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Speakers 2008–09

Date	Speaker, Organization, Topic
July 1, 2008	Happy new Rotary year! New President Carrie Lee leads a discussion on plans for our club.
July 8, 2008	Peter N. Bretan, Jr., M.D., member of the Rotary Club of Novato and founder of RotaPlant (Rotary transplants), which works to sow the seeds of goodwill in developing countries by providing lifesaving living related kidney transplantation to patients, with concurrent Rotary supported community and humanitarian aid to poverty stricken children and orphans. Dr. Bretan is a urologist with Marin Sonoma Urology Associates. He is a clinical associate professor of urology at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). He received his medical degree from the UCSF School of Medicine in 1980, and then completed his urology residency there, and then completed a research fellowship at UCSF studying The Diagnosis and Imaging of Prostate Cancer. Dr. Bretan has published over 100 scientific articles covering both clinical and original research subjects, which have been the basis of multiple academic awards. He is a full participation member of over 25 medical societies and continues to be an active transplant surgeon (with over 800 renal transplants performed) and has a busy general urology practice with emphasis in urologic (especially renal) oncology, female urology, and renal laparoscopic surgery.
July 22, 2008	Mike DeNunzio, member, California Commission on Aging, speaking about the upcoming demographic tsunami of retired people and how we can prepare and respond. Mr. DeNunzio is chairman of Development Services Group, consultants to nonprofit organizations. He has guided projects for health care, education, and social services throughout the United States and in Canada. Clients include On Lok Senior Services and The Little Sisters of the Poor. Mr. DeNunzio has served as a San Francisco Commissioner on Aging and Adult Services and on the Mayor’s Committee to End Chronic Homeless. He served as Chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party from 2002 through 2006. Mr. DeNunzio is a board member of The Handicapables, The Columbus Day Committee, The Fitschen Trust for Seniors, the USF Hospitality Management Program and the American Institute for Ethics. He is a graduate of St. John's University, Queens, N.Y. He taught law and economics on the secondary level and served six years as a Personnel Specialist in the U.S. Army Reserves, and was also an adjunct instructor at the University of San Francisco.
July 29, 2008	District Governor Russ Ketron
August 5, 2008	Peter Drekmeier, Bay Area Program Director, Tuolumne River Trust, which promotes the stewardship of the Tuolumne River and its tributaries to ensure a healthy watershed. The Tuolumne River Trust believes that serious river restoration and protection efforts, strategic land acquisitions, and improved water flow and conservation policies create a healthier river for people and a habitat sanctuary for spawning fish, waterfowl and all other river-dependent species. In the Bay Area, the trust strives to promote stewardship of the Tuolumne and innovative models of sustainable water use and efficiency. Peter Drekmeier joined the Tuolumne River Trust in August 2007. Raised in Palo Alto on Hetch Hetchy water, he knows the Bay Area well. He graduated from U.C. Berkeley in 1987 with a political science degree, and has been an environmental organizer ever since. In 1990 he founded Bay Area Action (now Acterra), and has coordinated two international Earth Day campaigns. He has extensive experience working on land use initiatives, and water is his favorite natural resource. Peter is a whitewater rafting guide and a member of the Palo Alto City Council.
