Events

Diane Dwyer is an award-winning broadcast journalist and University of California Berkeley Haas School of Business faculty member. She worked in the San Francisco Bay Area television market for 25 years at KTVU and NBC Bay Area; she's a two-time Emmy award winner who has also received awards from the New York Film Festival, Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists, and others. Diane is a faculty member at the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley (her alma mater) and has taught there for the past ten years. She runs her own media consulting business and is a licensed real estate agent. She serves on the board of three non-profits and serves as an advisor to a dozen other charities. Diane grew up in San Francisco and the Peninsula with six brothers and sisters, and she credits the Irish gift of storytelling for her success in journalism (just ask her about her memorable interview with then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger!). Diane lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two children, and two rescue pets.

Ponga is consumer, web-based software that gives our members the ability to organize their pictures quickly and easily so that they can use them to privately share stories with family and friends as their free guests.

David Garrison is an award-winning actor best known for his role as Steve Rhodes on TV's Married with Children, and as the Wizard in Wicked both on Broadway and on the national tour that included San Francisco. He has had a storied career that includes Broadway, Off-Broadway, and television credits. 

Seán is Managing Director, Business Leader for the Artisan Global Equity team. He has been raising funds and managing relationships with the most significant institutional clients worldwide since 2007.

From 2001-2007 Seán was the Institutional Portfolio Manager at Putnam Investments in Boston. Before that, he spent several years (1990’s) as a Portfolio Manager & Equity Research analyst in Dublin and a currency trader in London (late 1980’s) with Bank of Ireland. 

Seán has lived in Burlingame since 2007, is married to Stephanie, and has two kids, Ben (23) & Alana (20). 

Linda Gates is Co-founder of Gates + Associates, a Landscape Architecture, Land Planning and Urban design firm in the Bay Area. She prides herself on her ability to partner with clients to discuss the right design approach, Linda’s skills in community facilitation and outreach programs are reflected in her outstanding record of finding feasible solutions working with a range of stakeholders. Linda is a LEED Green Associate. She was an Assembly Appointee to the LATC (Landscape Architect’s Technical Committee) for the Department of Consumer Affairs for ten years and previously served Board of Directors for Rescape California, formerly Bay-Friendly Coalition, a non-profit organization supporting sustainable landscape systems.

North Rollins Specific Plan - https://www.northrollinsspecificplan.com/

Nicole Sandkulla is Chief Executive Officer/General Manager of the Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency (BAWSCA). BAWSCA represents the interests of 26 water supplies that purchase water wholesale from the San Francisco (Hetch Hetchy) Regional Water System (System). These entities provide water to 1.8 million people and over 40,000 businesses and community organizations in Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Mateo counties. Collectively, BAWSCA member agencies purchase two-thirds of the water supplied by the System and pay two-thirds of the costs to operate the System. 

BAWSCA is the only entity having the authority to directly represent the needs of the cities, water districts, and private utilities that depend on the System. BAWSCA is a state-enabled, independent Special District authorized to perform regional water reliability planning and implement necessary regional water projects on behalf of its member agencies. BAWSCA is governed by a 26-member Board of Directors. BAWSCA also represents its members’ collective interests in their relationship with San Francisco on matters related to water supply, facility reliability, operations, water quality, and wholesale water rates. 

As CEO/General Manager of BAWSCA, Ms. Sandkulla carries out BAWSCA’s goals to ensure a reliable supply of high-quality water at a fair price. 

Ms. Sandkulla has thirty years of technical and policy level experience related to all aspects of state and local water resources planning and development, water agency operations, and leadership of water resources programs and operations for a multi-agency, multi-county special district. 

Ms. Sandkulla is a registered Professional Civil Engineer and has a B.S in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. 

Randy O’Hara is Hillbarn Theatre’s new Artistic Director. Randy is stepping up to his new role from his successful tenure as Hillbarn’s Conservatory Director. He is from Massachusetts, spent many years performing all over the Northeast and New York City. After relocating to the Bay Area, Randy worked as an actor and educator before coming to Hillbarn. He is looking forward to sharing with us how Hillbarn has survived and thrived during the pandemic, and the exciting slate of shows scheduled for Hillbarn’s mainstage and Conservatory.

Still Smiling! Even during a global pandemic, there are some things that are good to catch from someone else: LouAnn Carlomagno has infectious energy and a contagious smile. She will bring us up-to-date on the challenges facing educators in these difficult times, and what gives her reason for optimism.

In September 2021, Hemming Morse Partner Paul Regan authored a book, “The Forensic: How the CIA, a Brilliant Attorney and a Young CPA Brought Down Howard Hughes.”  The book describes in detail a high-profile forensic accounting investigation of Howard Hughes and an airline he acquired, Air West.

The investigation resulted in a judgment, upheld by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, worth more than $1 billion in today’s dollars.  The investigation, by Mr. Regan and attorney John Clark, had a parallel track involving the CIA, the Department of Justice, and a Soviet submarine carrying nuclear missiles, with the connection playing an important role in the success of Clark and Regan.

Surprised there were dinosaur bones found on the Peninsula? Sally Meakin, a lifelong resident with a strong interest in its history, will present a slideshow with representative images of nature’s landscaping from about 100 million years ago to about 150 years ago in the Burlingame/Hillsborough area.

On November 20th, Pat Moorehead did nine skydives at Skydive Perris to celebrate his 90th Birthday. He started at 8 am and went on steadily to make one jump per decade during the following 5 hours, establishing a world record by doing so. Pat is the only active skydiver over 90 years old. 

