San Diego Rotary

Annual Change of Command Program
2021-07-08 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
The day has arrived! We are excited to bring back IN-PERSON meetings on July 8 for the start of a new Rotary year and our annual Change of Command program.
Please join us in welcoming our 2021-22 President, Phil Blair, our club’s 112th president. Our newest leader will be sworn in and then will share his vision for this exciting new year. We are looking forward to seeing you all in person again!
As a reminder, lunch is served from 11:45 am – 12:30 pm, and our Rotary meetings run from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm.
The Liberty Station Conference Center address is 2600 Laning Road, 92106.

Malte Niebelschuetz, Founder - Shore Buddies
2021-07-15 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Shore Buddies are the world’s first stuffed animals made from recycled plastic bottles. The bottles are collected and sorted by recyclable collectors. At their factory, those bottles get cleaned and shredded into plastic flakes. Some of these flakes are used for the Shore Buddies’ stuffing, others get melted and turned into polyester yarn for the soft outside.
The Shore Buddies mission is to save marine life and keep plastics out of the oceans. $1 from every product sale is donated to non-profits that share their vision. Proceeds fund educational outreach campaigns to educate children about the dangers of Ocean Plastic Pollution, to save marine life and keep plastics out of the ocean. They thrive to make sustainability a second language from Day 1.
From San Diego to the world; Shore Buddies are sold in 10 countries, across 3 continents and has kept over 1,000,000 bottles from entering the environment.
Shore Buddies founder, Malte Niebelschuetz, will be joining us to tell us how he founded this company (which was by accident!), why these are more than just your typical stuffed animals and what impact they are trying to make on our plastic footprint.
Shore Buddies has been featured on Forbes and Kickstarter and was a 2021 Toy of the Year finalist.
You can visit their website here https://shore-buddies.com/

Tracy Sundlun - Inside the Olympics with a Track Geek
2021-07-22 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
With the Tokyo Olympics starting this month, hear from Club 33’s own Olympian, Tracy Sundlun, a Coach, Manager, and Team Leader in 6 summer Olympic Games from 1972 to 2016, as he shares some of his most poignant memories and observations from his unique vantage point from inside the Olympics in the Village and on the Track.
Tracy Sundlun is currently best known as the co-founder of the precedent-setting Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series. But that is just one chapter of the life of this seasoned professional with over 40 years of involvement in virtually every facet of the sports of track and field, road racing, cross country running, and race walking. His experience includes everything from coaching, to sports administration, to event creation, planning, and production; officiating to athlete representation; sponsorship sales to charity fundraising; contract negotiation to television production; event marketing, to government relations, to budgeting and finance.
Tracy is a visionary who is not afraid “to take a chance on being great,” and who has been at the forefront of a number of the sports’ innovations and advances over the past 40+ years. His actions, events, and programs have always epitomized his core belief that the sport should impact all of society; be greater than the sum of its parts; is only as strong as its weakest link; and look to include as opposed to exclude, involving all constituencies and athletes of all ages and abilities.
Currently, Tracy is a self employed, athletics consultant. EVERYTHING RUNNING, INC. is an international boutique event consulting firm focused on ‘Anything and Everything Track & Field, Running, and Race Walking.’

Teresa Stivers, CEO - Walden Family Services
2021-07-29 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Teresa Stivers, CEO
Teresa Stivers, CEO of Walden Family Services, a nationally recognized foster, adoption, and youth services agency, will discusses the importance of mentorship to children and youth in the child welfare system. Hear from two former foster youth and learn about their incredible journeys and the role their Walden mentors have made in their lives. Rajah Gainey, current Walden board member and former foster child, shares his moving story of his 26-year relationship with his Walden mentor.

