2021 Programs
Sonoma County Forum offers an exciting array of speakers including leaders in business, education, health care, the arts, and local government. Our speakers provide an excellent way to gain knowledge of the community and learn about its vast resources.
The zoom sessions are recorded and can be viewed or downloaded from the 2021 program schedule (scroll down or click) for 3 months following the date of presentation.
Upcoming Speakers
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November 18
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Gayle Okumura Sullivan, Exec. Director, Healdsburg Jazz Festival
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Gayle Okumura Sullivan
Gayle Okumura Sullivan is a firm believer in the transformative power of music and jazz. She grew up listening to jazz: her dad was a jazz clarinetist and her son Patrick, a drummer, got his start with Healdsburg Jazz. A resident of Healdsburg for more than 20 years, Gayle is acknowledged as an important and active leader in the community. She built a strong reputation as co-owner of nationally recognized Dry Creek Peach and Produce. Prior to which, she spent over 15 years in San Francisco and Silicon Valley leading marketing efforts for technology firms ranging from Fortune 500 companies like Hewlett-Packard to Advent Software. In the non-profit sector, Gayle was the first dedicated marketer for LINES Ballet in San Francisco. She has taught Marketing at Golden Gate University. Gayle will talk about Healdsburg Jazz's plans for the coming year (and beyond) and the organization's impact on the community.
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January 6, 2022
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Who are you? The importance of sharing our stories...
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Teri Sloat
Teri Sloat is the author/illustrator of picture books for children and a professional artist whose work is exhibited in galleries.
"My life has been a wonderful journey through teaching, both at the elementary level and the college level, and into the arts," she says. " After teaching for several years in the bush in Alaska I joined a team that began the second bilingual center in the United States in the mid 70’s. Our job was to create both literature and curriculum in the Yup'ik language, working with Alaska’s native peoples for the children living there."
After returning to California, Teri taught 6th, 7th and 8th grades before making writing and illustrating her full time career.
She has now written and/or illustrated over 25 trade picture books, and has begun telling many of her stories as separate pieces on gallery walls, using a variety of mediums. Her books have been awarded by the Ben Franklin Committee, the ALA, the ABA, CBC, and NYTimes. Her latest books, PABLO IN THE SNOW and ZIP! ZOOM! ON A BROOM are about discovery and the chaos of grumpy witches.
"I feel our jobs as artists is to encourage the imagination of everyone, and most of my talks are on the importance of telling our own stories, whether through visual arts, music or literature," she said.
She and her husband live in Sebastopol. Her work can be found in the Sebastopol Gallery, Stephans Fine Arts in Anchorage, Mazza Museum in Iowa, Corrick's Art Trails Gallery, and Fulton Crossing Gallery in Santa Rosa. Every fall Teri opens her studio to visitors during the Art Trails Open Studios Tour.
As a mentor to other writers and illustrators, her goal is for all of us, especially women, to find the tools to tell our stories in words and pictures. Many of Teri’s stories are told visually as paintings. For more information about Teri go to www.terisloat.com or www.terisloatfineart.com
"My life has been a wonderful journey through teaching, both at the elementary level and the college level, and into the arts," she says. " After teaching for several years in the bush in Alaska I joined a team that began the second bilingual center in the United States in the mid 70’s. Our job was to create both literature and curriculum in the Yup'ik language, working with Alaska’s native peoples for the children living there."
After returning to California, Teri taught 6th, 7th and 8th grades before making writing and illustrating her full time career.
She has now written and/or illustrated over 25 trade picture books, and has begun telling many of her stories as separate pieces on gallery walls, using a variety of mediums. Her books have been awarded by the Ben Franklin Committee, the ALA, the ABA, CBC, and NYTimes. Her latest books, PABLO IN THE SNOW and ZIP! ZOOM! ON A BROOM are about discovery and the chaos of grumpy witches.
"I feel our jobs as artists is to encourage the imagination of everyone, and most of my talks are on the importance of telling our own stories, whether through visual arts, music or literature," she said.
She and her husband live in Sebastopol. Her work can be found in the Sebastopol Gallery, Stephans Fine Arts in Anchorage, Mazza Museum in Iowa, Corrick's Art Trails Gallery, and Fulton Crossing Gallery in Santa Rosa. Every fall Teri opens her studio to visitors during the Art Trails Open Studios Tour.
As a mentor to other writers and illustrators, her goal is for all of us, especially women, to find the tools to tell our stories in words and pictures. Many of Teri’s stories are told visually as paintings. For more information about Teri go to www.terisloat.com or www.terisloatfineart.com
Note: Zoom presentations (where applicable) will be available to view or download for 3 months following the presentation.
NOTE: As of July 1, the Forum is moving its meetings to the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month.
NOTE: As of July 1, the Forum is moving its meetings to the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month.
2021 Program Schedule
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Note: a synopsis of each past 2021 presentation may be viewed here.
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DATE |
Speaker |
Jan 5 |
Julie Tabsharani, Program Coordinator for the Juvenile Justice Center |
Jan 19 |
Phyllis Rosenfield, Exec. Director/President, Listening for a Change |
Feb 2 |
Caren McNamara, Conscious Container |
Feb 16 |
"The Maker Movement: Fostering a Creative Culture for Open Innovation," Dale Dougherty, President of Make:Community. |
Mar 2 |
Catherine Devriese and Una Glass, Sebastopol Center for the Arts |
Mar 16 |
Vivien Straus, founder of the California Cheese Trail |
Apr 6 |
Meghan Ashley, curator, Hallberg Butterfly Gardens |
Apr 20 |
Iris Jamahl Dunkle, author/poet (poet laureate of Sonoma County 2017-18) |
May 4 |
J Mullineaux, Exec. Director, SRJC Foundation |
May 18 |
Molly Curley O'Brien, Rebuild NorthBay Foundation |
Jun 1 |
Cheryl Costantini, co-founder, Nichibei Potters |
Jun 15 |
Ky J. Boyd, Director, Rialto Cinemas |
Thurs. July 1 |
Members only meeting |
Thurs. July 15 |
Andrew Kilsheimer, Asst. General Manager of the Epicenter in Santa Rosa |
Thurs. Aug 5 |
Jeff Schween, "Check up from the neck up" on our real estate market (Zoom presentation) |
Thurs. Aug 19 |
Kathy Goodacre and Robin Bartholow, North Bay Construction Corps and Career Technical Education Foundation (Zoom presentation) |
Thurs. Sep 2 |
Xinci Tan, Zero Waste Sonoma (Zoom presentation) |
Thurs. Sep 16 |
Meagan Major, Happy Dahlia Farm (Zoom presentation) |
Thurs. Oct 7 |
Christine Fontaine and Anne Morkill, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation (not recorded) |
Thurs. Oct 21 |
Dick Ogg, Challenges for Commercial Fishermen in Sonoma County (film) |
Thurs. Nov 4 |
Jeff Nathanson, Museum of Sonoma County |
Thurs. Nov 18 |
Gayle Okumura Sullivan, Healdsburg Jazz Festival |
Thurs. Dec 2 |
TBA |
Thurs. Dec 16 |
Holiday meeting (for members only) |
Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month at 8am at the Epicenter, off of Piner Road, west of Coffey Lane in Santa Rosa.
Guests are welcome, but proof of a valid COVID-19 vaccination is required and masks must be worn inside (except while eating).