August 12, 2008	Lucy W. Reckseit, director of outreach and alliance development, MicroCredit Enterprises, a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization committed to alleviating poverty by mobilizing private investment capital to finance micro-businesses of poor families throughout the developing world. MicroCredit Enterprises gears its entrepreneurial results to produce jobs, sustain micro-businesses and improve human lives. MicroCredit Enterprises is guarantor-based, rather than donor-based, and is staffed primarily with pro bono professionals around the country. The lending focus is on those microfinance institutions that on-lend microloans to families living in extreme poverty (that is, those living on $1.00 per day or less) and, thus, promoting sustainable economic development.   Lucy Reckseit is a corporate attorney with extensive experience counseling mid-stage to late-stage emerging growth companies, and she was a pioneer of the “fractional” or part-time general counsel model, which is now embraced by many companies to meet their in-house legal needs. Among her “extracurricular” activities, Lucy serves on the advisory boards for both the VC Task Force and Astia (formerly, the Women’s Technology Cluster). Lucy is also on the board of directors, and serves as secretary for the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and is treasurer of the Northern California chapter of Women Advancing Microfinance. Lucy received her B.S. degree in psychology from Vassar College, an interdisciplinary M.S. degree in education and developmental psychology from Tulane University and her J.D. degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
August 19, 2008	Robin Sohnen, executive director, Each One Reach One (EORO), which uses the transformative power of the arts and education and a commitment to employ professional theater artists and community members to mentor incarcerated children. EORO believes that youth behind bars are kids, first and foremost, that one-on-one mentoring through the creative act of playwriting and academic tutoring provides the best way to positively influence the beliefs that incarcerated youth hold of themselves and that society holds of them. Before starting EORO in 1998, Robin was a theater artist, an event producer and a marketing specialist. In 1987 she founded and directed Centre 4 Events, a Los Angeles-based group that specialized in designing, producing and marketing live theater as a unique and effective vehicle for companies to communicate their message to employees and clients alike. As company director, she produced over 50 theater-based programs designed to improve internal relations, boost employee moral, support recruitment efforts, and enhance company productivity. After moving to the Bay Area in 1991, Robin worked as a freelance producer, planning and staging public events ranging in size from the City of Los Angeles Marathon to the Richmond Neighborhood Community Festival, from the United Nation's 50th Anniversary dance and music concert in San Francisco's Union Square, to the first Alzheimer's Foundation Walk-a-thon in Los Angeles. Since 1986 Robin has been a mentor to young people through Soka Gakkai International, an organization dedicated to the development of peace, culture and education. In 1998 Robin decided to start a non-profit organization to address the escalating rate of incarcerating youth, especially youth of color by exploring theater-based strategies that could effectively break the cycle of violence and divert youth from the adult prison system. Robin is a member of the Skyline College Administration of Justice Advisory Committee and received the 1999 National Council on Crime Delinquency New American Community Award for EORO's creative efforts to reduce crime. She is Commissioner for the Commission on Status of Women of San Mateo County.
August 26, 2008	Joanna Fritz, member, Rotary Club of San Francisco West, speaking about membership, including the recent membership training seminar she attended.
September 9, 2008	Roberto Giannicola. Only a few years ago, Roberto realized that the mundane lifestyle he was living had more far-reaching and damaging consequences on the environment, people, and planet than he ever expected. Ambiguous at first, he decided to begin with small steps. Over time, he gathered “eco-momentum” and discovered easy fulfilling ways to live with respect, reverence and responsibility. In 2004, Roberto attended a two-year environmental and humane education program from the Institute for Humane Education. This program focused on issues including the environment, human rights, animals and a broad range of cultural and media issues. In 2007, he founded Provokare Presenations, a company dedicated to inspire and provoke changes for a better environment and a healthier life. The topic is “Green Living,“ small changes we can make in our lifestyles with benefits to ourselves, the environment and our business.
September 16, 2008	Richard Palenchar, member of the Rotary Club of San Francisco West and attorney at law, speaking on “What is the meaning of everything on an insurance declarations page?” Bring any insurance declarations page for any life, health, auto, homeowner’s, renter’s, or any other policy you may haveR, and Richard will explain what everything means!
September 23, 2008	Richard Palenchar, member of the Rotary Club of San Francisco West and attorney at law, continuing last week's discussion on on “What is the meaning of everything on an insurance declarations page?”
October 14, 2008	Nicola Stewart, genetic counselor, Cancer Risk Program, UCSF. The Cancer Risk Program was established in 1996 as a comprehensive genetic counseling service for families with a history of cancer. Genetic counselors assess personal and family history, provide education and counseling and, when appropriate, offer genetic testing for cancer predisposition genes. Based on family history, other cancer risk factors and genetic testing results, counselors and doctors provide an individualized risk management program for each patient that includes recommendations for cancer screening and options for preventive measures. Ms. Stewart has worked with the Cancer Risk Program for 6 years, following her completion of a master’s in genetic counseling at U.C. Berkeley. She specializes in hereditary breast and ovarian cancer and has counseled hundreds of families at risk for BRCA mutations and other cancer syndromes. She is particularly interested in the emotional decision-making process after individuals learns of their genetic test results, breast pathology of BRCA1 tumors, and communication within families, particularly with children, regarding being at risk and when to test. (BRCA refers to two genes, mutations of which are associated with greatly increased risk of breast cancer.)
