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

July 18, 2024

Understanding Autism: Anova Center for Education

Iris Romero

Although many of us are aware of the challenges that autistic people face, often the special gifts they offer the world have gone unnoticed.  Meghan and Iris are excited to tell us about the good work that Anova Center for Education is doing with autistic children and the tremendous contributions autistic people are making to society in the fields of science, technology, mathematics and innovation. Iris, the Substitute Supervisor, helps hire and support incoming behavior assistants while still working in the classroom. She has been with Anova for 20 years.  Meghan is the Development, Community Relations, and Marketing Specialist for Anova and has been with the school since 2010. Anova began in 2003 with only four children; today Anova serves 200 students and their families with two K-12 campuses in Santa Rosa and Concord.

Meghan Langhals

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	TBA
Dec. 5	TBA
Dec. 19	Holiday Party (members only)