Lafayette Rotary Club

Katie is the Branch Manager at Mechanics Bank in Lafayette.

Prior to his nonprofit activities, Richard had a long career in the Global Capital markets. Cohen spent 14 years at Bank of America. He served as Managing Director in the bank’s Global Strategic Capital Group where he started and managed the bank’s environmental strategic investment business. Prior to that, Cohen was the head of interest rate derivatives trading for BofA and Managing Director in corporate development for BGC Partners focused on expanding BGC’s global commercial real estate platform. Richard also serves as President of Friends of Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit he founded in 2020.

Lisa is Founder and Owner of Sparks Promotional Products/NeedleWorks Embroidery, a promotional products company since 2003. She earned a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Boston University. She has 3 grown children and has been married for 30+ years. She joined Lafayette Rotary after the late John Sherry asked her to provide shirts and jackets for the Club over 15 years ago.

Matt is the Vice Chairman for General Plan Advisory Council at City of Lafayette, and served as Rotary club president 2018-2019. He is also the President of the Lafayette Rotary Foundation and has lived in the Lafayette area for over 30 years. He is retired after 35 years in the software and communications technology field.

Tom is the owner of Sequoia Signs & Graphics, Inc, an architectural sign company focusing on multi-family development. He moved to the Bay Area in 1999 and lives in Moraga.  When asked why he joined Lafayette Rotary rather than the Moraga club, his answer was simple…”They invited me to lunch.” Tom served as Club President in 2021-22.

Kimberly is a Municipal Manager for Republic Services, and manages recycling and composting programs for Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga and surrounding cities. She grew up in Contra Costa County and has an Environmental Science degree from UC Berkeley. Kimberly served as Lafayette Rotary President 2022-23, and enjoys hiking and talkin’ trash.

Matt is the Vice Chairman for General Plan Advisory Council at City of Lafayette, and served as Rotary club president 2018-2019. He is also the President of the Lafayette Rotary Foundation and has lived in the Lafayette area for over 30 years. He is retired after 35 years in the software and communications technology field.

A California registered Architect, Larry has served on the Boards of Directors of the Lafayette Community Foundation, Boy Scout Troop 224, Inc., Lafayette Senior Housing Associates and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce; Larry has also served on the City of Lafayette’s Design Review Commission, Banner Advisory Committee and the Downtown Congestion Survey. He has been a member of the Rotary Club of Lafayette for 20 years and served as Club President in the 2017-18 Rotary Year.

Diane is the grants chair for the Lafayette Rotary Foundation Board and also serves on the Lafayette Community Foundation Board, and the Park Theater Trust committee. She grew up in Orinda and has resided in Lafayette for over 30 years. Diane is enjoying retirement after a 25+ year career in banking.

Commissioner on Crime Prevention Commission City of Lafayette, past Board Member of Little Hands Preschool, San Carlos, Ca, past Board Member St. Perpetua School Parent Association Lafayette, Ca, Girl Scout Leader 6 years, Lafayette resident 20 years, Retired Insurance Sales

Peter de Laveaga has over thirty years of experience in the tax and financial fields. He has been the managing partner of Parodi & de Laveaga, his tax and accounting firm, for twenty years. Peter also has worked for Ernst & Young for twenty-five years. After five years of full-time work for EY and then starting his own company, he has continued to work part-time for EY delivering financial planning workshops to client employees. Prior to his accounting career, Peter worked in retail banking for seven years. He has a BA Degree in Economics and a MBA Degree in Finance from the University of California at Berkeley and is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Peter has served on the board of his church, Berkeley Covenant Church, for the past thirty years off-and-on in numerous capacities. Along with several colleagues, Peter co-founded Mayan Partners ten years ago, a non-profit organization that serves and partners with the indigenous communities in the highlands of western Guatemala.

Nancy Hobbs worked in the telecommunications industry for over 30 years. She began her career as a first level supervisor for Pacific Bell. Over the next 26 years she worked in multiple disciplines, including installation and repair, network, product marketing and sales as well as holding various staff positions.

Over the course of this time she advanced through the organization to the level of Assistant Vice President. In 1994 she left Pacific Bell and went to work for AirTouch as the General Manager for the San Diego area. She worked for Airtouch for 6 years, advancing to the position of EVP/GM of the California area. She has a BA in English from USF and has served on the board of Wedbush Morgan Securities.