Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

Senator Booker's first book, United: Thoughts on Finding Common Ground and Advancing the Common Good, details the people who inspired him to seek public office, the moments that influenced his civic vision once he was elected and the issues that drive his political agenda, such as social, economic and environmental justice. In United, Senator Booker also calls for the American people to refocus our attention and especially our politics on the principals of compassion and solidarity to steer our nation toward a brighter future. Join us in welcoming Senator Booker to the INFORUM stage for an uplifting and insightful conversation.

Technology and digitization is syncing up the fabric of communities, connecting the people who live in them and the devices they use every day, thereby enabling the personalization of every aspect of human life. No doubt these advancements can drive productivity, innovation and societal progress. This connectivity, however, inevitably creates significant risks for businesses, threaten individual privacy, global economy and security. With these advances, cyber terrorism and warfare will find new targets in critical infrastructures, business intangible assets will become channels for economic espionage, human capital will be challenged, and a failure to maintain confidence in digital security privacy could cause a rejection of technology—all of which have the potential to retard economic growth. Beyond the technological innovations aimed at preventing or disrupting hackers, the responsibility to address these challenges lie with various stakeholders, including government, risk advisors, security experts and human capital experts and the insurance industry that have long helped companies identify, quantify and mitigate business risks. Join us as Casserley discusses how digitization creates risks and opportunities for individuals and businesses, and how together people can mitigate the risks to preserve growth. Before joining Willis Towers Watson in 2013, Casserley had a nearly 30-year career at McKinsey & Company, the leading global management consulting firm. During his three decades at McKinsey, he was based in the United States, Asia and, most recently, in London where he served as managing partner, responsible for the firm’s offices in London and Dublin. He has consulted with the world’s leading financial institutions to address their strategic and operational issues and deal with the opportunities and challenges of deregulation, globalization and new technology. At the time of his departure, he led the firm’s corporate and investment banking practice globally. Casserley has authored two books on financial services, advised business leaders on the former UK prime minister’s business council and also worked on the U.S. Presidential Task Force on Market Mechanisms during the administration of Ronald Reagan.

Jennings explores the golden age of American utopianism through the lens of five bold and eccentric dreamers who, in the wake of the Enlightenment and the onset of industrialism, confronted the messiness and injustice of a rapidly changing world. Jennings reveals the worlds of the Shaker prophet Mother Ann Lee, the Welsh industrialist Robert Owen, the French visionary Charles Fourier, the French communist radical Étienne Cabet, and John Humphrey Noyes, the Vermonter who created New York’s Oneida Community. Each utopian movement fell apart, but their galvanizing ideas still influence our culture and inspire imitators.

Learn from the direct experiences of three moms who have successfully healed their complex-needs children—and are leading a movement to teach and empower parents to adapt the best and most useful modalities in recovering our children, and the entire family.

Join our panel of experts for a provocative and holistic look at how work in America has changed in the past decade; what lies ahead; and how cities like San Francisco are dealing with the wide disparities in work and wealth.

Seduction's not just about sex: we'll talk science, strategy, skill building and more. Whether you're single and on the prowl, keeping your relationship hot or just flexing those flirting muscles, learn how to keep the art of seduction in your arsenal every day, not just on Valentine's Day. After the talk, stick around for the annual INFORUM V-Day shindig, full of booze, snacks and plenty of chances to practice your new seductive tactics.

Tracing the arc of her career development from its unlikely beginnings in early 1970s Napa, when the wine industry was in its infancy, to being part of the two-person team that launched Domaine Chandon in the U.S., to her role as St. Supéry Winery’s first CEO, Rodeno has extensive wit and wisdom to share. In addition to co-owning and running Oakville-based Villa Ragazzi, Rodeno is the author of From Bubbles to Boardrooms: Serendipitous Stories from Inside the Wine Business, an inside look at her experiences in the wine industry, including a compilation of lessons learned from an extensive career working with many of Napa Valley's best.

Learn the key decision points in comparing rental, equity-based options, entry-fee communities, and assisted living. A spreadsheet answering frequently asked questions will be provided. Subsidized housing options are not included in this program.

Panelists will include the city administrator’s office and other key players in the waterfront development initiative.

On the national scene, the first caucuses and primaries are under way in Iowa and New Hampshire. Locally and statewide, there's much to talk about with new laws, candidates, and political events. Join us as we explore the biggest, most controversial, and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil, and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz!