Speakers

Miracle in the Mara is a memoir written by Rotarian Terry Wilson. Subtitled "An Unforgettable Story of a Young Maasai Warrior’s Vision," it is Terry's most recent achievement. He has been writing most of his life. He has spent the past 36 years as a San Carlos Rotarian.  He has been involved in many Rotary projects and services over the years, but it was his visits to the Mara in southwest Kenya that led to his biggest accomplishment in spreading the word about the Maasai culture. 

Linda and Neal Birnbaum met at Ohio State University and have been married 52 years. Linda joined Mission San Rafael Rotary two and a half years ago and serves as Chair of the Youth Committee. This year, besides the Rotary trip to Sardinia, Linda  participated in a Rotary service trip to Uganda and worked at the RYLA summer camp with 150 high school students. Linda has had years of service as a volunteer and retired after 7 years as an Assistant  Principal at Casa Grande High School in Petaluma.

Since 1977, Neal has practiced as a rheumatologist in San Francisco, where he remains managing partner of Pacific Rheumatology Associates. Chief of Rheumatology since 1983, he twice served as Chief of Staff at California Pacific Medical Center and is a clinical Professor at UCSF. Neal was President of the American College of Rheumatology and spent 10 years as Chairman of the Board of Brown and Tolland. In his free time he enjoys golfing, and both Linda and Neal love spending time with their 4 year old and 7 year old grandkids.

Katie Carruesco is the Northern California Targeted Outreach Specialist for the Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (DFPI). The DFPI protects California consumers by licensing and regulating a multitude of financial products, services, and individuals.

She will share information about how you can protect yourself from investment fraud, common scams, and unscrupulous sales practices.

Before starting her career in finance, Katie held various positions within State government for the past 17 years, including four gubernatorial Appointments. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from California State University, Chico. She currently resides in Sacramento, with her family.