ENGAGING SPEAKERS
Engaging Speakers
Amid breathtaking views from the 52nd floor of the prestigious Pyramid Club, as a Rotary Club of Philadelphia member you will meet and hear renowned guest speakers during our monthly dinner meetings held on the first Thursday of every month. Pictured are representatives from Engineers Without Borders, Philadelphia Professional Chapter who provided an enlightening discussion on their organization’s work to build a conduction line to provide clean water to residents of Aldea Las Lagunes Cuaches, Guatemala, funded in part by the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia.
All are welcome to attend Philadelphia Rotary meetings. For more information, e-mail info@philadelphiarotary.org.
UPCOMING SPEAKERS :
Film Talk at May Meeting
May Pyramid Club Meeting
Thursday, May 2, 2024, 6:00 PM
Pyramid Club
1735 Market Street, 52nd Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Join us for our next monthly meeting at the Pyramid Club!
May's featured speaker will be Anthony Giacchino, an Oscar award-winning documentarian who’s going to talk about his work creating change film and media.
He wrote and directed The Camden 28, which was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Documentary Screenplay. His film Colette also won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards.
PA House Representative Joe Ciresi will also be coming to speak about his efforts as co-chair of the Pennsylvania Film Caucus to convince fellow legislators to increase the film and TV tax credit across the state.
Can't wait to hear from these great minds!
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PAST SPEAKERS
2024
April 4, 2024, 6pm, Pyramid Club
We welcomed social entrepreneur Harsha Ravindran and her business partner Rammya to speak about their work with young and budding entrepreneurs from underprivileged areas across the world.
March 7, 2024, 6pm, Pyramid Club
Our featured guest speaker was Romona Riscoe Benson. She’s the Director of Corporate and Community Impact at PECO. In her role, she develops, leads, and executes strategic corporate and community giving programs, as well as reputational positioning initiatives. Prior to her position at PECO, she served as president and CEO of the African American Museum in Philadelphia and executive director of the PCVB’s Philadelphia Multicultural Affairs Congress.
February 1, 2024, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Featured Speakers
Zeina Moukaddam from Lebanon, spoke about the efforts underway to prevent children from joining extremist groups.
Stacey Ballard from the Upper Mainline Rotary Club. Stacey shared information about an exciting medical mission trip to Nepal in April 2024.
January 4, 2024, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Rotaplast Medical Missions
Rotaplast medical mission trips are some of Rotary's many ways of helping people in need. District 7450 has been involved with 2023 trips to Cebu Philippines, and will soon depart to Sylhet Bangladesh. Partnership with Rotarians abroad and our own Rotarian efforts and commitments continue to make life-changing operations to children and adults with cleft lips and cleft palates.
Stacey Ballard and Chantal Eadeh of the Upper Mainline Rotary shared their past mission experiences and excitement for a Nepal mission in April 2024.
2023
December 7, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Fran Dunphy
The all-time winningest coach in Philadelphia Big 5 history provided some inspirational words to the audience.
November 2, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Ashley Biden
Back by popular demand, Ashley Biden is returning to Philadelphia Rotary. Her presentation in August yielded so many questions and so much interest, that she'll be our featured speaker in November.
Hear more about Biden's work to create a wellness center, a safe space for women to access nutritious food, exercise, meditation, and various therapies.
October 5, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Philadelphia Today and Anderson Monarchs
If you want to hear some positive news from our city, check out PHILADELPHIA Today. We heard from Matt Cabrey and Ken Knickerbocker, who are launching the new digital platform showcasing upbeat happenings in Philly.
We also received an update from Amos Huron from the Anderson Monarchs on their exciting new events and fundraising partnership.
September 7, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Sports Mom and Philanthropist Lisa Ertz
Lisa Ertz will be one of our featured speakers on Thursday, September 7th. She's the proud mother of former Philadelphia Eagles player Zach Ertz (now with the Cardinals) and mother in law to Julie Ertz of the US Women's National Soccer Team. Her presentation will be about the House of Hope in North Philadelphia, a project of the Ertz Family Foundation.
House of Hope is a multi- purpose facility designed to be a place of refuge and growth, holistically serving 300-500 young people and families every day.
Presenting with Lisa Ertz will be Pastor Rob Whitmire who is the pastor of Grace & Peace Community Fellowship located in the Hunting Park section of the city.
Pastor Rob is currently the Executive Director of Timoteo Sports. Timoteo is a Youth Mentoring Organization / Ministry in the city of Philadelphia that uses sports as a vehicle to reach / mentor young people.
Grace & Peace Community Fellowship (House of Hope) is located at (1300 W. Hunting Park ave) (www.gapcommunity.org)
August 3, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Ashley Biden
Generational Trauma and Health Equity are some of the topics that will be discussed at our August meeting. Guest speaker Ashley Biden is a social worker, activist and philanthropist who is working with Mural Arts Philadelphia to open a drop-in wellness center. It will serve women who have experienced trauma, providing a safe space for women to access nutritious food, exercise, meditation, and various therapies.
In addition to Biden's presentation, you'll get to network and socialize with other professionals while enjoying that impressive view from the 52nd floor of the Mellon Bank Building.
July 6, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Formal Installation Held Thursday at Pyramid Club
Following Rotary International protocols for annual change of leadership, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia conducted the installation of club President Ken Myers and club officers and Board members for 2023-24. The program also saluted outgoing 2022-23 President Rosana Anchondo-Isaack, all of this before a large audience of members and guests at The Pyramid Club on Thursday, July 6.
The program began with master of ceremonies Joseph Batory explaining Rotary’s requirements and traditions for annual installations of new leaders worldwide. He then commended Past President Rosana for the diligence, determination, and enthusiasm she brought to her leadership role in 2022-23. Ken Myers added praise and compliments for Rosana’s many successful efforts with the Philadelphia Rotary and displayed a Rotary Presidential Gavel Award for Rosana.
Past President Rosana, speaking via Zoom, offered her sincere gratitude for the support she had received in the past year from so many Philadelphia Rotary members and offered best wishes to the incoming Philadelphia Rotary leaders. Rosana presented (with Ken’s onsite help) beautiful award plaques to: Gary Kao; James Comfort; Walt Pinkas; Bob McCarron; Ken Myers; Ed Isaack; Elizabeth Cieri; Colin McMorrow; Maria Alejandra Somarriba; Christa Cobb; Lisa Leonard; and Meghan Hughes, as well as “special recognition certificates” to: Oscar Armas-Luy, Jameel Worthy, and Waheed Gbadamosi.
The highlight of the meeting was the Installation Ceremony. It was eloquently conducted by Past District Governor (7450) Joan Batory, who was also the first female President of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia. Joan charged Ken and his officers and Board members with their responsibilities and commitment to the ideals and mission of Rotary as part of their installation.
In other matters, Philadelphia Rotary Foundation President Sean Friedland delivered a brief explanation of Paul Harris Recognition Awards. New Philadelphia Rotary recipients were announced: Bob McCarron; Lisa Leonard; Joan Batory and Joseph Batory. Sean also gave an overview of the Foundation’s functions and prowess in the past and into the future.
New President Ken Myers, whose parents were proudly in attendance, next presented his first remarks as our Philadelphia Rotary leader. Ken echoed the 2023-24 theme of Rotary International: “Create Hope in the World.” Ken summarized his aspirations and hopes for the club in the year ahead and closed with a quote from John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but instead ask what you can do for your country.” Change to word “country” to “Rotary” in the quote above and Ken’s message becomes very clear.
In closing, there were some visionary comments from Philadelphia Rotary committee chairs: Carrie Sharpshair (She presented a synopsis of her recent survey for “what members want and need.” Carrie will be presenting more detailed survey information at the August meeting); Walt Pinkas (Service); Joseph Batory (Our Interact and Rotaract Clubs); Marie Alejandra Somaribba; (Social Activity); Michael Curcio (Linkage to the Rotary International Foundation); Shawn McGill (Archives); Meghan Hughes (Public Image); Joan Batory (Club Trainer and District 7450 Ambassador).
In summary, this was a very memorable event, filled with meaningful protocol and much promise of future success for the Rotary Club of Philadelphia.
June 1, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Speakers to Talk about Helping Others
Community Relations Manager Anthony Stover spoke on how the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House is helping patient families. Newly inducted into Philadelphia Rotary, Stover's responsibilities include providing broad support for PRMH events, managing event logistics, working with volunteers and cultivating donors.
We heard from Bill Thomas and Chantal Jauvin. The husband and wife team will share a video and tell us about their bicycle tour around Thailand to raise money for vulnerable youths.
Sister Jeanne McGown talked about how Rotary sponsorship has contributed to the growth of La Salle Academy. Proud of its accessibility and diversity, 5th through 8th grade classes were added since its inception, and the expansion to its curriculum and services, including an Enrichment Center, Science Lab, Art Room, Graduate Support Center, and a Nursing Center.
May 4, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, We heard from James Medaglio, Director of Business Attraction & Expansion at Select Greater Philadelphia, which is the business attraction arm of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia. As a longtime native to the region he shared some of the great work being done at the Chamber of Commerce. He talked about how the tri-state regional chamber of commerce markets the region to the rest of the world, and competes to bring business and jobs into the region.
We also heard from a recently inducted Club member, Dr. Rajesh Kumar and his presentation on Managing the Cross Cultural Interface in Business. He talked about the different ways in which national culture impacts global business and the steps that individuals and companies can take to enhance their cross-cultural effectiveness.
April 6, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Two men taking on big challenges presented at our April 6th club meeting.
Club member Michael Curcio, a former Peace Corps Volunteer who served in northern Togo, West Africa where he conducted reforestation and community gardening projects. Michael recently began working for the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, where he supports international humanitarian response.
Michael has been a Rotarian since 2020 when he joined the Rotary Club of Dapaong, Togo. Since then, he has been engaged with Rotary International both here and abroad. In collaboration with his Togolese counterparts, Michael is completing a District Grant to construct a water pump to support sustainable agriculture. During his presentation, he shared information about the project and the many incredible accomplishments of RC Dapaong.
Our other speaker was Max Tuttleman, candidate for Philadelphia City Council at-Large. Max is committed to making our city a better place for all its residents. He comes from a family with deep roots in the city and a history of philanthropy and community service. With over 15 years of experience running the Tuttleman Foundation, Max has invested in Philadelphia, with a mission to give back to the community through various programs and initiatives.
Max believes that the key to creating a safer, cleaner, and more equitable Philadelphia is through economic growth. Max will be talking about his ideas for the city of Philadelphia.
March 2, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, Providing airplane transport for patients is the mission of the organization we heard from Madeline Beck, Community Outreach Coordinator for Angel Flight East. Madeline is responsible for connecting patient-facing organizations to AFE, and covers all content for social media platforms.
She covered the history of Angel Flight East, along with the evolution of the organization. She discussed all steps for patients and their support teams to receive unlimited free flights, and the requirements of the pilots who donate them.
February 2, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, We heard a presentation entitled, "Greetings to the Natural World: An Iroquois Thanksgiving Address” from speaker Peter Brooks of the Choptico Band of Piscataway Indians from Maryland.
He shared with us a version of the Haudenosonee (Iroquois) Thanksgiving Address, which is the oldest known public address for this part of the world.
January 5, 2023, 6pm, Pyramid Club, We had our first business meeting of 2023 at the Pyramid Club. In addition to the usual socializing and networking, we heard from these two speakers:
Sarah Laurel LaCerra, Executive Director of Savage Sisters Recovery. The organization provides the community with food, harm reduction kits, clothing, and neighborhood clean-up to underserved areas. Through community engagement, they have delivered 250-500 blessing bags, blankets, coats, and wound care kits to those in need. Savage Sisters outreach efforts also encourage engaging with individuals to uncover their needs and help them safely transition into housing, treatment, and other resources.
Sarah shared more information about the mission and accomplishments of the organization.
Dr. Michael Koku, a Maxwell Leadership Certified Coach, Speaker, and Trainer who has trained professionals in different fields of human endeavor and organizations both onsite and virtually. He is the Chief Vision Officer of Esperanza Manifold Concepts LLC and a Physician by training who is enthusiastic about Leadership Development and Personal Growth.
Dr. Koku presented key leadership skills and concepts that can transform organizations, create team bonding and renew members' energy to fulfill organizational goals and mission.
2022
December 1, 2022, 6pm, Pyramid Club: Holiday Party with Speakers
Start next month off celebrating the season and the work of two organizations our club supports. Join us at the Pyramid Club on Thursday, December 1st for a holiday dinner. Bring a friend or your whole family and join in our festive celebration. Also on December 1st, we'll hear from two organizations we have relationships with.
