Rise Walter has spent her entire adult life working in the not-for-profit arts world, including the San Francisco Symphony and the San Diego Opera. She is responsible for creating BAPTA, a professional association of ticketing professionals in the Bay Area, and the Tessitura Network, which has expanded to include over four hundred arts organizations and twelve hundred people. The creation of these organizations is reflective of Rise’s fervent desire to bring people together and create unity for the greater good. A practicing Nichiren Buddhist for thirty-seven years, Rise is committed to always doing her best to create an environment full of respect, appreciation and opportunity, wherever she is.