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May 19, 2022
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Stephanie Derammelaere, Exec. Director, Robert Ferguson Observatory
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Stephanie Derammelaere
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is the home of Robert Ferguson Observatory, Northern California’s most active public observatory. It is also the largest observatory in the western United States completely dedicated to public viewing and education.
Stephanie Derammelaere, Executive Director of RFO, holds a MBA in Business Economics and has a background in marketing, PR, and journalism. She previously founded and operated Career Leap that assisted individuals in job searching, creating business plans, and developing small business feasibility studies. She frequently writes for local business publications and community newspapers.
At the Observatory Stephanie is responsible for strategic leadership, fund development, daily operations, partnerships and relationship management, communications, and the recruitment, retention, scheduling, and training of volunteers.
In her free time, she loves spending time with her husband, two teenage children and two dogs and is an avid cyclist and swimmer.
Stephanie Derammelaere, Executive Director of RFO, holds a MBA in Business Economics and has a background in marketing, PR, and journalism. She previously founded and operated Career Leap that assisted individuals in job searching, creating business plans, and developing small business feasibility studies. She frequently writes for local business publications and community newspapers.
At the Observatory Stephanie is responsible for strategic leadership, fund development, daily operations, partnerships and relationship management, communications, and the recruitment, retention, scheduling, and training of volunteers.
In her free time, she loves spending time with her husband, two teenage children and two dogs and is an avid cyclist and swimmer.
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August 18
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Isabel López, Founder of the Raizes Collective
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Isabel López
Raizes Collective, based in Santa Rosa, was established June 2015 to empower and mobilize community through the arts, culture and environmental education. The collective came together to offer artists and teachers of color the resources of space, programming, events, shows and activities to affect social and political change through art and community building. The Collective believes this facilitates healing of the divisions within our diverse communities.
Isabel López, founder and executive director of Raizes Collective, started the nonprofit organization in 2015. Since its inception, Raizes Collective has organized hundreds of local arts events for families and students. From the Dia de los Muertos celebrations to concerts, creative writing classes, group murals and “parking lot poetry” readings, the Collective has created an artistic outlet for Sonoma County’s Latinx community.
Isabel López, founder and executive director of Raizes Collective, started the nonprofit organization in 2015. Since its inception, Raizes Collective has organized hundreds of local arts events for families and students. From the Dia de los Muertos celebrations to concerts, creative writing classes, group murals and “parking lot poetry” readings, the Collective has created an artistic outlet for Sonoma County’s Latinx community.
Templates to use for Programs (Three presenters, Two presenters & 1 presenter)
December 4 |
The Language of Art and the Tools to Create It |
Jennifer Girvin
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December 4 |
Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation |
Anne Morkill, Executive Director, Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation
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February 17
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Jayne Burns, Board President, Artstart
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Jayne Burns
Founded in 1999, Artstart provides mentoring and stimulating arts work experience for Sonoma County youth, while creating publicly and privately commissioned art for our community. The non-profit organization has mentored more than 2,000 Sonoma County teens within the schools and through personal instruction at the art studio in Santa Rosa. Artstart’s mission is to inspire talented youth to communicate through visual arts, preparing them for careers in the arts.
Jayne Burns, Artstart Board President, brought an award-winning community beautification project to Artstart in 2008, which led to her serving on the Board. Before focusing on volunteer work with local non-profits, Jayne had a 30-year career in media, advertising, marketing and management. Born and raised in New Jersey, Jayne moved to Sebastopol 40 years ago. She and her husband, John, have two grown children.
Jayne Burns, Artstart Board President, brought an award-winning community beautification project to Artstart in 2008, which led to her serving on the Board. Before focusing on volunteer work with local non-profits, Jayne had a 30-year career in media, advertising, marketing and management. Born and raised in New Jersey, Jayne moved to Sebastopol 40 years ago. She and her husband, John, have two grown children.
