Our North Bethesda Rotarian Bruce received his B.S. degree in Fisheries (Marine Biology) from the University of Washington in 1968 and a Ph.D. in Pathology from the University of Oregon Medical School in 1972. He began his scientific career at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences prior to becoming Director of the University of Maryland System-wide Program in Toxicology and Professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He then served as Associate Director for Science in the Division of Toxicology and Environmental Medicine at CDC / ATSDR. He is currently a private consultant and Adjunct Professor, Emory School of Public Health and previously a Presidents Professor of Biomedical Science at the University of Alaska-Fairbanks.  Dr. Fowler is an internationally recognized expert on the toxicology of metals and has served on a number of State, National and International Committees in his areas of expertise. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Fulbright Association and past chair of the Advocacy Committee. He is past Chair of Federal Legislative Committee for the Maryland National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) and a Paul Harris Multiple Fellow of Rotary International. He is also a Trustee of the Maryland Democratic Party. He has some language expertise with German, Swedish, Spanish and spoken Mandarin. He is a PADI – certified Master Scuba Diver Trainer. Dr. Fowler is the author of over 260 research papers and book chapters and authored or edited/co-edited 10 books or monographs on toxicology, molecular biomarkers, computational toxicology, mechanisms of chemical–induced cell injury/cell death and most recently risk assessment for electronic waste.  He has provided invited testimony before committees of the US Congress and the State of Maryland on matters related to toxic chemicals.

Clark Reed believes environmental sustainability is a critical component to our quality of life. As an Environment Commissioner in Rockville, he helped found the city’s Solar Co-op in 2015 which grew to include two counties in 2021. He has worked at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for over 25 years in the ENERGY STAR program helping hospitals, hotels, and retail stores decarbonize by improving energy efficiency. His home is the first certified Net Zero Energy home in Montgomery County, and the eleventh one in Maryland. Clark enjoys beekeeping, gardening, running, and doing DIY projects with his wife and son. 

Lilita Bergs is the director of the Latvian Museum in Rockville MD. The all-volunteer museum, founded in 1979, is operated by the American Latvian Association in The United States, headquartered at the same facility.  The exhibits focus on the history of Latvia from prehistoric times to the present and showcase traditional costumes, jewelry and folk arts.  Included are video references to the history of Latvian-Americans who fled the Communist takeover in World War II.

Lilita Bergs holds an MA degree in anthropology from Syracuse University and is retired from a long career in a variety of American history museums in both curatorial and management roles. These include the Rochester Museum and Science Center and Old Sturbridge Village. She has been involved with the Latvian Museum since its founding. She is active in a number of local and national Latvian-American organizations and preservation projects.