Dear Honored Guests,
You are cordially invited to join us in celebrating a remarkable milestone – the 50th Anniversary of the Mothers’ Milk Bank California. Your presence will add immeasurable joy to this momentous occasion as we reflect on five decades of dedicated service, compassion, and life-changing impact.
Date: October 1, 2024
Time: 4:00pm to 7:00pm
Venue: The Rotunda, City Hall, City of San Jose
RSVP by: September 17, 2024
Please join us for an evening filled with camaraderie, inspiring stories, and a celebration of the countless lives touched by the Mothers’ Milk Bank California. As we honor our past, embrace our present, and envision the future, your presence will add to the vibrancy and unity that defines the spirit of our organization.
Kindly respond by the RSVP deadline to ensure we can prepare for your attendance. Your participation will make this anniversary celebration truly special, as we come together to commemorate a half-century of providing essential support to mothers and infants.
We look forward to sharing this significant milestone with you and expressing our gratitude for your ongoing support.
Warm regards,
Mothers’ Milk Bank California
Happy Hour Book Signing with “Tits Up” Author Sarah Thornton
Welcome Remarks by Dr. Diana E. Ramos, California Surgeon General
Senate Certificate Presentation by Senator Dave Cortese
Video Tribute to Mothers’ Milk Bank
Recognition of Outstanding Milk Donors and Collection Centers
Vision for the Next 50 Years by Katie Anderson, Chair, Board of Directors and Jennifer Benito-Kowalski, Chief Executive Officer for Mothers’ Milk Bank
Sarah L. Thornton
Writer, ethnographer and sociologist of culture
Sarah Thornton, a sociologist and author, examines art, design, and human interactions in her acclaimed books. Originally from Canada and hailed as “Britain’s hippest academic,” she now resides in San Francisco, known as “the Jane Goodall of the art world.”
Thornton’s latest book Tits Up explores the universal truths of mammary glands alongside their specific meanings and uses in different real-world locations – a strip club, a human milk bank, a plastic surgeon’s operating room, a bra design studio, and a neo-pagan spiritual feminist retreat. Thornton laments that most American women dismiss their breasts as dumb boobs. As emblems of femininity, the status of this body part has an impact on women’s social standing and political power. As long as boobs are disparaged as shameful and stupid, women will remain the “second sex.
Dr. Diana E. Ramos
California Surgeon General, MD, MPH, MBA, FACOG
Dr. Diana E. Ramos is a renowned public health leader and California’s second Surgeon General and first Latina Surgeon General. As California’s Doctor, she is the leading spokesperson on the most pressing public health issues of the time within the State of California. Her mission is to advance the health and wellbeing of all Californians.
Raised in South Central Los Angeles, Dr. Ramos received her medical degree from the Keck University of Southern California School of Medicine and completed her residency training in obstetrics and gynecology at Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center. She also holds a Master of Public Health degree from UCLA and a Master of Business Administration degree from UC Irvine Paul Merage School of Business.
Over the past three decades, Dr. Ramos has provided reproductive care to thousands of Californians as an Obstetrician Gynecologist at Southern California Kaiser Permanente.
Dr. Ramos’ leadership spans from the local level in Los Angeles County where she previously served as the Director for Reproductive Health, State leadership as the prior chair for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist, California & Ecuador (IX) District, Nationally on the Women’s Preventive Service Initiative, American Medical Association Foundation board, as a prior executive board member for the National Hispanic Medical Association, and many others. Prior to her appointment as the California Surgeon General, she served as the Assistant Deputy Director of Chronic Disease Prevention for the California Department of Public Health.
Within the academic sector, she has served as an adjunct Associate Professor at the Keck University of Southern California School of Medicine for many years.
Dr. Ramos has written and contributed numerous articles to the obstetrics and gynecology and public health literature and has lectured in Spanish and English, locally, nationally and internationally. The Orange County Medical Association recently named Dr. Ramos the 2023 Physician of the Year.
Senator Dave Cortese
Senator Dave Cortese, elected in 2020 to represent California’s State Senate District 15 covering much of Santa Clara County, brings a wealth of experience and a strong commitment to public service. His career spans decades of dedicated leadership in various roles, including as a former President of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Vice Mayor and Councilmember of San Jose, and trustee for the East Side Union High School District. A native of San Jose, Cortese’s upbringing in a family deeply engaged in civic affairs laid the foundation for his lifelong advocacy for community issues.
Katie Anderson
Chair, Board of Directors, Mothers’ Milk Bank California
Katie Anderson, Chair, Board of Directors, Mothers’ Milk Bank California, is an internationally recognized leadership consultant, coach, professional speaker, and learning enthusiast, dedicated to helping purpose-driven leaders create cultures of learning and accelerate individual and organizational impact.
A skilled change agent and coach, Katie has supported tens of thousands of leaders across a range of industries to create organizational learning cultures that foster innovation, engagement, and continuous improvement. A popular keynote speaker, she is the author of the bestselling book Learning to Lead, Leading to Learn, which has received multiple international awards, including the Shingo Publication Award, and has been translated into over eight languages. Katie is also the host of the transformational leadership podcast Chain of Learning.
Katie holds a BA with honors from Stanford University and was a Fulbright Scholar in Australia, where she received her Master’s degree in public health. She has lived in seven countries, and regularly leads executive study trips to Japan for leaders looking to deepen their knowledge of people-centered leadership, operational excellence, and Japanese culture.
Jennifer Benito-Kowalski
Chief Executive Officer, Mothers’ Milk Bank California
Jennifer Benito-Kowalski is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Mothers’ Milk Bank California (MMB California), a nonprofit in California that’s a leading provider of safe, pasteurized donor human milk for babies. She’s passionate about the organization’s mission and has crafted a vision for MMB California’s next 50 years.
Before this, Jennifer was the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Save the Redwoods League. She worked on notable projects like California State Parks Week, Free Redwood Days, Redwood Watch, and the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition annual impact report.
Jennifer is also a children’s book author, co-writing four books with her then 9-year-old son. She finds the most rewarding part of this work is inspiring hope and mobilizing kids. As a conservationist, marketer, Filipina, and mompreneur, she loves telling stories that welcome and celebrate diversity in our parks while teaching the importance of protecting nature.
Jennifer has won the prestigious Mom’s Choice Award and the Royal Dragonfly Award. She’s also received numerous marketing and communications awards for her work in public health, conservation, and the environment.
Celebrate 50 Years with Us!
Help Us Hit $50K in Donations!
RSVP by September 17