2018 Float Riders and Outwalkers
The Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee Inc. presents “Planting the Seeds of Service” as the theme of our January 1, 2018, float.
The seven sustaining Districts each sponsor a walker for the Float. This year we have a total of 12 walkers and six riders. We are honored to have riding on the front of our Float John Matthews, Rotary International Director Zones 25/26 and Paul Netzel, Chair of The Rotary Foundation Trustees.
If you would like to be considered for participation; or, know of someone who would, please contact Barry Rosenfeld as soon as possible at (661) 703-9466 or [email protected]
Rotary International Zone 25/26 Director
Mercer Island Rotary Club
District 5030, Greater Seattle Area
John Matthews has been a Rotarian since 1988 and is a currently a member of the Rotary Club of Mercer Island, Washington. He served as District Governor for District 5030 in 2010-11 and has been selected to serve as the Rotary International Director for Zones 25/26 for the years 2017-19.
In addition to his work with Rotary, John has completed two successful careers. The first with the U.S. Navy for 20 years, retiring as a Commander in the Supply Corps. The second where he recently completed 25 years as a Senior Vice President with Costco Wholesale. Costco is a $110B company with 180,000 employees worldwide. While with Costco, John had responsibilities for all of the Human Resource and Risk Management functions.
While living in Seattle, John has been active in both corporate and community boards, including the Seattle Chamber of Commerce, The Advisory Board for the University of Washington Bothell, Mercer Island Presbyterian Church, Rotary First Harvest and NW Reinsurance.
John and his wife Mary Ellen, who is also a Rotarian have been active supporters of the Rotary Foundation. They have travelled internationally in support of foundation grants and polio immunization. They believe that some of the greatest gifts that Rotary brings to the world are our Peace Programs and the scholars that graduate from them. In support of those efforts, John and Mary Ellen have established the John and Mary Ellen Matthews Endowed Rotary Peace Fellowship.
Rotary International, Rotary Foundation Trustee Chair
Los Angeles Rotary Club (LA5)
District 5280 – Los Angeles Basin, California
Paul A. Netzel is founder and chair of Netzel Grigsby Associates Inc., a leading management consulting firm specializing in work with nonprofit organizations and institutions throughout the western United States. He served as mayor of Culver City, California, and president of Culver City’s Board of Education. He has held leadership positions in numerous local and national professional societies and not-for-profit boards, including the Association of Fundraising Professionals, the Boy Scouts, Goodwill Industries, United Way, YMCA, and the Auto Club of Southern California Advisory Board.
A Rotarian since 1968, Netzel has served as director, task force zone coordinator, committee chair, zone institute chair and convener, International Assembly moderator and chair, training leader, and district governor.
Netzel has received The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service. Both Paul and his wife, Diane, are charter members of the Arch Klumph Society, Major Donors, and members of the Paul Harris Society and Bequest Society of The Rotary Foundation.
District Governor, District 5300
Apple Valley Rotary Club
District 5300, Southern California-Southern Nevada
Raghada Khoury, District Governor 2017-18, was born in Amman Jordan, raised in Yonkers, NY and has called California home since 1977. She lived in Azusa until she moved to Apple Valley in 1987. Raghada has a 29 year old son In 2001 Raghada graduated from the University of Redlands earning a Masters of Arts in Management with an emphasis in Human Resources. A Bachelor’s of Science program from the University of Phoenix preceded this.
Ms. Khoury has been in Real Estate Investment for the last 13 years. Licensed by the State of California to sell insurance specifically Pre-Need while contracting with Funeral Homes in Southern California. Raghada has served as the President of the Domestic Violence Shelter for Women and Children in the Victor Valley for over 5 years. Appointed to the Commission on the Status of Women where she served for 6 years advocating for the safety and prosperity of all women with a focus on youth leadership. She also served on the Town of Apple Valley Parks and Rec Commission and has served as a member of the Apple Valley Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors for the past Four years. In her 14-year tenure, Raghada served as a club president and as a Board of Director for the Rotary Club of Apple Valley for the past 13 years.
