Victoria Lautman grew up in LA, left for a few decades, and returned permanently (she hopes) in 2018. Before moving back, she was a print and broadcast journalist in Chicago, hosting long-running radio programs on the NPR affiliate while writing for a variety of magazines and newspapers including The Wall Street Journal, Architectural Digest, Metropolitan Home, The Chicago Tribune, and others. Her most recent book, The Vanishing Stepwells of India (Merrell, London) was published in 2017 and has been the subject of several photo exhibitions.

During her years in Chicago, Victoria served on a number of social service boards and arts committees. But HoFoCo became her primary commitment in Los Angeles and she continues to volunteer there whenever possible.