Brews and Views was founded in November 2009 by co-owner of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, Lenny Mendonca, who is director emeritus (retired senior partner) of the San Francisco and Washington, D.C. offices of McKinsey & Company. For Mendonca, who grew up listening to Commonwealth Club forums on NPR, Brews and Views is an ideal way to involve the public in discussions about everything from environmental issues and economic development to social change and politics. Recently nominated for the prestigious “Visionary of the Year” award by the San Francisco Chronicle, Mendonca looks forward to producing this speakers’ series every year.
“Brews and Views provides me with a unique opportunity to host meaningful discussions about the topics of the day on the Coastside with some of the country’s leading subject matter experts,” said Mendonca.
The free, public events are formatted like a town hall, often featuring an initial conversation between the guest speaker and moderator after which the public are invited to participate in a Q&A session. Recent notable guests include San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee, Giants CEO Larry Baer; David Bastone, founder of Not for Sale; Mike McCurry, former press secretary for President Bill Clinton; Gina Giantz, political organizer and chair of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund; and Molly Sullivan, chief of strategy and innovation for the U.S. Department of the Navy.
SPRING 2016 BREWS AND VIEWS
Voter Empowerment and Economic Fairness
Thursday, April 7
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company (390 Capistrano Road, Half Moon Bay)
6 to 8 p.m.
Brews and Views welcomes Ryan Johnson, director of The Fairness
Project, an organization focused on raising the minimum wage. The Fairness Project works to bolster state-based ballot initiative campaigns and drive a national narrative to elevate issues of economic fairness. By harnessing the power of successful ballot initiative campaigns, The Fairness Project is empowering voters to take direct action to change their own lives. Prior to joining The Fairness Project, Ryan was a consultant and researcher helping a variety of firms and individuals create original content, think strategically around potential opportunities and identify levers for change.
Leadership Across Boundaries
Thursday, April 21
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company (390 Capistrano Road, Half Moon Bay)
6 to 8 p.m.
Brews and Views welcomes David B. Smith, managing director of the Presidio Institute. The organization shapes leaders to solve social problems by providing transformational experiences that inspire, encourage, and empower leaders to make positive impact in their communities. The Presidio Institute delivers leadership programs and convenes events that foster collaboration among leaders in business, nonprofit, and government. They inspire leaders to work across boundaries, to include the missing voice, and to take bold action – in short, to lead in the 21st century.
Housing Affordability Challenges in the Bay Area
Thursday, May 5
Half Moon Bay Brewing Company (390 Capistrano Road, Half Moon Bay)
6 to 8 p.m.
Brews and Views welcomes Rebecca Foster and Rich Gross to discuss housing affordability challenges in the Bay Area. Rebecca Foster is director of social impact investment for Mayor Edwin M. Lee, where she is leading the City’s exploration of Pay for Success/Social Impact Finance and building capital tools to address the City’s housing shortage. Rich Gross is vice president and Northern California market leader for Enterprise Community Partners, Inc. He oversees Enterprise’s affordable housing, community development, investment and strategic programs for the San Francisco Bay Area. Those efforts include launching Enterprise’s role in a groundbreaking program to revitalize public housing in San Francisco, greening existing affordable housing, working with Bay Area communities on the foreclosure crisis and initiating investment in new affordable housing.
ABOUT LENNY MENDONCA
Lenny Mendonca is a director emeritus (retired senior partner) from the Washington D.C. and San Francisco offices of McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm. He is a senior fellow at the Presidio Institute.
Lenny founded McKinsey’s U.S. state and local public sector practice. For many years Lenny led the Firm’s knowledge development efforts overseeing the McKinsey Global Institute and the Firm’s communications, which includes the McKinsey Quarterly. He served for a decade on the McKinsey Shareholder Council (its board of directors). Over the course of his career he helped dozens of government, corporate, and nonprofit clients solve their most difficult management challenges.
Lenny is the Chair of Children Now, co-Chair of California Forward, and founder and Chair of Fusecorps. He is the Chair Emeritus of the Bay Area Council and the Economic Institute of the Bay Area, and was vice-chair of the Stanford Graduate School of Business Advisory Council. He serves on the boards of New America, Western Governors University, The Committee for Economic Development, Common Cause, the Bay Area Science and Innovation Consortium, The Campaign for Business & Educational Excellence, The Educational Results Partnership, The College Access Foundation and the 50 Fund. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the Board of Trustees for Junior Statesmen of America and the Advisory Boards of QB3 and The Public Policy Institute of California.
He received his MBA and certificate in public management from the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He holds an AB, magna cum laude, in economics from Harvard College.
Lenny lives on the Half Moon Bay coast, south of San Francisco, with his wife, Christine. They raised their two daughters, Allie and Rebecca, there and are the founders and owners of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company and the Mavericks Beer Company.
ABOUT THE HALF MOON BAY BREWING COMPANY
Selected by Coastal Living magazine as one of America’s Best Coastal Breweries, Men’s Fitness as one of America’s Top Ten Craft Breweries and Travel + Leisure magazine as one of America’s Best Beach Bars, the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company is situated on picturesque Pillar Point Harbor overlooking the Marina in Half Moon Bay. The Brewing Company expertly pairs a family-friendly, come-as-you-are atmosphere with a winning combination of fresh, sustainable seafood, craft beers, live music and an expansive, dog-friendly patio area with blazing fire pits to keep patrons warm on the waterfront. The Brewing Company is a casual coastal venue that has become an institution in the Half Moon Bay area for locals and visitors alike since opening in 2000. With its warm, wood-toned interior, expansive windows to the ocean, and walls dotted with surf memorabilia, the 6,000-square-foot restaurant and bar is reminiscent of a typical California surf shack. Behind the restaurant lie the 1,200 square-foot Mavericks Beer Garden and on-site brewery, where hand-crafted, award-winning Beers & Ales are piped directly to the bar. The Amber Ale won a bronze medal in the 2012 World Beer Cup, and the Ocho Barril Saison won Best in Show for session beers and the gold medal in the Wood/Smoke Ale category at the California State Fair in June 2013.
The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company is located at 390 Capistrano Road in Half Moon Bay, Calif. The hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to close; Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to close. To book a reservation, please call 650-728- BREW (2739) or visit Dinnerwire.com. Additional information may be found at www.hmbbrewingco.com.
The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company also manages the neighboring Mavericks Event Center which overlooks the picturesque Pillar Point Harbor and is the ideal setting for weddings, celebrations, retreats and corporate events. Named for the famed surf break just up the beach, the Mavericks Event Center sits on a large oceanfront bluff, with an indoor ballroom that can accommodate up to 150 guests, plus a spacious outdoor deck and harbor view garden. For more information please visit www.maverickseventcenter.com.