At the District level, Raghada has served in various capacities such as AG, Exec-AG, District Grants Chair, 4 Way Test Speech Contest Chair, Governor’s Aide 2013-2014 and on many other District Committees.
District Governor, District 5330
Coachella Valley Rotary Club
Rotary District 5330 – Inland Empire, Southern California
Manzor Massey, Governor, Rotary International, District 5330 (2017-2018), grew up at a farm in a small village in the northern province of India, attended a two-room school house in the village. Due to cultural diversity, he had to first learn three native languages and then English. At the age of eight, his farmer parents sent him to a boarding school 200 miles away from home. Upon graduation from high school he moved to the city of Pune, India to complete his Bachelor’s degree. At the age of 23 he migrated to the United States. Upon arrival to his new found homeland, he completed a Master’s degree in Michigan, and moved to California to complete a Master’s in Public Health from Loma Linda University and a Ph.D., at the University of California, at Riverside. His wife Dr. Evelyn L. Massey, is the Director of one of the departments at Loma Linda University in California. Their two children Myron and Mistina are both dentists.
DG Manzoor, was in government service in the field of public health for 25 years. Currently, he is the Founder and President of Mind Realignment Leadership Training Institute and President of Massey Life, Health & Financial Planning Services. He is an Adjunct Professor at California Institute of Advanced Management, founded on Peter Drucker’s principles of leadership.
DG Manzoor joined Rotary in Coachella Valley in 1975. Currently he and his wife Dr. Evelyn L. Massey are members of San Bernardino Crossroads Rotary in California. He has served the Rotary family as President, Club Secretary, Board Member, International Program Chair, Community Service Chair, Assistant Governor, Donor Advisor and Grants Coordinator. He serves on many other District committees. He has recruited over 84 members to Rotary.
His passion is to build capable people. He has made over 11,000 presentations on leadership. He has dedicated his life to service. He serves as the volunteer director with a non-profit organization and oversees the work of 400 workers in 1200 villages in southern India. With the help of his family and friends, DG Manzoor has adopted three schools in India to promote better educational opportunities for disadvantaged children. His international Rotary efforts have provided safe-drinking water and tailoring centers to many communities in India. With a sister Rotary Districts 3020 and 3000 in India, DG Massey has selected 30 villages to provide occupational training and adult literacy services to poor girls so they would not have to pay big dowry to get a husband. Locally, DG Massey is working with San Bernardino and Riverside area leaders to develop Wellness Villages for homeless population. A new concept where instead of the homeless people searching for services, service providers will come to them.
His philosophy of life is summed up as follows: “Service is the rent we pay for living on this earth.” He is passionate about inviting people to join Rotary and change the world, one person at a time. He can be reached at (661) 304-1080 or at e-mail: [email protected]. Website: mindrealignment.com.
Past District Governor, District 5500
Yuma Rotary Club
District 5500, Southern Arizona
Sheryl Hartman Christenson is a charter member of Yuma Sunrise, its first woman president, and now a Past District Governor. The opportunities for service in her community and the world has ignited a passion for Rotary. Old enough to remember polio and having seen what it can do to a life when the dance teachers daughter became ill at a performance has made the Rotary commitment to End Polio her personal commitment. She was one of many who received the Salk Vaccine. Salk invented this life saving vaccine in the 50’s. We have had only 10 cases in the world this year as of the first week in October compared to the hundreds of thousands we had before vaccine.
Watching the Rose parade is a family tradition on New Year’s Day. This year is truly a bucket list item as she walks with the Rotary Float. This Year Rotary’s float plants the seeds of service. All Rotarians are planting trees as requested by the Rotary International President Ian Riesley. 1.2 million trees will make a difference. Join us, become a Rotarian. You can find a club in your area by looking at Rotary.org.
A farmer’s daughter, she grew up in Yuma AZ and returned in the 80’s after having an art studio in Spanish Village, San Diego, CA. Art and Music fill her home. She is a supervisor for the Laguna Natural Resource Conservation District, an Elder in her church, a board member and past director of the Yuma Conservation Garden, grant writer, and active in other local organizations.
She is the divorced mother of two sons, grandmother to three young men and enjoying her remarkable daughter in laws.
