San Diego Rotary

District Governor Marta Knight and Annual Committee Showcase
2019-08-29 11:15 - 13:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
A perennial program, this is your chance to learn about how our club spends more than 100,000 volunteer hours annually in the service of others. Nearly every international, youth, community and vocational committee will be showcasing their projects and members.
Come early! The Showcase begins at 11:15 am with Marta Knight, 2019-20 Rotary District 5340 Governor, headlining as our program speaker.
Marta will be sharing her “Rotary AHA Moment” and family history. She will also be sharing Rotary President Mark Maloney ‘s goals as well as our District goals for the coming 2019-2020 Rotary year.

Grotarian Event - Annual Poolside Chat
2019-08-27 17:30 - 19:30 | CA
Red Badgers-Please come and learn more about Club 33 and our Committees (and satisfy one of your permanent badge requirements, too!) as we enjoy some fellowship on a nice summer evening! We will have 8-10 Committee Chairs speak about their committees, what their committees do, and how you as a committee member can help. It will be an informative but fun evening for all who attend. Food and beverages will be provided.
Thank you to Club 33 member John Alioto for hosting the event for us this year!
Location: 3614 Carleton St, San Diego 92106
Date: Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Time: 5:30-7:30 pm
Cost: FREE
This event is for Grotarians only. Please no spouses or guests.
Click here to sign up

Brian Steffy-Illumina Solutions Center
2019-08-22 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Brian Steffy has worked in biotechnology for the last 21 years. He is currently an Associate Director of the Illumina Solutions Center, and has been with Illumina for the last 9 years. His responsibilities at Illumina include designing labs for Next Generation Sequencing, leading a team of scientists who provide their clients with customized solutions as well as educating new clients on the benefits of their technology.
Along with his colleagues at Illumina, Brian has developed a successful program in which high-school science teachers can bring genomics to their classrooms and perform an actual experiment on their campus.
Brian will talk about the history of Illumina and the past, present and future of genetics.

Club 33 Social Hour
2019-08-21 17:30 - 19:30 | CA
Please join us on Wednesday August 21 at 5:30 for our next social hour at 619 Spirits in North Park, located at 3015 Lincoln Avenue. 619 Spirits is San Diego’s first urban craft distillery and tasting room with a full restaurant and bar, located in the heart of North Park: https://619spirits.com/
See you there!

Membership Committee
2019-06-20 13:30 - 14:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States

Marlee Ehrenfeld-City of San Diego 250th Anniversary
2019-08-15 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Celebrating Where San Diego and California Began
This is an important year for the City of San Diego. On April 11, 1769 the first seaborne contingent of a Spanish settlement arrived at a quiet harbor in San Diego aboard the ship San Antonio. Just a scant three months later, these Spanish soldiers and missionaries, led by a Franciscan priest named Junipero Serra, gathered amid oaks and coastal sage scrub to dedicate the founding of Mission San Diego de Alcala. The two events set into motion the first of 21 missions extending northward and the evolution of that calm harbor into a working Port. San Diego is believed to be the first permanent settlement in what is now California.
Learn how this community-driven anniversary effort has resulted in a collaboration that includes civic leaders, organizations, community volunteers and Kumeyaay representatives. Thousands of residents and tourists have attended a series of events to reflect on our city’s history and leave a legacy for the future. Please join us in celebrating San Diego’s 250th anniversary with a dynamic presentation that includes a short documentary of how the past 250 years have shaped our region. And learn about the events and celebrations yet to come as we honor San Diego’s colorful past and bright future.

Bob Brewer-United States Attorney for the Southern District of California
2019-08-08 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Robert S. Brewer, Jr., a decorated Vietnam War veteran, former prosecutor and prominent San Diego litigator for decades, was sworn in on January 16, 2019, as the United States Attorney for the Southern District of California by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz.
As the United States Attorney, Bob is the chief federal law enforcement officer responsible for prosecuting and defending the interests of the United States in one of the busiest judicial districts in the nation.
President Trump nominated Bob to serve as U.S. Attorney for this district on June 25, 2018, upon the recommendation of U.S. Senators Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein. The full Senate unanimously confirmed his appointment on January 2, 2019.
Bob will talk about the San Diego U.S. Attorney’s office since he took over in January. He will briefly discuss the 2 year process of getting appointed and gaining Senate confirmation. Bob will then cover the organization, challenges, priorities, and accomplishments of the office.