Our speakers will be:
Sarah Wolfamott , Community Engagement Coordinator, SALVATION ARMY
The Salvation Army is one of the world’s largest and oldest providers of social services. It's been helping people in the United States for 130 years in the United States and even more years abroad. The Salvation Army serves millions of people through dozens of services directly targeting the needs of local communities – from homelessness, hunger, and holiday assistance, to disaster relief and substance abuse rehabilitation. Sarah will share how meaningful partnerships with other community organizations help the Salvation Army do the most good.
Renee Archawski, Managing Director of Development, CARING FOR FRIENDS
Caring for Friends provides food and friendship to seniors, kids and adults. It is one of the largest food banks and most comprehensive senior meals delivery programs in the 5-county Greater Philadelphia region. The senior meals program serves over 9,000 clients, the majority of whom are homebound seniors and veterans. Through the food bank’s community food redistribution, Caring for Friends provides fresh, frozen and pantry stable food to over 200 faith-based organizations and community nonprofits to fill their pantries and support their group cooking events.
Renee will discuss the resources they need to support their clients, and how the organization works with community-based groups who want to help feed those in need.
November 3, 2022, 6PM, Pyramid Club: Two Speakers representing organizations that our Rotary Club of Philadelphia Foundation has supported.
Hear about Hosts for Hospitals which provides deeply discounted lodging as a caring response to the housing needs of patients and their families who come to Greater Philadelphia for specialized medical care.
And get an update on Rotaplast which helps children and families worldwide by eliminating the burden of cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities.
October 6, 2022, 6 PM, Pyramid Club: District Governor David Holtz talked about his vision for the Rotary year.
September 1, 2022, 6 PM, Pyramid Club: Rotary Peace Fellow LeMonte Adams. Our featured speaker is a servant leader very dear to our club. LaMonte Adams was selected by Rotary International to participate in a three-month Peace Fellowship program in Bangkok, Thailand in 2014. Philadelphia Rotary sponsored him and is proud of his receiving that sought-after certificate in Conflict Resolution.
Adams will speak at our September 1st meeting on the topic of "Personal Safety Protocols." He'll give us some practical tools for helping mitigate the impact of natural and technological threats, and the daily human threat of crime. Adams will help us all become more aware of our environments.
August 4, 2022, 6 PM, Pyramid Club: Padideh Moghaddam, PMP, CCM. Treasurer, Engineers Without Borders, Philly Pro Chapter will present on the organization’s work to build a conduction line to provide clean water to residents of Aldea Las Lagunes Cuaches, Guatemala, funded in part by the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia. This community is without safe drinking water and cases of waterborne ailments, such as diarrhea and skin illnesses are on the rise. The conduction line is the first step in providing clean water to more than 3800 residents.
Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB-USA) is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. EWB-USA supports community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects while creating transformative experiences and responsible leaders.
The Philadelphia chapter adopted the Guatemala Lagunas Cuaches project in December of 2019. The community of 3,882 people is without safe drinking water and cases of waterborne ailments, such as diarrhea and skin illnesses, are reportedly on the rise. The community relies on a shared well and spring water, which can only provide water for 30 of the more than 600 households.
Lagunas Cuaches Conduction Line Project will attempt to fill this void and provide clean water for the community of Aldea Las Lagunas Cuaches. The scope of the Lagunas Cauches project involves installing a pump in the deep (unused) well that was drilled a few years ago, creating a water treatment system, and installing a water pipeline to transport water from the well to the existing storage tanks. We expect the project to improve the sanitation and health of the community and provide safe drinking water that meets both current and future demand.
Ms. Moghaddam is a Practice Development Manager at RK&K, a civil engineering firm based in Baltimore. She is an experienced Project Management Professional (PMP) and Master of Business Administration (MBA) focused in project management & operation strategy from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, She is a recipient of the 2018 RailWorks Golden Spike Award for Safety Performance and Operational Excellence for MTA Crossing Rehabilitation as the Project Manager and an honorable mention from Railway Age as 2019 Women in Rail.
July 7, 6 PM, Pyramid Club, Rosana Anchondo, 2022-23 Rotary Club of Philadelphia President, presented with committee members plans for the Rotary year, including exciting new social events and engaging service projects for the community. She also introduced many of our new members who have joined the club recently.
June 16, 2022, Noon, Virtual: Vicki Bralow, a Rotary Club of Philadelphia member, is board certified in Family Practice and has been practicing primary care for almost 30 years in Philadelphia. Her hospital affiliations include Pennsylvania Hospital and the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Bralow was recognized as one of Philadelphia Magazine’s ‘Top Doctors’ in 2018 and 2019, and was featured on CBS 3 Healthwatch with Stephanie Stahl in 2017.
June 2, 2022, 6 PM, Pyramid Club: Shoshana Akins, Senior Participation Planner, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) provided an overview of the organization’s, planning, and public participation activities. The DVRPC is the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Greater Philadelphia region, established by an Interstate Compact between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the State of New Jersey.
Ms. Akins works within the Office of Communications and Engagement, where she works on equity, environmental justice, civil rights, public participation, and community engagement strategies in DVRPC’s regional planning projects with a focus on systems thinking, policy, and vulnerable populations. She also serves as the manager of DVRPC's Public Participation Task Force, leading many of the agency's equity initiatives, including the update to Indicators of Potential Disadvantage (IPD) and the design and implementation of Equity Through Access (ETA) project. She received her Master’s Degree in Public Health from Drexel University.
The DVRPC serves as the regional planning agency for the nine-county, bi-state, Greater Philadelphia region, providing guidance and assistance to local governments and partner agencies building sustainable, livable, and healthy communities. The DVRPC also created two 501(c)(3) nonprofit supporting organizations, DVRPC Southeastern Pennsylvania Corporation for the five Pennsylvania counties and DVRPC Foundation for New Jersey, Inc., for the four New Jersey counties. These nonprofits provide flexibility of funding and allow DVRPC and its members to work together to undertake projects that benefit member governments and the region.
Joan Batory, Rotary International Past District Governor 7450, will also conduct the Installation of the Club’s Officer & Directors for 2022-23.
May 19: Darice Eppinger presented Love Where You Live! In this presentation, she explained how she focuses on her clients’ lifestyles when helping them buy or sell, and how even if you are not currently in the market, you can fall back in love where you live with what she calls the five P's - Property, People, Places, Projects, and Paper.
Ms. Eppinger considers herself a “Unique Name in Real Estate.” As a former advertising executive and life coach, she uses her unique skill set as a REALTOR®, serving buyers and sellers in today’s highly competitive real estate market throughout our area. Ms. Eppinger is an award-winning real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices. Specializing in helping empty nesters, she has good experience to draw upon. With her husband of 26 years, John, their two grown children have recently moved out of their home in Jenkintown. In her spare time, she has recently learned how to play pickleball, loves to do puzzles, watches embarrassingly terrible television shows, and enjoys the Jersey shore.
May 5: Michael Curcio, Executive Director, PISCES, spoke about his organization's teaching farm in Togo, West Africa. His organization's complete name is Permaculture Institute for the Study of Communal Economic Systems. Curcio created PISCES in early 2020 with his friend and counterpart, Kerime, to promote sustainable agriculture in the region and train the next generation of activists. By working with local high school and college students, PISCES runs yearly nature camps and internships to educate youth about the importance of environmental conservation. PISCES also works with farmers to improve crop yields, mitigate soil degradation, and conduct reforestation projects. This project grew out of the two years that Michael spent living in the area while serving as an agricultural volunteer with the Peace Corps.
Before founding PISCES, he worked as a case manager for BronxWorks in New York City. Working in an Emergency Room, Michael created a program to engage clients who were currently unhoused and connect them to services and housing. Michael joined Rotary Club of Dapaong, Togo in March 2020 and recently joined the Rotary Club of Philadelphia after moving to the area last fall.
April 21: Members of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia had a joint virtual meeting with members of the Rotary Club of Nottingham, England. The "twin" clubs have a long and storied history which dates back from the first Rotary International Convention in England in 1921, through World War II, and up to the present day. Among the more notable collaborations, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia bought two “Rolling Kitchens” for the Nottingham club to use in disaster areas during World War II.
Read more on our blog: A “Twin Cities” Club Friendship in Two Countries Continues for Almost a Century.
April 7: D.F. Pace, Rotary Peace Fellow, from the Philadelphia Police Department spoke about his work in the community. Inspector Pace, a graduate of the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Fellowship, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, was chosen from among thousands of applicants. As an attorney and Police Inspector in the nation's fourth largest police department, Inspector Pace focuses on balancing constitutional protections and civil rights with public safety. He currently heads the Philadelphia Police Department’s Police Board of Inquiry. In addition to his patrol experience, Pace has also held positions in the Law Department, as Judge Advocate, Police Academy Instructor, Public Information Officer and Commanding Officer of the Court Evidence Unit. He considered his involvement in the Rotary Peace Fellow Certificate Program to be “on a par with that at the FBI National Academy,” and the training gave him skills and insights that has influenced and been applied throughout his career in law enforcement. Pace is no stranger to the lectern. A veteran adjunct professor, he has taught and continues to teach graduate and undergraduate courses at several colleges and universities.
Read more : philadelphiarotary.org/promoting-peace
March 17: Joseph Myers, MBA, JD, presented The Stock Market & The Economy: Is It Time To Get Nervous? Why The Coronavirus, The Fed & Interest Rates May Provide The Answer.
Mr. Myers is a professional speaker, writer, and portfolio manager with unique and interesting investment tales with perceptive insight, while providing practical tips you can put to good use now. He is a leader and Federal Reserve expert who provides knowledge, perspective and ideas based on his long and successful career with some of the top firms in the industry.
Myers is a Penn State graduate, who earned an MBA in tax and finance at Columbia University. He graduated from Temple University School of Law with a Juris Doctor diploma, with an emphasis on tax law. He served in the U.S. Army and Pennsylvania National Guard. Before starting his firm, Myers was Vice President at Kidder Peabody, Oppenheimer and Smith Barney. Today, he builds personal relationships with clients through Calton & Associates as owner of Myers & Co. and its Portfolio Manager. He has been nominated as Five Star Wealth Manager, awarded by New Jersey Magazine and Philadelphia Magazine.
March 3: Lindsay Warren, Vice President of Advancement, Women Against Abuse, spoke about the vital work of her organization. The mission of Women Against Abuse is to provide quality, compassionate, and nonjudgmental services in a manner that fosters self-respect and independence in persons experiencing intimate partner violence and to lead the struggle to end domestic violence through advocacy and community education.
Ms. Warren is a skilled fund-raising and development leader with more than 15 years of experience in the non-profit, healthcare, human services and education fields. She has the proven ability to connect and build strong alliances with colleagues, business partners and donors. She also brings expertise in areas such as board development and governance, corporate and foundation relations, individual and major giving, prospect research, and strategic planning.
February 17: Corinne Lagermasini, Executive Director, Women In Transition, spoke on her organization’s work to empower people to move forward in their lives free of domestic violence and substance abuse.
Ms. Lagermasini became Women In Transition’s Executive Director in January 2017 after serving as their Prevention Director for two years. She has over 20 years of experience leading, growing and evaluating programs for nonprofits. Prior to Women In Transition, she worked at the Health Federation of Philadelphia, where she helped Community Health Centers implement pharmacy initiatives and she led the National Health Corps, AmeriCorps program, promoting health care access and health education to medically underserved communities. At Philadelphia Physicians for Social Responsibility, she coordinated violence prevention programs for youth and families in North Philadelphia. Ms. Lagermasini received her Master of Public Health degree from Temple University where she studied the impact of domestic violence within the Early Care & Education community in Philadelphia. She is a WAVE self-defense instructor (an empowerment model of self-defense) and she loves teaching students to use their voice, body and attitude to set boundaries and advocate for their wants and needs. Her goal is to help create a world where everyone feels safe at home, in their communities, and in all their relationships.
February 3: Rev. Jeremy Montgomery, President and CEO of Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission, will speak about the essential work that the 140-year-old organization provides to the homeless community.
Sunday Breakfast Rescue Mission was originally established in 1878 to serve breakfast every Sunday to Philadelphia’s poor and homeless while sharing with them the love of Jesus Christ. Since its founding, the Sunday Breakfast has grown to be the largest emergency homeless shelter in Philadelphia, and the only provider of the three free meals a day, 365 days a year to homeless men, women, and children.
Originally from Rockford, Illinois, since the beginning of his call to ministry, Rev. Montgomery has always sensed a strong urgency to serve those in need by inspiring and engaging people to give back and unite for shared causes. As a graduate from Gordon-Conwell, his educational and ministerial expertise focused on ministering to at-risk urban youth, such as those who are gang-involved. His professional focus centers on the issues of urban poverty, social justice, and community development, and it has allowed him to work within many urban, multi-ethnic contexts.
