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Dec. 13, 2018 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Our Annual White Elephant Holiday Gift Exchange
Dec. 14, 2018
This week’s meeting will reprise PAUR’s joyful holiday gift exchange program. Once again it will allow us the perfect opportunity for the practical application of our beloved 4-Way-Test. It is essential for this to work that each of us brings a wrapped gift to the meeting. It can be something new, that costs around $10, or something gently used, (commonly known as a “white elephant”), that you may already have at home. The simple rules of the exchange will be explained at the meeting. Everyone who arrives with a wrapped gift is sure to leave with an unwrapped new treasure. Come join the festivities certain to be filled with fun and fellowship. |
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The US Electric Power System Infrastructure and Its Vulnerabilities
Jan. 04, 2019
Please join us Friday when our first speaker for the New Year will be our own Ted Marston. Ted will base his talk on a paper he did for the National Academy of Engineering this summer about the US electric power system infrastructure and its vulnerabilities. The US power infrastructure is one of the largest and most critical infrastructures in the world. The country’s financial well-being, public health, and national security depend on it to be a reliable source of electricity to industries, commercial entities, residential facilities, government, and military organizations. Considering the complexity and age of most of the equipment in the US power infrastructure, the lifetime reliability is extraordinary—and it has improved in the last ten years. Future system reliability may be challenged, however, by the effects of climate change, increasing supplies of renewable energy, and potential cyberattacks. Ted’s talk will expand upon the current high voltage transmission system, the effect of these factors, his conclusions, and his thoughts for next steps. Upon retirement from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) as its Chief Technology Officer, Ted established Marston Consulting in June of 2006. This firm is dedicated to the innovation, development, demonstration and deployment of new technology to address two key issues facing developed and developing countries in the 21st century: energy independence and management of global climate change. His clients include venture capitalists, commercial and energy companies, R&D organizations, and U.S. and international national laboratories. Previously, as CTO of EPRI, he directed multi-hundred million dollar, international science and technology programs to improve the generation, transmission, distribution and utilization of electricity and reduce the associated environmental risks. Earlier, he led a large international program to develop utility requirements for advanced nuclear reactors, design certification for advanced light water reactors, first-of-a-kind engineering and siting of nuclear reactors. In addition to his nuclear experience, he developed international, independent, fossil-fueled power generation projects. Ted has over 30 years of global experience in the assessment and management of risk in a broad range of industrial facilities, including nuclear and conventional power plants, refineries, chemical plants, railroads, and defense facilities. Ted received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1972 and is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. |
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Innovative Financial Inclusion
Jan. 11, 2019
Please join us Friday when our speaker will be Ken Singleton from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. This presentation explores some of the innovative ways that start-ups are overcoming financial frictions, reinforcing user engagement through social and business networks, and using data in novel ways to enhance the financial capacities of households and small businesses. Poor financial health is now an issue for nearly half the U.S. population. We will highlight some of the ways that FinTech has been addressing this challenge, and examine its past, present, and prospective social impact. Ken’s research focuses on econometric methods for estimation and testing of dynamic asset pricing models; modeling of term structures of government and defaultable bond yields; pricing credit derivatives; measuring and managing market, credit, and liquidity risks; and debt financing in emerging economies. He is the Adams Distinguished Professor of Management at the Graduate School of Business at Stanford. He has published widely on financial risks and their impacts on economic decision-making, including books on credit risk and dynamic asset pricing. Ken is currently a faculty advisor to, and serves on the Investment Committee of, the Stanford GSB Impact Fund; and is a faculty advisor to Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs. He was the Executive Editor of the Journal of Finance from 2012 to 2016; served as a Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Stanford GSB from 2005 to 2008; was a special advisor to the chief economist at the IMF during the crisis in 2009; and co-led the Fixed Income Research group of Goldman Sachs, Asia while on leave from Stanford in the early 1990’s. He is President of the Board of the 501(c)3 nonprofit 1 Grain to 1000 Grains that leads programs for low-income communities through which families discover intuitive and actionable plans for more healthful eating and for building financial capacity. Ken holds a BA in Mathematics from Reed College and a PhD in Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. |
