Events

Dr. Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza serves as the 13th president of West Valley College. President Taylor-Mendoza is the first African American educator to lead the College and is a longtime leader in the Bay Area with twelve years of service in the San Mateo County Community College District.  She will talk about the challenges today’s students face - beyond just academics - and the many ways West Valley College is supporting them.

Town manager Chris Constantin will give an update on the town and important town issues.

Dan Orloff is the founder of San Jose Rocks.  San Jose Rocks seeks to weave together stories of the past and present about a place where creative people have converged to shape the soundtrack of not just California, but the United States and the world.  From The Grateful Dead to the Doobie Brothers, from Smash Mouth to Trapt, from Ampex cassette decks to Apple iTunes and GarageBand workstations, Silicon Valley and San Jose have enriched America’s most raucously unique musical invention: Rock and Roll.

Herb Rittter is the Governor for Rotary District 5170.

Long time sports columnist Mark Purdy will discuss 80 years of 49ers history: How they were born and how they became the bay area's most popular professional sports team.

The school district will be discussing their strategic plan and gathering input.

Kara Bowman is a well-know bay area grief counselor, and the author of the book, "Heartbreak To Hope".  She'll share thoughts about grief and how to navigate it.

Dr. Cynthia Teniente-Matson serves as the 31st president of San José State University (SJSU), assuming the role in January ‘23.  As an internationally recognized Latina leader with extensive executive experience across multiple state university systems, President Teniente-Matson is a champion for student success, institutional innovation, and industry partnerships that drive economic mobility.  Her talk will touch on San Jose State History, recent successes, innovative programs, and a a few latest trends.

Dr. Emily Roben is a pediatric emergency medicine physician at UCSF. She has special interests in quality improvement and patient safety. She is also involved in mentoring and educating medical trainees. She will deliver a fascinating talk on changing behavior - just in time for new years resolutions!

Matthew Hudes is a member of Los Gatos Rotary and the current Mayor of Los Gatos.  He'll talk about the highlights of his time as Mayor, and some of the challenges facing our town.

Sydnee Journel is a Senior Manager of Government Rleations at Aurora, a technology company working to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quicly and broadly.  Aurora is known for being a leader in self-driving trucks, and is currently running driverless Trucks on highways.  Prior to Aurora, Syndee was the City Policy & Government Affairs Manager at Waymo and also served as the Assistant Director of Community Relations at Stanford.

Sarah Cramer will discuss the situation in Gaza.  The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, including the conflict in Ukraine and the crisis in Afghanistan.  We help to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. And we are proud to fight for a world where women and girls have an equal chance to succeed.

Anh-Quan Nguyen is the head of the Saratoga MSET Robotics Program.  He will discuss a student inititave he is leading to use 3D printers to create prosthetics for people who can't afford them, especially in third world countries.

Jennifer Lin, the Chamber CEO, will give an update on the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce.

Learn about what you can bid on, and make sure you have the app set to successfully bid, win, and raise money for Los Gatos Charities

Los Gatos Police Detective Sergeant Harold Hoyt and Detective Riley Frizzell will talk about some of the new technology being used by our police force, and will show some of their equipment.  Should be fascinating!

Founded in 1975, NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization. Its Santa Clara County affiliate—the largest in California—has supported local families for 50 years through education, advocacy, and free programs.

Barb has volunteered and worked with NAMI for over 20 years, teaching classes, staffing the Helpline, and coordinating programs. A family member whose son lived with schizophrenia, she now focuses on outreach to expand awareness of NAMI’s services.