Rev. Montgomery has served as an ordained minister in both the Assemblies of God and American Baptist Churches; and he is an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Churches of USA. Prior to coming to Sunday Breakfast, he served as an executive with Habitat for Humanity for eight years. His experience also includes: Northeast Director of Church Relations for World Relief for two years – specializing in setting up global partnerships between U.S. churches and international development programs overseas; Associate Minister at First Baptist Church of Westfield, New Jersey for seven years – leading the church in local outreach projects; and overseeing gang intervention programs in the Boston Public Schools for five years.
In his two different roles at Habitat for Humanity, his accomplishments involve all ranges of executive nonprofit leadership: managing construction projects of up to 20 new homes per year, overseeing a ReStore Thrift Store with its $1.8-million in annual revenue and $1-million in profits, assisting in creation of a 77-home subdivision in Pompano Beach, closing out HUD grants with cumulative amounts of $1.6-million, and receiving numerous NeighborWorks certifications in homeownership counseling.
As a graduate of North Central University in Minneapolis, he holds two master degrees, specifically a MBA from Eastern University and a MA in Urban Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Currently, Rev. Montgomery lives in Old City, Philadelphia with his wife – where they love sailing and racing with the Liberty Sailing Club located at Pier 5.
January 20: Logan Welde, Esq., Staff Attorney, Clean Air Council discussed a variety of subjects related to clean air quality in the city as well as the new plastic bag ban that came into effect in the city on October 1.
The Clean Air Council is a member-supported, nonprofit environmental organization dedicated to protecting everyone's right to breathe clean air. The Council works through public education, community advocacy, and government oversight to ensure enforcement of environmental laws. The organization was founded in 1967 by a group of forward-looking community leaders, policy makers, and progressive business leaders. Headquartered in Philadelphia, the Council made a name for itself by the mid-1970s as the result of two major achievements: establishing and distributing a daily regional air quality index report that is still used to this day; and forcing Pennsylvania to implement its vehicle emissions testing program. The Council has now grown to include 8,000 members and expanded its programmatic focus to include children’s environmental health, energy, climate change, waste and recycling, and transportation. The Council has also established an indoor air quality resource center for the public and holds the Philadelphia area’s largest Earth Day event, the annual Run for Clean Air.
Mr. Welde is a graduate from the University of Vermont and received law degree from Temple University Beasley School of Law. He spent five years in the U.S. Air Force, worked as an analyst for Credit Suisse and then as an executive at Marvel Comics before determining his passion was environmental work.
January 6: Lea Brovedani presented "What People are Dying to Know." Imagine you’ve found out that you or a loved one has only 3 months to live. Are you prepared? Can you ever be prepared? Perhaps the reason we are afraid of death is because we don’t know who we are and what to expect. Perhaps it’s because we don’t know what to say or how to say it to the person who is dying. In knowing how to guide this sacred passage, we can become engaged with the truth of what is important to each of us. Contrary to what you may have heard, dying can be a time for connecting and having deep and meaningful conversations. It’s not just about the end of life, it’s about the celebration of life. It requires knowing how to open the conversation and asking all the questions that we’re sometimes afraid to ask like funeral arrangements, finances and who is going to be the caregiver. It’s time to talk about death in a way that connects us.
Lea Brovedani is a professional trainer who is a recognized leader as a Thought Leader on Trust. She was recently certified as an End of Life Coach and Sacred Passage Doula.
2021
December 16: Bob Ellis, a self-employed construction management consultant for commercial and multi-family renovation and new construction projects, spoke about the work of the Climate Reality Project. He is an active member of the Leadership Corps of the Philadelphia and Southeastern PA Chapter. The Climate Reality Project was founded in 2006 by Nobel Laureate and former US Vice President Al Gore who got the world talking about climate change with his Academy Award-winning film An Inconvenient Truth. Their mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society.
Mr. Ellis continues to be optimistic and motivated to spread the word about the Climate Crisis, in hopes of encouraging as many individuals as possible to get involved and participate on some level in the work so badly needed to reverse global warming. He is also a member of the Green Task Force that worked closely with Councilman Squilla and the Clean Air Council to enact the plastic bag ban in Philadelphia.
December 9: "A Conversation with Rotary International Vice President, Valarie K. Wafer," Rotarians and guests enjoyed a rare opportunity to gather for an intimate conversation with Rotary International Vice President Valarie Wafer, moderated by Jeffry Cadorette, Past Rotary International Director. It took place at the prestigious Pyramid Club where attendees enjoyed an upscale 3-course lunch while taking in stunning skyline views of Center City Philadelphia.
Prior to her appointment as Rotary International Director 2020-22, Valarie served as governor of District 7070, which covers the greater Toronto area. She also served at an international level with roles such as International Trainer, member of the International Convention Host Committee, and Rotary International Presidential Representative. Valarie participated in and led many initiatives including Vocational Training Team Leader to Australia in 2010 focusing on youth mental health, National Immunization Day in India 2012, and has traveled to Kenya and Tanzania to audit long-term Rotary Foundation grant activities. Valarie has had a 27-year career as a restaurant owner in Toronto. The brand, Tim Hortons, is the most recognized and iconic franchise in Canada. Her business was best known for its inclusive hiring practices and accessibility, especially in the area of employment.
December 2: Roger Taylor, Rotary International District 7450 Governor (2021-22), provided an update on district matters as well as his vision and goals during his term, detailing many of the initiatives he has made and will continue to implement during his tenure. He was accompanied by Assistant Governor, Christina Spolsky. District Governor Roger is the Past President of the Rotary Club of Coatesville and served in many District positions including Chair of the Four-Way Test Competition and faculty member of the Rotary Leadership Institute. Now retired, one of his many interests is astronomy. Over the years he built his own Newtonian telescopes; the largest is 14 inches in diameter. He has served on the Chester Astronomical Society, Delaware Valley Amateur Astronomers and wrote “Starstuff”, a syndicated column for ten years. Those who know him are not surprised that he is a member of the Concordia Coral Arts. His baritone voice is highly sought after by many. His scientific mind brought him to a career in the technical world with companies such as Siemens and Bayer Diagnostics. A native son of West Philadelphia, his career took him to Texas and Massachusetts before he settled in West Chester.
November 18: Dr. Sajjad Savul spoke on COVID-19 Delta variance and his experiences in his practice administering thousands of vaccinations over the past several months to his patients. Dr. Savul works at Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System and serves as Medical Director of Occupational Medicine, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Associate Program Director, Occupational Medicine Residency, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine.
Dr. Savul received his Masters in General Medicine at Khyber Medical College, University Of Peshawar, Pakistan, and Masters in General Surgery, Aerospace Medicine, from Wright State University Of Medicine, Dept. Of Community Medicine.
He is a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia and a former Rotaractor. He is also a Paul Harris Fellow, sustaining member, an honor that recognizes individuals for their contributions to Rotary International Foundation.
November 4: Scott J. Prendergast, an inspirational speaker and mental health advocate based in Philadelphia, spoke on mental health and wellness. A graduate of Temple University, Prendergast speaks around the country about the importance of acknowledging mental health in society, and encourages techniques to overcome the everyday mental obstacles that hold us back in life. Prendergast’s audiences range from high school students, to adults, while sharing his own story of hope and resilience in learning to overcome depression. He uses a practical approach of mindful strategies combined with a compassionate touch to help others validate their own feelings, and work towards moving past them. Prendergast is owner of Scotty P Inspiration.
October 21: Joseph Batory, educational leader and author will present, Leadership Adventures: What could Penn State’s legendary football coach Joe Paterno, sleazy radio host Howard Stern, movie stars Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney, and former President Ronald Reagan possibly have to do with my 16-year career as a superintendent of schools in Upper Darby.
During his tenure as Superintendent, Mr. Batory attained national and local recognition as an exemplary leader and excelled in providing for a pupil population with a wide range of socioeconomic, ethnic, and racial diversity and educational needs. He was recognized by the White House, the United States House of Representatives, and both legislative chambers of government in Pennsylvania. Upon his retirement, one news media outlet labeled Batory “a champion of learning for all students.” He was also recognized by the Upper Darby Education Foundation as the Founder and “Father of the Foundation” for providing over one quarter million students with over $2.9 million in grants and services toward educational and cultural opportunities. He also engaged in educational research and evaluation of school improvement programs for Temple University and for a private sector firm, Educational Enterprises, LLC.
Mr. Batory, a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia for more than 30 years has served as club President. He is also a Paul Harris Fellow +4 and, along with his wife Joan, is a member of the Bequest Society, Level Four. He also coordinated and monitored the visits of 23 international Rotary scholars who studied in the Philadelphia area and continues to keep in touch with them.
Mr. Batory has written numerous articles on education and is the author of three books and more than published 150 op-ed pieces on politics, history, and education. He received his undergraduate degree from LaSalle University and M.A. from Glassboro State University (now Rowan University). He gives a great deal of credit for his success and care for others in his adult life to people that he encountered in his years at La Salle and said: “The Christian brothers saved my life, and I can say that bluntly.”
October 7: Darren Sudman, founder of Unless Agency, a Philadelphia-based entity helping companies imagine and implement cause-based marketing campaigns, spoke about his professional journey and personal tragedy that led him to where he is today. Darren began his career as a lawyer in 1995. In 2000, he joined the business unit at America Online and saw what happened when a company embraced philanthropy. The Helping Hands Initiative partnered with celebrities to use the AOL shopping platform to raise millions of dollars for charity. Later, Darren would help design and implement a cause marketing campaign at Advanta.
In 2012, Darren’s career path took a sharp turn. A few years earlier, his three month old son died, suddenly and unexpectedly. He and his wife co-founded Simon’s Heart, an organization to prevent sudden cardiac arrest and death in children, teens and young adults. After running it on nights and weekends for seven years, he assumed the role of Executive Director where he created innovative and lifesaving initiatives, including cause marketing campaigns with The Philadelphia Flyers, Wheels Up, Speedo and Scrub Daddy.
Darren now leverages this passion, purpose and creativity for the benefit of other companies through Unless. Darren attended The Ohio State University, Capital Law and Graduate Center and Arcadia University. He is an adjunct professor at Villanova University and lives with his family in Plymouth Meeting, PA.
September 16: Natalie Pompilio, freelance writer, discussed her recent book that she collaborated with her sister, Tricia Pompilio, "This Used to Be Philadelphia." Their book looks at more than 80 city sites and tells fascinating "Then and Now" stories from Girl Scout cookies to American Bandstand in West Philly.
Natalie is an award-winning journalist who left her job at the New Orleans Times-Picayune to a position at the Philadelphia Inquirer. She has written for the Associated Press, the Washington Post, and the Newark Star Ledger. She is the co-author of More Philadelphia Murals and the Stories They Tell. In 2020, Philadelphia Family magazine named her the city's best family photographer.
September 2: Bob Curran, Immediate Past President of the Rotary Club of Longwood presented “Single Service Community,” a highly successful and innovative approach for Rotary service. The project, which commenced in 2018 with a Community Needs Assessment, initially began with 36 leaders in area nonprofit agencies and other interested parties to determine how best to serve the Chester County community. The project now has more than 180 members including five area Rotary Clubs, two Lions Clubs, Habitat for Humanity, and area educational and transportation companies.
Mr. Curran is Principal of Robert Curran & Associates, LLC, Business Advisory Services. For more than four decades Curran held a wide variety of executive positions in technical and manufacturing disciplines, with companies as diverse as Heublein, R.J. Reynolds, H.J. Heinz and E.I. Dupont. He created and executed numerous turn-arounds of key divisions and directed the launch of over 200 new products from concept to market placement. Most recently he created a financial services firm, EMPLOYEEMAX, taking it from an idea to a national company. Originally from the Boston, MA, area and a Virginia Polytechnic Institute graduate, Bob moved to the Philadelphia area in 1995.
August 19: Meghan Hughes presented “Partnering with Charitable Organizations to Better Your Community as a Small Business Owner.” Ms. Hughes, a fine art portrait photographer, is the owner of Meghan Renee Photography. She believes strongly in giving back to the community as a business owner. According to Hughes, “Forming a connection with my community members and finding ways to give back is of utmost importance, and making the world a better place is my most sacred goal. I am proud and honored to have worked with so many community partners to spread joy, love, and kindness throughout the Philadelphia community!”
August 5: —postponed— Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Ph.D., Founder and Director, The Shalom Center, will present on his latest book, Dancing in God's Earthquake. The Shalom Center, founded in 1983, is a prophetic voice inspiring and acting in the Jewish, multi-religious, and American worlds for eco/ social justice, peace, and the healing of our wounded planet into an Earth of Neighborhoods. Waskow is the author of 27 books on public policy and religious life, including the original Freedom Seder, Seasons of Our Joy, and Dancing in God's Earthquake: The Coming Transformation of Religion.
Rabbi Waskow has also taken a vigorous part in public advocacy and nonviolent protest on behalf of peace, civil rights, full equality for women and LGBTQ people, freedom for Soviet Jewry, and healing for the wounded earth. In 2007, Newsweek named him one of the fifty most influential American rabbis.