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Our Mid-Year Club Assembly
Jan. 18, 2019
Our meeting this Friday will be the semi-annual Club Assembly, where we take stock of how and what we are doing as a club. At this Mid-Year Meeting our emphasis is on member engagement for completion of this year’s Rotary journey. There will also be a very important election for our President Elect-Nominee for Rotary year 2020-2021. Stephen Becker is the only known candidate (and an excellent choice by our past presidents committee) and is the odds on favorite to win. You will learn about plans for the 2019 Gala, progress on our Avenues of Service, and have a report on the outcome of our recent club questionnaire. Please come with your renowned liveliness and questions. The Assembly is a good time for self-reflection. It will be a very full Club-centric agenda, start thinking about our club and your place in it. The hallmark of Rotary is the opportunity to provide service to the community (both locally and internationally). Great service opportunities gives you the opportunity to get to know your fellow Rotarians better ... and is good for your health. IMPORTANT: Please note that due to an event at the Sheraton, the Club Assembly Meeting on will not be at the Sheraton but in the Community Room at the Lucie Stern Community Center Parking can be found on Middlefield Rd and on the Community Center Parking Lot reachable from Harriet St and Hopkins Ave (see attached map). We have the room reserved from 7 am - 10 am giving us time for the Board meeting that will follow the Club Assembly Meeting. |
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Tess Posner: Ethics and Diversity in AI
Jan. 25, 2019
We hope to see you Friday when our speaker will be Tess Posner, CEO of AI4All. Artificial Intelligence is the new electricity, says Andrew Ng. The global economic impact of AI applications is expected to reach $2.95 trillion by 2025, and we’re already seeing AI being incorporated into areas and tools like medical diagnosis, personal assistants like Siri, self-driving cars and Google Translate. However, as machines are getting closer to mirroring human-like abilities, they are also absorbing the deeply ingrained unconscious biases in our society. How do we address bias and other ethical risks in the development and deployment of AI technologies? Join Tess as she talks about how AI4ALL, her organization working to increase diversity and inclusion in AI, takes on challenges and comes up with concrete solutions. AI4ALL is a nonprofit working to increase diversity and inclusion in artificial intelligence. They create pipelines for underrepresented talent through education and mentorship programs around the U.S. and Canada that give high school students early exposure to AI for social good. Their vision is for AI to be developed by a broad group of thinkers and doers advancing AI for humanity’s benefit. Our own Rick Sommer is a co-founder and board member of AI4ALL, which started with a program in his organization (Pre-Collegiate Studies) offered at Stanford (originally called Stanford AI Lab Outreach Summer (SAILORS), but now Stanford AI4ALL). Their flagship program is educating the next generation of diverse AI leaders in partnership with Stanford, UC Berkeley, Princeton, Carnegie Mellon, Simon Fraser and other leading companies and educational institutions in AI today. Tess has spent her career on initiatives that increase equity and economic opportunity in the education system and economy. She is passionate about working towards a future where all people have the chance to access education, find dignified work and reach their full potential. Previously, Tess supported the TechHire initiative—a national initiative to get more Americans rapidly trained for well-paying tech jobs—through collaboration with key stakeholders including state and local government leaders, workforce development programs, and education providers. Prior to joining Opportunity@Work, Tess was Managing Director of Samaschool, a social enterprise part of the SamaGroup that equips low-income people to find work in the digital economy. Prior to Samaschool, Tess led the employment and education programs at First Place for Youth, a nationally-recognized model that helps foster youth find housing, get their first job, and stay in school. Before First Place, she managed programs that taught competitive debate as a literacy and empowerment tool in underserved public schools in New York City. Tess holds a master's degree from Columbia University School in Social Enterprise Administration and a bachelor’s in liberal arts from St. John’s College.