Dr. Peter Hanson-Stem Cell Research
2019-08-01 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Dr. Peter Hanson came home to La Mesa and joined Grossmont Orthopedic Medical Group in August of 1992 and has enjoyed all aspects of his orthopedic practice, which includes sports medicine, arthroscopy, shoulder reconstruction and lower extremity total joint replacement including introducing the anterior hip approach to East County. He has been Chief of Orthopedic Surgery, and for over 12 years has served as the Medical Director of Orthopedic Surgery at Grossmont Hospital, a position that involves orchestrating the Total Joint Replacement program for the hospital. At Grossmont Hospital, he has served as Chief of Staff, as well as Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Dr. Hanson has always been involved in clinical research, but became much more so the last 6 years. He was President of the San Diego Stem Cell Center, and is Medical Director of BioSolutions Clinical Research Center. With San Diego as a hub of Biotechnology, he has developed relationships with local, national, and international companies and done FDA clinical trials for multiple regenerative medicine trials, primarily for arthritis of the hip and knee.
His presentation will talk about recent changes in FDA regulations in clinical use of stem cell therapies and recent biotech clinical research opportunities being pursued here in San Diego.

Monthly Club Board meeting
2019-07-26 07:30 - 09:00, 2019-05-31 07:30 - 09:00 | Club 33 Conference Room, 2247 San Diego Ave, Suite 233, San Diego, CA, 92110, United States

SDYS's International Youth Symphony
2019-07-25 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Entering its 15th year, the annual International Youth Symphony is a partnership program between the San Diego Youth Symphony and Rotary District 5340 International Youth Exchange. It brings musicians from across the globe together with SDYS’ most advanced musicians for a two-week intensive music experience.
This summer, twenty-four international musicians representing ten countries will join SDYS students to create a unique orchestra, comprised of exceptionally talented student musicians led by SDYS Music Director Jeff Edmons for two weeks of rehearsals and a variety of recitals and concerts in the community.
This will be the group’s fifth year performing for us. Forty-two talented students from all over the world will be joining us…do not miss it!

Ferry Zandvliet-Paris Terrorist Attack Survivor
2019-07-18 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
On Friday, November 13, 2015, Ferry attended a concert by the “The Eagles of Death Metal” at Le Bataclan Theatre in Paris. A terrorist attack during the concert took the lives of 89 fellow attendees and left 300 wounded. The emotional scars are felt by everyone who was there, including Ferry. It was a night that changed his life.
Chronic insomnia, hyper-alertness, anxiety and serious PTSS problems grew to dominate his life. He noticed that while his immediate environment became harder and angrier, he personally felt the opposite. The social hardening around him forced him to speak up; Ferry refused to be angry with the perpetrators, nor did Ferry let fear overtake him.
A week later, Ferry again attended a concert, and later formed a friendship with the father of one of the Bataclan terrorists.
Ferry will share his story of that night, the aftermath, and what he learned about himself and others.

Club 33 Social Hour
2019-07-17 17:30 - 19:30 | CA
Please join us for a special Club 33 social hour later this month in support of San Diego Pride. We will be at insideOUT, located at 1642 University Ave., between Centre St & Herbert St in Hillcrest. insideOUT features a full food, wine and cocktail menu: https://insideoutsd.com/.

Annual Change of Command
2019-07-11 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
We will welcome 2019-20 President, David Oates, the club’s 110th president.
Please join us as our newest leader shares his vision for this exciting new Rotary year.

DARK- No Meeting
2019-07-04 | CA

Annual President's Roast
2019-06-27 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Come and enjoy President Suzy’s send-off by our Past Presidents and the Roast Committee!

Hasan Ikhrata, Executive Director-SANDAG
2019-06-20 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
After an extensive national search and recruitment effort, the SANDAG Board of Directors announced in September 2018 that Hasan Ikhrata, a widely lauded transportation and planning expert, had been selected as their new Executive Director. Ikhrata was previously the Executive Director of SCAG, the Southern California Association of Governments (Los Angeles), for more than a decade, and began his new position with SANDAG on Monday, December 3, 2018.
Ikhrata worked for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the South Coast Air Quality Management District before first jointing SCAG in 1994. Born in Jordan, he has a master’s degree in civil engineering from UCLA.
“This region deserves a great vision to have a state-of-the-art, unmatched transportation system that the rest of the world will say ‘Look what San Diego did,’” Ikhrata said following the announcement of his new position.
A San Diego Grand Central Station? Ikhrata will be talking about his vision for the San Diego Airport and improving transit there.