"You don’t quit skydiving because you get old, you get old because you quit skydiving." Pat Moorehead

Melissa Platte has been the Executive Director of the Mental Health Association of San Mateo County since 2003. Prior to that, she was the Associate Director. During the time she has worked with Mental Health Association the agency has been involved in the acquisition, rehabilitation and new construction of housing developments and Melissa has worked with diverse funding sources including City, County, State, and federal agencies as well as numerous local foundations to develop housing and support programs to meet critical community needs and to provide an array of services and health and wellness programs to provide clients with every opportunity for success.  Melissa has also served on numerous committees and Boards from United Way to Housing Leadership Council, Dignity Health Community Advisory Board, HOPE Interagency Council, and currently serves as Chair of the County Continuum of Care.  Melissa has also focused extensively on developing partnerships with other providers throughout the County and most recently, MHA was selected to be the Support Service Provider for two of the County HomeKey projects serving 150 (+) adults and seniors who have been homeless or chronically homeless. 

According to a landmark study by Albert Einstein College of Medicine, published in 2003 New England Journal of Medicine, ballroom dancing is the best activity to protect seniors against dementia. Learn the benefits of ballroom dancing and the healing power of the Argentine Tango to help people live happier, healthier lives.

Are burglaries in our area becoming more frequent? Are the thieves getting more sophisticated? Hillsborough Police Chief Doug Davis will share the latest data and give us guidance on how to “harden” our homes and make them less attractive to the bad guys.

On Earth Day, our very own Joe La Mariana will be giving Burlingame Rotarians a private tour of the Shoreway Environmental Center at 333 Shoreway Road in San Carlos.

The Shoreway Environmental Center, California's Greenest Recycling Center, and Transfer Station, serves as a national model for sustainable building practices and innovative recycling and material handling operations.

Residential and commercial solid waste and recyclable materials collected by the franchise hauler, Recology San Mateo County, are taken to Shoreway for processing and shipment. The facility is owned by RethinkWaste and operated by South Bay Recycling (SBR).

PLEASE NOTE:

1. This is a walking tour–you must be able to move and navigate the work areas comfortably. It can be a bit slippery in one place, so boots or sturdy, thick-soled shoes/sneakers are required. Open-toed sandals and thin flats are not allowed. It's also loud and, yes, very smelly. 😊

2. Tour will take about an hour, and there is an elevator in our Recycling Center's building.

3. All site workers and guests must be vaccinated. 

4. Please RSVP to Marilyn Orr by  April 13th so that we can order boxed lunches for everyone. We will eat outside on benches, weather permitting.

Michael Endicott is a Fine Art Photographer in San Francisco, California. His formative years were spent being exposed to the views of multiple cultures (particularly Scandinavian, North American, South American, and the Caribbean). Most of his youth was spent diving under or sailing over, the sea's surface. Much of his adult life has been spent working at the intersection of the political and biological sciences. His camera has been his constant companion and his focus has always been on nature. 

Over time, Michael's process in the digital darkroom has become more “sculptural” in nature as he bends wavelengths of light and molds multiple shots into one, and his photography has been pulled away from realism into the realm of expressionist or abstract painting. Most recently his abstract realism, The Mad Hatter, was part of the de Young Open at end of 2020.

A&H (Apis & Heritage Capital Partners) is a fund aimed at converting companies into 100% employee-owned businesses. They are focused on buying companies with large workforces of color so that those workers will be disproportionately advantaged by the conversion. Learn about the perils of the racial wealth gap and the advantages of employee ownership.

Dr. Duncan recently retired after 34 years on staff at Mills-Peninsula Hospital where he served as Chair of the Pathology Department and Medical Director of the Laboratory at Mills-Peninsula Hospital. He will discuss the rapidly evolving story of genetic testing: what's commercially available, the difference in methods, what can you learn about yourself, the societal consequences of testing, and how such information can be used and possibly misused.

Rob Fisher, former CEO of the Academy of Art Automobile Collection, which is one of the most exclusive car collections in the world. He is also the former Chair of the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance and led the transition of that event from a local school fundraiser to one of the most respected car shows in the country. Rob will tell us about some unique cars and why vintage automobiles are both works of art and pieces of history.

In October 2018, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors appointed Aileen Cassinetto to the honorary post of Poet Laureate (1/1/19-12/31/22).

Widely anthologized, Aileen is also the author of the poetry collections, Traje de Boda and The Pink House of Purple Yam Preserves & Other Poems, as well as three chapbooks through Moria Books’ acclaimed Locofo series.

"To be a Poet Laureate is to perceive and bridge the gaps that exist in a community. It is about creating empathy and recognizing our shared humanity. Our county is singularly diverse, in terms of its geography and its demographics. And in this landscape, we have the space we need to bring to the fore the issues that unsettle and divide us, but there is also more than enough room to hold up the ideals and hopes which define, connect, and unite us.

As an immigrant, I came to America with luggage overpacked with poems and the unshakeable conviction that I can be a poet here. I learned the most important lessons from being part of a community, that is, to be a poet is to help build, gather, restore. It’s about hope, that great unifier, which transforms lives, which fortifies communities, which changes the world." Aileen Cassinetto

Sarah Marotta is a BHS and USC graduate who trained as a pastry chef at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She opened Beurre Pastry Shoppe in 2015, which features everything from melt-in-your-mouth brownies to delectable quiches. In addition to her thriving local and nationwide delivery business, Sarah’s goods can be found weekly at the San Mateo Farmer’s market. Sarah and her brother, Jacob, who also trained at Le Cordon Bleu, are partnering to reopen the beloved Nini’s Coffee Shop, which will be known as Kiki’s. Sarah will update us on her ventures, and we may even get a chance to try some of her delicious creations!