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Lean in Latinas
Feb. 01, 2019
Please join us Friday when we will be hearing from Anna Dapelo-Garcia about her organization Lean In Latinas The mission of Lean In is to help women achieve their ambitions and work to create an equal world. They want a world where people of every gender can pursue their dreams without bias or other barriers holding them back. Where girls grow up to be confident, resilient leaders. Where more women run companies and countries. They are driven by the belief our society and economy would be better if women and girls were valued as equal to men and boys. Building on the Lean In mission, Anna became Founder and President of Lean In Latinas now 800+ members strong nationally and internationally. Lean in Latinas is one of ten non-profits, worldwide, with Lean In. Anna’s presentation on women’s rights and the women’s movement is a snapshot of a big and complex story. It doesn’t come close to capturing the full breadth of women’s experiences, challenges, or achievements —no summary could. But no matter how closely you follow the news or how much you already know about women’s progress, there’s research that will surprise you. It is presented in three categories—the Bad, the Ugly, and the Good, in that order, because while we need to face harsh truths, we also want to end with hope. Together, we can build a more equal and resilient world. Anna Dapelo-Garcia is a healthcare administrator for Stanford Health Care in Palo Alto and Founder and President of Lean In Latinas. Anna acquired a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in healthcare services administration from the University of San Francisco and a Bachelor of Arts degree in management from Saint Mary’s College. In 2012 Anna received the Future Financial Leaders’ Award from the National Healthcare Financial Management Association and in 2013 she was named as a Silicon Valley Business Journal Woman of Influence. In 2017, she was named as the Woman of the Year by the Women’s Health Care Executives. She also served as a State Commissioner with the California State Senate for Cost Control in State Government. She’s currently vice chair and board member for the University of San Francisco Master of Public Administration program and 2nd vice chair and board member for the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley. In 2015, she became the Founder of Lean In Latinas and was appointed as a Regional Program Leader by LeanIn.Org. Anna was recently featured in The New York Times for her role in creating Lean In Latinas, now a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. In October 2018, she received a Top Latino Leaders Award by the National Diversity Council in Los Angeles. She has also been featured in Forbes and National Public Radio (NPR). |
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Building Communities of Practice Around Environmental Open Data Science
Feb. 08, 2019
Please join us Friday when it will be our pleasure to welcome Blair Stewart’s daughter Julia Stewart Lowndes. There is huge potential for data science to accelerate research and generate solutions to pressing environmental problems on land and sea. But many scientists are excluded from efficient use of data science because they lack “downstream” basic skillsets, mindsets, or support in academia they would need to engage with such tools. Environmental scientists are a diverse community that ranges from climatologists to geneticists, but they are united by an enormous need to work efficiently with data – and by the fact that they seldom have formal computing or data analysis training of any kind. There is great opportunity to borrow from the work of software engineers and use collaborative open tools that facilitate better science in less time. However, a fundamental shift is needed in the environmental science community that prioritizes data science and provides emerging scientific leaders training in open science tools and practices to strengthen and accelerate their work. Julia will discuss her work to catalyze this shift through two programs she has developed and lead at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The first is the Ocean Health Index training program, which teaches international government and academic scientists how to channel the best available scientific information into marine policy using our scientific method and tools. And the second, she has recently launched in January 2019 as a Mozilla Fellow: Openscapes, a mentorship program that empowers environmental scientists with open data science tools and grows the community of practice. Julia Stewart Lowndes is a marine data scientist and Mozilla Fellow, working to increase the value and practice of open environmental science. She has been working in this space since 2013 at the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS) at the University of California at Santa Barbara. With the Ocean Health Index, she has led training programs for data-driven ocean policy efforts around the world and led a transformative publication in Nature Ecology & Evolution: Our path to better science in less time using open data science tools. She earned her PhD at Stanford University in 2012 studying drivers and impacts of Humboldt squid in a changing climate. |
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Feb. 08, 2019 5:30 p.m.
Friday February 8 is our next 2nd Friday event. It will be at the Four Seasons Hotel at University Ave and Highway 101. Please note that the traffic intersection at University and 101 is heavily congested during this time of the day. It is advisable to use Woodland Ave in Menlo Park to access the Hotel from the backside. Please see attached flyer for more information. See you there. Richard Schoelerman |
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Pelisa Energy Kongo: Igniting a Renewable Energy Revolution in Central Africa
Feb. 22, 2019
Please join us Friday when our guest speaker will be Kiazi Malonga. Kiazi is the founder and CEO of Pelisa Energy, a nonprofit startup aiming to bridge the energy gap for remote underserved communities in Central Africa by supplying decentralized small solar solutions to impact health, education, and livelihoods. Pelisa Energy was founded in the San Francisco Bay Area and focuses its efforts in Central Africa. ‘Pelisa’ means ‘to bring the light’ in Congo’s Lingala language. Pelisa Energy marries the market development, education and social goals of a non-profit with the sustainability and dynamism of the free market to meet its goals. It is the only energy initiative in the world targeting the Republic of Congo with small-solar technology. Kiazi was raised in the Bay Area with deep cultural connections to Central Africa. Kiazi received his bachelor's degree in International Relations from Stanford University and received a dual Masters degree in International Affairs and Natural Resources and Sustainable Development from American University in Washington DC and The United Nations University for Peace in Costa Rica. Pelisa Energy was founded in 2017 when Kiazi took the leap from working on green energy and sustainability issues for Pacific Gas and Electric and focused on Pelisa Energy full-time. Pelisa Energy has raised funds from individual donors and installed 90 solar systems in urban and rural village hospitals, schools and households in the Republic of Congo. If you want to see Pelisa Energy in action, (and practice your French), please click on the following link: https://www.facebook.com/pelisaenergy/videos/1927880207251269/ Kiazi will be providing greater insight into Pelisa Energy (in English) on Friday.
