On Tuesday, March 24, our lunch speaker will be Frank Patka, speaking on changing patterns for the incarcerated. In 2010, Frank C. Patka IV faced a pivotal moment in his life when he, at the age of 26, was convicted of Robbery II. He was sentenced to 70 months in prison under Oregon’s Measure 11 “one strike and you’re out” mandatory sentencing act.

After spending the summer in solitary confinement, Frank got a new counselor who became his mentor. His counselor, Mr. Morrison, worked with him for almost 2 years before Frank earned his transfer to minimum prison. While at minimum, Frank was part of organizing and developing a grassroots movement to influence prosocial communication in both staff and prisoners.

Following Frank’s release from prison in November 2015, he began speaking about prison reform and reduction of recidivism. He intentionally directed energy into rebuilding relationships with his family and friends, fostering a supportive network to aid in his journey towards becoming a productive member of society.

In December 2017, with the help of strong community support, Frank founded Changing Patterns Inc. for the purpose of connecting returning citizens to employment opportunities, education, and community resources.

In February 2020, Changing Patterns launched its first mentorship program, only to be faced with its biggest challenge yet – a global pandemic. During the pandemic, Frank wrote The Returning Citizen’s Survival Guide. With the help of close friend, Ryan McCrone, the book was published and Changing Patterns resumed operations.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, March 17, our lunch speaker will be Solar Energy Specialist Brett Gorbett of National Solar USA. Brett will be presenting on the pros and cons of solar. This discussion will dive into grid tied solar, how that relates to Central Oregon, and the future benefits and concerns around power company billing policy and integration of residential grid tied solar.

Brett has 20-plus years of experience as a carpenter and construction prior to the solar industry, six years of experience with three solar companies, and has helped 250+ families add solar to their homes.

He has been a Solar Energy Specialist with local Bend Oregon company, National Solar for three years. National Solar started in 2009 and was voted Central Oregon’s #1 Residential Installer in Bend in 2024 and 2025.

National Solar are partners with OSSIA (Oregon Solar + Storage Industries Association), and are a Trady Ally & Partner with Energy Trust of Oregon.

Brett is passionate about the renewable energy industry and helping homeowners learn about solar with ethics, integrity, and honesty.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, March 3, our lunch speaker will be Oregon Poet Laureate, Ellen Waterston.

In 2024, Waterston was named to a two-year term as Poet Laureate of Oregon. Having so far visited twenty-two out of thirty-six counties, she’ll reflect on her first term and the initiative she has underway statewide. Her presentation will also include readings of her work and others, including poems by students she has met during her travels. For decades Ellen has dedicated herself to writing and advocating for the literary arts in the high desert region of Oregon, all the while writing poetry and nonfiction works that have evolved into essential reading about Oregon and the West. The award-winning high desert author and poet has published five poetry and four literary nonfiction titles.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, February 17, our lunch speaker will be Russell Skelton, Digital Forensics Detective from the Bend Police Department. He’ll be talking about preventing identity theft and how to avoid scams. Russ works on investigating these problems at Bend PD. Russell serves in the Bend Police Department as a Digital Forensics Detective, and has been in that role for over 5 years. Prior to that, Russell was a Major Crimes Team Detective, and a patrol officer. Before coming to Bend, he was a Deputy Sheriff with the County of Santa Cruz, CA.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, February 10, our lunch speaker will be Mike Bonetto, President and Founder of Nexus Health Strategies.

Mike will be speaking to us about state and national healthcare changes. Mike has a unique portfolio of over 25 years of health care strategic planning and policy experience. Mike was a co-founder and partner of Tenfold Health consulting and previously served as the Chief of Staff and Senior Health Policy Advisor in the Oregon Governor’s Office – where he helped lead the transformation of the state’s Medicaid program.

Prior to that he served as Vice President of Business and Community Development at St Charles Health System in Bend, OR; Senior Vice President at ZoomCare in Portland, OR; Senior Vice President of Planning & Development for Clear Choice Health Plans in Bend, OR; Director of the Oregon Health Policy Commission; Senior Policy Advisor to the Oregon Senate Republican Caucus; and Policy Analyst for the Oregon Insurance Pool Governing Board.

Mike received a Ph.D. in health policy and MPH from Oregon State University, an MS from California State University, Fullerton, and a BA from Occidental College. He has served on numerous state and regional health boards, as well as a federally qualified health center, volunteer medical clinic and regional homeless shelter. He is currently a board member of Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, February 3, our lunch speaker will be Pete Lumley, Communications Director, Mazama Energy.

He’ll be talking about the Newberry geothermal energy project. Mazama Energy Inc.’s recent tests at the site have proven successful, and temperatures of 629 degrees Fahrenheit (331 degrees Celsius) have been recorded. The recorded temperatures are all-time highs for this technology.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, January 20, our lunch speaker will be our own Steve Ross, with a presentation on The Hidden World of Deep-Sea Corals. Steve is an Adjunct Research Professor (partly retired) at University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Dr. Ross was the Chief Scientist for the 2022 Titanic Survey Expedition.

Shallow water, tropical coral reefs have been well known for centuries and are frequent destinations for recreation as well as being used by fisheries. In contrast, deep-sea or cold-cold water corals were regarded as small scale anomalies and until the last 25 years were very poorly studied.

Recent research has revealed that cold-water corals occur world-wide in most depths below 200 m and they can form enormous reef structures. We now know that cold-water corals include more species and cover more area than shallow coral reefs. This talk will review deep coral research of the Ross team off the southeastern US and Gulf of Mexico.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, January 13, our lunch program will be Brian Dunning, Executive Director of Skeptoid Media, talking about What makes us Believe in Conspiracy Theories. Skeptoid Media is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit that promotes media literacy, curiosity, and critical thinking through engaging and educational multimedia content. By instilling the principles of scientific reasoning and skepticism, they encourage people to discern fact from fiction and science from the sensational, building and fostering skills that last a lifetime.

Brian also runs a trivia night at Worthy Brewing called Nerd Night – next Nerd Night is January 20th at 6PM. Learn more here.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.