Events

Physiologically speaking, why do we feel so good in a beautiful environment? What happens in the body when we experience beauty? Scientists have wondered about this for years—and now we have answers, both to the “what happens” and the “why.” Join me as I share these remarkable findings.

Carol Woodard was born and raised in San Francisco. From an early age, she knew she wanted to pursue one of two paths: medicine or interior design. When it came time for college, she attended UC Berkeley as a pre-med major. But by the end of her junior year, she realized she was ahead of her time—medicine was still largely a world for white men, and she did not see a place for herself within it. She ultimately graduated with a degree in Child Development.

She went on to meet her wonderful husband, raise four children, and today enjoys five grandchildren. Somewhere along the way, she came to an important realization: medicine is often reactive, while interior design—when done thoughtfully—can be profoundly proactive.

She returned to one of her original calling, studied interior design, and became a professional designer. Over the years, she has also earned certification in Applied Color Psycho-Physiology and, more recently, in the Neuroscience of Design.

Her practice has always focused on creating interiors that support the health and well-being of those who occupy them. Intuitively, she has long understood the healing power of a well-designed environment. Today, that intuition is validated by hard science.

Dave Hoyt has been a volunteer at the Computer History Museum since 2015, leading tours of the museum and giving presentations on the museum and computer history. He has a degree in engineering and an MBA, both from Stanford. He has worked in the analytical instrument industry, with both public companies and startups, and as a case writer for the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Presentation

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View houses the largest collection of computing artifacts in the world, including many rare or one-of-a kind items. This presentation will discuss the history of the museum, the visitor experience, and unique artifacts that are not usually included in docent-led tours.

Cynthia Gregory is an award-winning writer and author of Journaling As Sacred Practice: an Act Of Extreme Bravery (2016), What Is Possible From Here (2021), LOVE NOTES From the SOUL (2024), and LOVE NOTES From the SOUL 2.0 (2025).  She is a member of the California Writers Club, Redwood Writers Chapter, and a member in good standing of the International Coaching Federation.

Cynthia’s mission is to help shift-makers and cultural creatives translate their meaningful life experiences into compelling stories. She does this through hands-on writing workshops, individualized author coaching, and transformational writing retreats that support writers at every stage. She earned her bachelor's degree in journalism from Gonzaga University and her master's degree in literature from Mills College.

Dan Orloff has spent more than four decades connecting Silicon Valley to its own soundtrack. As Founder and Chief Rock Officer of San Jose Rocks — a 501(c)(3) nonprofit documenting and celebrating the music heritage of Santa Clara County — he is on a mission to prove our region belongs in the same conversation as Nashville, Memphis, and Motown.

On May 29, Dan brings Rotarians a genuine music-history detective story: the long, winding path to unwinding one of rock’s great mysteries — where, and when, Grateful Dead first performed under that name. The trail runs through Ken Kesey’s Acid Tests, a modest downtown house, and decades of conflicting accounts. And it leads to San Jose Rocks discovery of two key artifacts, long thought lost to time, that finally pinned the story down for good.

A longtime Santa Clara Valley resident, marketing veteran (Orloff Marketing, since 1992), and managing partner at Pruneyard Cinemas, Dan is a past president of the Campbell Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of San Jose. He has produced and promoted live music across the region for over 40 years.

And he won’t leave Saratoga out of it — expect a few local gems, pieces of Saratoga’s own music history hiding in plain sight. Come for a band you already know. Leave knowing your own backyard helped launch them — and how San Jose Rocks proved it.

Mark Fischer-Colbrie has more than 30 years of experience in building laboratory tools and diagnostic, therapeutic, and medical device companies. He was most recently CEO at Strateos, Inc., a software technology and automation company that seeks to accelerate life science research by enabling cloud access to broad-scale automation. Previously, Mark was the CEO for over ten years at Labcyte Inc., which invented novel lab tools and automation that have been adopted worldwide.

Before Labcyte, he ran business development and was the CFO at Adeza Biomedical Corporation, a women’s healthcare company. He holds four issued patents for diagnostics and therapeutics. In 2013, Mark was named Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Life Sciences for Northern California. Mark is the former Chairman of the Board for JDRF International, the largest global funder seeking a cure for type one diabetes.

As a 21-year JDRF volunteer, he served on the JDRF International Board for 7 years and was a member of multiple committees including Research, Finance and Nominating & Governance. For the Greater Bay Area JDRF Chapter, Mark served as the Chapter President for 3 terms and has been a board member for 18 years. Mark holds a BA from Stanford University and an MBA from University of California, Berkeley. He served on a life sciences industry board, the Analytical, Life Sciences Diagnostics Association (ALDA), from 2011 to 2024. Mark enjoys long-distance endurance events and has completed 14 Ironman Triathlons. 

Becky, Jeffrey and Mushu are a skilled companion graduate team from Canine Companions.  Becky is considered the facilitator while Jeffrey is the recipient of Mushu.  For the past nine and a half years, Mushu has assisted Jeffrey with working on independence skills, helped to mitigate his disability, provided him with opportunities for responsibility, and facilitated social interactions in public. Together they have attended countless therapies and adapted sports sessions, she has accompanied him on every hospital visit, they have hung out together backstage at the theater while he’s waited for his turn on stage, and they have traveled across the country multiple times. No matter where they go, Jeffrey delights in introducing his best friend to everyone he meets.     