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A Photo Tour of Avian Courtship
Mar. 01, 2019
In the springtime, many birds take on new appearances and personalities as they attempt to attract mates for the coming nesting season. They grow new colorful feathers specifically for this event and perform elaborate courtship rituals to convince prospective partners to mate with them. The photos in this presentation will illustrate the wild and wonderful world of avian courtship.
In the springtime, many birds take on new appearances and personalities as they attempt to attract mates for the coming nesting season. They grow new colorful feathers specifically for this event and perform elaborate courtship rituals to convince prospective partners to mate with them. The photos in this presentation will illustrate the wild and wonderful world of avian courtship. Steve Zamek is a retired software engineer who has been a bird lover for decades, but more recently expanded this passion by attempting to capture these lovely creatures on "film". In 2008 he acquired a DSLR camera and began capturing these fascinating creatures. He enjoys photographing birds going about their daily activities, striving to create captivating images which convey both the beauty and behavior of the birds in their natural surroundings. He lives near some productive wetlands along the San Francisco Bay with his wife Jane. His photos are regularly published in Audubon and Sierra Club calendars. His articles, along with photos, have appeared in Birdwatching Magazine and The Journal of the Western Field Ornithologists. |
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PAUR Speaker for 3-8-19: Ian Winters: Towards Precision Oncology: From Cancer Genomics to Clinical I
Mar. 08, 2019
Please join us Friday when we will welcome Ian Winters as out guest speaker. Since the 1970s, we’ve known that cancer is a genetic disease: mutations in a cell’s DNA can result in aberrant cellular growth and the formation of a tumor. To study this process, mouse strains were genetically engineered in the 1980s to model human cancer. These strains have been instrumental to our understanding of cancer biology, and remain the gold-standard for “preclinical” cancer research today. However, despite massive progress in our knowledge of fundamental cancer biology, treatments have barely changed in 40 years. What we now realize—through exponential improvements in DNA sequencing methods—is that cancer is in fact a collection of highly heterogeneous genetic diseases. This necessitates a paradigm shift in how we think about treating cancer, away from universal cures and towards personalized therapies. However, generating more precise, gold-standard mouse models needed to develop these personalized therapies is intractable using conventional approaches. To overcome this bottleneck, we integrated recent genetics innovations such as CRISPR-mediated gene editing, DNA barcoding, and DNA sequencing into conventional genetically engineered mouse models of cancer—allowing for the discovery and development of genetically-targeted cancer therapies at scale. Dr. Ian Winters is Co-Founder & Director of Research at the precision oncology startup, D2G Oncology. Prior to D2G Oncology, he completed a Genetics PhD at Stanford University in Prof. Monte Winslow’s cancer genetics lab. As a PhD student, Ian contributed to various collaborations between the Winslow lab and Prof. Dmitri Petrov’s lab at Stanford to develop scalable and quantitative mouse models of human cancer. He got his undergrad in Honors Biology at the University of Richmond in Virginia. His family moved pretty often while he was growing up. They lived in San Diego; Washington D.C.; Lima, Peru; Rome, Italy; and a rural town in Australia called Armidale. In his free time, Ian can often be found spending time with his wife and two daughters, and good friends Okke and Brooke—either firing up some pizza or working on photography. |
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New Member Talks
Mar. 15, 2019
Join us this Friday for another one of our favorite programs, our new member talks. This week we will get to know a little more about two new outstanding members, Katie Hedgecock and Manon Janssen.
Katie Hedgecock is a US Army officer and current Stanford Political Science PhD student. A Rotarian since 2016, she is transferring from Clarksville Sunset Rotary in Clarksville, TN. She is married to a Blackhawk pilot and her West Point Classmate, Nate Hedgecock. They are proud dog parents to a goldendoodle named Penny.
