lacking in journalistic challenges to authority. She can be reached by email via veganacious@gmail.com.