Kathie Lembo, CEO - SBCS
2021-08-05 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
SBCS began in 1971 as a tiny drop-center for drug-abusing teens. Under Kathie Lembo’s leadership as President and CEO since 1982, it has grown into one of the largest social service and community development agencies in the County, and touches the lives of 50,000 people every year. They offer 50 different programs that provide supportive services to children, youth and families throughout San Diego.
Kathie led the SBCS team in taking immediate action to support San Diegans hardest hit by COVID-19: securing hotel rooms to temporarily house families and transition-age youth affected by the virus; collaborating with the City of Chula Vista on the innovative use of RVs to house the homeless; providing emergency food for over 10,000 families per month; and working closely with the Alpha Project on outreach in the South Region. Together with community partners, SBCS has also provided distance learning support and mental health and violence prevention services to thousands more since the start of the pandemic.
As written in the Union Tribune: “When San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and county Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Nora Vargas announced in March that the convention center would, within a matter of days, temporarily house unaccompanied migrant children, the leaders turned to San Diego’s community of service providers to care for them. Without hesitation, SBCS, along with Casa Familiar, the YMCA, New Alternatives, MAAC, San Diego Youth Services, the San Diego County Office of Education and the Logan Heights Community Development Corp. were all on board.
Kathie will talk about the sheer logistics of the creation of this emergency intake shelter in the San Diego Convention Center, drawing on each of the participating organization’s areas of expertise and decades of experience in helping vulnerable children to thrive.

Paul Gothold - San Diego County Superintendent of Schools
2021-08-12 12:30 - 13:30 | Virtual Online Meeting Via Zoom
Dr. Paul Gothold was named San Diego County Superintendent of Schools in 2017, after four years leading Lynwood Unified School District where he championed systemic changes to improve student outcomes.
Gothold has more than 25 years in K-12 education with a focus on building school systems with equity at the core. He has a proven track record of supporting quality professional learning for teachers, backing innovative ideas, and putting students first.
While at Lynwood, the population was 96% students of color and more than 94% qualified for free- or reduced-lunch. Through his efforts, Lynwood went from failing and on the brink of receivership to one of only three in the nation – and one in California – to be selected as a 2017 College Board AP District of the Year. The award is for simultaneously raising the number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes and improving passing rates on AP exams. The district graduation rate rose 23 percentage points since 2010-11 with a current rate of 93%.
Since beginning his career as a teacher for adjudicated youth in Los Angeles County, Gothold’s heart and passion have been in working to ensure every student regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, or language has the opportunity to succeed in school and in life. He believes that starts with graduating high school with the option to attend a four-year college.
Dr. Gothold will be talking about the special challenges facing education in our community both during and after the pandemic.

Besty Brennan - President/CEO, Downtown San Diego Partnership
2021-08-19 12:30 - 13:30 | Virtual Online Meeting Via Zoom
Join fellow Rotarian and the President & CEO of the Downtown San Diego Partnership, Betsy Brennan, as she walks us through some key projects already in construction in San Diego. Exciting projects like The Campus at Horton, IQHQ RaDD, and Radian will help Downtown San Diego step up to help meet the demand for nearly 3.8 million sq. ft. of life science space in our region and an increased need for tech and start up space as well.

While Torrey Pines, University City and North county markets may be at max capacity, the opportunities available in the live, work, play environment of our urban center are beginning an exciting next chapter. Learn more about the demand for these creative spaces and how Downtown is ready to welcome the opportunities.
As President and CEO, Betsy leads the Downtown San Diego Partnership, a member-based organization whose mission is to promote an economically prosperous
and culturally vibrant urban center.
The Partnership proudly serves more than 400 member businesses, representing thousands of residents, employees, and Downtown property owners. Betsy and her staff are also responsible for administering the Clean & Safe Program, a $9-million property and business improvement district of the City of San Diego, which offers enhanced maintenance and safety services throughout 275 blocks in the heart of Downtown San Diego.

John David Wicker, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics - SDSU
2021-09-02 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
John David (J.D.) Wicker was introduced as San Diego State University’s new Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on Oct. 24, 2016.
Wicker was SDSU’s Deputy Athletic Director from 2011 until leaving for Georgia Tech in July 2015. During his first term at SDSU, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Aztecs athletics department, overseeing business operations, human resources, events and facilities, capital projects, strength and conditioning, academics, video and sport oversight for football, rowing, and men’s and women’s basketball.
Wicker took over an athletic department that has enjoyed great success in recent years. The football team was eligible for an 11th straight bowl game last season and the men’s basketball returned to the NCAA tournament. In all SDSU athletic teams have won 52 conference championships since the 2012-13 academic year. Over the past 3 semesters, student athletes have posted the highest GPA’s in the history of the department while navigating the challenges of a global pandemic.
He will provide us with some highlights of the SDSU football and basketball programs and preview how they are looking as they enter this next season. He will also give us an update on Aztec Stadium construction, sales, and partnerships for the 35,000 capacity multi-use stadium being constructed at SDSU Mission Valley.