Manon Janssen is the current VP of Business Engagement at HR firm Intellipro Group's office in Santa Clara. Her other interests include travel, art, exploring new things, and giving back. Manon's history is well integrated with Rotary, her husband was a Rotary member in Denmark and he was also a Rotary Scholar in L.A. Her parents-in-law were both Rotary members in Denmark, and her father is a PROBUS member in the Netherlands. (PROBUS clubs are organizations for men and women who have retired and want to maintain a social network with others who have similar interests. Each PROBUS club is sponsored by a Rotary club or another PROBUS Club and meets at least once a month for fellowship and to hear guest speakers. Today, there are over 400,000 members in approximately 4,000 PROBUS clubs worldwide)
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Hidden Women: Celtic Burgundy & Europe
Mar. 22, 2019
Please join us Friday when we will welcome back Jacqueline Widmar Stewart as our speaker. A little over a year ago we were fortunate to have Jacqui enlighten us about Celtic society and the importance of a woman’s role therein. However, her painstaking research was impossible to be compressed into a single book; luckily she will be back to fill in some of the rest of her exploration. Jacqui will be continuing her Hidden Women series with the 2nd book, Celtic Burgundy & Europe. New finds call for another look at women in European history. Ever more convincingly, buried treasures show that Europe’s ancient Celts valued females in ways that later empires did not. Archaeology is uncovering vast differences between these family-centric populations and the Roman Empire that fueled its expansion by conquest, occupation and enslavement of Celtic peoples. Over the past 2000 years, institutionalized sexism has carried Rome’s elitist male domination all the way to the present. Along with the riches that have been found in women’s burial chambers, excavations across the continent reveal a surprising consistency in technological capabilities, communication and trade networks of Iron Age Celts. Ancient tombs and treasure troves throughout Great Britain, Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Austria, and Slovenia give insights into a formerly vibrant culture that is no longer recognized. The Hidden Women series brings vantage views into this wealthy, productive, nature- loving, Iron Age civilization. As author, mother, education advocate and perpetual scholar, Jacqui pursues a wide range of interests that draw her back to her family’s European homeland. Her use of a variety of lenses – law, literature, languages, art, architecture, archeology, and genetics – brings a clearer picture of an obscured past. Those who need to look behind the scene will love her books that explore the how and why. A native of Beverly Shores, Indiana, Jacqui completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in French and German from the University of Colorado and a Master’s Degree in French from the University of Michigan. Following her marriage to our Blair Stewart, both earned law degrees at Stanford. Jacqui’s European studies include a classics program in Athens, Greece, German language at the University of Bonn in Germany and Slovenian language at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia. Their two children - Andy and Julia, (both previous speakers), also completed Stanford graduate programs. Twenty years ago Jacqui helped found the East Palo Alto Kids Foundation and then ran the organization for ten years. Since then she has written four books that focus on environmental triumphs: The Glaciers’ Treasure Trove: A Field Guide to the Lake Michigan Riviera, Finding Slovenia: A Guide to Old Europe’s New Country, Parks and Gardens in Greater Paris, and Champagne Regained. |
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21st Century Policing – The Human Behind the Badge
Mar. 29, 2019
Please join us Friday when we will welcome Palo Alto Police Chief Robert Jonsen as our guest speaker. The presentation will address how the Palo Alto Police Department is addressing crime trends; recruiting personnel, and training employees to manage the stressors of the profession so they can service the community at optimal levels. Chief Bob Jonsen has been in law enforcement since 1986. Prior to his appointment at Palo Alto Police Department (January 2018), he was the Chief of Police for the Menlo Park Police Department for five years. Most of Chief Jonsen’s career was with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department where he worked for 27 years. Bob worked assignments in custody, patrol, gangs, and at the Department’s Training Bureau. While assigned to the Training Bureau he was involved in the development and presentation of the 1999 POST Youth Violence telecourse, the Los Angeles County Office of Education’s Youth Weapons Prevention and Intervention Program, the national First Responder training offered through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (facilitating block of Institutional Violence), and for writing a recommendation report on school safety policy and procedures for the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department. Bob promoted to Sergeant in 2000, and after working as a patrol supervisor, was selected as the Assistant Coordinator of the Regional Community Policing Institute – Los Angeles, which provided law enforcement training throughout a six-county region in southern California. As a Lieutenant, he oversaw the Antelope Valley Crime Fighting Initiative, a crime reduction and community engagement program which was the recipient of the ‘James Q. Wilson Award for Excellence in Community Policing’ in 2010. In 2011, Chief Jonsen was promoted to Captain and took command of Lancaster Station, where he worked until being selected as Menlo Park’s new Police Chief. As the Chief of Police for Menlo Park, Bob secured a new Community Service Center, formed a Chief’s Advisory Group, and integrated community policing philosophies throughout the organization. The Menlo Park Police Department was the recipient of the James Q. Wilson Award for Excellence in Community Policing and the IACP/Cisco Award for Community Policing. |
