“It’s inside of me to always reach out to people,” Sandra Moon says. By embracing the woman she is, someone down-to-earth and relatable, she has already left her legacy on Legacy West. Currently she serves as a senior executive of the Sam Moon Group, which owns the new Renaissance hotel in Legacy West, and is chair of the recently created Legacy Cultural District.
With a unique vision for art, culture and a community that’s free of boundaries, Sandra hopes to create a Plano that doesn’t feel divided into sections (West versus East versus Central), but rather that’s defined by its unparalleled sense of unity.
Sandra grew up in Honolulu, and moved to Plano in 1990 when she got married. She reared her children here, who are now ages 22 and 26, and watched over time as “Plano became the ambassador of all this growth,” she says. She designed her hotel to represent that growth, and the art showcased inside is a sight to behold. There is wallpaper depicting Dallas’ skyline, a half-moon chandelier, Honolulu-influenced origami cow heads on the wall, an R-shaped bookshelf and stories waiting to be shared, to be reveled in. The hotel is cozy, laid-back and it’s easy for anyone to fall into place. “If you were [there] alone, the environment I wanted to create was one where you don’t feel alone,” Sandra says.
As the City of Plano staff liaison in the cultural district application process, Michelle Hawkins has worked closely with Sandra. “She really puts importance on emotional and mental health, connecting our community and making everyone feel included, which are all very timely social issues,” Michelle says of Sandra.
In today’s day and age, when overextending oneself has become the norm, Sandra has envisioned building something lovely and timeless near Legacy West: a park. But her idea is to build one that is current to today’s needs, a park that is accompanied by a mobile app consisting of different playlists, inspirational talks, walking paths – all depending on users’ moods and needs.
“It’s not easy to be a mom, an employee, a student. Everything has its challenges, so to build a park that has trees represents foundation and grounding. Whatever happens, the wind will blow, but the trees will always stay rooted,” Sandra says, and she’ll continue to provide that stability and to redefine her community in Plano.
See all of the 2018 Girl Bosses >