Templates to use for Screen Shots for Past Programs Page (2 presenters & 1 presenter)
Anne has worked in wildlife conservation for more than three decades, including 24 years as a wildlife biologist and refuge manager with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s National Wildlife Refuge System and six years as a wildlife biologist with the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska. She was most recently the manager of the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex which includes seven National Wildlife Refuges in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas and the Farallon Islands. Anne is passionate about restoring native habitats and conserving imperiled wildlife through promoting science-based climate adaption, fostering collaborative partnerships, and connecting people to nature. Christine has been striving to connect people to nature since 1995. In addition to working in the formal education field, she has a background in business administration, volunteer management, and focused experience in environmental education and interpretation. She served as the Education Programs Coordinator for Point Reyes National Seashore Association, then as Point Reyes Field Seminars Director from 2001-07. In 2006 she began volunteering for the Laguna Foundation on the Education Program Committee and joined the staff in 2007.
Stephanie Derammelaere
Sugarloaf Ridge State Park is the home of Robert Ferguson Observatory, Northern California’s most active public observatory. It is also the largest observatory in the western United States completely dedicated to public viewing and education.
Stephanie Derammelaere, Executive Director of RFO, holds a MBA in Business Economics and has a background in marketing, PR, and journalism. She previously founded and operated Career Leap that assisted individuals in job searching, creating business plans, and developing small business feasibility studies. She frequently writes for local business publications and community newspapers. At the Observatory Stephanie is responsible for strategic leadership, fund development, daily operations, partnerships and relationship management, communications, and the recruitment, retention, scheduling, and training of volunteers. In her free time, she loves spending time with her husband, two teenage children and two dogs and is an avid cyclist and swimmer.
Rebecca Rogers and David Becker
Rebecca Rogers and David Becker served in the Peace Corps in Ukraine from 2007-2009. They will share their experiences and photographs of what it was like to live in Ukraine and their impressions of the people and the country.
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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. Dates, Upcoming Speakers, and their biographies, below.
Upcoming Speakers
January 19 |
Phyllis Rosenfield, Executive Director/President
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Phyllis Rosenfield
Phyllis Rosenfield is the founder and Executive Director/President of Listening for a Change. She has a background in education, social science and fine arts, and has a MA in Equity & Social Justice. She was the photographer and co-creator for “The Sonoma County Survivor Project”, and has served on numerous boards and commissions, including Chair of the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights and President of the Sonoma County League of Women Voters.
October 6 |
Anne Vercelli, Asst. Director of the SF Chronicle Wine Competition |
Anne Vercelli
Anne Vercelli is a teacher, organizer and leader in the world of wine and food. Vercelli has been with the Cloverdale Citrus Fair/San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition since 1989. As SFCWC Assistant Director, Anne is responsible for assisting in all aspects of the competition. Her responsibilities include the receiving and coding thousands of wines received each year. She supervises a staff of 125 volunteers throughout the competition season. Anne also directs the volunteer work force with the public tasting event at Fort Mason Center every year in February.
The winner of numerous awards, in 1979 she received the coveted position of “Fellowship” of the Escoffier Room Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of American (C.I.A.) in Hyde Park, New York. She obtained her A.O.S. degree from C.I.A. in 1979. Later in the year, Anne represented the C.I.A. as the principle cook for Mr. Edgar Bronfman, Chairman of the Board of Seagram’s in New York City.For more than 20 years, Vercelli honed her skills in the food and wine industry. In 1981 she began teaching Italian cuisine in the culinary department and wine classes in the agriculture department at Santa Rosa Junior College. In 1982, she started working as the coordinator of the Professional Food Competitions for the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, which included hiring and directing six people in support of the competitions.