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Billy, Bill and William – A Tale of Dumb Blind Luck
Apr. 05, 2019
William Grindley, emigre from South Carolina, has lived a vivid adventure and will share some of it this Friday in a presentation called - Billy, Bill and William – A Tale of Dumb Blind Luck. His maternal grandparents, owned the Ford dealerships in South Carolina’s “Low Country” but managed to lose all during the Depression. His dad left home at age 15, to support his mom and baby brother; became Master of Vessel, saved over 100 men in a Newfoundland shipwreck and spent most of Billy and Bill’s boyhood away from Beautiful-Beaufort-By-The-Sea. An overachiever through his pre-teens, Billy couldn’t reconcile Jim Crow South Carolina with the ideals that Beaufort’s Episcopal Church, its Synagogue and Boy Scouts taught him. Spending long weekends rowing his boat, fishing and hunting on Beaufort County’s deserted islands such as Hilton Head, he slowly understood the corrosiveness of institutionalized racial hate. At Clemson University (nee Clemson Agricultural College), Bill had the luck to study under by well-educated Yankees, have lectures from some of the world’s leading architects and philosophers, hitch-hiked through Mexico and worked a long summer in London. But while I rode my Ducati and drove an Aston Martin, this period included an ROTC court-martial and knocking down a campus policeman. After a year of practicing architecture, William joined the Peace Corps and went to Peru. Dumb blind luck prevailed and my assignment, in the Presidential Palace, was to design orphanages and day care centers. More luckily still, over her meatloaf in a squatter settlement, I fell in love with Susan. We married in Lima, then returned to Peru for three more years, I as a banker. When we returned to the US (1969), blind luck got me first into MIT’s Urban Planning school, then later into the World Bank. While the IBRD was prestigious and lucrative, I knew I would become a bureaucrat. Blind luck prevailed and Stanford Research Institute (SRI) offered me a job, which made me meet a ‘bottom line.’ That adventure lasted 13 years with assignments not only in Europe and Latin America, but also Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. I was fired from SRI. But blind luck prevailed, and I started and ran Pacific Strategies for 20 years, keeping 3-4 employees so I could have fun – working directly with clients’ problems. In 1971 we bought our Atherton house that was about to be torn down, and to the best of our abilities, made it a place for our family and our hundreds of friends. Last year we sold it to a family we are convinced wants to – and has the resources to – take it to the next level. We wish them all the luck we had in our 46 years in Fennwood. Over the last decade, it’s been 24/7 on high-speed rail. Episodic ! As must be clear by now that I am not a joiner. Kathleen and Karla dragged me into PAUR. I love it, not only because some of our best friends are here now, but because of PAUR’s work here and El Salvador. |
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Solving the Climate Challenge
Apr. 12, 2019
Please join us Friday when our speaker will be David Cain from the Citizens’ Climate Lobby. He will give us a brief overview of the cause and urgency of the climate change crisis and sets the stage for a presentation on what can be done about it. A carbon fee and dividend approach is described as a solution candidate providing an opportunity for comparison with other approaches such as cap and trade. The presentation will conclude with updates on Citizens' Climate Lobby efforts to pass bi-partisan climate legislation in Congress, and what individuals can do to help. Then he will open it up for Q&A. He will also be distributing Constituent Message Forms. Our members, if they wish to, could use these forms to communicate to their representatives in Washington regarding climate change. Dave is Outreach Coordinator for the Silicon Valley North Chapter of Citizens’ Climate Lobby (CCL) and is Co-Leader of CCL’s national Presenters & Schedulers Action Team. As a CCL member he lobbies members of Congress in Washington DC, seeking passage of bi-partisan national climate legislation. Dave has worked for over 30 years in energy R&D and co-founded a company specializing in environmental accounting software used by heavy industry enterprises worldwide. He is currently Senior Director, Environment, Energy & Carbon Products at HIS Markit, a dynamic team that includes more than 5,000 analysts, data scientists, financial experts and industry specialists. Their global information expertise spans numerous industries, including leading positions in finance, energy and transportation. He has a PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Washington and an undergraduate degree from U.C. Berkeley. Dave is the author of “Climate Guardians — Thoughts and Actions for People of Faith.” Climate Guardians is a group of ordinary people banded together in the common belief that there is a moral imperative to stop climate degradation. Each one of them recognizes that continuing to foul our nest – the Earth – with greenhouse gas pollution is profoundly wrong. They come at this conclusion from different persuasions: religious, spiritual, humanistic, and philosophical. But, regardless of their bent, they share the urgency of the moment. They refuse to believe that climate degradation is some other generation’s problem to deal with. The morality here is acute and in high relief. As Climate Guardians they have made the personal commitment to act because it is simply the right and necessary thing to do. They feel that we live in a world of specialists. More than ever we tend to let others deal with issues that fall outside of our realm. In the case of climate change we assume environmentalists, politicians, economists, industry, and non-profits - they will somehow take care of the problem. But, it’s not happening soon or fast enough because of the absence of popular will needed to galvanize action. Climate Guardians seeks to create that popular will – by appealing directly to the innate moral goodness in all people - to act. |
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Apr. 17, 2019 7:00 p.m.
