Speakers

Clinton-Macomb Public Library School Outreach Librarians Brittany Wesner and Mei-Ling Thomas will discuss the library’s elementary school classroom book deposit collection program. Part of these collections are being funded by the Mount Clemens Rotary Club. The Club thanks its weekly speakers by having an honorary book plate inserted in the front of a book in the collection in lieu of a gift.

Karen Ebben is president of Global Marketing Impact, a consulting firm specializing in improving marketing effectiveness. Prior to establishing her business, she was Director of Global Advertising and Marketing Effectiveness for General Motors, where she accelerated improvement in global marketing accountability. At GM, Karen helped create the Enterprise Customer Management function, piloted new digital initiatives, and held leadership positions in advertising and marketing for both vehicle and corporate brands, earning numerous industry awards.

Karen is also a director of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board, and she serves on several nonprofit boards including Girl Scouts of Southeast Michigan, where she chairs the Marketing and Communications Committee. She is also a limited partner with the Belle Michigan Impact Fund, a $20 mil. investment fund focused on early-stage investments in high growth, female owned businesses.

Karen is married with two children. She enjoys traveling and mentoring young adults and entrepreneurs.

Green Macomb is a tree planting initiative throughout the county. We are also working on a plan for a greenway path through the center of the county.

Randy Baker, a professional university trained biologist and naturalist. In addition to 12 years of university training our naturalist also has experience as a classroom teacher, an author of scientific articles, and as a professional wildlife guide. Randy has been providing programs for schools and other organizations for over 20 years.

“Macomb for Kids” is working with a coalition of community stakeholders in Macomb County to campaign in support of this county-wide millage that would provide critically needed revenue for the 21 school districts in Macomb County.  Simply put, Michigan’s school funding system is failing our students.  Last year, a bi-partisan group of business leaders and education experts studied this system as part of the School Finance Research Collaborative and concluded that Michigan is drastically underfunding education.  Also, an MSU study released this year ranked Michigan “dead last” in the nation for funding our schools. Policy makers in Lansing, however, have been reluctant to enact the necessary reforms to address this problem.  That is why Macomb County School Districts are attempting to address this funding crisis through an enhancement millage.               
               The millage would generate an additional $418 per student for all Macomb County public schools.  This revenue will permit each district to fund critical programs and services to meet the academic needs of our students.  Eight counties in Michigan representing one third of all Michigan students have already passed enhancement millages to improve their schools. 

Angelo DiDonato and Bob Berta are both life long amateur astronomers and retired engineers. I retired as a test and development engineer in the defense and automotive industries while Bob Berta is from San Francisco and retired from the Pacific, Gas and Electric Company. 

An overview of the WAS, our observatory at Wolcott Mill, the services we offer, and how we interface with the general public through our outreach program. 

As a follow up to our presentation from John Abraham in the county roads department, we will hold our meeting at the Macomb County COMTEC site and enjoy a tour of the facility. 

Teaching writer Jenifer DeBellis is author of Blood Sisters and founding director of aRIFT Warrior Project. Her second book, Warrior Sister, Cut Yourself Free from Your Assault, is due for release in 2020. When she's not editing or writing for others, she sneaks in time for her own craft, which was nominated for a 2018 Pushcart Prize and appears in AWP's Festival Writer, Calyx, the Good Men Project, Literary Orphans, Sliver of Stone, Solstice, and other fine journals. JDB holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Solstice of Pine Manor College. A former writer-in-residence for the Meadow Brook Writing Project, she facilitates workshops for Oakland University’s MBWP Writing Camps, as well as teaches writing and literature for Macomb Community College.