Events

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.

Brian Adams has been Vice President for Advancement at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose, since January 2007.  He is also a former adjunct lecturer in the Communication Department at Santa Clara University. 

Prior to joining Bellarmine, Brian enjoyed nearly 30 years in local media and public relations.  He worked at KICU for 22 years, earning numerous regional and national awards, many in recognition of his entertainment programs and celebrity interviews.  His final year at KICU included working with its sister-station, KTVU. A two-time Emmy nominee, Brian is a member of the Critics Choice Association and of the Bay Area Broadcast Legends organization, which is now a program of the California Radio Historical Society. His movie reviews and entertainment reports are heard each week on KRTY.com.     

A third-generation resident of San Jose, Brian received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio/Television Broadcasting, with Distinction and with Honors in Theatre Arts, from San Jose State University, where he also received his Master of Science degree in Mass Communications.

A Rotarian since 2004, Brian is a past president of the Rotary Club of San Jose (2015/2016) and has served on its Board of Directors (2010-2013) as well on several committees.  He also served as District 5170 Assistant Governor for Large Clubs (2016/2017).  Brian is a Paul Harris Fellow and an Endowment Fellow at the Diamond level. 

Gita is the founder of AFEC (A Future for Every Child: https://afec.giving/our-work/#top) and has done an outstanding job of providing opportunities and changing lives for a number of youth in India.

Gita Gopal, President and Co-founder

After a successful decades-long career in the tech industry, Gita shifted focus to championing the cause of orphaned and adopted children. Through her roles as president of the Los Altos Special Education PTA and mentor for low-income students, she witnessed the challenges faced by vulnerable youth in their transition to adulthood. With a personal connection as an adoptive parent, Gita and her husband Madan founded A Future for Every Child in 2018.  Gita is dedicated to raising awareness and providing support for youth in need, ensuring they have a brighter future.

A Future for Every Child (AFEC) supports youth compelled by law to leave care homes (orphanages) in India upon turning 18. These vulnerable youth, having grown up in care homes due to the absence of a supportive family, face a bleak future navigating the challenges of independence without any additional financial assistance or adult guidance.

AFEC plays a crucial role in empowering these youths by offering career counseling, scholarships for vocational training or higher education, assistance in job placement, and mentoring for a duration of two years post-employment.  Our youth can train in 26 diverse industries, such as nursing, accounting, retail, mechanics, social work, and more. Since our inception in 2019, we have successfully enrolled over 1600 youths in 8 states in India. Almost 750 of them have secured stable employment, while others continue to pursue their training, marking a significant stride towards their self-reliance and a brighter future.

Ms. Harden has an extensive background working with aging seniors and adults facing terminal neurodegenerative disease diagnoses, including Alzheimer’s Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s Disease. Her expertise covers analysis of financial well-being, personal budgeting, bill payment, insurance coverage and claims, long term healthcare planning, trust administration, healthcare advocacy, ethical will creation, housing assessment, caregiving management, and social well-being. Prior to founding Elder Edge Consulting, Ms. Harden worked in finance, operations, business development, and strategy for international Fortune 100 companies, such as GE Medical Systems and AT&T, and various startup companies in Silicon Valley. Ms. Harden received a BA in Mathematics and Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University. In addition, she has a certificate in gerontology, is a Certified Senior Advisor and a certified administrator for Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly.

The Clubfoot Fund was founded by Bill Palmer, inspired by his own struggle with clubfoot at a time when treatment was not as effective or defined as it is now with the Ponseti Method.

As a coach and consultant, Bill has worked with organizations such as NASA Kennedy Space Center, the United States Air Force, Gilead Sciences, Land Rover, Sony PlayStation, Shell, US Veterans Administration, and L’Oréal.

He has worked in 26 countries, and since 2022, he has served as a pro bono consultant and coach for the UK-based Global Clubfoot Initiative. 

Bill lives in Oakland with his wife Haiyan O’Connell, and their cat Leo. His adult children are in El Cerrito and Las Vegas, his soccer playing grandchildren are here in the Bay Area.

Herb lives and breathes Rotary’s motto, Service Above Self. He has been a pillar in our District for over three decades—serving as Past Club President, Membership Chair, Conference Co-Chair, Assistant Governor, and now the District Governor for 2025–26.

After retiring from a remarkable 32-year run in corporate Sales and Marketing leadership at Schneider Electric while launching his own ventures—One Commercial Properties and Ritter Vacation Properties.

He has also been a visible leader in Pleasanton, serving as Past Chair of the Planning Commission, Parks and Rec Commission, and the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce. Herb is also a Board Member and Past President of Sunflower Hill, a nonprofit supporting adults with developmental disabilities.

A third-generation Eagle Scout, devoted husband and father of 2, and holder of both a degree in electrical engineering from Washington State University and an MBA from St. Mary’s College.

Herb proves that leadership is about leading with Vison and serving with your Heart and leaving your Mark.

Alison (Al) Carpenter Davis is a writer, editor, and disability advocate drawn to hidden stories, the power of words to connect, and the commonality in being human. Her book Letters Home from Stanford, recently released in paperback, looks at the heritage, history, and shared experience of college students everywhere through 125 years of Stanford students' handwritten and electronic correspondence.

For her work on this project, she was awarded the 2024 Susan W. Schofield Award. Al is at work on a memoir about her 50-plus-year journey with Crohn’s disease, and serves on the board of the West Valley-Mission Foundation.