Ted Leitner - Sports Anchor and Commentator
2021-09-09 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Controversial, outrageous and hilarious, Ted Leitner has been the enduring voice of San Diego’s sports scene since 1978.
In his signature free-form style, Leitner will regale San Diego Rotary with stories, memories and reflections on his 40-year career as the Padres radio voice.
Through the pandemic-shortened season of 2020, Ted Leitner spent 41 seasons as play-by-play voice of the Padres and 25 years as the radio voice of football and basketball for the San Diego State Aztecs.
Leitner also spent 25 years (1978-2002) as sports anchor and commentator on San Diego’s CBS 8 as well as serving as a popular talk-show host and sports humorist on KFMB-AM Radio.
Long a familiar fixture in San Diego, Leitner has MC’ed thousands of events, led by the Padres’ annual Opening Day ceremonies, the team’s Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, and “Jerry Coleman Day” in 2012, paying tribute to his longtime broadcast partner.
Notably, he also served as MC for the Petco Park memorial services devoted to Coleman (January 5, 2014) and later that year, for Tony Gwynn (June 16, 2014).
Prior to coming to San Diego in 1978, Leitner was a TV sports personality in Oklahoma City, Hartford, and Philadelphia.
In addition to the Padres and Aztecs, his play-by-play credits include the NFL’s San Diego Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles, the NBA’s San Diego Clippers, as well as the University of Oklahoma and the University of Connecticut.
On January 15, 2021, Leitner was officially appointed the Padres’ Team Ambassador by team owner-chairman Peter Seidler.

Dan Gensler - District Governor 2021-22
2021-09-16 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
District Governor Dan Gensler will share his Rotary journey highlighting his personal experience with international projects including working with a “living angel” in South Africa, distributing 350,000 pairs of Toms Shoes and starting an artificial limb clinic in Ensenada Mexico. Dan will also discuss the impact The Rotary Foundation is making to alleviate human suffering around the globe.
Dan previously served as President of the Rotary Club of Coronado from 2006 to 2007, was nominated Rotarian of the Year in 2004, and has been a member of Coronado Rotary since 1996.
He has served in several roles within District 5340, including Assistant Governor, Foundation Mentor, District Grants Subcommittee Chair, and Foundation Fundraising Subcommittee Chair. In 2015, Dan chaired a fundraising drive called Millions for Hope that raised over $30 million of new bequests and donations to The Rotary Foundation.
Dedicated to Rotary ideals and passionate about humanitarian causes on both a local and global scale, Dan has made an impact on the local and international communities.

Dan Eddy-Deputy Fire Chief, San Diego Fire-Rescue
2021-09-23 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Dan Eddy, pictured on the left, received his badge and shield as the department’s newest deputy fire chief.
Recent high temperatures and accompanying weather conditions have caused large wildfires to spike in Northern California, but the risks of wildfires in San Diego County have not disappeared. It is crucial that each of us take action to prepare ourselves, our homes, and our families for a disaster.
Dan Eddy, SD Fire-Rescue’s newest deputy chief, has 22 years with SDFD and began his new role as the A division shift commander on July 10 2021. He will join us on Sept. 23 to talk about the impact of these wildfires on our community and on the fire-rescue department.