October 21, 2008	Betsy Brill, CEO/Director Pro Bono, HandUp Congo. Inspired by what two women friends in Lotumbe accomplished with a gift of two manual sewing machines, Betsy and friends incorporated HandUp Congo as a nonprofit to identify and provide other tools that can help the people of Lotumbe revitalize their community. The women of Lotumbe have formalized their development efforts as an official Congolese NGO, Fondation Lucie Otaenga (FLO). Betsy Brill has mastered multiple disciplines in journalism and communication — from daily photojournalism to business magazine writing and editing to publication design to marketing publications specialist. With her husband, photojournalist and professor Ken Kobré, Betsy spent more than a year of travel and writing about microfinance approaches in Egypt, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia. Among other articles resulting from the year’s journey, her five-part series on the topic for the San Francisco Examiner was a Pulitzer nominee and a runner-up in the Pen West awards for non-fiction. Betsy has spoken with the Rotary Club twice before. On June 30, 1999, she presented the microfinance story that was the subject of her Examiner series. On February 2, 2005, she and Ken presented a slideshow of the tsunami in Indonesia, and shared about Yayasan IDEP Foundation, an Indonesian NGO that is providing direct aid in Aceh.
October 28, 2008	Patricia Murphy, founding director, Josie’s Place, a free-standing nonprofit organization that provides ongoing peer-to-peer support groups for grieving children, teens and their families in San Francisco Bay Area, as well as grief consultation to local schools and businesses. Pat, a native San Franciscan who grew up in the Sunset District, received her degree in Sociology from the University of San Francisco. Pat is an active member of the Professional Grief Caregivers’ Network in San Francisco and has facilitated grief support groups for children and adults in the Bay Area for over 11 years. She received training at the Dougy Center in Portand, Oregon, the internationally recognized program that pioneered the model of grief support that Josie’s Place employs. In addition to her work with Josie’s Place, Pat is a Certified Professional Personal Coach, and works part-time for two non-profit programs housed at San Francisco State University.
November 18, 2008	HyunJin Cho Fozia Mushtaq Mannon Ms. HyunJin Cho, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from Taean-gun, Korea, and Ms. Fozia Mushtaq Mannon, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from Lahore, Pakistan. HyunJin received her bachelor’s degree from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in 1997 and is studying TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at San Francisco State University. She speaks Korean, English, and German, and enjoys writing, calligraphy, and playing the piano. Fozia received her bachelor’s degree from Allama Iqbal Open University in Islamabad in 2005 and is studying at San Francisco State University in the area of special education with visual impairment. She speaks Urdu and English and enjoys reading books and listening to music.
December 9, 2008	Irwin Gootnick, MD, renowned lecturer, best-selling self-help author, and and noted psychiatrist. In his books, lectures, and private clinical practice, Dr. Irwin Gootnick explains why people act as they do even when they want and intend to act differently, for example, in the areas of weight loss, career, relationships, and parenting. or the past 40 years, Dr. Gootnick has helped hundreds of patients solve these issues and others. In his books, he helps individuals understand their actions and offers self-help techniques for getting past these self-defeating behaviors and leading a happier more fulfilling life. With the insights he has gained from working with his patients, Dr. Gootnick lectures to groups of all sizes throughout the United States. His clear, “no psycho-babble” approach to speaking has led him to be featured on many radio and television shows, including on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Today's talk is about how people get stuck in unproductive behavior, and how to get unstuck.
December 23, 2008	Joyce Yuan, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from the United States to Japan, 2007–2008, sponsored by the Rotary Club of San Francisco West. Joyce grew up in San Francisco. She majored in Molecular and Cell Biology and minored in Japanese at UC Berkeley. After graduating, she studied in Osaka, Japan, as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. She studied suicidology in the graduate program at Osaka University and visited various Rotary Clubs in the Osaka District. She returned to California in August 2008 and is now a first-year medical student at UCLA.
January 13, 2009	Mara Bonelli, mother of a type 1 diabetic and an active volunteer with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the leading charitable funder and advocate of type I diabetes research worldwide. The mission of JDRF is to find a cure for diabetes and its complications through the support of research. Type 1 diabetes is a disease which strikes children and adults suddenly and requires multiple injections of insulin daily or a continuous infusion of insulin through a pump. Insulin, however, is not a cure for diabetes, nor does it prevent its eventual and devastating complications which may include kidney failure, blindness, heart disease, stroke, and amputation. Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.3 billion to diabetes research, including more than $156 million in FY 2008. In FY 2008 the Foundation funded more than 1,000 centers, grants and fellowships in 22 countries. Topic: the ways in which type 1 and type 2 diabetes differ, show the effects of type 1 on the productivity in the workplace and the costs related to diabetes, and will inform the audience of some of the most exciting research projects currently being funded by the JDRF.