The winner of numerous awards, in 1979 she received the coveted position of “Fellowship” of the Escoffier Room Restaurant at the Culinary Institute of American (C.I.A.) in Hyde Park, New York. She obtained her A.O.S. degree from C.I.A. in 1979. Later in the year, Anne represented the C.I.A. as the principle cook for Mr. Edgar Bronfman, Chairman of the Board of Seagram’s in New York City.For more than 20 years, Vercelli honed her skills in the food and wine industry. In 1981 she began teaching Italian cuisine in the culinary department and wine classes in the agriculture department at Santa Rosa Junior College. In 1982, she started working as the coordinator of the Professional Food Competitions for the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, which included hiring and directing six people in support of the competitions.
May 5 |
Julie Tabsharani, Program Coordinator for the Juvenile Justice Center |
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A Sonoma County native, Julie says she always knew she wanted to work with children in some capacity. She has been with the Juvenile Probation Department since July 2008 working as a Juvenile Correctional Counselor. She currently coordinates the programs in juvenile hall with volunteers from the community, as well as evidence-based programs that help to build on the youth’s skills and needs. “I enjoy working with youth and getting to know their background,” she said. “Being a parent to four children myself, I feel as if I’m a parent to the youth I work with as well.”
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May 19 |
Karen Johnson, Director, Charles M. Schulz Museum |
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Karen Johnson, Director of the Charles M Schulz Museum, has served as a visionary manager in the business, government and non-profit organizations for the past 35 years. A popular and dynamic speaker, panelist, consultant and trainer, Karen is widely recognized for her expertise in the area of Fundraising, Board Development and Community Corporate Responsibility. She became Director of the Charles M. Schultz Museum in the fall of 2004. Like all of those of her generation, Karen grew up on the Peanuts Comic strips and the Happiness Is book series. In 1968 when she moved to Sonoma County, one of the ideas that thrilled her the most about moving to Northern California was the knowledge that Charles Schulz lived and worked in Sonoma County. It was not till 1987, when she became the Director of the Volunteer Center did she get the opportunity to meet Jean Schulz who served on the Board of the Volunteer Center. She and Karen worked on many community projects over the years. Charles Schulz created one of the most successful fundraisers for the Volunteer Center called the Sweetheart Ball, a dinner dance and ice show. The Sweetheart Ball has become a part of the strip. For the next 13 years Karen had the privilege of knowing Sparky and spending time with him at many community events.
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2020 Program Schedule
DATE |
Speaker |
Jan 7 |
John George "Northern California Computer Crimes Task Force” |
Jan 21 |
Corky (Mary Jean) Quirk, Founder, NorCal Bats |
Feb 4 |
Kristen Madsen, Director of Creative Sonoma |
Feb 18 |
Diane Dragone and Elly Lichenstein of the Cinnabar Theater |
Mar 3 |
JD Bergeron, Executive Director, International Bird Rescue |
Mar 17 |
Caren McNamara, Conscious Container |
Apr 7 |
Melissa Kelley, Sonoma County Regional Parks Foundation |
Apr 21 |
Dr. Fatouma Alimirah, Campisi Lab at the Buck Institute, "The Science Behind Living Better Longer" |
May 5 |
Julie Tabsharani, Program Coordinator, Juvenile Justice Center |
May 19 |
Karen Johnson, Director of the Charles M. Schulz Museum |
Jun 2 |
Forum Exchange (members only) |
Jun 16 |
Phyllis Rosenfield, Listening for a Change |
July 7 |
Serge Labesque, Bees in Sonoma County |
July 21 |
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Aug 4 |
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Aug 18 |
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Sep 1 |
Evan Wiig, Community Alliance with Family Farmers |
Sep 15 |
Tenae Stewart, Art Trails |
Oct 6 |
Anne Vercelli, SF Wine Competition |
Oct 20 |
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Nov 3 |
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Nov 17 |
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Dec 1 |
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Dec 15 |
Holiday party (members only) |
Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of each month from 7:30-8:45 AM at Legends at the Bennett Valley Golf Course, 3328 Yulupa Avenue, Santa Rosa, CA.
Program Meetings are open to the public.