Shaka Johnson-VP & Associate General Counsel, Sony Electronics Inc.
2021-09-30 12:00 - 13:00 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
It is Shaka Johnson’s life mission is to have a positive impact on the lives of others – at home, at work, and in his community. He looks forward to talking about the impact we can all have on those around us. With that, he will also discuss how Sony Electronics has approached the positive impact the company can have, and his passionate support of the organization in those efforts.
Shaka Johnson currently leads the legal department at Sony Electronics Inc. as Vice President & Associate General Counsel, and Secretary. As head of the department, Shaka and his team are responsible for corporate security and traditional legal affairs for the business in North America.
Shaka was named one of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Top-10 30 Somethings in 2014, participated as a Leadership Council on Legal Diversity Fellow in 2018, and was recognized as a “Leader in Law” by the San Diego Business Journal in 2020.
In 2019, he had the humbling honor of delivering the commencement address at his alma mater, USD School of Law, and earlier this year the National Diversity Counsel recognized him as one of the most influential African Americans in Business.

Shalini Vajjhala, PhD - Executive Director, San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center
2021-10-07 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
The San Diego Foundation in partnership with The Brookings Institution announced a new 501(c)3 organization called The San Diego Regional Policy & Innovation Center (PIC) . PIC will develop, test, and implement world -class research and policy-driven solutions to address San Diego’s most pressing challenges. The Executive Director of the new Center, Shalini Vajjhala, will tell us why this is different from anything currently in San Diego.
As a 501(c)3 organization of The San Diego Foundation, the PIC benefits from The Foundation’s community knowledge; strong relationships with all sectors of the San Diego economy, including community-based, grassroots organizations; mission and vision of just, equitable, and resilient communities; and its support systems and resources.
Through PIC, regional leaders, municipalities, and other stakeholders will have opportunities to engage with scholars of the world’s leading think tank, Brookings Institution, to gather insight into federal policy programs and co-develop new regional policy solutions for the region’s biggest problems.
Their core focus is on multi-jurisdictional collaboration to solve problems that extend beyond the reach of any single agency or department.

Mentoring to Success: President Phil Blair's Initiative
2021-10-14 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Join us as we finally get to roll out President Phil’s mentoring initiative for this year! We have an opportunity to add another layer of community involvement for our 500 members. Our goal is to have our club provide 100, and hopefully more, mentoring match ups of members and young people in need of some professional guidance.
Peter Callstrom, fellow Rotarian and President of the San Diego Workforce Partnership, will be the Chair of this initiative and we will learn much more about the dynamics of the program from Peter. Also joining us will be Nancy Scott, her mentee Shaneese Evans, Don Wells of Just in Time for Foster Youth and a student who is seeking a mentor. We will also talk about the value of internships for both the employer and the student/intern.

Dennis Probst, VP Development - SD Intl Airport
2021-10-21 00:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Dennis Probst, Vice President Development at the San Diego International Airport will be joining us to provide an update on the New Terminal 1 building. The update will include the various components, the status of the build, anticipated completion dates, and renderings of the building. He’ll also share a fly-through of the new building.
In this role, Probst oversees all aspects of planning, environmental affairs, capital improvements and facilities development. Major projects completed under Probst’s leadership include the new international arrivals facility and Terminal 2 Parking Plaza. Probst is also overseeing the largest planned development program in the airport’s history, the Airport Development Plan, which envisions the replacement of Terminal 1 and other improvements.

Annual Peace Award & Guest Speaker Azim Khamisa, Founder - The Tariq Khamisa Foundation
2021-10-28 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Join us as we present San Diego Rotary’s Annual Peace Award. The Peace Award is designed to honor organizations or individuals in San Diego County who have made a significant difference in bringing differing factions in our communities together, to communicate and collaborate. Our honoree has demonstrated commitment to the foregoing, and actions taken to bring about the change referred to in Rotary’s Mission Statement: help build goodwill and peace in the world.
Then we welcome our guest speaker for the day, Azim Khamisa, Founder of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation.
The Journey of Forgiveness – Destination Peace.
The central question we all have is how do we get to peace? We are constantly bombarded by media of relentless violence and negative news. We are caught in the middle of the most divided country in decades. Democracy is threatened. How then do we get to peace? In this personal story, Azim will chronicle his journey of 20 plus years that started dark with the murder of his only son Tariq and how his forgiveness of the killer manifested peace in his family. We all make choices – can forgiveness of each other and ourselves stich back our community into a coherent democracy and loving sisterhood and brotherhood? Come find out!