June Club 33 Social Hour
2019-06-19 17:30 - 19:30 | CA
Our June Club 33 social hour(s) will be at The Corner Drafthouse in Banker’s Hill on Wednesday, 06/19 at 5:30 PM. The Drafthouse offers a full food and wine menu, in addition to an extremely impressive list of craft beers and cocktails. No registration required – just show up!

Foundation Board Meeting
2019-06-18 12:00 - 13:30 | CA

Monthly Club Board meeting
2019-06-15 08:00 - 11:00 | San Diego Yacht Club, 1011 Anchorage Ln, San Diego, CA, 92016, United States

San Diego LGBT Pride
2019-06-13 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
In the last 50 years, Pride has grown from a riot against police brutality to a global movement for LGBTQ justice. Fernando López will walk through the history and evolution of Pride, both globally and locally, and the role of Pride in San Diego today. Caroline Dessert will discuss the ongoing efforts to serve and advocate for our local LGBTQ community, particularly youth and seniors.
Fernando Z. Lopez is the Executive Director for San Diego LGBT Pride. He moved to San Diego in 1999 as a homeless youth and has since become a prominent LGBT community leader through his work with organizations such as Equality California and Marriage Equality USA, advocating for the rights of LGBT individuals, couples, and families. In his time with San Diego Pride, Fernando oversaw the creation and growth of Pride Youth Leadership Academy, Youth Internship Program, Pride Youth Lunch Bunch, and Pride Youth Marching Band that foster leadership skill development in LGBTQ+ young people.
Caroline (Cara) Dessert, Esq. is the Chief Executive Officer of The San Diego LGBT Community Center. Prior to being named CEO, she served as the organization’s Chief Development and Community Engagement Officer.
Dessert was previously the executive director of Immigration Equality, a national organization focused on LGBT immigrant rights. She worked closely with the Obama Administration, as well as local, state and national organizations working at the intersection of LGBT and immigrant rights. She served in the California Department of Justice in the Office of the Attorney General as a Deputy Attorney General in the Public Rights Division, Consumer Law Section.

The California Cannabis Supply Chain
2019-06-06 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
This presentation will walk the audience through a brief history of how the current supply chain evolved, and the unique challenges that Cannabis Operators are burdened with through each step of the process. It will culminate with a focus on the existing challenges and our efforts to ensure practical regulation and normalization as a pathway to safe access, and a hedge against the ever-growing illicit market.
Our guest speakers:
Christopher Coggan is the Founder and CEO of Therapy Crafted Brands, which includes Therapy Tonics & Provisions, a cannabis-infused beverage company that creates innovative, healthy alternatives to traditional ways of consuming marijuana for medical and therapeutic purposes. Chris and his team are committed to education, research, and advocacy to promote unrestricted access to all plant-derived products that may improve the health and quality of life for both people and animals. He is a board member of the San Diego Cannabis Industry Association (SDCIA) and the San Diego Cannabis Delivery Alliance (SDCCA).
Kimberly Simms, Esq. has dedicated her entire legal career to the cannabis industry. She started her law practice immediately after law school with a focus on the legal and regulatory needs of the medical marijuana industry. In her law practice, she has negotiated with government officials to craft reasonable and effective regulations that allow for safe access, handled complex land use and zoning matters, advised on local and state regulations and advised hundreds of cannabis entrepreneurs to develop their cannabis business strategy and structure. Kimberly is recognized as a leading expert in this emerging area of law. She has taught courses and lead seminars which focus on how to comply with the ever-changing legal and regulatory requirements of the cannabis industry and she is considered a trusted source by the media and has been interviewed by NPR, CNN and many local media outlets.