Rabbi Waskow received a bachelor's degree from The Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. in American history from University of Wisconsin–Madison. He worked from 1959 to1961 as legislative assistant to Congressman Robert Kastenmeier of Wisconsin. He was a Senior Fellow at the Peace Research Institute from 1961 through 1963. He joined Richard Barnetand Marcus Raskin and helped to found the Institute for Policy Studies in 1963, and he served as Resident Fellow until 1977. Rabbi Waskow has also taught as a Visiting Professor in the Departments of Religion of Swarthmore College, Temple University, Drew University, and Vassar College.
July 15: Michael Hinson, Jr., President & COO, SELFinc. presented “Homelessness in the LGBTQ Community.” SELF is a nonprofit human services agency that provides emergency and permanent supportive housing, housing-focused case management, mentoring, and other vital services and resources for Philadelphia's most vulnerable communities.
Mr. Hinson joined SELF in 2017 as executive director and was promoted to President and COO by SELF, Inc.'s Board of Directors. In addition to advancing organizational development at SELF, Mike is the leading policy maker and influencer for policies affecting homeless individuals in Philadelphia.
As head of the SELF, the largest provider for emergency housing services for homeless individuals and a provider of innovative permanent housing solutions, Hinson not only advanced the organizational development at SELF, but is a leading housing policy advisor and maker. He is also the founder and former executive director of The COLOURS Organization, the Co-Founder of Philadelphia Black Gay Pride and a public policy advisor to Mayor John Street with a focus on child welfare, homelessness, education, health, human services, public safety and was responsible for the City’s LGBT related policies and programs.
For five years he served as an Adjunct Professor at Cheyney University in its Master of Public Administration Program. Michael is a Summa Cum Laude Graduate of Peirce College with a Bachelor of Science in Legal Studies. At Peirce, Michael was a W.W. Smith Academic Scholar, a Peirce College Legal Studies Scholar and received the Peirce College Academic Leadership Award. He holds a Master of Public Administration from Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, with a concentration in Nonprofit Management. Mr. Hinson completed his doctoral coursework at Capella University. He serves and was elected co-chair of the City of Philadelphia’s HUD required Roadmap to Homes Board, and is treasurer of the Board of Directors of Philadelphia Family Voices, a Family Legacy Organization.
June 17: Kevin Katarynick, Rotary District 7450 Governor (2020-21) installed the new club officers and directors for the 2021-2022 Rotary year. Jay Pennie, President, Rotary Club of Philadelphia, presented a comprehensive review and celebrate with members the successes over the past year. He also issued Certificate of Appreciation awards to honor members for their outstanding service over the past year.
June 3: Kayra Martinez, Founder, Love Without Borders-for Refugees in Need, spoke about her remarkable journey—from serving as a United Airlines flight attendant based in Frankfurt, Germany, to helping Syrian, Afghan, Iraqi, Iranian, Pakistani, Eritrean, and North African asylum seekers who came to Europe and are experiencing difficult conditions.
Ms. Martinez made it her mission to help refugees who have arrived in Greece after fleeing from their war-torn countries. Her mission began over five years ago, after she volunteered to help refugees arriving in Frankfurt, Germany. Her volunteer work in Germany eventually led her to Greece, where she visited the Nea Kavala camp in northern Greece in 2015. “When I got to Greece, I saw the tragic conditions in which refugees were living, and I realized I needed to do more,” said Martinez. After that trip, she founded the nonprofit Love Without Borders – For Refugees In Need, which has allowed her to provide housing, teach English and offer art sessions to thousands of refugees. “I have established a large network of friends and donors, which allows me to channel clothing, art supplies and other donations,” she explained.
Last year, she realized some of the kids were using their art sessions to express the trauma they had suffered when fleeing their countries. They painted images of people breaking out of chains and small boats sailing on the ocean and even people falling in the water and children crying. To raise awareness about the issues these children are facing and also to raise funds to continue to help them, she organized an art show to sell their art pieces. The first event was a success, and the proceeds went directly to the artists and their families.
Today when Martinez isn’t working, she travels to Greece and all around the world to display a traveling exhibit of the refugee children’s art that has been welcomed in Boston, Philadelphia and 38 cities around the world. “This initiative helps the children heal, because it allows them to express their feelings through art,” said Martinez. “Many of the kids find hope through the art sessions and eventually they start painting images depicting their hopes and dreams for the future.”She hopes to continue to help refugee families and is proud to work for a company that supports employees who, just like her, are committed to making the world a better place and helping those who need it the most.
May 20: Sarah Laurel, Founder and Executive Director, Savage Sisters Recovery, Inc., a nonprofit focused on those affected by substance abuse disorder and homelessness in the Philadelphia community. Their outreach efforts advocate for harm reduction, education, and ending the stigma around addiction. Additionally, Savage Sisters provides a safe, structured, trauma-informed and pro-social living environment for women recovering from substance use disorder where they can safely recreate their lives. Their Medication Assisted Treatment house uses the combined forces of counseling, therapies, and medications to assist women in their recovery.
Ms. Laurel struggled with overcoming addiction and found a winning strategy that helped her heal her mind, body, and soul which she now shares through her program with others. Laurel was once assaulted in Kensington during her active addition and went out a second-story addition. This resulted in a prolonged hospital stay in ICU and she saw the dress that she was wearing in her room which had the word “savage” written on it. After transferring from ICU, she Googled the word and “ferocious” stood out in the definitions as she chased her drug use with a ferocious appetite.
May 5: Dr. Sajjad Savul spoke on his experiences in his practice administering thousands of COVID-19 vaccinations over the past several months to his patients. Dr. Savul works at Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System and serves as Medical Director of Occupational Medicine, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Associate Program Director, Occupational Medicine Residency, and Assistant Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine.
Dr. Savul received his Masters in General Medicine at Khyber Medical College, University Of Peshawar, Pakistan, and Masters in General Surgery, Aerospace Medicine, from Wright State University Of Medicine, Dept. Of Community Medicine.
He is a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia and a former Rotaractor. He is also a Paul Harris Fellow, sustaining member, an honor that recognizes individuals for their contributions to Rotary International Foundation.
April 29: Kurt Stroemel, President of the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia, presented grant awards to seven local and national nonprofit organizations: Brighter Horizon Foundation; Federation Early Learning Services; Liguori Academy; Next Steps Program, Inc.; Peace Day Philly; Lutheran Settlement House, and Today Is A Good Day. The Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia is supported and operated by club members. Established years ago by generous and visionary members, the foundation grants approximately $30,000 each year to organizations in need, both locally and internationally. The foundation uses members’ knowledge of local and international matters to identify areas of need, and together work to improve that community. Using the same knowledge and connections, along with a passion for doing good, the foundation provides financial support to nonprofit organizations through its grant program.
April 15: Christopher Chaplin, Jamaica’s Honorary Consul to the State of Pennsylvania, spoke about Consulate operations during the past year under the pandemic and some of the challenges we see going forward. Mr. Chaplin is Vice President, Portfolio Management at Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) where he leads a team that manages over $500 million in real estate and business loans in the City of Philadelphia. He has extensive banking experience in Jamaica and the United States and has worked for premier financial institutions in both countries. Mr. Chaplin is Co-Owner of New York based Hard Beat Communications which focuses on regional media and investment. Hard Beat manages several brands including CaribPR, News Americas Now, and Invest Caribbean Now.
He is a member of the Mayor's Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs for the City of Philadelphia and served on the Transition Team of Mayor Jim Kenney on the Immigration and Multicultural Affairs Committee.
He served as Co-Chairman of the Philadelphia Organizing Committee and is currently a member of Team Jamaica Bickle, a non-profit organization that provides meals, ground transportation, health services as well as mentorship to Jamaican scholastic athletes visiting America for the Penn Relays track and field meet in Philadelphia. The feeding of familiar Caribbean meals was a key component of the organization’s efforts and its name — bickle means food in Jamaican dialect. World record-holding Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt was one of these students before he became famous and widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time.
Mr. Chaplin is the Founder of the Canada Hall Scholarship Fund and is the Founding President of the St. George’s College Old Boys Association of The Northeast. He earned a BSc. in Industrial Engineering from the University of The West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and a MBA from the George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
April 1: Yassah Lavelah and Lt. Samuel Saitie spoke about their incredible separate but harrowing journeys that brought them from Liberia as refugees during a long, bloody, and destructive civil war to their current work together in the United States and back in their home country.
Ms. Lavelah has over eight years of experience working in Liberia as a nurse with a specific focus on the role of maternal and infant health in community development. She has spent over ten years developing sexual reproductive health education for young girls as a form of women empowerment to combat the alarming rate of teenage pregnancy in Liberia.
In 2008, she partnered with her mother to create the Ma V. Maternity Clinic as a social enterprise which now serves over 30,000 women and children with no access to healthcare in Paynesville City, Liberia and supports more than 100 traditional midwives annually. In 2014, she was selected out of thousands of applicants from Africa to be selected for the prestigious Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders because of her accomplishments in promoting innovation and positive impact in the field of healthcare in Liberia. The Fellowship was initiated in honor of Nelson Mandela by President Barack Obama as a flagship program that empowers upcoming young leaders in Africa through academic coursework, leadership training, and networking in the United States. In the summer of 2014, as her studies at Notre Dame University was winding down, she received an offer from the U.S. Department of State to extend her stay in the United States due to the Ebola crisis, which was ravaging her home country. “How could I have remained when the people I love were sentenced to death?” she wrote in a blog post. “I made a decision to go back and help because Liberia is all I have. I love the United States, but Liberia is my responsibility.” She returned home to work side by side with her mother — just as they have for years battling Ebola on the frontlines. There she attended to patients at the only Ebola treatment unit in the country at the time and conducted community mobilization and education on disease prevention and safety. Her clinic also received a container full of medical equipment from Notre Dame and was able to distribute some of the items to traditional midwives and other health workers who were on the frontlines.
Due to her work and leadership she received an invitation for her to apply to Harvard Medical school where she completed a graduate study for a Masters in Global Health Delivery. Ms. Lavelah is currently the founder and CEO of Mavee Maternal Empowerment Initiative, a non-profit that is empowering women through the reduction of maternal mortality in Liberia. Her plan is to develop the first community-based midwifery center in Liberia which will provide a platform for midwives to engage the community in direct response to the alarming rate of infant and maternal mortality in Liberia.
Lt. Samuel Saitie came to the United States as a refugee in 2005. Prior to coming to the US, he and his family lived in the Ivory Coast until another civil war broke out and where he lost his father and then moved to a refugee camp in Guinea for several years where the conditions were extremely poor and without access to a proper education. When he came to the United States, he was fortunate enough to enroll at Michigan State University where he earned a BSc in Biochemistry. After graduation he decided to join the United States Air Force as a way of showing gratitude to the nation that has offered me so much opportunity. He now is a 2nd Lieutenant serving in the U.S. Air Force and is a pharmacy student at Temple University Hospital.
March 18: Richard Crawford Suplee spoke about ShareYourself’s project in Nigeria including efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in urban slums and educational support for girls in rural communities. ShareYourself is a global social-impact tech platform that connects people and professionals to incubate and accelerate social-impact initiatives through unique project management, collaboration and social engagement tools.
ShareYourself outsources social funds for organizations, foundations and corporations connecting them to initiatives they care about. They also make funders' lives easier by helping source, manage and legitimize projects. Their tested assessment and vetting process enables funders to select projects that align with their values. Funders can track, follow and manage their donations via our donor dashboard that provides ongoing transparency and accountability.
Mr. Suplee is a Sales Development Representative and Revenue Manager for ShareYourself and received his undergraduate degree from St. Joseph’s University in Elementary and Special Education, and Master’s in Elementary Education and Master’s degree Leadership & Management, International Business from Arizona State University.
March 4: Jason Gardner, the founder of Radical Shift Coaching, presented “Escape What’s Holding You Back“. Mr. Gardner is a highly respected coach with capabilities for unlocking human potential. With a long history in magic, escapology (think Houdini), and showmanship, he is known for his ability to help people free themselves from the straitjackets they put themselves in and reach full personal potential and freedom.
Jason has spoken and performed in over 100 cities and over a dozen countries to more than 1,000,000 people as an escape artist, magician, drummer, and life coach. Jason has a mesmerizing ability to immediately connecting with anyone and has a natural ability to create transformation in the lives of anyone he meets.
Jason shared his super-secrets about how he is able to consistently create "magic" in his own life and the lives of others. These strategies, tips, hacks, and systems have been curated and developed by Jason over his lifetime and now he wants to share them with you. Get ready to escape what’s holding you back!
February 18: Dr. Karen Baskerville, Professor, Biology Department at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania, in honor of Black History Month, presented “Lincoln Unparalleled: Learn. Liberate. Lead.” Dr. Baskerville has a B.A. in chemistry with biochemistry emphasis from Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in anatomy and neurobiology (concentration in neuroscience) from The University of Tennessee Health Science Center. She was a postdoctoral fellow at Mayo Clinic Jacksonville and an Assistant Professor at Rust College.