January 20, 2009	Carrie Lee, O.D., president of the Rotary Club of San Francisco West, optometrist, and owner of Eyedentity Vision in Glen Park, opened her practice about 11 months ago. Today’s talk is on the fun and excitement of opening a new business. Dr. Carrie Lee is a San Francisco native who grew up in the Sunset District. She earned her Doctorate of Optometry from the University of California at Berkeley in 2004. She has completed professional internships at the Tacoma VA hospital, Lovelace Medical Center in Albuquerque, and San Francisco VA hospital. She serves on the Board of Governors for the San Francisco Optometric Society and is a member of the American Optometric Association and the California Optometric Association. She has extensive experience in primary eye care, binocular vision, contact lenses, ocular disease management, and laser vision correction management.
February 24, 2009	Joel Rubinstein, member, Rotary Club of San Francisco West, and steering committee member, Interfaith Millennium Development Goals Coalition. Topic: Rotary Peacebuilding Symposium, Sunday, March 15, 9–5 and the Millennium Development Goals, a slate of goals for 2015 in 8 areas to address needs of the world’s poor.
March 10, 2009	Michelle Nye, Corporate Art Coordinator, SFMOMA Artists Gallery at Fort Mason. The gallery features a dynamic exhibition program and represents Bay Area artists at all stages of their careers. In keeping with its mission to promote Northern California art, the SFMOMA Artists Gallery presents eight exhibitions each year in its main gallery. Focusing on both new and established artists, the exhibition program consists of solo, group, and thematic shows, and represents a diverse range of art practices, including painting, sculpture, photography, and new media works. Additionally, the loft gallery is a new exhibition space devoted to artworks not typically found in the rental inventory, such as installations, unframed works on paper, and wall and floor sculptures. Similar to a “project room,” this space welcomes exploration and experimentation. As an extension of the gallery’s exhibition program at Fort Mason, solo shows featuring selected gallery artists are on view year- round at SFMOMA’s Caffè Museo. All exhibited works are available for rent or purchase.
March 17, 2009	Jamie Meriwether, Peace Action West, the regional division of Peace Action, the nation’s largest grassroots peace network. Peace Action works to free the world of nuclear weapons, protect human rights around the world by controlling the trafficking of lethal weapons, advance national spending priorities that meet our nation’s real security and domestic needs, and promote resolution of international conflict through diplomacy and international cooperation. Peace Action believes that war is not a suitable response to conflict; that every person has the right to live without the threat from nuclear weapons; that America has the resources to both protect and provide for its citizens; and that given the right tools, ordinary people can change the world. Topic: cutting wasteful military spending.
March 31, 2009	David Bigeleisen, attorney and member, San Francisco #2 club. Mr. Bigeleisen’s private practice work includes preparation and trials in all kinds of cases, including commercial securities, tort, real estate, juvenile and criminal matters. He particularly emphasizes child molestation and rape cases. He also serves as a Superior Court arbitrator and judge pro tem. Mr. Bigeleisen is a lecturer at U.C. Hastings College of Law, College of Trial and Appellate Advocacy. The State Bar of California awarded him the Wiley Manual Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Work, and the Bar Association of San Francisco awarded him Outstanding Lawyer in Community Service. He has had several articles published in legal and other publications. Mr. Bigeleisen earned his A.B. at Cornell and his J.D. at the University of San Diego. Film photography is his hobby; he likes to do both portraits and landscapes, both color and black and white. Today’s topic is “My life in court.”
April 21, 2009	David Schooley, founder and president, San Bruno Mountain Watch. The members of San Bruno Mountain Watch have been working diligently for over thirty years to help protect and preserve San Bruno Mountain as the largest and richest remaining example of the native Franciscan bioregion. SBMW has given high priority to fighting the San Bruno Mountain "Habitat Conservation Plan" (HCP), which authorizes destruction of endangered species habitat to enable development. Passed in 1982 to address non-federal lands hosting endangered species, this amendment to the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) was first used on San Bruno Mountain and allowed developers to proceed with construction that had been stopped due the presence of such species. In exchange, developers were to dedicate portions of their properties for parks and to restore degraded habitat. This HCP has served as a model for the roughly 500 other HCPs either implemented or in the works in the U.S. Two decades later, clear signs indicate that the HCP amendment to the ESA is not safeguarding endangered species, neither on San Bruno Mountain nor nationwide. David Schooley spoke with our club in 2006. Today’s presentation is titled, “What’s new on San Bruno Mountain?”