Pianist Derek Paravicini and author Adam Ockelford
2019-05-30 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Blind and autistic, musical savant Derek Paravicini has been featured twice on 60 Minutes and is the topic of the book “In the Key of Genius”, written by his teacher and author Adam Ockelford. Both gentlemen will be in San Diego from London for the Mainly Mozart Festival’s “Music & Autism: Empowering the Mozart in Us All” from May 30 through June 2. Mr. Ockelford will be discussing the role that music plays in those with physical and mental limitations, and we will have a performance by Derek.
Derek was born extremely prematurely, at 25 weeks. His blindness was caused by an overdose of oxygen therapy given during his time in a neonatal intensive care unit. This also affected his developing brain, resulting in his severe learning disability. He has perfect pitch and can play any piece of music after hearing it once. He began playing the piano at the age of two when his nanny gave him an old keyboard. At age seven, Derek gave his first concert in Tooting Leisure Centre in South London.
Click here to view Derek’s 60 Minute feature and TED Talk

Linda Sheridan, Founder & CEO-San Diego Cultural Arts Alliance
2019-05-23 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Linda Sheridan’s talk will address using the power of art to change lives and to tell us about “Graffiti Art”; why it persists and what we need to understand in order to mitigate the destructive aspects of graffiti vandalism.
The San Diego Cultural Alliance ( The Alliance) takes the creative talent and need of the population that is driven to acts of graffiti vandalism and redirects that energy into something sustaining and beneficial to the community as well as to their individual lives.
As the CEO and Founder of The Alliance, Linda has a 30-year history of working in both the public and private sector. From these experiences, Linda readily recognized that educating youth and community is crucial in order to mitigate graffiti vandalism and tagging. With her combined years of government & political relations and arts background, she has been instrumental in creating a fully comprehensive, well designed and effective Graffiti Education and Mural Arts Program for the San Diego region. Linda has stated that her education in art has allowed her to see things from different perspectives and possibilities than an individual who has not had this training.

Grotarian Event - Pro Kids Golf Academy + City Heights Rotaract Club
2019-05-21 17:30 - 19:30 | CA
Pro Kids Golf Academy + City Heights Rotaract Club
When: May 21st from 5:30-7:30pm
Location: Pro Kids Golf Academy 4085 52nd St, San Diego, CA 92105
Cost: $15 per person
Join us for this joint event with Pro Kids Golf Academy and the City Heights Rotaract Club. We will hear about the great work both groups are doing in City Heights, take a tour of the Pro Kids facility, enjoy food and beverages, and even get to hit the course!
Click here to sign up https://sandiegorotary.wufoo.com/forms/qkdcdyq14ba8us/

Dr. Ken Druck- Courageous Aging
2019-05-16 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
One of our nation’s top thought leaders and innovators in resilience and turning adversity into opportunity, Dr. Ken Druck is a best-selling author, speaker, Executive Coach/Consultant and community leader who has helped countless individuals, couples, families, organizations and communities transform their most daunting challenges, changes and even tragedies into opportunities — and become the best version of themselves.
Recipient of the prestigious Distinguished Contribution to Psychology and Visionary Leadership awards, Ken Druck’s pioneering work in Courageous Living has been a source of inspiration to his millions of readers, audiences, clients and the general public. His expertise in the psychology of men, parenting, resilience, grief literacy (a term he coined) and aging have shaped our world view of what it means to live honorably with integrity.
Dr. Druck’s most recent book, Courageous Aging: Your Best Years Ever Reimagined, has won high praise from Dr. Andrew Weil, Alan Horn, Chairman of Walt Disney Studios –and has been on the Amazon Best Seller’s List since its release last year. His PBS Special on Courageous Aging is due out in the next several months.
Becoming the better version of ourselves as we get older doesn’t happen automatically, or by chance. Like everything else we feel proud of it, we work for it. The challenges of getting older can be considerable. So are the opportunities, as Dr. Druck will discuss. He will tell us about the unlimited opportunities to cultivate a healthy, successful and socially responsible approach to aging.

Club 33 Social Hour
2019-05-15 17:30 - 19:30 | CA

Jennifer Eve Thorn - MOXIE Theatre
2019-05-09 12:00 - 13:30 | Liberty Station Conference Center, 2600 Laning Road, San Diego, CA, 92106, United States
Mind the Gap
Jennifer Eve Thorn is one of the co-founders and the current Executive Artistic Director of MOXIE Theatre, San Diego’s only professional theatre dedicated to producing women’s work. Now approaching it’s 15th year and 61st production, MOXIE’s mission is to create more honest and diverse images of women for our culture. Thorn explores how the gender disparity in American Theatre led to the founding and mission of MOXIE Theatre, the history of the organization, the ways in which MOXIE is working to make change in the industry, how gender inequality still hides in the shadows of most arts organizations and how arts lovers can champion equality wherever they are patrons of the arts.