She is proud to be a Rotarian and thrilled to be a part of this year’s Rotary float in the Rose Parade.
Past District Governor, District 5690
Wichita Rotary Club
District 5690, Southern Kansas and Oklahoma Panhandle
Sue Pearce is CFO of Piping & Equipment Company, a heavy industrial contractor working in the chemical, petrochemical and power industries. She has worked at P&E since 1974.
She has been a Rotary member since 1992. Her activities have included District Governor 2013 – 2014, AG 2011-2012, President 1997 – 1998. She is honored to have been the first woman of a Rotary club in Wichita, KS. She has been Program Chair of the local International Committee, Rotarian of the year three times, and served on many committees over the years.
Her other volunteer activities include being a board member of the Sedgwick County Zoo since 1994, past board president of the American Red Cross, and has served with many other nonprofits.
But her most recent passion is raising service pups for Canine Companions for Independence. The oldest nonprofit organization to provide service dogs free of charge for people with disabilities. She receives a pup at 8 weeks, trains and socializes for 18 months, then turns the pup back to CCI for professional finishing before being presented to someone in need. She is currently raising her 4th pup.
In her spare time, she loves to garden and travel worldwide. Having experienced 7 African safaris and 6 trips to Cuba, she helps carry the mission of Rotary wherever she travels.
Conejo Valley Rotaract Club
District 5240, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Kern Counties
Kaitlyn Alderete joined Rotaract in 2014 and is current President of the Rotaract Club of Conejo Valley. During her year, the club has inducted several new members and is continuing to grow as well as helping establish a new Rotaract Club on CLU campus alongside the other Group 4 Rotary Clubs. In 2016 Kaitlyn sat on the District Conference Committee and attended Rotaract’s Big West Conference in Phoenix Arizona and again in 2017 in Long Beach California. In 2017 Kaitlyn had the privilege of attending the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta Georgia alongside thousands of Rotarians and Rotaractors from all over the world. During the RI convention she experienced the true meaning of world peace and encourages club members to participate in Conferences and Conventions so they can experience it as well. Kaitlyn was chosen to represent her District during the Rose Parade and is incredibly honored to participate.
Kaitlyn was born and raised in Thousand Oaks California with her brother by her mother and father. She graduated from California State University of Sacramento in 2013 where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree and met her now husband. After graduation the couple moved back to Thousand Oaks to be closer to their families and start their life. Professionally, Kaitlyn works for a Life Insurance brokerage as an Account Executive. Kaitlyn married her husband, Bret Alderete, in July 2016 and the young couple was able to purchase their first home in Moorpark California later that same year in December.
Kaitlyn attributes her success to the unwavering support from her husband and family. She truly believes that life has been exceptionally good to her and doing good for others and her community is just a small way for her to give back.
Pasadena After Hours Rotary Club
District 5300, Southern California-Southern Nevada
Robin Cragoe is a native of Southern California, and resides in the city of Monrovia with her husband of 28 years, Tim, and five sons. She graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Before starting a family, Robin worked as an Account Executive for the Pasadena-based advertising agency, Russ Reid Company, where she assisted her client, World Vision, on numerous child sponsorship direct marketing campaigns. It was coincidental that she would end up working on the World Vision account team, since ironically her very first job ever as a young high school student was being a telethon operator for World Vision, helping to raise money for childcare sponsorship.
Over the years, Robin and Tim have enjoyed volunteering and supporting the efforts of several Pasadena-area organizations, such as Door of Hope, Five Acres, and The Boys and Girls Club of the Foothills. Just this month Robin completed her second term serving on the event committee for the 7th Annual Festival of Trees – the unique and distinguished holiday gala, raising money in support of the Boys and Girls Club of Monrovia, Duarte and Arcadia.
Having grown up in Pasadena, the Tournament of Roses Parade has always been a highlight event of the New Year’s festivities for Robin and her family. In fact, Robin proudly boasts that her mother, Thea Ann Corcoran, was a Rose princess on the 1959 Rose Court. Receiving the great honor of walking in the parade is an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime thrill for Robin, especially when celebrating the theme of “Making a Difference”, a principle by which she strives to live her life.
