Vallejo Chamber of Commerce 137th Installation Dinner

We would like to say thank you to all who came to our 137th Annual Installation Dinner and congratulations to those who won very special awards at this event as well.

It was a memorable night for our newly installed Chairman of the Board, Rudy Manfredi (Medic Ambulance), who accepted the gavel from Past-Chair Michael Coan (the Law Office of Favaro, Lavezzo, Gill, Caretti and Heppel). Pippin Dew (RE/MAX Gold) was appointed Chair Elect & Vice Chair Community Promotions, and Marc Salvadori (Minuteman Press) accepted responsibility for  the Vallejo Chamber Treasury for 2012.

A highlight of the event was the presentation of awards for our Business' of the Year for 2011. The winners were: representing small business: BB&B Business Group/Local Happenings Magazine; representing medium sized business:  A-1 Guaranteed Heating & Air Conditioning; our Large Business of the Year Award was presented to Windsor Vallejo Care Center; Non-Profit Partner of the Year went to Vallejo Main Street; and our Rookie of the Year Award, went to Mr. Sam Thompson of Farmers Insurance.

We would also like to recognize the recipients of our two most prestigious awards. The coveted "Athena Award", sponsored by Avery Greene Honda, went to Erin Hannigan; and our Chamber of Commerce - "Bud Butler - Man of the Year Award" went to Marc Salvadori.

All of our award winners were highly deserving of this recognition. They are people and/or businesses who work hard to strengthen our community through their volunteer efforts.

(Vallejo, CA) Internationally-known scholar and author Dr. Roger Schank will be presenting at Touro University California, 1310 Club Drive, Lander Hall Auditorium, Mare Island, Vallejo, on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 5:30pm. He will be discussing the future of education. This event is FREE and open to the public. Dr. Schank has been described as "one of the world's leading visionaries in artificial intelligence, learning theory, cognitive science, and the building of virtual learning environments." He believes "there are only two things wrong with our education system: 1. What we teach; 2. How we teach it." Dr. Schank does not shy away from provocative ideas. In a recent posting, he presented President Obama with ten ideas for how to change education:

1. Shut down high schools

2. Stop preparing students for college

3. Stop insisting everyone go to college

4. Re-focus colleges away from academics

5. Eliminate all testing

6. Get big business out of education

7. Make learning fun again

8. Let children choose what they want to learn about

9. Help children find mentors who will help them learn what they want to learn

10. Build online experiences that engage students and that teach thinking skills

Dr. Schank was awarded a Ph.D. in linguistics at the University of Texas in Austin. He founded the renowned Institute for the Learning Sciences at Northwestern University in 1989 where he is John P. Evans Professor Emeritus in Computer Science, Education and Psychology. Currently, he is working with La Salle Barcelona on their new Institute for Learning Sciences through the Business Engineering School. He is the author of many books and has just published Teaching Minds: How Cognitive Science Can Save Our Schools. Dr. Schank will support the Graduate School of Education's goal to provide innovative and relevant educational experiences to the university and the community. A question and answer session will follow the presentation. All members of the educational community are welcome to attend. Arrive early, limited parking Go to tu.edu/gsoe for additional information. Contact gsoe@tu.edu with questions. Dr. Schank's website is: rogerschank.com