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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…