Robin is an Honorary Rotarian of the Pasadena After Hours club, and is sponsored by Rotarian Greg Jones.
Santa Ana Rotary Club
District 5320 – Orange County CA from Anaheim to Newport to San Clemente
Alice (Ali) Danta was born in California and was raised in both California and Texas. Ali graduated from CSULB with a degree in Business Administration, Marketing. During her college years she spent a semester and summer in Germany, exploring the German way of life and countryside. She went into Corporate America and enjoyed a successful career in sales and employee training at Xerox and a few competitor companies. Ultimately Ali and husband Randall founded an engineering consulting firm Pro Design Associates (PDA) in 1994, which they still enjoy running today.
Ali and Randall have been happily married 25 years. They have two daughters who thus far show no signs of marriage and families (so no grandchildren yet).
Ali enjoys mountain and road cycling, gourmet cooking and fine wines, hiking, backpacking and investing. They are currently hiking sections of the Pacific Crest Trail. She and Randall have also raised Angus cattle in Tillamook Oregon. Randy has also conquered Mt. Everest with the New Zealand team Rob Hall and Gary Ball in 1992.
With a wide range of talents and blessed with patience, Ali is a veteran of many club and District Rotary functions. She is very proud to represent Rotary District 5320 as a walker on January 1, 2018 alongside our Rotary float.
San Bernardino Crossroads Rotary Club
Rotary District 5330 – Inland Empire, Southern California
Cheryl Donahue joined Rotary in 1999 and is the 2018-19 President-Elect for the Crossroads Rotary Club of San Bernardino/Loma Linda. She serves as a Senior Project Manager for Arellano Associates, a communications and public relations firm based in Chino Hills, where she oversees multiple roadway, bridge and rail projects across southern California. Prior to joining Arellano Associates in 2007, she was the Public Information Officer for San Bernardino Associated Governments for seven years and the Communications Director for the Colton Joint Unified School District for 13 years. Cheryl has set a goal to run a marathon or half-marathon in every state in the nation and has completed 40 states so far. A resident of Loma Linda, Cheryl has a grown son, Jake, is an avid reader and member of the Page Turners Book Club since 2000, and enjoys travel, wine tasting, and spending time with her loving family.
Thousand Oaks (Noontime) Rotary Club
District 5240, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Kern Counties
Angelique Friend is President and Owner of Probate Services Inc in Camarillo. Her company specializes in conservatorships, guardianships, trust administration and probate administration. Her company strives to help families and loved ones during difficult times in their lives. Services include trust administration including living trusts, special needs trusts and charitable remainder trusts; trust protector services; estate administration; professional conservator services; guardianships for people and estates; custodian services for minors’ assets; court accountings; Social Security and Veterans Affairs representative payee services; Medicare and insurance billing; and care management.
Previously, Angelique worked for various corporations as an internal auditor, managing fraud prevention, balancing budgets and supervising assets.
She is a member of the Ventura County Bar Association. She is certified with the Center for Guardianship and is licensed through the Professional Fiduciaries Bureau. She is a board member for the Boys and Girls Club of Camarillo. She recently joined the Thousand Oaks Noontime Rotary Club and is assisting with the Senior Outreach Committee.
Angelique holds a bachelor’s degree in business from California Lutheran University and a master’s degree with an emphasis in financial planning.
She currently lives in Camarillo with her 3 children, ages ranging from 3 to 13. Angelique grew up in Hawaii and moved to Southern California in 1995. In her free time, she likes to travel and run marathons.
Thousand Oaks (Noontime) Rotary Club
District 5240, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Kern Counties
Patricia Jones is the current President, CFO and Co-Owner of Home Helpers In-Home Care in Thousand Oaks, California and together with her husband George have taken care of hundreds of seniors in Ventura and LA Counties for the past 10 years.
Prior to doing senior care, Patricia served as the President and CEO of the Alliance for the Arts, the official nonprofit fundraising arm of the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza and responsible for raising over 20 million dollars and establishing and funding two endowments. During her tenure, the organization was lauded by the National Endowment for the Arts as the most successful public-private partnership in the US. After 14 years in this position, she retired to work with her husband in senior home care.