At Lincoln University, she teaches neuroscience (which she developed), human anatomy and physiology, philosophy and art, histology, animal systems, pharmacology, plant and animal systems, biological techniques, integrated STEM, and physical chemistry. She engages students in neuroscience research, focusing on Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. She has research collaborators at Broad Institute/MIT, Penn State College of Medicine, and Fox Chase Cancer Center. She has received numerous grants, teaching awards, leadership awards, and travel awards and is the author of peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Baskerville’s passion to motivate young people goes beyond the classroom and research laboratory. She has mentored high school and undergraduate students at John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. She has volunteered as a mentor and tutor for youth in her community and has served families affected with disabilities. For her own respite, she enjoys studying the Bible, spending time with family, playing tennis, baking/pastry arts, drawing, and, most of all, playing with her Airedale Terrier, Abraham.
February 4: Cassandra Bolding, LPC, MAC will speak about the meaning of this historic win for women — especially for Black women — and the continued process of coping as healing that needs to happen. For over 18 years Ms. Bolding is an internationally Certified Addictions Counselor, HIV counselor, and a trauma specialist, program director, and therapist. She is versatile in the field of mindfulness-based stress management and holds a master’s degree in human services from Lincoln University.
Ms. Bolding brings over 15 years’ stellar experience in supporting the growth and development of refined approaches to the treatment of chemically dependent, HIV positive populations. She also brings extensive clinical experience across several health facilities. Her career encompasses the areas of training, leading, and collaborating. Furthermore, she brings a comprehensive career highlight in the healthcare industry and has made significant impacts on every aspect of her work. She serves as an addiction counselor, psychotherapist, HIV counselor, coach, and educator and specializes in working with people of color, community, family, or individuals faced with the issues of depression, anxiety, addiction: (sexual, gambling, alcohol, drugs, and shopping), and trauma (violence-related, sexual, combat-related and emotional). Since embarking on her journey, she is privileged to have worked with people from all works of life, giving them the support and guidance that they need to live healthier and fulfilling lives. Furthermore, she has inspired creative solutions that improve the quality of life.
Ms. Bolding is the founder of Cassandra Bolding LPC and Diaspora Within Inc., established to counsel, train, and coach people of color. She is an exemplary leader and a compassionate professional who strives to see people live confidently. Beyond her career, she is greatly involved in community work and public awareness, providing training and consulting services to government, community-based and private organizations. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia.
January 21: James McGonigle, Founder and CEO of Help Soldiers, Inc., a corporation whose sole purpose is to improve the quality of life for wounded heroes and their families. Mr. McGonigle will speak about Operation Key West, a program he helped found which provides a week of fun, relaxation and intimacy to deserving military parents that have suffered the loss of their child. According to Mr. McGonigle, there is a higher incidence of divorce among couples that have lost a child and 22 veterans on average commit suicide every day in America. This program is designed to prevent these events from taking place.
Mr. McGonigle is an entrepreneur and author of "No Place For Common Sense" audio book, based on his real life journey. Through his own unique story telling style, He shares his outlook and the events that led to him becoming one of America's few documented serial entrepreneurs. His book provides the listener with a positive story that focuses on the importance of self confidence and how it impacts everyone's journey in life to find happiness and success.
January 5: Doug Hemming, C-SPAN, Marketing and Community Relations Representative will speak about the mission, history, programs and benefits offered by the organization which are of interest for members of Rotary clubs. C-SPAN is a non-profit created in 1979 by a then-new cable television industry, and today remains true to the founding principles, providing gavel-to-gavel coverage of the workings of the U.S. Congress, both the House and Senate, all without editing, commentary or analysis. Over the years, C-SPAN has grown to a presence on TV, online, on radio, and through podcasts and on social platforms (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram). They also supplement live coverage of the Capitol with ideologically balanced programming concerning all manner of public policy and politics. In so doing, they promote open and transparent dialogue between the public and their elected and appointed officials – and those campaigning for office. C-SPAN is the recipient of dozens of national awards and citations, including three George Foster Peabody Awards: one for institutional excellence in 1993, one in the historical documentary category for its 1999 American Presidents series, and one in 2011 for the C-SPAN online Video Library.
Doug Hemmig has been at C-SPAN for over 21 years and is currently a member of its community relations team. He spends his time representing C-SPAN to a wide variety of communities around the country and sharing how C-SPAN’s resources and content can be a valuable way to follow what is going on in Washington. He loves his job because of the important mission of the network and the dedicated colleagues he works with every day. Mr. Hemmig began his time at C-SPAN working on the affiliate relations team. He represented C-SPAN to the cable industry at various events. He also advocated for the carriage of C-SPAN on cable systems all over the country. He also set up community events and promoted educational content to teachers all over the country. Hemmig grew up in the DC area and is often referred to as Boiler around the C-SPAN offices for his love of all things Purdue University related. In his spare time he is a Rotarian in Rockville, coaches youth basketball, baseball, soccer and lacrosse and has coached for over 20 years. He is married for over 25 years and has four wonderful children.
2020
December 10: Lea Brovedani, “The Trust Architect”, is a speaker and author of several books on the importance of trust in leadership. Ms. Brovedani’s natural ability to hold deep conversations with her audience creates a powerful learning environment. Her confidence and humor while presenting, engage the group and shows up in the positive feedback she receives and the results she delivers.
For the past 15 years, Ms. Brovedani has been working with clients across Asia and North America delivering programs that target specific areas of concerns and needs. From 2011 to 2012, she spent a year in Mumbai, India delivering programs to clients throughout India, Singapore and Indonesia. In late 2012, she moved to Philadelphia and completed her book TRUSTED – A Leaders Lesson, and resumed her work showing leaders how to trust and be trusted. She has been invigorated by what she learned in India and incorporates these learnings into her programs. Clients range from the U.S. Army Corp of Chaplains, FedEx, Suryawanshi School in Nishik, India to ADP Chicago, Bank of Montreal, Canadian Forces Atlantic, CSAE, Nurses Union, and Workmen’s Compensation, to name a few.
Her journey to become an expert in trust and emotional intelligence took a circuitous route. After writing her practicum in Adult Education for a group of educators on how to teach with emotional intelligence, she decided to devote her career to help others put trust into action.
December 3: Ericka Neville, District Leader and Financial Advisor at PFS Investments Inc, and author presented "Medicare, Retirement, and Beyond," addressing the following questions in her presentation:
What are my Medicare options?
Do I have enough to retire, and when I retire will I be able to stay retired?
Are there steps I can take NOW to make sure that I am on track for my retirement journey?
Is there a way to protect my money in these unsettling times?
Ms. Neville spoke about the different types of Medicare options, as well as the steps needed to consider to prepare for retirement. Her focus is helping women and families make better financial decisions and is the author of the book, Raise Your Money Vibe: Every Woman's Guide to Wheel Wealth.
November 19: Robert L. Archie, Jr. Esq. presented: “A Discussion Of The History Of Black Lawyers In Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.” Mr. Archie, founder of one of Philadelphia’s first black law firms, is currently a partner at Duane Morris LLP, an international law firm with 800 attorneys in the U.S., U.K., and Asia. Mr. Archie concentrates his practice in the areas of municipal finance, real estate and corporate law for non-profit corporations. He is a member of the National and Pennsylvania Associations of Bond Lawyers and a former chair of the Real Estate and Commercial Law sections of the National Bar Association. A member of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association and the Pennsylvania Bar Association, Mr. Archie is a past chair of the Tax-Exempt Finance Committee of the Business Law Section of the Philadelphia Bar Association and is a former member of the Section's exempt executive committee.
Mr. Archie represents cities, political subdivisions, school districts, municipal authorities and underwriters in connection with the issuance of variable and fixed-rate tax-exempt bonds and notes. He counsels clients who are providing goods and services to cities, political subdivisions and agencies, in their responses to request for proposals. In addition, his clients include non-profit corporations and limited partnerships engaged in the development and construction of housing facilities for persons of low- and moderate-income. The development projects he has been involved in range from housing cooperatives, condominiums, churches, supermarkets, charter schools, strip shopping malls, hospitals, convention centers and multifamily high-rise developments for the elderly. He has also acted as local and special counsel to lenders providing construction and permanent loans for development in the City of Philadelphia and surrounding counties.
A 1970 graduate of Howard University School of Law and Lincoln University, Mr. Archie has served as an adjunct professor at Temple University School of Law and was a board member of the Pennsylvania Intergovernmental Cooperation Authority, which provides financial assistance to cities of the first class in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He serves on the board of Lincoln University.
Among his many awards and honors, he was named one of "Philadelphia's Most Influential African Americans 2010" by The Philadelphia Tribune newspaper.
November 12: Russell deFuria, Regional Foundation Coordinator, Zone 32, Rotary International, presented on The Rotary International Foundation — how it works, why it is important to support, and how grant making benefits local Rotary Clubs around the world. Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects around the world including $20 million recently to help communities worldwide respond to COVID-19.
Mr. deFuria has been a member of the Rotary Club of Upper Darby-Lansdowne since 1985 and served as President in 1992-1993. In 2002, he was selected as Rotarian of the Year in his club. The highlight of Russ’s time in Rotary is the year he served as District Governor 7450 in 2007-2008 with the international theme of “Rotary Shares”. As Past District Governor, he previously served as Assistant Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Zone 32 & was Council on Legislation Representative for District 7450 in both 2013 & 2016. His past District activity includes serving as District Rotary Foundation Chair 2008-2011, and on the Vocational Service committee for two terms & as Chairman from 1995-1997.
Mr. deFuria is the President of O’Brien Heating and Air Conditioning in Drexel Hill, PA. He has been married to Dawn since 1983. She is Past District Governor of D-7450 as well in 2017-18. They have two daughters and two grandsons. Mr. deFuria, his wife and their daughters are Paul Harris Fellows. He and his wife are also Major Donors, Bequest Society members & members of the D-7450 Paul Harris Society. Mr. deFuria is a Guy Gundaker Fellow, and a recipient of the Rotary Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service.
November 5: Robert W. Bogle, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The Philadelphia Tribune, spoke on the history and importance of black newspapers in America. The Philadelphia Tribune is the nation’s oldest and the Greater Philadelphia region’s largest audited newspaper serving the African-American community. He assumed his present position in July 1989. Mr. Bogle has held other high-level offices at the newspaper including posts as advertising director, director of marketing, and executive vice president/treasurer.
Mr. Bogle is chairman of the Hospitals and Higher Education Facilities Authority of Philadelphia and serves as Mayor Michael A. Nutter’s appointee on the Independence Blue Cross Board. Active in many professional, civic and social organizations, Mr. Bogle is chairman of the Council of Trustees at Cheyney University, serves on the boards of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, the Mann Music Center for the Performing Arts, the African-American Chamber of Commerce, PHLCVB, and the Philadelphia Tribune. He is a former board member of US Airways Group.
He served as president of the National Newspaper Publisher’s Association (NNPA), a trade association comprising 205 Black-owned newspapers across the nation from 1991 through 1995. The organization is credited with increasing the awareness of African-American issues while promoting their values and lifestyles. The NNPA has honored the Tribune at least five times, with the Russwurm Award, the highest honor for “Best Newspaper in America,” in the name of John B. Russwurm, co-founder of Freedom’s Journal, the first African-American newspaper in the U.S. (1827). He is a founding member of the African American News and Information Consortium, a group of premier newspapers in some of the largest markets in the United States.
Some of his board affiliations include the Philadelphia Museum of Art Corporate Partners Board, the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association, Visit Philadelphia, PNC advisory board, and PRWT. Mr. Bogle is a founder, and serves as a Convener, for the Forum for a Better Pennsylvania, a state-wide, private-sector leadership organization committed to enhanced civic and economic inclusion for African Americans.
President George W. Bush appointed him to serve as a member of the National Museum of African American History and Culture Commission. Bogle received an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Drexel University, a honorary doctorate of Literature from Lincoln University and an honorary doctorate of Humane Letters from Temple University. He is a member of Alpha Boule’ Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity and a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He is also a member of The Pennsylvania Society and Philadelphia Community of Leaders.
Mr. Bogle attended Cheyney University in Cheyney, Pa., to study Sociology, earning a B.A. in Urban Studies. He also attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business and Finance, Temple University in Philadelphia and the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, N.Y. He continues to hone his newspaper experience/expertise by participating in annual workshops in the areas of the internet, finance, editorial content and advertising.
Mr. Bogle remains committed to his role as an ambassador for the birthplace of America, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
October 29: Kurt Stroemel, President of the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia, presented grant awards to seven local and international nonprofit organizations: Peace Day Philly; ADAGP Charitable Foundation; Play On Philly!; Musicopia; Engineers Without Borders, USA; Unearthed Penn; and Telehealth Access for Seniors, Inc.
The Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia is supported and operated by club members. Established years ago by generous and visionary members, the foundation grants approximately $30,000 each year to organizations in need, both locally and internationally. The foundation uses members’ knowledge of local and international matters to identify areas of need, and together work to improve that community. Using the same knowledge and connections, along with a passion for doing good, the foundation provides financial support to nonprofit organizations through its grant program.
October 22: John Nanni conducted a personal presentation on the fight to eradicate polio in support of World Polio Day, Saturday October 24, 2020 in which thousands of Rotary Clubs around the world hold events and fundraisers to recognize progress made in the global fight to end Polio. This topic is especially relevant in light of Rotary and its partners announcing in June that Africa is now certified wild poliovirus-free, an historic public health achievement. This announcement comes at a time when the world needs good news on global health in face of the formidable challenges ahead with the current pandemic.
Mr. Nanni is a Polio Survivor and suffers from severe Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS). At the age of 10 months old in 1953, months before the Salk vaccine was distributed, Nanni was paralyzed from his neck down for 6 months. With the help of his family, he took his first steps a year later. Nanni grew up in Binghamton, New York and graduated from the State University of New York at Delhi with a degree in Hotel, Restaurant Management. He worked in the Hospitality Industry for 20 years before starting the Paper And Ribbon Supply Company, which sold products to the restaurant industry. In 2000, Nanni sold his business because PPS took a toll on his ability to effectively run it. He is limited to fewer than a couple of hundred walking steps per day, and uses a power wheelchair for most of his mobility to avoid overuse of polio-damaged muscles and reduce the ever-present pain throughout his body. In 1992 he joined Polio Network of NJ (PNNJ), an organization dedicated to helping polio survivors and their families deal with PPS, was appointed to their Board of Directors in 2012 and is also now their Liaison for Delaware. Nanni joined Rotary International in 2010 after being a guest lecturer at the Rotary Club of Hamilton Township (Mercer County, NJ). He was appointed to the Rotary District 7510 PolioPlus Committee and was part of the Rotary PolioPlus Delegation to the UN General Assembly’s Special Session on September 27, 2012, with over 100 world leaders and Bill Gates meeting to “Unite Against Polio.” Nanni and his wife are also professional singers who perform throughout the Northeast with their Cabaret Show “Rhapsody in 2”, singing mainly Broadway show tunes and songs from the Great American Songbook at a variety of venues including Nursing Homes, 55+ Communities and benefit concerts for Rotary Clubs.
Mr. Nanni’s “Polio Goals” and “Accessibility Goals” are to:
1. Play a role in helping Rotary International and Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) eradicate Polio worldwide which remains in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
2. Help other polio survivors and their families learn how to best deal with PPS.
3. Advocate for greater accessibility for the handicapped.
4. Help educate doctors and other medical personnel about PPS.
October 15: Anna Ryu conducted a presentation on The Borgen Project, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that was formed to help global poverty reduction bills pass in Congress. The Borgen Project believes that leaders of the most powerful nation on earth should be doing more to address global poverty. Their areas of focus are: global food security; child and mother survival; access to clean water and sanitation, and food aid reform. In 1999, while working as a young volunteer in refugee camps during the Kosovo War and genocide, the organization’s founder Clint Borgen recognized the need for an organization that could focus U.S. political attention on extreme poverty.
Ms. Ryu is currently serving as a Political Affairs Intern for The Borgen Project. During her internship she has conducted lobbying meetings with four congressional offices, mobilized members of her community to email members of Congress, and has given presentations to various classes/college organizations. Ms. Ryu is a current student at Tulane University where she is a member of the Tulane Honors Program. She also serves as Treasurer of Alpha Lambda Delta, an honor society at Tulane, and tutors for children at a local middle school. She is a member of Asian American Student Union, and a volunteer at Children’s Hospital New Orleans. Ms. Ryu is enjoying her experience at Tulane University is excited to present to members of her community back home in Philadelphia.
October 8: Julie Slavet, Executive Director, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership. Ms. Slavet has 40 years of experience in building organizations and serving communities. She came to Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership in 2011, after serving as the senior district staff member for Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz, leading constituent services and outreach efforts in a district of 650,000 people in Montgomery County and Northeast Philadelphia. Julie has worked at city and state levels of government and for a range of non-profit organizations. She earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Smith College and an M.S. in Public Affairs from the University of Massachusetts. A founder of Indivisible PHL, she has served as leadership for the Jenkintown Community Alliance, Montgomery County Democratic Women’s Leadership Initiative, Hiway Theatre, and Jenkintown Library. She is a Democratic Committeeperson in Philadelphia’s Fifth Ward and serves on the Board of Directors of the Fund for the Fairmount Water Works. Slavet has grown to love Philadelphia, and doesn’t miss Boston as much as she once did.
October 1: Jon Haveman, Ph.D. presented “Coronavirus Economics: Where is the U.S. Economy Headed?” Dr. Haveman is the Executive Director of the National Economic Education Delegation (NEED). The organization arises from the significant discrepancy between what economists generally think when it comes to policy issues and the economic arguments made in policy debates. NEED exists to close this gap in order to create an electorate that knows the difference between out-and-out nonsense and the consensus opinions among economists. NEED’s mission is to promote economic policy literacy by putting mainstream economics in front of the general public.
Dr. Haveman is widely considered to be one of California’s leading experts on the economics of seaports, goods movement, and international trade policy. He is also an expert in regional economies and local economic development. He is currently a Principal with Marin Economic Consulting, a boutique consultancy providing reports to government agencies, economic development organizations, and other organizations, in addition to providing expert witness services in legal proceedings. Prior to joining Marin Economic Consulting, Dr. Haveman was the Chief Economist at the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, a founding Principal at Beacon Economics, and the Director of the Economy Program at the Public Policy Institute of California. He has been a Senior Economist with the President's Council of Economic Advisers and an Economist with the Federal Trade Commission, and he has held a faculty position in the Business School at Purdue University. Dr. Haveman holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Economics from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Wisconsin.
A prolific author, Dr. Haveman has published extensively on transportation and security issues at California's seaports, business outsourcing, and trade in technology products. He also has a lengthy record of publishing articles in the areas of labor and international economics and a work history related to private asset accumulation. A well-known media commentator, Dr. Haveman has been quoted in The Economist, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Sacramento Bee, and the San Jose Mercury News, among many other publications. His radio and television appearances include regular interviews on CBS Channel 5 in San Francisco, and interviews on KCBS-AM, KGO-AM, and KQED public radio. Dr. Haveman speaks regularly at events across California and has testified at numerous federal and state government hearings on issues related to seaport activity and security, technology trade, and local economic development.
Dr. Haveman is a prominent speaker. He has given more than 500 talks to groups ranging from high school classes to Congressional hearings. His talks have covered a wide range of subject matter, including general economic conditions in the United States, poverty and income inequality, seaport security, and the implications of autonomous vehicles.
September 17: Melvin Payne, President, Greater Philadelphia Chapter of Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. GPCTA) spoke about the vital role African Americans played in World War II. The mission of GPCTA is to Increase understanding about the Tuskegee Airmen by honoring the accomplishments and perpetuating the history of the men and women who participated in the Tuskegee Experience as air and ground crew operations and support in the Army AIR Corps during World War II. The organization Introduce young people across the world to aviation and science through local chapters and national Young Eagles and TAI youth programs.
In spite of adversity and limited opportunities, African Americans have played a significant role in U.S. military history over the past 300 years. They were denied military leadership roles and skilled training because many believed they lacked qualifications for combat duty. Before 1940, African-Americans were barred from flying for the U.S. military. Civil rights organizations and the black press exerted pressure that resulted in the formation of an all African-American pursuit squadron based in Tuskegee, Alabama, in 1941. They became known as the Tuskegee Airmen.
“Tuskegee Airmen” refers to all who were involved in the so-called “Tuskegee Experience,” the Army Air Corps program to train African-Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen included pilots, navigators, bombardiers, maintenance and support staff, instructors, and all the personnel who kept the planes and pilots in the air. They overcame segregation and prejudice to become one of the most highly respected fighter groups of World War II, and proved conclusively that African Americans could fly and maintain sophisticated combat aircraft. The Tuskegee Airmen’s achievements, together with the men and women who supported them, paved the way for full integration of the U.S. military.
Melvin B. Payne is the President and owner of Knowledge and Success, Inc, a Talent Development through Education Career Exploration company that connects students with Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Professionals and STEM Business to enhance their knowledge and understanding. He is also co-owner of CoubaTravel, a Travel Advisory organization specializing in Group, Cultural and Mission travel. Prior to starting Knowledge and Success, Inc, Mr. Payne held sales, management and executive positions at Bethlehem Steel, Xerox, AT&T and Comcast. Followed by consulting work in the public sector with Delaware Industrial Resource Center, Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board, and the Philadelphia Education Fund.
Mr. Payne is a Vietnam War veteran and holds degrees in Business Administration from Peirce College, Bachelor of Science in Finance from Philadelphia University, and an MBA in Marketing from LaSalle University. He and his wife Denise have served as missionaries in Kenya, Nicaragua, and South Africa since 2007. According to Mr. Payne, “Our goal in life is to make the world a better place for others especially those less fortunate than ourselves.”
September 10: Kevin Katarynick, Rotary District 7450 Governor (2020-21), provided an update on district matters as well as his vision and goals during his term, detailing many of the initiatives he has made and will continue to implement during his tenure. He was accompanied by Assistant Governor, Christina Spolsky.
Mr. Katarynick joined the Rotary Club of King of Prussia in 2012 and from the start became active in several duties that included the club’s membership and fundraising committees and efforts to increase its social media and web presence. He was elected to the club’s Board of Directors in 2014 and served as president in 2015-16. He recently became a Paul Harris Society member and generated and participated in numerous service projects for his club. As the Area 5 Assistant Governor, he organized Rotarians at Workday projects including tree planting and site cleanup at the Paul Harris Memorial at Valley Forge National Historical Park. He initiated a Rise Against Hunger event that involved more than 70 Rotarians who packaged over 17,000 meals.
In 2014, Mr. Katarynick joined the District Conference Planning Committees for 2014-15 and 2015-16. He also served as Area 5 AG in 2016-17. He was elected to the District 7450 Board of Directors as the Member-at-Large for Areas 4, 5, and 6 for 2017-18, while also participating in the District’s Strategic Planning and Bylaws Review Committees.
Mr. Katarynick graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in Administration of Justice. He has spent more than 23 years in the field of public safety, and for the last 21 years has been employed by Upper Merion Township. He is a 23-year member of the King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company and has served as president, vice president, and Chairman of the Board of Directors. He represented his community as a delegate to the Firemen’s Association of the State of Pennsylvania. Mr. Katarynick now serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the King of Prussia Firefighters’ Association. He is a lifetime resident of King of Prussia where he lives with his wife, Linda.
September 3: Oscar Armas-Luy, presented “The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence.” Everyone has heard terms like “artificial intelligence” and “machine learning” being thrown around. Mr. Armas-Luy broke down exactly what Artificial Intelligence (AI) is in layman’s terms and talked about what’s possible with today's technology. His discussion included the serious ethical questions researchers are grappling with today as AI becomes more common in our society. He concluded with an optimistic look at how ethical AI might transform our society and be used to elevate all people.
Oscar Armas-Luy received his undergraduate degree in finance from Temple University and is currently pursuing an MBA with a focus in business analytics. Prior to starting at SAP, one of the world’s largest software makers, Armas-Luy ran a startup focused on Artificial Intelligence and Marketing Automation in the digital advertising industry. Today, Oscar leads sales operations for one of SAP’s most productive business units globally.
While Mr. Armas-Luy is in a business role, he has a long history in technical roles. His first job was at the age of 13 when he was hired to design, implement, and manage the digital e-commerce and fulfillment infrastructure for a water valve company in Wayne, PA. He was recognized as part of the Hacktoberfest awards in 2018 for his contribution to open source projects for computer science education and has recently been published as a contributor to Mathematics for Machine Learning, a textbook published by Cambridge University Press, and popular columns for publications including Towards Data Science and Better Marketing. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia where he serves on the Public Image and Programs Committees and liaison with Liguori Academy’s Interact Club.
August 27: Jay Pennie, President, Rotary Club of Philadelphia, conducted the second part of a Club Assembly focused on Strategic Planning. The Strategic Planning Committee continued the discussion from the previous week's meeting by reviewing the goals and tasks that support the five strategic initiatives. Members have an opportunity to provide feedback and guidance on the developing plan.
August 20: Jay Pennie, President, Rotary Club of Philadelphia, conducted a Club Assembly focused on Strategic Planning. The Strategic Planning Committee reviews the goals and tasks that support the five strategic initiatives. Members have an opportunity to provide feedback and guidance on the developing plan.
