Events

Dr. Kenneth Geisick began his role as Superintendent of Saratoga Union School District on September 3, 2019. Dr. Geisick most recently served as the Superintendent of Schools in the Orland Joint Unified School District in Orland, CA. 

“I am honored to be selected by the Board of Trustees to lead the outstanding Saratoga Union School District as the new superintendent,” Geisick said. “The district has a long tradition of excellence in providing students with an exceptional education and I look forward to building on the district’s strong foundation and many accomplishments. Coming to Saratoga will be something of a homecoming for me, I grew up in the area and attended nearby Union School District and Campbell Union High School District. And, my mother actually attended Saratoga Elementary School some years ago.”

Prior to his tenure as superintendent at Orland, Geisick held positions as Chief Educational Services Officer for THINK Together, an academically oriented after-school learning program that serves over 100,000 children each year; as Superintendent of Schools in Riverbank Unified School District; and as a high school and middle school principal.

Geisick began his career in education as a classroom teacher at Andrew Hill High School in San Jose, teaching social studies, English language development, and journalism.

Joyce Mercado, Rotary Club of Alameda President, is available to give Rotary Clubs a presentation on her new book “Save the Planet in Your Spare Time – A Climate Protection Handbook for the Busy Person.” The book chronicles Joyce’s journey to becoming a climate protection leader in Alameda so others can learn from her experience.  The book covers:

·         Reducing your emissions

·         Creating and distributing a checklist of 70 action items to protect the climate and a resource list to help individuals take action

·         Writing for the local press

·         Jumping at opportunities as they present themselves

·         Partnering with other organizations

·         Building leadership actions into your daily life

·         Taking political action

·         Presenting on climate change

·         Maintaining your optimism

Leaders influencing others in their communities to protect the climate, community by community, is an essential element in fighting climate change and Rotarians can be an effective part of the solution to the climate crisis with the guidance in this handbook. Anyone can be such a leader, even if you have a busy life. We need thousands of leaders like you in communities nationwide and worldwide to solve the climate crisis.  Together we can make a difference!

Joyce Mercado’s bio:

Joyce Mercado has been an effective climate activist in her community of Alameda for the last twenty years even while holding a full-time job as a Technical Sales Manager for IBM and raising two children with her husband David. Joyce is a monthly climate protection columnist for the local press, an Al Gore program-trained Climate Reality Project Leader who has given dozens of presentations on climate protection, a member of many climate protection organizations, creator of the Alameda Climate Protection Checklist and Resource List with 70 actions individuals can take and has been recognized by the City of Alameda for her climate protection leadership. The climate emergency prompted her to write this book when she retired so others could learn from her experience to become climate leaders in their communities. Joyce is a proud Rotarian having served as Community Service Chair and President of the Rotary Club of Alameda. Joyce has a Bachelor of Science in Physics from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Joyce went to graduate school at Princeton University to study plasma (electrically charged gas) physics for two years.  Joyce decided plasma physics was not for her, attended her first on-campus interview, and got a job at IBM for the next 35 years. Joyce lives in Alameda, California with her husband David.

Mona Hrapkowicz is a Director of Strategic Accounts for ZT Systems.  ZT Systems is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of complex compute and AI solutions serving the top Cloud Services Providers based in North America.  She brings her clients nearly 40 years of high technology experience in both the semiconductor and hardware infrastructure industry.  She has worked for large multinational corporations including Intel, HP, IBM, Texas Instruments and NEC.  She currently works has influence on technology deployments in the world of AI and manages engagements with   companies such as NVIDIA and AMD. She holds a BSEE from Santa Clara University (1987) and an MBA from Columbia University (1991).  She is optimistic about the future of technology and its potential to transform lives globally in a positive way.

Cousins Peter Teahen and John Ockenfels, piloted a single piston-engine airplane around the world in 2023 to raise awareness and money for Rotary’s End Polio Now program. The flight took 90-days, made 37 landings in 19 countries, and involved 24 fundraisers. Only 702 pilots in history have ever achieved this feat, and less than 270 are alive today! Both Peter and John are longtime Rotarians and members of the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians. They are both recipients of Rotary’s two highest honors, “Service Above Self”, and the “Service Award for A Polio Free World”. As pilots, they have qualified for the prestigious Circumnavigator Diploma from the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. Peter and John departed Cedar Rapids, Iowa on May 5, 2023 in their 1977 Cessna T210M airplane, and successfully returned home 90-days later on July 30. Today Peter and John will share their powerful story of: “Around the World: Flight To End Polio”.