About the same time as she started in home care, Patricia joined the Thousand Oaks (Noontime) Rotary in 2010 after much encouragement from her business associates and friends. She currently serves as Chair of the Rotary Senior Outreach program. As part of the Senior Outreach Committee, Patricia developed a greeting card project whereby recycled greeting cards are signed by Rotarians and distributed together with Meals-On-Wheels and to seniors who reside in Assisted Living Facilities. Loneliness is the kiss of death for seniors. The greeting card project lets the seniors know they are not forgotten and that someone cares about them. Cards are distributed in the Spring, Summer and during year-end Holidays. She also developed Socks for Seniors and has slipper socks with grippers for men and women distributed to home-bounds seniors through-out the Conejo Valley during the holidays.
Patricia recently joined the Rotary International Committee and also volunteers on the Rotary Club Administration Committee and served as Chair of Sponsorships for the Thousand Oaks Rotary Chili Cook-off fundraiser. “I can’t imagine my life without Rotary, it has been a great experience to be a part of it.” In 2017, Patricia sponsored the Rotary Float and secured a spot as a rider on the award winning float.
Patricia also volunteers as Chairman of the Board for the Conejo Valley Senior Concerns Organization. Senior Concerns is 41-year old and fully-audited 501-C3 (nonprofit) providing vital services to seniors and family caregivers in the Conejo Valley. Their services include an Adult Day Program, Meals on Wheels, a free Caregiver Support Center, and pro bono legal and financial services and much more.
Patricia had a prior career in Manufacturing and Human Resources at Rocketdyne in Canoga Park, California for 14 years in the 80’s and early 90’s. Originally from a rural area of Michigan, she also had a 9-year career at Michigan State University working in Alumni and Development Affairs and also attended there as a student. Preferring the warmer weather in Southern California, Patricia transferred her credits and completed her BS in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix and received her MBA in Business Administration from Pepperdine University in Malibu.
Over the years, Patricia has received numerous awards for community service. She was named Woman of the Year by the Greater Conejo Chamber of Commerce and Woman of the Year by the American Heart Association. She was named Top 25 Most Influential People in the Conejo Valley by the Acorn Newspaper. She received the Women in Business Not-For-Profit Leadership Award by the San Fernando Business Journal. She has received numerous commendations from City of LA, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks. Patricia also received recognition from the State of California Senate and Assembly for volunteer and community efforts. Patricia was also named by NASA as a manned Flight Awareness Honoree, recognized personally by George H. W. Bush and astronauts for Safety contributions to the space program while working at Rocketdyne.
Patricia is married to George Jones, and has step-daughter Eva Marie (Jones) Cote and step-son Joe Jones. She also has four grandsons, Ryan, Brandon, Skyler and Ocean.
Thousand Oaks (Noontime) Rotary Club
District 5240, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Kern Counties
Georges’ wife Patricia is a member of the Thousand Oaks (Noontime) Rotary Club
George Jones was born and raised in Royal Oak, Michigan; the youngest of seven siblings. He received his B.S. Degree in Industrial Engineering from Wayne State University and attended the General Motors Institute. In 1968, he began working at General Motors and in 1979 the company moved him to Southern California as the Pacific Regional Manager responsible for 220 General Motors Dealers’ marketing activities.
George changed careers in 1982 and was one of the 5 investment advisors to open the original Merrill Lynch office in Westlake Village. In 1989 George joined the Prudential Office in Westlake Village and was selected from 5,000 Investment Advisors at Prudential to manage the portfolio for the Chairman of the Board, of Prudential Corporation in Newark, New Jersey. In 1995, George decided to open his own firm Jones Wall Street until retiring in 2005.
Retirement only last 18 months. George wanted to help his fellow seniors and decided to return to work which landed him in the senior care industry. In 2008, George opened the Thousand Oaks Home Helpers Home Care office and serves as its CEO. The company provides non-medical in-home care to seniors, new moms, those recovering from surgery and respite care. His wife, Patricia joined the firm in 2010 when the company began to grow substantially. Today their franchise is ranked #2 in the US out of 600 locations nationwide in sales and service.
