WDCSA Newsletter – March 2018

WDCSA NEWSLETTER March 2018

Afternoon at the Gridiron Club’s 2018 Reprise
Sunday, March 4 2-5 pm
Renaissance Hotel,
999 Ninth Street NW,
Washington, DC

WDCSA Members Only Event– SOLD OUT

Buck GeeToday’s Bamboo Ceiling
Monday, March 5, 2018
6:30-8:30 PM
Stanford in Washington
2661 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington DC 20008

Prepare for a sobering review of the presence of Asian and Pacific Islanders in DC leadership ranks.

Join us as we meet, learn and discuss the perspective of Buck Gee BSEE/MSEE ’72 regarding pervasive, explicit bias-related barriers in the workplace, notably among leadership ranks of organizations, for Asian and Pacific Island alumni.

Buck is an executive advisor to Ascend, a nonprofit organization of Asian American business professionals.   In 2010, he co-founded the Advanced Leadership Program for Asian American Executives, an executive education program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.  Buck serves on the boards of the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation and the Leaders Forum, and is a member of the Committee-of-100.

Mr. Gee retired in 2008 from Cisco Systems, where he was VP/GM of the Data Center Business Unit.   Previously, he held management positions at Hewlett Packard, National Semiconductor, 3Com, Crescendo Communications, and Com21.  Buck holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

Light refreshments will be provided. The cost to attend is $12 for WDCSA members and their guests, $17 for non-members. Space is limited.  Registration is open through March 4 here: http://alumni.stanford.edu/goto/buckgee 

Please contact Chieko Umino Chieko_umino@hotmail.com or Risa Shimoda risa@theshimodagroup.com with questions.

DC Book Club Discussion
Sunday, March 11 5 pm
Capitol Hill, DC

The book group will discuss God: A Human History by Reza Aslan.

Aslan narrates the history of religion as one long attempt to understand the divine by giving it human traits and emotions. According to Aslan, this innate desire to humanize God is hardwired in our brains, making it a central feature of nearly every religious tradition. Azlan asserts humans bestow upon God not just all that is good in human nature—our compassion, our thirst for justice—but all that is bad in it: our greed, our bigotry, our penchant for violence. All these qualities inform our religions, cultures, and governments. This book is a history of our understanding of God, of how we humans came over time to describe that god, and of how that long evolution plays into human life today. It is also an attempt to get to the root of this humanizing impulse, in order to develop a more universal spirituality.

Upcoming book selections:
April 8th- The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
May 13th- Age of Ambition: Chasing Fortune, Truth, and Faith in the New China by Evan Osnos. Farrar, Straus,
and Giroux

For more information, please contact Jennifer Presley, MA ’78, Ph.D. ’81
at Jenniferbpresley@gmail.com.

Baltimore Book Club Discussion
Monday, March 12 7:30 pm
Mother’s Federal Hill Grille
1113 S. Charles St.,
Baltimore, Md

The March selection is Five Presidents: My Extraordinary Journey with Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford by Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin.

Clint Hill was a U.S. Secret Service agent who spent 17 years protecting five United States presidents. He is best known for his bravery seconds after President Kennedy’s assassination when he leaped onto the president’s moving limousine and shielded President and Mrs. Kennedy with his body as the car sped to the hospital. Let’s relive history though Clint’s eyes.

The May selection is Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate.

Questions/RSVP: Helene Myers, Ph.D., P’14, at cedarhouse@comcast.net

Yoga and Nutrition Discussion with
Former-WNBA Player Carolyn Moos
Saturday, March 17 3 pm
Activity Room of Crystal Towers
1600 South Eads St.,
Arlington, Va
(just a 3 minute walk from the Crystal City metro)

Join WDCSA for a special event featuring yoga and a nutrition discussion with Stanford alum Carolyn Moos, ’91.

After playing basketball for Stanford, Carolyn played in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury, Miami Sol, and Minnesota Lynx. She also played professionally in France in the International Basketball Federation. Since completing her basketball career, Carolyn has worked full-time as a personal trainer, nutrition consultant, and yoga instructor.

We’ll begin with a yoga session, after which Carolyn will discuss food and nutrition. Light snacks and beverages provided.

Spaces are limited, so sign up now! Please bring a yoga mat, if you have one; if not, we will have some extras available.

This event is $15 for WDCSA members and $17 for non-members. Register here: http://alumni.stanford.edu/goto/event26450.

Please contact Mike Kass at mkass01@gmail.com with any questions.