August 13: D.F. Pace, from the Philadelphia Police Department, made a return visit to speak about his recent work as a Rotary International Peace Scholar. Police Inspector Pace, a graduate of the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Fellowship, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, was chosen from among thousands of applicants. As an attorney and Police Inspector in the nation's fourth largest police department, Capt. Pace focuses on balancing constitutional protections and civil rights with public safety. He currently heads the Philadelphia Police Department’s Police Board of Inquiry. In addition to his patrol experience, Pace has also held positions in the Law Department, as Judge Advocate, Police Academy Instructor, Public Information Officer and Commanding Officer of the Court Evidence Unit. He considered his involvement in the Rotary Peace Fellow Certificate Program to be “on a par with that at the FBI National Academy,” and the training gave him skills and insights that has influenced and been applied throughout his career in law enforcement. Pace is no stranger to the lectern. A veteran adjunct professor, he has taught and continues to teach graduate and undergraduate courses at several colleges and universities.
Read more: philadelphiarotary.org/promoting-peace
August 6: Stephen Smith presented “A criminologist reflects on the state of crime and justice.” A lifelong Philadelphian, Mr. Smith is a graduate of Temple University and Cambridge University, with degrees in Criminal Justice and Philosophy/Criminology. Most of his professional career has been spent conducting research on crime and justice, consulting for Local, State and Federal law enforcement agencies, and teaching criminology at Temple, St. Joseph’s and Drexel University. According to Mr. Smith, he currently lives in Old City with his wife (who is probably a better criminologist than he is!), his two dogs, and on occasion his two sons who visit from California and Oregon, especially when they need something.
July 30: Dr. Vicki L. Bralow, DO presented: “Update on the COVID-19 Pandemic.” Dr. Bralow spoke about her professional experiences dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in her local medical practice over the past several months. Dr. Bralow, a Rotary Club of Philadelphia member, provided the latest updates on the virus, and answer questions. She is board certified in Family Practice and has been practicing primary care for almost 30 years in Philadelphia. Her hospital affiliations include Pennsylvania Hospital and the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Bralow was recognized as one of Philadelphia Magazine’s ‘Top Doctors’ in 2018 and 2019, and was featured on CBS 3 Healthwatch with Stephanie Stahl in 2017.
July 23: Hon. Christopher M. Rabb, Pennsylvania State Representative presented: “The State of the Democratic Party.” Representative Rabb describes himself as a father, educator, author, and social justice activist.
While a visiting researcher at Princeton University, Rep. Rabb wrote the ground-breaking book, "Invisible Capital: How Unseen Forces Shape Entrepreneurial Opportunity" (2010). Shortly after an appearance on WHYY’s Radio Times in 2011, he was recruited to teach at Temple University's Richard J. Fox School of Business and Management where he was the Social Impact Fellow at the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute and taught social entrepreneurship and organizational innovation. He is currently a board member of Friends of the Wissahickon and Race Forward and has been on the faculty of the Institute for Strategic Leadership at Drexel University's Bennett S. LeBow College of Business. He has been a fellow at Demos, the Poynter Institute and the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Rep. Rabb previously served on the boards of the Bread and Roses Community Fund, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, and The Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, which was founded by his great-great grandfather in 1892.
A former U.S. Senate legislative aide and writer, researcher and trainer at the White House Conference on Small Business in the Clinton administration, Rep. Rabb is a thought leader at the intersection of politics, media entrepreneurship and social identity. He has appeared as a guest on several local and national media outlets, including: The New York Times, The Huffington Post, MSNBC, NPR, Philadelphia Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Associated Press. A graduate of Yale College and the University of Pennsylvania, Rep. Rabb is an avid family historian and genealogist. He lives in East Mt. Airy with his two sons.
July 16: Members of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia conducted a joint virtual meeting with members of the Rotary Club of Nottingham, England. The "twin" clubs have a long and storied history which dates back from the first Rotary International Convention in England in 1921, through World War II, and up to the present day. Among the more notable collaborations, the Rotary Club of Philadelphia bought two “Rolling Kitchens” for the Nottingham club to use in disaster areas during World War II. Read more on our blog: A “Twin Cities” Club Friendship in Two Countries Continues for Almost a Century
July 9: Cassandra Bolding, LPC, MAC presented: “Collective Grief and COVID-19: The Mental Health Challenges Living in the Time of a Pandemic.” For over 18 years Ms. Bolding is an internationally Certified Addictions Counselor, HIV counselor, and a trauma specialist, program director, and therapist. She is versatile in the field of mindfulness-based stress management and holds a master’s degree in human services from Lincoln University.
Ms. Bolding brings over 15 years’ stellar experience in supporting the growth and development of refined approaches to the treatment of chemically dependent, HIV positive populations. She also brings extensive clinical experience across several health facilities. Her career encompasses the areas of training, leading, and collaborating. Furthermore, she brings a comprehensive career highlight in the healthcare industry and has made significant impacts on every aspect of her work. She serves as an addiction counselor, psychotherapist, HIV counselor, coach, and educator and specializes in working with people of color, community, family, or individuals faced with the issues of depression, anxiety, addiction: (sexual, gambling, alcohol, drugs, and shopping), and trauma (violence-related, sexual, combat-related and emotional). Since embarking on her journey, she is privileged to have worked with people from all works of life, giving them the support and guidance that they need to live healthier and fulfilling lives. Furthermore, she has inspired creative solutions that improve the quality of life.
Ms. Bolding is the founder of Cassandra Bolding LPC and Diaspora Within Inc., established to counsel, train, and coach people of color. She is an exemplary leader and a compassionate professional who strives to see people live confidently. Beyond her career, she is greatly involved in community work and public awareness, providing training and consulting services to government, community-based and private organizations. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia.
June 25: Kurt Stroemel, President of the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia, presented grant awards to eight area nonprofit organizations: Rotoplast International; Women in Transition; Brighter Horizon Foundation; The Live Well Foundation; Daughters of the American Revolution; Independence Hall Chapter; Reading Allowed; Liguori Academy; S. Weir Mitchell Elementary School, and Conquerors Community Development Center. The Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia is supported and operated by club members. Established years ago by generous and visionary members, the foundation grants approximately $30,000 each year to organizations in need, both locally and internationally. The foundation uses members’ knowledge of local and international matters to identify areas of need, and together work to improve that community. Using the same knowledge and connections, along with a passion for doing good, the foundation provides financial support to nonprofit organizations through its grant program.
June 18: Jay Pennie, President, Rotary Club of Philadelphia, presented a comprehensive review and celebrated with members the successes over the past year. Included in his presentation, Certificate of Appreciation awards to honor members for their service over the past year were issued. He also welcomed and inducted the new club officers and directors for the 2020-2021 year.
June 4: Joan Batory presented "Recycling: An Economic Driver." Joan was the former Chester County Recycling Coordinator responsible for initiating municipal recycling programs throughout the county and the former Philadelphia Recycling Coordinator recruited by then Mayor Rendell to increase recycling in the city. Joan served in numerous roles in Rotary including President of the Rotary Club of Philadelphia and District Governor of 51 Rotary clubs in the Greater Philadelphia Metro area charged with managing leadership training, event planning, a corporate board and corporate financing and motivating 1500 member and leaders to provide outstanding community service locally and globally.
May 21: Joe Smith presented “Toastmasters and Rotary — Working Together”. Recently, Rotary International President Mark Daniel Maloney announced a new partnership with Toastmasters International. As a Distinguished Toastmaster, Mr. Smith will outline Toastmaster's benefits as a public speaking and leadership organization. A portion of the session will be an open discussion on how we may work together for the betterment of both groups. Toastmasters International is a non-profit educational organization that teaches public speaking and leadership skills through a worldwide network of clubs. Headquartered in Englewood, Colo., the organization's membership exceeds 358,000 in more than 16,800 clubs in 143 countries. Since 1924, Toastmasters International has helped people from diverse backgrounds become more confident speakers, communicators and leaders. Joe has been a Toastmaster since 2013 and has served numerous leadership positions at the club and district level. He is currently the Club Growth Director for Toastmasters District 38 which encompasses Eastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey.
May 14: Paul T. Sosnowski, Esq. was selected the Grand Marshal Pulaski Day Parade in Philadelphia in recognition of his many years of leadership and service to the Polish American community in Southeastern Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley area. His family has a long history of active involvement with the Polish National Alliance, America’s largest national fraternal organization.
Mr. Sosnowski has extensive history of working in the financial services industry and is skilled in credit union auditing, banking, litigation, and corporate and employment law. He received his Juris Doctor from Temple University - James E. Beasley School of Law. He is currently serving as Senior Vice President, Head of Internal Audit, at the Polish and Slavic Federal Credit Union. Some of his prior positions include serving as an attorney with the U.S. Postal Service in Philadelphia where he concentrated on employment litigation and related matters, and as Assistant Counsel for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board while engaged in private practice with an emphasis on civil and criminal litigation.
Mr. Sosnowski also serves on the Boards of the Polish American Cultural Center and Museum, Polish American Social Services and Jagiellonian Law Society in Philadelphia, and a National Director and member of the American Agenda Committee of the Polish American Congress. He served as National Vice President for Financial Development of the Polish American Congress from 1998 to 2000 and President of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area Division from 1997 to 1999. Always active in his community, he was a Commissioner on the Philadelphia Human Relations Commission from 1982 to 1984 and a member of the Alexandria, Virginia, Consumer Affairs Commission from 1994 to 1995.
May 7: Rohan Sharma (Rx Mundi), a rapper/songwriter from the suburbs of Philadelphia, conducted a presentation entitled “Order Out of Chaos”, centering around his personal journey with mental health issues. Sharma, currently in recovery living with Bipolar Type 1, had a manic episode his first year of medical school which resulted in serving 23 months in county jail in Philadelphia. During his incarceration, his passion for mental health was ignited and he learned to express himself through poetry and rap. Shortly after his release in April 2015, he began speaking at schools for the National Alliance on Mental Illness, whose mission is to provide advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives. He has presented to thousands of students, where he shares his message of why it's so important to find ways to express yourself and not keep things bottled up inside. He also documented his own personal story in a memoir titled "A Very Thin Line: My Journey with Bipolar".
April 23: Victoria Lynch spoke about her most recently completed book “Trump Wins in 2020: (With the Popular Vote)”: a gripping and insightful review of President Trump’s triumphs and time in office, in addition to the framework behind his impending re-election. Published by Fulton Books, Victoria Lynch’s book is an in-depth look at the Presidential term of Donald Trump and why he will be re-elected in 2020. Although some would question the validity of this statement, the author is quick to point out that in addition to a red-hot economy, middle-class wages have risen. Trump has delivered on his promise of job creation, is fighting for Immigration reform, and has fulfilled his campaign promise to appoint conservative Justices.
Victoria Lynch is a Black conservative living in Philadelphia since 2012. She is married with three millennial kids. She has worked in the high tech space (with two fortune 100 companies), for 21 years and co-founded a consultant company specializing in call center optimization. She completed her graduate work in Higher Education from the University of Pennsylvania. Growing up outside of Washington DC, in a lower middle-class family, liberal politics and alignment with the Democratic Party were considered the norm. As a young adult, she began to research politics and social policy. Her findings lead her to conclude liberal policies have hurt the Black community, discouraged individualism, influenced people away from self-reliance, and mocked American exceptionalism.
Ms. Lynch could see the signs of Trump’s 2016 win well before most. She saw how well Trump connected with middle-America and the working class. Her first book “Red State America — Unpacking the 2016 Presidential Election,” explained Trump’s win. Her follow up book, “Trump Wins in 2020: (With the Popular Vote),” continues the conversation discussing provocative issues like open borders, immigration reform, single parent households, urban plantations, our political differences make us stronger, as well as the Rural and Urban cultural divide.
April 16: Graviel Nuel Jacobo, President & Founder of Centro de Prótesis & Terapia Física, spoke about the Christian non-profit organization which provides prosthetic legs and arms to those who have lost lower and upper extremities. They also provide counseling for people with traumatic amputations and physical therapy for amputees and special needs kids living in highly precarious conditions of the Dominican Republic at no cost. Prosthetics, counseling and therapy care are provided to all without regard to race, color, gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, marital status, disability or national origin. The organization partnered with the Rotary Club of Portland and through them they were able to hold the first prosthetic clinic in the Dominican Republic.
Graviel was born in a Sugarcane Batey in the Dominican Republic. At the age of six living with his parents and ten siblings in a very small village with no running water or electricity, he went to the railroad tracks to harvest sugar cane to eat as his family had no food. While looking for food he fell on the railroad tracks and was run over by a railroad car and lost his entire right leg. For 12 years he used crutches as he had no prosthetic leg and walked three hours to school every day and back. While working in the cafeteria at the Hospital El Buen Samaritano in La Romana, he met American doctors who helped him to the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Springfield, MA where in 2007 he received his first prosthetic leg. He worked hard in rehabilitation and amazed the doctors and physical therapists who were helping him. Graviel is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Creole.