George has been a volunteer and community leader in the Conejo Valley since 1982. He served as President of the Westlaker’s, the oldest service club in Westlake Village. He was the former President of North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village. He founded a golf tournament at Sherwood Country Club which raised over 1 million dollars for numerous charities. He has served on the original board of directors for Casa Pacifica Home for Abused Children, the founding board of the New West Symphony, Chairman of the Founders’ Circle of the Alliance for the Arts and served a six-year term on the Los Robles Hospital Board of Trustees and was a Rotarian for 10 years. He was nominated as Senior of the Year by the Thousand Oaks Council on Aging.
George is married to Patricia for 17 years and has a daughter Eva (43) and son Joe (41) and four grandsons Ryan (12), Brandon (10), Skyler (2) and Ocean (6 months).
San Bernardino Crossroads Rotary Club
Rotary District 5330 – Inland Empire, Southern California
Dr. Gary Kerstetter was an only child born to second generation immigrants parents from Japan, Korea and Europe in Honolulu, Hawaii. Before graduating from Hawaiian Mission Academy in 1973, Gary was deeply involved in student government, athletics, and community service. He continued his education by attending first, University of Hawaii-Manoa, then graduating with a BS degree with honors in Biology (Pre-Dentistry) from Pacific Union College (PUC) in 1977. While there, he work as a Resident Assistant in a men’s dormitory for three year and was active in athletics, the Hawaiian Club, and community service activities. It was there at PUC in 1974, Gary dated Barbara Madson and subsequently married in 1978. They will be celebrating their 40th anniversary in May of 2018 and are continually enjoying being with their three adult children and four grandchildren. Dr. Kerstetter continued his education with his acceptance to Loma Linda University School of Dentistry in 1978. Before graduating in 1982 with his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree, he was in involved in community dental services and served in an externship program at Monument Valley Hospital providing dental care to the Navajo population of that area. Dr. Kerstetter served as an associate dentist and a partnership dentist before completing a 25 year career in December of 2010 in the CA Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation as a staff dentist, supervising dentist and a Chief Dental Officer. Throughout these years, Dr. Kerstetter continually remained active in the community in coaching middle and high school basketball and volleyball, participating in mission trips (dental and non-dental), serving on a school board and church related positions. Currently, he serves as an Assistant Professor in Education Services and is the Program Director for Service Learning at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry where his responsibilities encompass all community dental service activities including local health fairs, homeless and free clinics and international mission trips. Most recently, he serves as President of the San Bernardino- Loma Linda Crossroads Rotary Club in San Bernardino, California. Dr. Kerstetter quotes, “I have been blessed by God more than I deserve, serving in our communities local and internationally is my passion to give back just a little bit of what I have received.”
La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club
Rotary District 5340 – San Diego, Imperial, and parts of Riverside Counties
Brett Morey joined Rotary International as a member of the Rotary Club of Brentwood in 2002, transferring to the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle in 2008. He served as President of his current Club, 2013-14 and is the Rotarian Advisor and Founder of the University City High School Interact Club located in San Diego. Brett is currently serving a second year as District 5340 Youth Service Chair because working with the next generation of leaders is his passion. Brett’s latest project is uniting Interactors, Rotaractors and Rotarians of all ages who share a love for surfing with a Proposed Rotary Fellowship: Surfers Unite Rotarian Fellowship. Check out Facebook and get “on-board” today!
A third generation Californian, Brett earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration Management from California State University San Marcos in 1994 and married his college sweetheart before his final semester of college. Brett and Holly have two adult children in college and will celebrate 24 years of marriage in the coming months.
The theme of the Rotary Float this year, “Planting the Seeds of Service” is very special to Brett. His grandparents Howard & Esther Runge were pioneers of the Imperial Valley and growing up Brett spent time during each Summer on the ranch and surfing North County San Diego.
Early in his career, Brett worked for the American Honda Motor Company in Torrance and decorated the Honda Float for the 2000 Tournament of Roses with family and friends.
