Speakers

Did you know Rotary has a partnership with Toastmasters?  Toastmasters and Rotary partner to help members grow professionally and make a difference in their communities | Rotary International

Shonna Shearson has been involved with Toastmasters International for nearly two decades. She earned the esteemed title of Distinguished Toastmaster and has served as an Area Governor along with nearly every club officer position at one time or another. She continues her membership in the Speak Up! Toastmasters Club in Bakersfield to keep her public speaking skills sharp and to give back through mentorship of others. Shonna is the Senior Vice President of Operations at Valley Strong Credit Union. She has been married to her husband, John, for 25 years; they have two grown sons. Shonna is also a Rotarian and a current member of the Rotary Club of Bakersfield Twilight.

Husband, Father, Attorney, Philanthropist & Author The Life and Trials of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet

Author Jeremy Moss brings to life the golden age of piracy through the vivid life story of one of the least likely, yet most interesting, pirates, Major Stede Bonnet. Using his book, The Life and Tryals of the Gentleman Pirate, Major Stede Bonnet as a backdrop, Moss re-creates the life and times of some of history’s most famous pirates, including the infamous Blackbeard.

Awash with myth-busting history, Moss tells the story of the real pirates of the Caribbean, sharing accounts of their daily life, social issues, natural disasters, political intrigues, bloody battles, and, of course, buried treasure, walking the plank, flying the Jolly Roger, pirate-speak and much more, all while lessons-learned from the research, writing and publication process

Tom Day will cover the events leading up to Russia's 2014 annexation of the peninsula, and outline the truce called Minsk II that Putin, Merkel, and others reached a year later.

The talk will be illustrated and presented via Zoom. Mr. Day is a retired software engineer with extensive experience in Toastmasters.

Tom is a retired software engineer.  He worked on satellite control software for many years, and on the original Palm Pilot for a few. He is a New England Yankee with roots back to 1630. He's been interested in Russia, Georgia, and Armenia for fifty years. He lives with his wife in Stevenson Ranch, Santa Clarita, Los Angeles.

Jennifer Jensen is the Founder and Executive Director of Global Family Care Network. She leads Global Family’s network in 9 countries with over 300 team members. Global Family’s Daughter Project is a comprehensive and evidence-based effort towards the prevention, intervention, and restoration of young victims of human trafficking and exploitation. She has lived and worked in 5 countries, spending time in many others, to develop and launch locally imagined, asset based and sustainable efforts to protect children and preserve families in at risk communities around the world. Through her efforts, almost 200,000 children have been protected through community-based clubs and over 1500 cared for in trauma shelters, restoring the vast majority with their families. She has led the development of an education for prevention platform in the USA, PreSEHT.com, the creation of a girls’ empowerment curriculum now translated into six languages, and oversees a model shelter for underage victims of commercial sexual exploitation in Kern County, California. Recently, she was appointed by the President of the United States to serve on the first ever Private Public Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking. She is married to her husband of almost 30 years, Clark, and mother to daughter, Charity, and son, Courtland. 

https://doloreshuerta.org/dolores-huerta/ 

 

Dolores Clara Fernandez was born on April 10, 1930 in Dawson, a small mining town in the mountains of northern New Mexico. Her father Juan Fernández, a farm worker and miner by trade, was a union activist who ran for political office and won a seat in the New Mexico legislature in 1938. Dolores spent most of her childhood and early adult life in Stockton, California where she and her two brothers moved with their mother, following her parents’ divorce.

 

According to Dolores, her mother’s independence and entrepreneurial spirit was one of the primary reasons she became a feminist. Dolores’ mother Alicia was known for her kindness and compassion towards others. She offered rooms at affordable rates in her 70 room hotel, which she acquired after years of hard work. Alicia welcomed low-wage workers in the hotel, and often, waived the fee for them altogether. She was an active participant in community affairs, involved in numerous civic organizations and the church. Alicia encouraged the cultural diversity that was a natural part of Dolores’ upbringing in Stockton. The agricultural community where they lived was made up of Mexican, Filipino, African-American, Japanese and Chinese working families.

 

Alicia’s community activism influenced Dolores’ involvement as a student at Stockton High School. She was active in numerous school clubs, was a majorette, and a dedicated member of the Girl Scouts until the age of 18. Upon graduating, Dolores continued her education at the University of Pacific’s Delta College in Stockton earning a provisional teaching credential. During this time, she married Ralph Head and had two daughters, Celeste and Lori. While teaching, she could no longer bear to see her students come to school with empty stomachs and bare feet, and thus began her lifelong journey of working to correct economic injustice.

Capt. Brian Schiff is a captain for a major US airline and is type-rated on the Airbus A320, Boeing 727, 757, 767, DC-9 (MD-80), CL-65, LR-JET, and G-V. Schiff’s roots are deeply planted in general aviation where he has flown a wide variety of aircraft. 

     He holds several flight instructor ratings and is recognized for his enthusiasm and ability to teach in way that simplifies complex procedures and concepts. He has been actively instructing since earning his flight and ground instructor certificates in 1985. Schiff also has been an FAA-designated examiner. 

     He attended San Jose State University, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and his Masters of Science Degree in Aviation Safety from the University of Central Missouri. He regularly conducts seminars about aviation safety and techniques to student and professional pilots alike.