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The UN's Role in a World of Rising Nationalism: Practical Lessons on Affecting Multilateral Process
Apr. 19, 2019
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ECOPA - El Salvador
Apr. 26, 2019
Please join us Friday when our speaker will be Adele Negro. Adele is the founding director of ECOPA: Intersections for Sustainable Living, a not-for-profit organization she is building to expand the 10-year work of “Team El Salvador,” a multi-disciplinary sustainable development practicum she directed in El Salvador for the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (MIIS) from 2006 to 2016. With teams of graduate students and experienced professionals, she oversees ECOPA’s in-country collaborative project work and research in such areas as environmental policy, coastal resource management, business strategies and marketing, public space design and utilization, survey design and administration, program monitoring and evaluation, organizational capacity-building, conflict resolution, and interpretation and translation. Adele is a professional Conference Interpreter, a Certified Federal and State of California Court Interpreter, and a U.S. State Department Translator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in French Language and Literature from the University of Michigan, a Certificate of Studies from Bryn Mawr College in Avignon, France and from l’Institut des Sciences Politiques, Paris, and a Masters degree in Conference Interpretation from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, where she taught for 6 years in the Graduate School of Translation, Interpretation and Language Education. She has lived and worked for extended periods of time in Argentina, Chile, El Salvador, East Africa, France and Italy, and is co-author of the published book-length study, Mozambique and Tanzania: Asking the Big Questions (IFDP, San Francisco, 1980). She is the current president of the California-based Western Regional Chapter of the national Italian American Studies Association (IASA). |
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“From Silence, Hope”
May 03, 2019
Our speaker this week will be PAUR member Bill Doyle. Bill moved from the for-profit sector to the non-profit sector seven months ago when he was recruited as Executive Director of Foundation for Hearing Research, Inc. dba Weingarten Children’s Center in Redwood City (FHR). FHR’s intensive education and therapy program teaches spoken language to children who are deaf or hard of hearing so they can close the gap with hearing peers and succeed in mainstream education starting in the first grade. FHR, a California 501(c)(3), has been a center of excellence and national leader in the field of listening and spoken language for 51 years. Bill will be joined by Renee Schwall, a director and alumna of FHR who will discuss the personal impact of FHR’s spoken language program. Renee is Director of Analytics and Optimization at LiveOps and mother of two. She has previously worked for TuVox and NASA Ames. Renee holds an MA in Communications and BS in Symbolic Systems from Stanford University where she was also President of the Ski team and Captain of the Mountain Bike Team. Bill’s career has included turnaround and operating management of mid-sized companies, private equity investing, investment banking, and consulting. He achieved successful corporate rejuvenations by applying a single source for operating management, capital, and strategy. His past employers include McKinsey & Company, Goldman Sachs, Allied-Signal, Alex. Brown & Sons, and Govett. Bill holds an MBA from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a BSE from Princeton University. Bill is seeking to apply his for-profit experience to help FHR build a sustainable funding base and extend its transformative mission to the majority of children who are deaf or hard of hearing in mainstream schools who fall progressively further behind for lack of spoken language capabilities. |
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May 04, 2019 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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New Member Talks
May 10, 2019
Join us this Friday for another one of our favorite programs, our new member talks. This week we will get to know a little more about two new outstanding members, Paul Krasttiger and Cindy Hofen Colonel Paul Krattiger, representing the US Army, is a National Security Affairs Fellow at the Hoover Institution. Paul graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. He was commissioned as an armor officer and served assignments throughout the continental United States and Germany and operational assignments in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and South Korea. Paul commanded the 1st Battalion, 5th US Cavalry in the 1st Cavalry Division from 2014-2016. Prior to his fellowship at Hoover, he served as the Armor Branch Chief in the