Since 2011, Brett has served as the Director of Sales, N.A. for Total Power, Inc., a chemical engineering firm focused on sustainability initiatives headquartered in San Diego. Since 1997 Total Power, Inc. has been working to reduce fuel consumption and harmful toxic emissions while increasing fleet readiness. The firm serves many of the largest industrial users of fuel in transportation, mining, maritime and power generation industries throughout the world.
Brett knows that Rotarians around the world are committed to “Making a Difference” which is why after 15 years he still considers himself to be blessed to be a Rotarian.
Rochester Rotary Club
District 6380, Detroit Area, Michigan
A Rotarian since Feb 2007, Rhonda Panczyk served as the 2014-15 President of the Rotary Club of Rochester Michigan. With over 100 members, she is only the 6th woman of the Rochester club to serve as President. During her year, the club established the “Corporate Membership” option, and also had 4 Interact clubs, and 1 Rotaract club – all qualified and received Citation Awards.
Rhonda is currently serving as District 6380 Membership Chairperson, while serving her 3rd 1-year term as an Assistant District Governor of 5 clubs. Rhonda is a Major Donor of The Rotary Foundation and a member of the Paul Harris Society. In 2014 she became certified from the Rotary Leadership Institute, Great Lakes Division.
In 2014 Rhonda attended the Rotary International convention in Sydney Australia, and in 2017 the RI convention in Atlanta Georgia. In 2016 she attended the Jubilee of Rotarians at the Vatican in Rome Italy, and is featured in a Rotary International video along with Pope Francis, Rotary Int’l President K.R. “Ravi” Ravindran of 2015-16, and Mark D. Maloney President of Rotary International for 2019-20. In 2017 she traveled to Ghana to participate in the West Africa Rotary Project Fair and Polio Immunization Day.
Additionally, Rhonda is on the Board of Directors for Casa Colibrí a not-for-profit humanitarian organization committed to helping the Mayan people of northwest Guatemala improve their lives through programs in health, education, and infrastructure. 2017 marks her 5th medical mission to Guatemala.
In high school she won a 4-year half paid National Talent Search Scholarship for outstanding creative achievement from Pratt Art Institute in Brooklyn NY. In addition, her art portfolio received a National Certificate of Merit from The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards – her entry received Scholarship Nomination for excellence in the Visual Arts.
Helping others is her passion. She loves God. She loves to laugh. She loves to be around positive people that make her laugh. She loves to travel and explore new places & cultures.
Laguna Beach Rotary Club
District 5320 – Orange County CA from Anaheim to Newport to San Clemente
Cynthia Quam was born and raised in Southern California. The Rose Parade was in her blood at a very early age. Now a four generation family tradition, Cynthia volunteers to work on the floats and camp out for their favorite parade site. Her purpose and pleasure contribute to her service greater than herself.
Rotary values are woven in Cynthia’s own business, where her skills of truly listening and following through for excellent results continue to endear her clients. Cynthia extends her talents to her service above self in her community: church, veterans families, seniors, children and unclaimed pets.
Cynthia always has a camera in her pocket and a hymn in her heart. She is sponsored by Rotarian Bobbi Cox and is an Honorary Member of the Laguna Beach Rotary Club District 5320, in Orange County California.
Burbank Sunrise Rotary Club
District 5280 – Los Angeles Basin, California
Lee Stacy
A Californian native (a rare breed).
Career & Interests…
Retired V.P. of Operations from the aerospace industry after a 45-year career.
A Senior member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
A past technical editor for an industry magazine dedicated to IBM business computers.
A life member of MENSA.
Some things that keep me busy are…
Board Member of Burbank Sunrise Rotary & Past President (twice)
Currently their Treasurer
Assistant Governor for 4 clubs in Rotary District 5280 (2015 & 2016)
District Governor’s Executive Aide for Rotary District 5280
Board Member of Salvation Army Burbank
Board Member Supporters of Senior Services Burbank
Farming Pistachios, Lemons & Oranges in the San Joaquin Valley.
As many fishing trips a year as I can muster, mostly in Alaska & Pacific Mexican waters.
Go to the History page to see past float riders and outwalkers.