Hernan Luis y Prado, Founder & CEO-Workshop For Warriors
2021-11-04 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Hernán Luis y Prado, the Founder and CEO of Workshops for Warriors, will discuss America’s need for a training pipeline to regain our manufacturing advantage, our competitive edge, our innovative vision, and overall economic might. He will introduce his nonprofit, Workshops for Warriors, which changes veterans and transitioning service member’s lives by training them for high-paying advanced manufacturing careers.
Workshops for Warriors is rebuilding American manufacturing, one veteran at a time!

Hernán served in the United States Navy for 15 years as a Hospital Corpsman and then as a Surface Warfare Officer, serving three combat tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. He founded Workshops for Warriors (WFW) in 2008. He was recognized by the Obama White House as a “Champion of Change” for WFW’s extensive efforts and notable achievements in helping veterans successfully transition from the military into advanced manufacturing careers.

DARK - NO MEETING
2021-11-11 | CA
In observance of the Veteran’s Day holiday, we will not be meeting today.

Annual Salute to Military Program
2021-11-18 12:00 - 13:30 | CA
Saluting our Military Forces.
Join us and our active and retired military guests for our annual Salute to Military program. Our special guest speaker will be Rear Admiral Stephen Barnett, Navy Region Southwest. Admiral Barnett assumed command in July 2021.
The San Diego region is critical to our nation’s national security and the operational readiness of our Navy-Marine Corps Team with 17% of the Navy’s Active Duty personnel stationed here. This makes San Diego one of the largest concentrations of Navy personnel in the country. Rear Admiral Barnett, the Commander of Navy Region Southwest, will be speaking about the unique relationship between the Navy and San Diego as a Fleet concentration area, and the ongoing commitment of Navy veterans to the San Diego region. The issues that impact San Diego as a whole, impact our active duty Sailors and their families too. Rear Admiral Barnett will discuss the Navy’s commitment to ongoing partnerships throughout the Region, and to being part of the conversation on these critical issues.

DARK - NO MEETING
2021-11-25 | CA
HAVE A SAFE AND HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Annual Bid Big! Auction
2021-12-02 11:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Arrive early! Our annual auction begins at 11:00am. Great auction items including trips, hotel stays, theatre and sporting tickets, family orientated packages, excellent wine and so much more! And remember, your support for this year’s auction will directly impact those who need us in the community. So come and enjoy a glass of champagne and Bid Big! Click here if you would like to donate an auction item for the event https://sandiegorotary.wufoo.com/forms/p44tyik1mbrz0p/

Steve Breen - Pulitzer Prize-Winning Cartoonist, Union Tribune
2021-12-09 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Award winning San Diego Union Tribune cartoonist Steve Breen will provide a retrospective of 2021 in the way Steve knows best!

Annual Holiday Program
2021-12-16 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States

DARK - No Meeting
2021-12-23 | CA
Happy Holidays!

Dark - No Meeting
2021-12-30 | CA
Happy New Year!

Economic Forecast Featuring Top-Tier Financial Specialists
2022-01-06 12:30 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Join us for our first program in the new year. Our three financial specialists will walk us through economic predictions for the year ahead to better plan strategy, multi-year risks, and varying budgets on many scales.
Bob Carey – First Trust – Chief Market Strategist
Seth Buks – Columbia Threadneedle Investments – Global Allocation
Dolores Bamford – Eventide – Portfolio Manager Sustainable Investing

JONES Inclusive with Dr. Steve Jones
2022-01-13 12:30 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States

Retain Your Next-Gen Talent During the Great Resignation with Dan Negroni
2022-01-20 12:30 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States

Afghan Refugee Testimonials: Three women’s harrowing stories of evacuation and how they are settling in San Diego.
2022-01-27 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States

Randy Conley: "Simple Truths of Leadership" discussion with video featuring Ken Blanchard
2022-02-03 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Leadership legend and bestselling author Randy Conley, will discuss his co-written and carefully curated collection of fifty-two essential leadership principles being released February 1st.
