Events

Miles Horobin (he/him) grew up in Sonoma County and spent much of his childhood exploring and getting to know the flora and fauna who inhabit this bioregion. His appreciation for the natural world is deeply inspired by his botanist grandfather, Alan. After spending many years immersed in gardening, farming, and landscaping, Miles came to OAEC in 2020 for the Garden Internship Program. In his current role as Garden Manager, he brings together many of his passions and skills and shares them with others. He is a lifelong learner and finds plants to be some of the best teachers. When he is not working, you can find him drinking tea, trail running, or transforming plants into various forms of food and medicine.

November 2026 – MODERATE HIKE – Marin Headlands to views of the forts and Golden Gate Bridge.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7   10a-1P  Optional Sausalito restaurant lunch afterward 

Organizer – Marty Behr.  Dog-friendly. 

Nov. 13, 2026 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Santa Rosa Vet's Building

1351 Maple Street

Santa Rosa, CA 95404

United States of America

Contact George Pappas for Tickets

Patti Callahan is a retired RN with years of nursing service in inpatient psychiatric services and as a manager in Sonoma County Mental Health.  In addition to nursing, she worked in Human Resources for Bank of America after completing her MBA from UCLA, and at the end of her career she returned to patient care as a hospice nurse in Honolulu.
In retirement, Patti has remained active and involved as a volunteer.  She is a patient care volunteer for hospice, is a committee co-chair with the local women’s group philanthropy, Impact 100 Redwood Circle, is on the board of Waljok Foundation, and is a member and past president of the board of Welfare League.  This year she is co-chair of Welfare League’s Christmas Unlimited program

In 2012, Ms. O’Connell was named Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Sonoma County. Established in 1976, YWCA marks its 50^th anniversary this year as our community’s singular and vital provider of comprehensive domestic violence services; answering the call from families who experience violence in the place we should all feel the most safe: inside our own homes.

A graduate of the University of San Francisco, where she earned a place on the Dean’s List for academic achievement, Ms. O’Connell holds a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Behavior. She brings to her team a unique for-profit business acumen forged over her 28-year career in the marketing and public relations arena of community banking, which spans two coasts. She leads a staff of 50+ and is responsible for the sustainability of a $5 million dollar budget.

Madeleine received both the Women in Business Award and the Nonprofit Leadership Award from the North Bay Business Journal in recent years. Recognizing her decade of service at YWCA Sonoma County, Madeleine received a Certificate of Recognition issued by California Senator Mike McGuire in 2022. She was also included in the Press Democrat’s list of “30 Women You Should Know in Sonoma County.” Madeleine and her husband Kevin, reside in Santa Rosa along with their boys, Johnny and Nicholas.

December 2026 – EASY WALK – Traditional Guided Holiday Historical Walk in Sebastopol 

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6  10A-NOON  Optional Holiday Lunch afterward

Organizer – Marty Behr.  Dog-friendly walk, Dogs not permitted at restaurant.

Holiday Cocktail Party

Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotarian Mark Campbell recently traveled to Portugal, Spain and Morocco with his wife and close friends. A dedicated photographer for over 50 years, Mark will present a small selection of images from some of the places his group visited that he feels best showcase the destination and various core elements of travel photography: subject matter, composition, lighting, color, perspective, etc. This will not be your typical 'we saw this, we did that' presentation. Rather, Mark will 'tell the story' behind each image and why he was inspired to capture it. Learn why Morocco's Chefchaouen became the 'blue city, and see 'liquid light' inside Casablanca's Hassan II Mosque, the second largest mosque in Africa, and one of the few mosques that welcome non-Muslim visitors.

Mark Randol retired in May 2011 after 35 years of military and federal civil service and moved to Oakmont.  He has taught college courses in domestic terrorism and counterintelligence; lectures at the University of Southern California’s Viterbe School of Engineering on aviation security; and teaches U.S. Coast Guard-certified maritime security courses.  He also provides security consulting services.

Prior to retirement from the government Mr. Randol served as the senior specialist in domestic intelligence and counterterrorism at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in Washington, DC, where he provided non-partisan research and policy analysis for members of Congress and their staffs.  He was also the Director of Counterterrorism Policy at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where he was responsible for ensuring the Secretary’s priorities were reflected in interagency counterterrorism plans and policies.  In that role, he represented DHS at national-level coordinating bodies including the National Security Council’s Counterterrorism Security Group, charged with overseeing U.S. Government counterterrorism efforts.  

Other professional assignments include serving as one of the original cadre of Transportation Security Administration Federal Security Directors.  He has 14 years experience as a civil aviation security manager, inspector, and intelligence analyst with the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C. and Brussels, Belgium.  He also served as a Senior Aviation Security Officer with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). in Montréal, Canada.

Mr. Randol served for 8-1/2 years in the U.S. Air Force, with assignments in Taipei, Taiwan; Stuttgart, Germany; Osan, Korea; and Fort Meade, Maryland; as well as 3-1/2 years as a civilian on the Army Intelligence Staff at the Pentagon.

Mr. Randol is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, earned a Masters Degree in Government (National Security Studies) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and has completed all Ph.D course work and comprehensive exams at the Catholic University of America; Washington D.C.  He also graduated from the U.S. Government Senior Executive Service development program at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Troy Niday is CEO of TLC Child and Family Services and former Chief Operating Officer of Sonoma Media Investments, the previous owner of The Press Democrat. With more than 25 years of experience in the newspaper industry, Troy has held executive leadership positions at major newspapers in Omaha, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Birmingham, and Santa Rosa.

A dedicated community leader, Troy serves on the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber Board of Directors and is Immediate Past President of the International News Media Association’s North America Board.

About the Presentation

Across America, local journalism is facing a growing crisis. Newsrooms are shrinking, community coverage is disappearing, and residents are increasingly left without reliable information about the issues affecting their daily lives.

Troy will discuss the consequences of this decline and share an innovative local solution: Press Onward Sonoma County, a community-driven nonprofit initiative he founded and chairs to revitalize independent local journalism.

The initiative plans to launch Santa Rosa Now (santarosanow.org), a locally led news organization focused initially on Santa Rosa neighborhoods, with plans to expand coverage to surrounding communities.

Troy will explore why strong local journalism is essential to a thriving democracy—connecting neighbors, encouraging civic participation, holding institutions accountable, and ensuring residents have access to trusted information.