DC: The Changing Market for Short-Term Furnished Rentals
Tuesday, March 20 6 pm
15 Dupont Circle NW,
Washington, DC

Join Stanford Professionals in Real Estate (SPIRE) at Ampeer, the rebranded luxury concept from the former historic Patterson Mansion, where Charlotte Perry (’81), Founder, LUXbnb – a short-term furnished luxury rental management business, will talk about the changes in the vacation rental market as millennials come of age and how LUXbnb has positioned itself to capitalize on these market changes in Washington, DC. Dinner to follow at Tabard Inn.

For event pricing, details, and to RSVP, visit https://www.spirestanford.org/events/event/dc-luxbnb-changing-market-short-term-rentals/ or email Sydnee Brooks at sydnee@spirestanford.org.

DC Stanford Latino Alumni Association Happy Hour
Thursday, March 22 5-8 pm
Penn Commons,
700 6th St NW,
Washington, DC

Come join SLAA and fellow DC Stanford Latinos in the DC area for a Mix and Mingle Happy hour at Penn Commons! Happy hour specials will be offered.

The event is free to attend, but please register at the following link: https://alumni.stanford.edu/goto/event26367.

Contact Nina Rodriguez ’05 at ninamariarodriguez@gmail.com for more information.

Rivalry Trivia Night
Thursday, April 12 7:30 pm
Ventnor Sports Cafe,
2411 18th St NW,
Washington, DC

DC Cardinal Young Alumni is hosting a Trivia Night! Come join alums from Stanford and Cal for a night of trivia.

If you have any questions, contact Patricia Arty ’10 patriciaarty@alumni.stanford.edu.

Beyond the Farm: Alumni Day of Service
Saturday, May 5

Stanford’s national day of service – Beyond the Farm – is coming up and we need project leaders!

Are you interested? Do you have a partner organization in the DC area in mind? End homelessness, support humane societies, clean parks! Project ideas are due to Stanford on March 16th.

Additional Information can be found at the below link:

https://alumni.stanford.edu/get/page/volunteering/beyondthefarm/leadaproject.

Reach out to Meaghan Conway ’14 (mnconway@alumni.stanford.edu) with any
questions!

Parents Connection Spring Social
Sunday, May 6 2-4 pm
McLean, VA (address provided upon RSVP)

Join the Stanford Parents Connection for our spring social to welcome the new Stanford Class of 2022 parents. Come to fellowship, ask questions, and share your experiences and insights. Please bring a snack to share.

Questions/RSVP: Helene Myers, Ph.D., P’14, at cedarhouse@comcast.net

Stanford In the News

  • Sterling K. Brown, ’98, will deliver Stanford’s 127th Commencement address. Brown recently made history by becoming the first African-American to win both the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award and Golden Globe for best actor in a dramatic TV series. He met with Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne and the Class of 2018’s four class presidents last month.

Get Involved

WDCSA Elections

WDCSA is a volunteer organization led by a team of four officers: President, two Vice Presidents, and Treasurer. We are currently seeking candidates for two offices, Vice President and Treasurer, for a term of two years, April 2018-March 2020. The other two officers’ terms end in March 2019. We hope you will consider nominating yourself or an enthusiastic alum to help us move the organization forward! Following is a description of the position responsibilities:

Vice President

  • Assist with WDCSA’s daily operations
  • Plans and presides over meetings, in coordination with the Co-Vice President, in absence of President
  • Chairs special events and ongoing activities
  • Prepares and posts minutes of meetings
  • Attends planning meetings, keeps weekly communication with President
  • Serves the President on special assignments
  • Time Commitment: 5-10 hours per month
  • Want to learn more before deciding? Contact WDCSA’s co-Vice President, who is continuing through March 2019, Patricia Arty, atpatricia.arty@gmail.com

Treasurer

  • Pays bills and provides reimbursements to members
  • Deposits checks for membership dues and event revenues
  • Maintains the organization’s bank account
  • Prepares monthly reports on the financial condition of the organization prior to monthly
    planning meetings
  • Prepares quarterly and annual financial reports for SAA
  • Time commitment: 5-10 hours per month

    Want to learn more before deciding? Contact WDCSA’s outgoing Treasurer, Patricia Harrison, at (703) 347-3141 or patriciamarbyharrison@gmail.com

If you are interested in running for one of the two positions, email a short Bio/Statement of Interest (100-150 words in length) and photo to Kevin Coyne at kevin.coyne@stanfordalumni.org by Wednesday, March 14th. Voting instructions will be emailed to WDCSA members in mid-March, and the polls will be open until March 31st. Thank you for your interest and support for WDCSA!

This month’s newsletter is available for download in PDF format.