Reiko Iwanaga has been a Saratoga Rotarian for over 30 years and lived in Saratoga for over 40 years. She was named the Saratoga Citizen of the Year in 1991. Some recognitions have included from the County Supervisors, the Japanese Consulate, the Saratoga Historical Foundation and the Japanese American Citizens League. She is in the San Francisco Japanese Cultural Hall of Fame and was honored as one of 7 National Endowment for the Arts Fellows in 2025 at the Library of Congress. For decades, she has been the head dance instructor for the San Jose Obon Festival, the largest in the U.S.

May Lee (also known as Ms. Purple!!) is a world traveler who has visited all 7 continents, an avid foodie who has dined at numerous Michelin starred restaurants across the globe, a freelance web journalist who has covered her favorite soap opera (ABC's General Hospital) at the Daytime Emmy Awards for over two decades & a dedicated supporter of her alma mater - the University of Tennessee, Knoxville where she has funded two annual computer science scholarships & dedicated a terrace to be named after her father who immigrated from Taiwan.   She previously worked at Hewlett-Packard & its spin-off Agilent Technologies in various roles starting off as a software engineer before moving into technical support & then marketing roles.  She currently works for Gray Hawk Global deploying to McMurdo Station in Antarctica 5 months each year as a Broadcast Engineer in charge of the TV/radio facilities there. 

May a.k.a. Ms. Purple!! 

Linda is a retired k-8 science teacher who taught teachers about the ocean at the Monterey Bay Aquarium summer institutes for 30 years.  She now volunteers at the Saratoga History Museum as the Director of Education programs. All the schools in Saratoga come for the interactive Pioneer Living program where children visit the Saratoga Blacksmith's home, wash clothes on a washboard, write on slates, read McGuffey readers in the one room schoolhouse, and visit the new Blacksmith building to learn about what blacksmith's do.

Her talk today features archival photos of some early people and their activities that built the little town that later became Saratoga.

Jeremy B. Shapiro is a seasoned serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience. Since 1996, his businesses have consistently served fellow entrepreneurs. He is dedicated to helping established business owners break through plateaus, scale their businesses, and achieve true entrepreneurial freedom.

Jeremy’s expertise comes from a rich background of launching and growing his own ventures—including those that provided the freedom to live abroad with passive income—as well as extensive work with individual entrepreneurs through one-on-one coaching, consulting, small group Masterminds, workshops, and speaking engagements. He is known for his ability to simplify complex ideas and provide practical, actionable insights. His mission is to help business owners transition from being a “solopreneur” to a true “business owner,” working on their business rather than just in it.

Social Impact

Jeremy’s businesses are proud members of 1% for the Planet, committing over 1% of their gross revenue (not profit) to select causes. A key partner in this initiative is Village Enterprise, a nonprofit organization dedicated to alleviating extreme poverty through entrepreneurship.

Since 1987, Village Enterprise has trained over 300,000 entrepreneurs in sub-Saharan Africa, leading to the creation of over 100,000 businesses and transforming more than 2,000,000 lives. Out of over 225,000 nonprofits evaluated worldwide by Charity Navigator, Village Enterprise is one of only three nonprofits to have received a perfect four-star 100% rating and the only international nonprofit with a perfect score.

Eddie García is an East San José native. He had a successful career in government, business, education, and community development. After a massive heart attack in 2010, Eddie embarked on a fight for his life. He used the power of hope to overcome a decade of living with heart failure. A successful heart transplant in 2020 inspired him to publish his memoir, Summer in the Waiting Room: Faith • Hope • Love.

He is also the author of Mexican Heritage Plaza: A Symbol of Resilience and Perseverance. His professional career included positions as Vice President of Local Government Affairs at Comcast in California and Chief of Staff to the President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. In 2014, he established García Strategies, a leadership development firm that provides skill development and mentorship for community leaders. He works primarily with non-profit organizations, education institutions, and individual executives. Eddie served the education community on the East Side Union High School District (ESUHSD) Board of Trustees from 2006-2010, including a term as Board President in 2010.

During his tenure at the ESUHSD, he spearheaded the “A-G Initiative” – a policy that made college entrance requirements the district’s default curriculum – and led the effort to save after-school sports programs during the 2006-2009 recession. He is also Co-Founder of the Latino Leadership Alliance, a leadership academy established in collaboration with Stanford University’s Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity. Eddie continues to work on several passion projects since his 2020 heart transplant. He volunteers with the Honor the Gift Coalition (a transplant advocacy organization), serves as Board Vice President of the Transplant Recipients International Organization, and shares his story as a national keynote speaker at corporate, nonprofit, and book events.

He is an avid reader, especially of history and biography, and a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants and 49ers, Golden State Warriors, and college basketball. In 2011, Eddie was inducted into the East Side Union High School District Hall of Fame. He is the recipient of the Californians for Justice “Justice Award” and the NAACP “Freedom Fighter Award.” Eddie lives in San Jose, California, with his wife Sandra. They have two adult daughters.