Speakers

Bridge the Gap was founded in 1995. It's mission is to provide comprehensive educational, social and emotional support to every Marin City school student, with the goal that they complete high school and graduate from college. Denni is co-Founder of Bridge the Gap College Prep. She led the organization's growth and expansion from 1995 to 2015, first as Program Director and then as Executive Director. She now serves on Bridge the Gap's Board of Directors. Born and raised in Marin County, she graduated from U. C. Berkeley with a B.A. in Liberal Arts and Social Welfare.

Three Strands Global Foundation, www.3sgf.org, envisions a world free of human trafficking. They mobilize communities to combat human trafficking through prevention education and reintegration programs. Laurie Forhham works with 3SGF as Race Director and Rotary Lead.From Folsom, CA, she also volunteers with UC Davis Hospice and teaches yoga.

Howard Rachelson runs "Trivia Cafe team contests"  at various venues around Marin County, although, recently, they are happening more at Zoom meetings.

Julia Flynn Siler will discuss her latest book, The White Devil's Daughters: The Women Who Fought Slavery in San Francisco's Chinatown. Named a finalist in nonfiction for a California Book Award, The White Devil's Daughters is a revelatory history of the trafficking of young Asian girls that flourished in San Francisco during the first century of Chinese immigration (1848-1943) and the "safe house" on the edge of Chinatown that became a refuge for those seeking their freedom. Julia will share historic images from the book and discuss the parallels between these anti-trafficking pioneers and modern-day abolitionists. www.juliaflynnsiler.com 

Saudi Filmmaker Samah Damanhoori, M.A., speaks from the heart about the male guardianship law, political asylum, activism and healing through art. She is a producer at Apple and previously worked for Facebook. She has been featured in a BBC documentary, on NPR, BBC World News and radio stations after participating in the Freedom Drive Campaign. Her animated film, Madina Papel, is slated for release in 2021.

Chris works at Marin County's Department of Public Works. Her efforts support Marin Communities with sea level rise, flood protection and watershed restoration. She manages BayWAVE, the sea level rise planning and adaptation program for the bay shoreline in Marin. Marin is among the most vulnerable counties in California. Chris leads the work with local jurisdictions to solve problems together. Since starting with the County's Watershed Program in 2008, she works to bring science and technical information to the public to make good decisions for better communities. She was involved in launching the www.MarinWatersheds.org and www.MarinSLR.org websites, identifies project and funding options to reduce flooding and increase habitat, and supports regional planning for water resources through the North Bay Watershed Association and the Bay Area Integrated Regional Water Management planning process. With sea level rise, Chris works with communities, local and regional government to plan for a wetter future.