April 28, 2009	Rick Beeman, member and past president, Rotary Club of Sausalito, and Rotary District Governor Designee (2010–2011). Born in the city of Rotary, Evanston, Illinois, Rick is a third-generation Rotarian. He is newly married to Marty Wickenheiser, herself a member of the Rotary Club of Novato. Rick has lived several professional lives since he graduated from UCLA with a degree in theatrical design, including as a stagehand and set decorator for CBS in the early 70s (“The Match Game,” “The Price is Right,” “Maude,” “All in the Family,” and “Carol Burnett,” among others); a documentarian — having shot a documentary in Nicaragua in 1984 during the Sandinista Revolution; owned a corporate event company, Paradigm Studios, Inc., during the 80s, growing it to be the third largest on the West Coast. Rick now does real estate development through his company EcoUrban Solutions, Inc., and serves as CEO for FleetCare International, LLC — a start-up company that does corporate fleet maintenance.   Rick has served on the boards of trustees of several nonprofits and commissions over the years of his professional life, including Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary (Evanston, IL), Marin Girls Softball, Marin County Blue Ribbon Task Force on Homelessness, Marin County Commission On Homelessness, and the Ross School Design Council. Rick served as president of Marcy Newberry Foundation (Chicago, IL), the board of trustees of his local church in San Rafael, CA, Ritter House, and Project Amigo (Colima, Mexico). In addition to his many roles of Rotary service, he produced a major opera event in Sausalito, Opera by the Bay, with Marilyn Horne and Golden Gate Opera in 2001. Today’s talk is titled “Why I Am A Rotarian.”
May 5, 2009	Carol Vernal, member, Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley and founder and CEO, Children’s Medical Aid Foundation (CMAF), which is dedicated to improving the lives of children in Nepal by providing surgical correction of congenital defects. CMAF helps children born with handicaps and disfigurement avoid the stigma, shame and embarrassment that keep them isolated from school and community. Surgery offers these children with functional and aesthetic benefits, instantly transforming their future for a normal childhood and better life. Carol recently returned home after two months of traveling in remote areas of Nepal. This visit to Nepal was focused on laying groundwork for a 5-bed hospital in Eastern Nepal. While there, she met many fellow Rotarians that are now dedicated to the Itahari Hospital project. The presentation is focused on her experiences in Nepal over the past 5 years since founding CMAF. It will be an educational, informative,and entertaining program about Nepal, its culture and the work of Children’s Medical Aid Foundation.
May 19, 2009	Naida Muslimova, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from Moscow, Russia, studying at Golden Gate University, where she is working on a master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications with emphasis in Public Relations. Naida received her bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Russian Philology at Volgograd State University in the city of Volgograd, Russia. She enjoys reading modern and clasic literature.
June 9, 2009	Anita Edgar, founder, El Shaddai Charitable Trust, working in India with orphans, street children and children coming from economically desperate conditions. El Shaddai works to assure that children are cared for and provided with food, clothing, shelter and education for a better future. El Shaddai has residential Homes, day care and night shelters, and cottages for the seniors who are now attending colleges, technical institutions and professional training centres in Goa. In addition, outreach projects are in Mumbai, Nagpur, Chennai, Karnataka, Kerala, Sikkim and Bangalore. Anita Edgar was a grandmother from Devon, England, who took a last-minute holiday to India in December 1996, never dreaming it would change her life so dramatically. She was horrified to see hundreds of deprived children, some begging, some rag picking or forced to collect rubbish for recycling just to survive. Together with Faith Community Church Pastor Matthew Kurian, she set up El Shaddai Charitable Trust. Anita now spends seven months a year in Goa, and five months a year in the UK, Europe, and the United States, promoting the work of El Shaddai and raising funds.
June 16, 2009	Bryan Lee, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar and Second Lieutenant, AVN, U.S. Army, heading for Singapore!
June 23, 2009	Dr. Laura Delizonna, founder, Choosing Happiness, which has the mission to help people manifest their dreams and attain lasting happiness. It emerged from a belief that each and every person can have an extraordinary life. Happiness is defined and pursued in a uniquely personal way, but the crucial skills that enable people to reclaim their possibilities are similar. These programs provide coaching and training on how to successfully overcome pitfalls and skillfully navigate the sometimes circuitous path to lasting happiness. Dr. Laura Delizonna’s expertise is in the skills that underlie lasting happiness, leadership, and emotional intelligence. She performs keynote speeches, conducts workshops, consults with individuals in private practice, and is an instructor at Stanford University. She has published several articles and book chapters in the field of positive psychology. She developed a program and wrote a book called "The 5 Habits of Happiness". Dr. Delizonna worked as a staff psychologist and was awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. She earned her PhD in psychology at Boston University and conducted her doctoral dissertation under the mentorship of Dr. Ellen Langer at Harvard University.