Jeff Eyet and his family have a nickname for their Lafayette home: the treehouse.

Tucked into the oaks of Reliez Valley overlooking Briones, the hillside home reflects what Jeff loves about Lamorinda. “We fall asleep to crickets and wake up to birds,” he says. “That’s why we call it the treehouse.”

Jeff and his wife, Janelle, moved there in 2017 after renovating the 1970s-era house into their forever home. Today, life revolves around family. Their daughter, Harper, a rising seventh-grader at Stanley, spends weekends riding and competing as a horse jumper around Northern California. At home, they raise chickens and share goats with neighbors.

Even with busy schedules, one tradition remains constant: “We come together every night at the dinner table,” Jeff says. 

That sense of connection extends beyond their home. Jeff and Janelle joined Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church (LOPC) before Harper was born and quickly found more than a place to attend on Sundays. They found a community.

Over the years, Jeff has served in leadership roles and supported programs focused on faith and relationships. He started Men's Friday Fellowship after recognizing a growing issue among older men: loneliness.

The issue hit close to home. Jeff’s father lived with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia, and Jeff watched faith become central to his perseverance. “I knew that if he were healthy, he would be leading a group at his own church to address exactly this,” Jeff says.

What began as a monthly gathering has evolved into a weekly tradition where men share life’s highs and lows, discuss faith, and enjoy conversations about everything from sports to cars.

Jeff realized the group had become meaningful when men from a generation where “you don't cry and you don't talk” began opening up and forming friendships. He jokingly calls it “the millennial club” because there's “about a thousand years of wisdom and experience around the table.” 

Professionally, Jeff teaches AI, applied innovation, and entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley. After earning his MBA from Haas in 2014, he worked in the solar energy industry before finding his way back to his true passion: helping others reach their "aha" moments. "Seeing those lightbulb moments in students is what brings me the greatest joy," he says.

Jeff also hosts The BIG Strategy Podcast, where he talks with leaders about navigating change without losing what makes us human. His philosophy is “human-centered AI” — keeping humans in the loop — and he teaches it to everyone from middle schoolers to senior executives. “AI should not replace people,” he says. “It should amplify our creativity, curiosity, and ingenuity so we can have a greater impact in our professional and community lives.” 

After nearly a decade in Lamorinda, what stands out most to Jeff is what the community has given back to his family: friendships, fellowship, and people who continue to show up for one another. LOPC has been “the through-line” through it all. 

“We're grateful,” he says. “And we're not going anywhere.”