US Army Human Resources Command, managing almost four thousand armor officers in the active army. He earned a master of engineering management from Northwestern University and then served as an instructor and later assistant professor in the Department of Systems Engineering at the US Military Academy. His research at the Hoover Institution focuses on the role of the US Education System and its impact on National Security. Upon completion of his time at Hoover, Paul will assume command of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. He enjoys hunting, fishing, skiing, and spending time with his wife and daughters above all! Cindy Hofen is the owner/manager of Managing Moves and More, which is a service catering to seniors wanting to age in place and to moving seniors from their homes to more appropriate living quarters. Cindy grew up in San Diego, graduated from U. C. Santa Barbara with a Bachelor of Arts in Business Economics,then the Thunderbird School in Arizona with a Master Degree in International Management. She spent 2 years living in Barcelona and is fluent in Spanish. Her corporate career - 15 years - was spent at Abbot Labs initially in finance, then in sales and marketing in various cities. After timeout to help raise two daughters Cindy exercised her entrepreneurial skills to found her current company - Managing Moves and More. She is a member of the Mountain View and Los Altos Chambers of Commerce, is on the Avenidas Board of Directors, and is a former Trustee of the Mountain View Public Library. She loves working with seniors, travel, a good book club, and hiking. |
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Stop the Bleed Campagin
May 17, 2019
Join us Friday when Dr. David Spain and Michele Woodfall will be speaking to us about the “Stop the Bleed Campaign”. Motivated by the 2012 tragedy in Sandy Hook and multiple tragedies that have occurred in the ensuing years, what has become known as the Hartford Consensus was convened to bring together leaders from law enforcement, the federal government, and the medical community to improve survivability from manmade or natural mass casualty events. The resulting injuries from these events generally present with severe bleeding which, if left unattended, can result in death. The participants of the Hartford Consensus concluded that by providing first responders (law enforcement) and civilian bystanders the skills and basic tools to stop uncontrolled bleeding in an emergency situation, lives would be saved. Civilians need basic training in Bleeding Control principles so they are able to provide immediate, frontline aid until first responders are able to take over care of an injured person. Due to many situations, there may be a delay between the time of injury and the time a first responder is on the scene. Without civilian intervention in these circumstances, preventable deaths will occur. The American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma is leading the effort to save lives by teaching the civilian population to provide vital initial response to stop uncontrolled bleeding in emergency situations. This is accomplished by the development of a comprehensive and sustainable bleeding control education and information program targeted to civilians. The Stanford Healthcare Trauma Team has participated in these trainings and will describe the program as well as their experiences with the training. Dr. David A. Spain is the David L. Gregg, MD Professor and Chief of Trauma/Critical care surgery: a position he has held since 2001. He is the Associate Division Chief, General Surgery; Director, Surgical Specialties Clinic; Trauma Medical Director, Stanford Healthcare; Faculty, Goodman Simulation Center, Department of Surgery. His clinical areas of specialty are emergency and elective general surgery, trauma and critical care. His research focus is assessment of clinical care, systems of care and assessment of stress response and PTSD after trauma. He is the current President-elect of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma and a Director of the American Board of Surgery. He is the editor of the new textbook Scientific American's Critical Care of the Surgical Patient. He has been awarded the General Surgery Chief Residents Award, Stanford (2018, 2010),Teaching Award, Stanford/Kaiser Emergency Medicine Residency (2004 and 2008). He graduated from Medical school, Wayne State University 1986, Board Certification: General Surgery, American Board of Surgery (1993), Board Certification: Surgical Critical Care, American Board of Surgery (1996). Michelle "Shelly" Woodfall MS RN CEN CCRN is the Director, Trauma & Stroke / Clinical Nurse Specialist / Trauma Service/Stroke Service. She has been a nurse at Stanford for over 30 years. She graduated from UCSF with Master's in Physiological Nursing -Licensed as a Clinical Nurse Specialist specializing in Critical Care & Trauma. |
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