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. Meetings are held on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 8am at the Epicenter, off of Piner Road, west of Coffey Lane in Santa Rosa.

Scroll below for information about upcoming 2024 speakers.
For biographies of past speakers, by year, click here.

Upcoming Speakers

November 21, 2024

Understanding Alzheimer's and Dementia

Dr. Dipa Bhaumik

Alzheimer’s is not normal aging; it’s a disease of the brain that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.  Join , staff scientist and lab manager in the Lithgow Lab at the Buck Institute for Research in Aging to find out more about this insidious disease including the difference between Alzheimer's and dementia, the disease's stages and risk factors,  and what treatments are available to address some of the symptoms. Dr. Bhaumik completed her PhD in biochemistry at the University of Calcutta, India. Prior to coming to the Buck Institute, she held fellowships at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania. Her own research project involves testing the effects of different natural products on the nematode C. elegans lifespan and C. elegans models of age-associated neurodegenerative disease.

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December 5, 2024

Discover the Most Valuable Card in Your Wallet!

Join Reference Librarians Julie Johnson and Meher Siegle from the
Rincon Valley Regional Library to learn all the wonderful FREE things
you can do with your Sonoma County Library card and a computer,
smartphone or tablet. From downloading ebooks, audiobooks,
magazines, and music, streaming movies, conducting investment
research, to taking online classes on a variety of subjects, and much,
much more.
 

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2024 Program Schedule

	Speaker
Jan. 4	​Maraskeshia Smith, City Manager, City of Santa Rosa ​
Jan. 18	Dr. Angélica Garcia, Superintendent/President, Santa Rosa Junior College
Feb.1	Sarah Tendall, Roseland University Prep Mentor Program
Feb. 15	Wendy Davies, Treasure House
March 7	Max Shupe, Associate Head Coach, Healdsburg Prune Packers
March 21	Argo Thompson, The California Theatre
April 4	Jeff and  Susan Mall, Volo Chocolate
April 18	Carol Ellis and Kelli Cox, Sonoma County Beekeepers
May 2	Jeannie Perales, Sonoma Botanical Garden
May 16	Elita Damron, The Miss America Organization
June 6	Angel Minor, Conservation Corps of the North Bay
June 20	Dr. Brien Seeley, "Effective Climate Action Demands Ending Wildfires"
July 4	No meeting: Happy 4th of July!
July 18	Meghan Langhals and Iris Romero, Anova School and Autism
August 1	Transcendence Theatre Company
August 15	Marika Ramsden, Fire Safe Sonoma
Sept. 5	Andrew Bradford, Santa Rosa Symphony
Sept. 19	Carla Rodriguez, Sonoma County District Attorney
Oct. 3	Leslie Lukacs, Zero Waste Sonoma
Oct. 17	Caroline Paul, New York Times-bestselling author of "Tough Broad: How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age"
Nov. 7	Paul Hollingworth, Understanding AI
Nov. 21	Lauren Hibdon, Family Services Manager, Alzheimer's Association
Dec. 5	Julie Johnson and  Merher Karvarah Siegle, Sonoma County Library
Dec. 19	Holiday Party (members only)