Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, was the home of the Mixtec and Zapotec cultures.  They blessed the world with corn, chocolate, vanilla, tomatoes, squash and many kinds of chili peppers!   So today the women of Oaxaca know how to cook many delicious dishes.  However, the indigenous population in Oaxaca state lives in poverty.    We are preparing a proposal for Rotary to transform lives of women in Oaxaca using solar cookers.  These simple devices use no fuels, have no emissions, and require hardly any labor time.  This frees the women’s time for child care, education and employment.   This talk will show examples of how women are using solar cookers in Oaxaca. 

Paul has always had an interest in energy and environmental issues.  In his retirement, he decided to focus his efforts in solar cooking, which is not a crowded field.  He joined a small local nonprofit called Solar Household Energy, which has been developing solar cookers and managing field projects for over 20 years all around the world.  Paul’s work has focused on the more technical aspects of solar cooker testing and research.  This work has expanded his awareness of the needs of cooks, who are mostly women, to have better alternatives.   Paul joined his local Rotary Club in 2017 and currently serves to support the zoom meetings and videos of their weekly meetings.

Paul has a BS in Physics and an MS in and Computer Systems Management.   He served as a civilian employee in the Navy, where he conducted research projects in acoustics and oceanography.   Later he worked as a technology contractor for various government agencies.  In 1998 Paul co-founded a strategic management consulting firm. 

North Bethesda Rotary Club’s own Nick Martinez, our recent past President, is a financial adviser in the Bethesda branch of Edward Jones.  Nick will speak to us about the recent volatility in the world’s financial markets and how to respond constructively to these developments.

Here’s an excerpt from Nick’s writeup on the Edward Jones website:
“As an Edward Jones financial advisor, I believe it’s important to invest my time to understand what you’re working toward before you invest your money. It’s also important to understand the level of risk you’re comfortable accepting when investing so we can balance it with the steps necessary to reach your long-term goals.  Whether you’re planning for retirement, saving for college for children or grandchildren, or just trying to protect the financial future of the ones you care for the most, we can work together to develop specific strategies to help you achieve your goals. We can also monitor your progress to help make sure you stay on track or determine if any adjustments need to be made. Throughout it all, we’re dedicated to providing you top-notch client service.”

Larry Heilman is currently a Research Associate in the Anthropology Department at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum.  His research focus is the U.S. Government’s development assistance program in Latin America.  He wrote USAID in Bolivia, Partner or Patron, published by First Forum Press.  He has taught a course on Latin American cultural development at Montgomery College, University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins and the Institute for Learning in Retirement, affiliated with American University.

In 1998-99, Larry was resident technical advisor for monitoring and evaluation for a local government project funded by the Agency for International Development (USAID) in Poland.  Previously, he was a Director of Management Systems International, where he managed development activities, including articulating strategic plans for USAID field missions in Asia, Africa and Latin America.  For 20 years before that, Larry was a Senior Foreign Service Officer with USAID.  He planned, implemented and evaluated development programs in Africa, Asia and Latin America.  His particular interests were in planning and managing rural development, nutrition improvement and disaster recovery.  During that time, he was posted to Bolivia, Nepal, Bangladesh and Burkina Faso.  Larry has a Ph.D. in History from American University, an M.A. from the University of California at Berkeley and a B.A. from the University of Florida at Gainesville.  He served in the U.S. Marine Corps.