Events

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.

Sheila Tucker is the Executive Director of the West Valley Stormwater Authority, where she leads efforts to reduce stormwater pollution and protect the health of local creeks and the San Francisco Bay. With more than two decades of public service experience, Sheila’s career spans senior leadership roles in city management with the cities of Santa Clara, Palo Alto, and San José. Sheila has been a driving force behind a range of complex policy and operational initiatives including the opening of Levi Stadium and hosting Superbowl 50 in Santa Clara, to overseeing legislative affairs, infrastructure planning, and digital engagement strategies in Palo Alto and San José. Across her two decades in public service, Sheila has led initiatives to enhance community resilience, environmental quality, and government performance. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from San José State University. Outside of work, Sheila is a passionate advocate for environmental stewardship, an active volunteer with the National Charity League, and a former youth basketball and softball coach. 

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. 

Sara Dean will share the ups and downs of the state of the arts in Silicon Valley and the incredible impact of the Rotary Grant for equipment on The Pear Theatre. Pear performers Alison Starr & Delany Bantillo will perform Stargazers, a short 10 minutes play by Bridgette Dutta Portman.

Tamara Kodner is the Regional Director and National Training Director for BollyX, a Bollywood-inspired dance-fitness program. She has spent over a decade building and growing the BollyX community across Northern California, creating inclusive formats for kids, older adults, and special populations. Through her work, Tamara brings people together with the joy of dance, music, and movement.

Paul Streit is a Tech industry professional with over 40 years of experience in product marketing and product management. His career includes roles at leading technology companies such as Hewlett Packard, Seagate, and Maxtor. Paul earned his MBA from UCLA's Anderson School of Management and holds a BS in Computer Science and Electrical Engineering from Rutgers University. Paul is passionate about serving his community. As a board member of the Silicon Valley Science & Engineering Fair Association since 2023, he dedicates his time to supporting young scientists and future technologists by serving as a fundraising and volunteer leader.

Craige Edgerton has lived in San Jose for over 50 years and has been involved in the community in various ways.  He has been an active member of the West San Jose Kiwanis Club for 43 of those years and has also been very active in the environmental movement in Santa Clara County since 1994, primarily with the Santa Clara Valley Open Space Authority.  He is an amateur naturalist and leads birding and wildflower hikes for multiple organizations.  He and his wife, Jan, have two daughters, one who graduated from Lincoln High School and the other from Los Gatos High School, and three grandchildren. 

Craige is here to talk about his book, "Permission to Walk in Peace," an anthology he co-authored with seven other Veterans.  It is 106 stories, essays, and poems about their recovery from Post Traumatic Stress (PTSD) from their time in the military and how they have chosen to grow from their experience instead of being victims of it.

Linda G. Lambert and Mary E. Gardner joined force in the early 1990.  Gardner fresh from her work at Harvard’s Principal Center was asked to take Lambert’s position at California State University at Hayward just as Lambert was leaving as a special envoy to Egypt. After Linda’s return the two co-taught graduate programs in educational administration certification and master’s degrees. They quickly  discovered they had similar interests in redefining leadership and challenging  its historical limitations for women.  The result of this partnership was five provocative books on leadership.  The latest book (2024) is Women’s Ways of Leading: Revisited.  

In the early 1990 Mary returned to Saratoga as Superintendent of Saratoga Union School District.  She retired from the superintendency in 2003. Since then she has worked as a consultant, coach, mentor, speaker, author and expert witness in education.  She was a member of Saratoga Rotary.

Heath Rocha serves as Superintendent of the Los Gatos–Saratoga Union High School District (LGSUHSD), one of California’s top-ranked school districts and the only K–12 or high school district in the state to earn a perfect score on the California Dashboard in 2025. A career educator with a deep commitment to student and staff well-being, Heath leads with empathy, service, and connection, believing that strong relationships are the foundation of successful school communities.

Prior to becoming Superintendent, Heath spent nine years as Assistant Superintendent of Student Services at LGSUHSD, where he led initiatives to support at-risk students and students with disabilities. In response to rising post-pandemic mental health needs, he spearheaded the creation of Wellness Centers at each high school, contributing to a more than 40% decrease in students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. He also led districtwide efforts to strengthen Title IX policies and training, resulting in a more than 50% reduction in reports of sexual harassment.

Heath began his career as a school psychologist and has held leadership roles including Coordinator, Director of Special Education, and Chief Student Services Officer. Known for his approachable leadership and problem-solving mindset, he focuses on removing barriers to learning and creating a culture where staff feel valued and supported, because when educators feel safe and appreciated, students thrive and districts grow stronger.

Michael Paul Hirsch (he/him) is the Executive Director of South Bay Musical Theatre in Saratoga, CA. A familiar face on Bay Area stages, he also served on SBMT’s Board of Directors from 2019 to 2025, including five years as Board Chair. Michael has led product, program, and team initiatives at Silicon Valley companies such as Shutterfly, Yahoo!, eHealth, and Suzy for over 20 years. He studied Theatre at the graduate level at Michigan State University and remains deeply involved in the performing arts community. Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing board games, and supporting local arts organizations. He is a husband, father, and a shodan-ranked black belt in kendo. michaelpaulhirsch.com