Alzheimer's is a global health problem with more than 6 million people
living with the disease in the US alone. Tremendous gains have been made in
the understanding of the science and basic biology underlying Alzheimer's
and other dementias. These advances are leading to great strides in
strategies for prevention, detection, diagnostics, and therapeutic
interventions. The Alzheimer's Association is a global leader in research,
mobilizing the field to advance the vision of a world without Alzheimer's
and all other dementia.

Xiaorong got her PhD in Neurobiology from University of Southern California, researched on the effects of aging on synaptic plasticity. Postdoc in molecular biology at University of Wisconsin-Madison, studied the structure-function of a mechanosensitive channel. Followed by research in neuroscience for aged related diseases at biotech companies, Genentech & Scios.  Joined the Alzheimer's Association in 2012, and I’m currently Community Engagement Manager, Research Champion of Alzheimer's Association, Northern California and Northern Nevada Chapter.

Saratoga Public Library Children's Department

Assembling care kits for Cancer CAREpoint.

Alrie Middlebrook Biogrpahy:

I am committed to educating the public and promoting sustainability through native gardening and regenerative organic agriculture. Over the years, my workshops and speaking engagements at diverse venues have provided key forums to promote systemic changes in urban land use. 

I believe the most expedient way to resolve our climate crisis is to reimagine cities where most of our life cycle needs will be met near where we live. Only by allowing “wild nature” and regenerative agriculture to thrive where more than half of the world’s population currently lives, can we be assured that the life we cherish will be sustained for future generations.

Alrie's website: https://alriemiddlebrookdesign.com/about-alrie/

Corodata, Inc. 

A son's untimely passing

Community Service Project

In 2004, after raising money to build a school in Afghanistan and discovering how U.S. involvement in the country had impacted its people, MacKenzie founded Trust in Education, a nonprofit, grassroots, people-to-people organization, to help Afghans rebuild their lives and country. For twenty-one years he has provided aid to Afghan villages, children and  families.

He will share his experiences, observations, and the challenges faced in providing aid to the people considered the unhappiest and poorest in the world. 

Karyn Sinunu-Towery is a 30-year veteran prosecutor in Santa Clara County who has volunteered with the Innocence Center. She will tell the story of how she helped gained the freedom for Jeremy Puckett through the Center. Karyn Sinunu-Towery is the past president of the San Jose Rotary Club. 

The Innocence Center is an independent non-profit law firm dedicated to freeing the innocent from prison, educating the public on the causes of wrongful conviction, and assisting freed clients as they reenter society. 

The Innocence Center launched in 2023.  The Board and Staff have decades of innocence work under their belt, all having worked at the California Innocence Project as a staff or faculty member.  Collectively, the group has freed more than 40 people who have served 560+ years in prison for crimes they did not commit.  The team has been responsible for getting a dozen laws changed to prevent future injustices and make it easier to free the innocent.  The Innocence Center is a member of the Innocence Network.

They will be talking about the latest iniatives and partnerships with Rotary District 5170 Ambassadors of Compassion. 

Our very own Dave Eschelman will enchant, inform, and enterain us with the latest scientific fun facts. 

Matt Morley has served in a local government role for over 25 years. His time served includes both large and small organizations, including the West Valley cities of Los Gatos and Cupertino. He enjoys and values the customer service aspect of the work he performs in local government, making Saratoga a great fit for him.  And he has just passed his one year mark here with us.

 Matt grew up in and currently resides in Gilroy, where he and his wife Sonya have raised their three children, Emma, Grant and Devon.  He received a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Davis and during his career returned to school to earn an MBA. Matt enjoys hiking and backpacking in his spare time with a little wine tasting when time allows.

Today Matt will talk with us a little about his time in Saratoga and fill us in on what you want to know about the City of Saratoga!

DeAnna Pursai holds a Master’s in Education Policy Analysis in the School of Education from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an undergraduate degree in Elementary and Special Education from Purdue University. DeAnna has named as a CNN Hero in April, 2022. She was the recipient of the 2023 Boy Scouts of America Silicon Valley Character Award, and she was named a 2023 Women Making Herstory recipient this past March for State Senator Dave Cortese’s District 15. She has been named an Architect of Change on the Maria Shriver blog DeAnna is active in the downtown Rotary Club of San Jose, as the Chair of the Rotary Neurodivergent Youth Empowerment Fund, and serves as the Rotary District 5170 Rotary Climate Action Council Chair, and as the Rotary mentor to the Rotaract Club at San Jose State University. She proudly served 6 years as a board member of Christmas in the Park. She is big sister to Angel Ellenberger, who happens to have Down syndrome and is an exquisite actress, entertainer and comedian. One of DeAnna’s bucket list items is to give a TED Talk on the subject of how to innovatively cast a wider higher education net to include adults with differing abilities who historically have not had access to higher education.