April 2: Dr. Vicki L. Bralow, DO spoke about her experience dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in her local medical practice. Dr. Bralow, a Rotary Club of Philadelphia member, provided the latest updates on the virus, and answered questions. She is board certified in Family Practice and has been practicing primary care for almost 30 years in Philadelphia. Her hospital affiliations include Pennsylvania Hospital and the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. Dr. Bralow was recognized as one of Philadelphia Magazine’s ‘Top Doctors’ in 2018 and 2019, and was featured on CBS 3 Healthwatch with Stephanie Stahl in 2017.
~meeting canceled~ March 5: Graviel Nuel Jacobo, President & Founder of Centro de Prótesis & Terapia Física, rescheduled for April 16.
February 20: Stanley Barbel III spoke of his diverse experiences in the U. S. Army Reserved Officer Training Corps program. He describes himself as wearing many “hats” including an aerospace engineer, industrial designer, and aspiring Army officer. But his passion is helping people. Barbel received his Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University and his Master of Science degree Industrial and Product Design from Philadelphia University. He is currently a graduate student at Thomas Jefferson University.
February 6: Paul Quintavalla, Immediate Past District Governor 7450 gave a presentation on Rotoplast International, Inc., founded by a Rotarian and a doctor in 1992 to help children with cleft lip and/or palate, burn scarring, and other deformities. Working with local professionals, Rotarians, and other organizations, Rotaplast sends multidisciplinary medical teams to provide free reconstructive surgery, ancillary treatment, and training for the comprehensive care of these children. Rotaplast also supports education and research towards prevention of cleft lip and/or palate. Their aim is to help local professionals build sustainable models for the care of these children, improving their lives and those of their families.
Quintavalla and his wife Jeanne are native New Yorkers who have lived in Broomall for thirty years where they have raised two sons He has been a member of the Broomall Rotary Club since 2007 and served in every officer and committee role, created community service projects, and continues to chair the Rotary Foundation committee. Since 2009, he served with and raised funds for Rotoplast International and has participated in five overseas missions.
Also presenting was Rebecca Gulinello, a fourth-year resident artist at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia. Hailing from Australia, she studied in Italy for three months in 2014 on scholarship with the Acclaim awards and Rotary Clubs of Melbourne and Cheltenham. Rebecca has won numerous awards and accolades for her vocal performances. She sang, and spoke about the February 29th fundraising concert she's organizing for the Rotary National Bushfires Appeal. (Read more about the concert on our Events page.)
January 16: Scott Cooper, Ph. D., President and CEO, The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University, spoke on the current status and future programs of the more than 200 year-old institution dedicated to advancing research, education, and public engagement, biodiversity, and environmental science.
Mr. Cooper has spent over two decades protecting, promoting and transforming cultural sites and institutions in countries around the world. He studied engineering at the University of Manchester and architectural conservation at Edinburgh College of Art, and was awarded a UNESCO scholarship to study stone conservation in Venice, subsequently returning to Edinburgh to complete his doctoral research on Scottish history. He joined the Academy after four years as vice president of collections, knowledge and engagement at the Royal British Columbia Museum in Victoria, Canada. Previously, Mr. Cooper was director of museums at the Qatar Foundation in Doha, Qatar, where he oversaw a $65 million capital project to create four ground-breaking heritage house museums. From 2003 to 2011 Mr. Cooper was CEO of the Fulham Palace Trust, where he saved from dereliction one of England’s most important historic sites to create what is now one of London’s most beloved and accessible heritage attractions. He has served as treasurer of the International Council of Museums and is the author of several scholarly papers on the history of Scotland’s historic buildings and designed landscapes.
2019
December 19: Brass Quintet Holiday Concert with students from Play On Philly. Play On Philly (POP) was founded in 2011 by Curtis Institute of Music graduate Stanford Thompson and Philanthropist Carole Haas Gravagno, and now celebrates nearly a decade of providing high-quality music education at no cost to underserved students in Philadelphia. Participants receive music instruction and ensemble practice every day after school and over 25 performance opportunities throughout the year. Students range from kindergarten to 12th grade and are loaned an orchestral instrument. POP students have scored higher on standardized tests and have improved behavior and study skills. POP cultivates musical excellence, lifelong skills and confidence.
December 5: Frank Giordano, Executive Director of the United States Semiquincentennial Commission, spoke on the plans for the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary. The Semiquincentennial Commission is the official government body established by Congress, and is charged with planning and coordinating observances and activities associated with the 250th commemoration throughout the country. The Commission will be at the center of a network of federal, state and local entities working together to make the 250th a once-in-a-lifetime experience for all Americans. Mr. Giordano also serves as President and CEO of the Philly POPS, and President and CEO of Atlantic Trailer Leasing Corporation. He is the Honorary Consul of Malta for Pennsylvania, and was appointed by the President of the United States to the President’s Advisory Committee on the Arts of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Mr. Giordano has received many honors and awards for his work, including the prestigious Order of the Merit of the Italian Republic by the Ambassador of Italy, the Philadelphia Business Hall of Fame Award, the Philadelphia Music Alliance’s inaugural Platinum Award, and a City Council of Philadelphia Citation.
November 14: Douglas Cook spoke on The Rotary International Foundation — how it works, why it is important to support, and how grant making benefits local Rotary Clubs around the world. Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects around the world.
Mr. Cook served as the PDG, District 7430, Southeastern Pennsylvania. He was raised in southern N.J. and attended Rutgers University earning a BA degree in Accounting. In 1996 he graduated Beta Gamma Sigma from the Executive MBA program at the University of New Hampshire. Doug secured his CPA licenses in 1986 and became a Certified Insurance Counselor in 2006.
Mr. Cook’s professional career began in Philadelphia as a CPA. He has worked for nearly three decades in the insurance industry in both finance and sales. Today he is a Territory Manager with Patriot National Insurance in Conshohocken PA. He is an Adjunct Professor at Eastern University in their Master of Business Administration program and Cabrini College in the Department of Finance, and teaches finance, accounting, risk management and insurance for these schools.
November 7: Peter Mardinly, Rotary District 7450 Governor (2019-2020), provided an update on district matters as well as his vision and goals during his term, detailing many of the initiatives he has made and will continue to implement during his tenure. DG Mardinly will also lead the induction ceremony for two new members to the club.
In addition, the Rotary Foundation of Philadelphia President, Kurt Stroemel presented grant awards to the recipients of three nonprofit organizations.
Peter joined the Rotary Club of Media in 1981 and served on the board in many capacities both before and after he was 1997-98 Club President. Peter’s service to District 7450 has included many committee positions, twice serving as District Secretary and on the Board of Directors. A graduate Yale University, Boston University School of Law and holding a Master of Laws in Taxation from the Temple University School of Law, Peter continues to work full time as an attorney focusing on real estate, business, taxation and estates. Among many other volunteer activities, Peter was chair of the Building Committee when the Rocky Run YMCA was initially built, and served on the Board of Managers for over twenty years, is Past President of the Delaware County Attorney-CPA Forum, and serves on the Delaware County Library Foundation. Peter’s wife Sue is a fellow Rotarian, and is currently District 7450 Interact Chair and District Secretary. Sue is the President of a charity that supports a school for the poorest of the poor in, Haiti. This year’s theme ‘Rotary Connects the World’ resonates with Peter as it was through Rotary that he and Sue had the opportunity to participate in a immunization day in India, travel to Haiti and International Conventions, be temporary homes for Rotary Exchange Students, and host several Rotary Group Study Exchanges. Peter hosted a Group Study Exchange from Morocco 19 years ago and is still in contact with the Rotarian who chaired the Moroccan team - who is now DGN for his District.
October 17: John Nanni is a Polio Survivor and suffers from severe Post-Polio Syndrome (PPS). At the age of 10 months old in 1953, months before the Salk vaccine was distributed, Nanni was paralyzed from his neck down for 6 months. With the help of his family, he took his first steps a year later. Nanni grew up in Binghamton, New York and graduated from the State University of New York at Delhi with a degree in Hotel, Restaurant Management. He worked in the Hospitality Industry for 20 years before starting the Paper And Ribbon Supply Company, which sold products to the restaurant industry. In 2000, Nanni sold his business because PPS took a toll on his ability to effectively run it. He is limited to fewer than a couple of hundred walking steps per day, and uses a power wheelchair for most of his mobility to avoid overuse of polio-damaged muscles and reduce the ever-present pain throughout his body. In 1992 he joined Polio Network of NJ (PNNJ), an organization dedicated to helping polio survivors and their families deal with PPS, was appointed to their Board of Directors in 2012 and is also now their Liaison for Delaware. Nanni joined Rotary International in 2010 after being a guest lecturer at the Rotary Club of Hamilton Township (Mercer County, NJ). He was appointed to the Rotary District 7510 PolioPlus Committee and was part of the Rotary PolioPlus Delegation to the UN General Assembly’s Special Session on September 27, 2012, with over 100 world leaders and Bill Gates meeting to “Unite Against Polio.” Nanni and his wife are also professional singers who perform throughout the Northeast with their Cabaret Show “Rhapsody in 2”, singing mainly Broadway show tunes and songs from the Great American Songbook at a variety of venues including Nursing Homes, 55+ Communities and benefit concerts for Rotary Clubs.
Mr. Nanni’s “Polio Goals” and “Accessibility Goals” are to:
1. Play a role in helping Rotary International and Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) eradicate Polio worldwide which remains in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.
2. Help other polio survivors and their families learn how to best deal with PPS.
3. Advocate for greater accessibility for the handicapped.
4. Help educate doctors and other medical personnel about PPS.
Mr. Nanni’s presentation is in support of World Polio Day, October 24, 2019 in which thousands of Rotary Clubs around the world hold events and fundraisers to recognize progress made in the global fight to end Polio. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia members will be hosting an event to raise funds for eradicating Polio on October 25.
October 3: Reginald A. Howard is a Mental Health Advocate, Podcaster, Author, Coach and Speaker. Being in the community is his sweet spot for mental health. He loves working with people in small groups because he’s able to be intimate especially within the black community. Most people can’t afford therapy or don’t want to go, and that’s when Reginald comes in to open the discussion. He knows first-hand the suffering that people facing mental health issues experience. As a teenager, he had destructive visions but never acted on them out of fear of consequences. His struggles continued as an adult where stress from dating and fatherhood sent him into a deep depression. That depression escalated over time and eventually lead to multiple suicide attempts. Reginald uses his story to deal with his own issues by helping, healing and hearing others. His platforms are dedicated to the advancement of society by problem solving through communication. He plans to be the bridge that brings the world closer together.
September 19: Irene Lindsay Brantley’s passion is working to empower victims and survivors of domestic violence and substance abuse to make positive changes in their lives, free of addiction, poverty, and violence. She began in 1994 as a volunteer Hotline Counselor at Women In Transition (WIT), a nonprofit which provides empowerment counseling, referrals and advocacy to women in Philadelphia who are endangered by domestic violence and/or substance abuse. Soon afterwards, she accepted employment as Life Management Counselor, and was later promoted to Director of Community Education and Training, and designed and facilitated trainings, workshops, and panel discussions on safety and sobriety. Today, she is WIT’s Program Director and manages the Counseling, Community Education, and Volunteer programs. She is also the co-founder of two WIT signature programs: Sister Circle and Survivors Network. Irene is a Certified Domestic Violence Counselor (CDVC) and a graduate of Philadelphia University with an A.S. in Para-Legal Studies and a B.S. in Human Resource Management. In May 2007, she was the recipient of the Purple Ribbon Award presented by Lutheran Settlement House. In her spare time she enjoys gardening, dancing, and training her dog not to chew wallpaper.
September 5: D.F. Pace, from the Philadelphia Police Department, made a return visit to speak about his recent work as a Rotary International Peace Scholar. Police Inspector Pace, a graduate of the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Fellowship, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, was chosen from among thousands of applicants. As an attorney and Police Inspector in the nation's fourth largest police department, Capt. Pace focuses on balancing constitutional protections and civil rights with public safety. He currently heads the Philadelphia Police Department’s Police Board of Inquiry. In addition to his patrol experience, Pace has also held positions in the Law Department, as Judge Advocate, Police Academy Instructor, Public Information Officer and Commanding Officer of the Court Evidence Unit. He considered his involvement in the Rotary Peace Fellow Certificate Program to be “on a par with that at the FBI National Academy,” and the training gave him skills and insights that has influenced and been applied throughout his career in law enforcement. Pace is no stranger to the lectern. A veteran adjunct professor, he has taught and continues to teach graduate and undergraduate courses at several colleges and universities.
August 15: Five Mandela Fellows will be visiting from African nations Bukina Faso, Cameroon, Namibia, Togo, and Gambia to introduce their work in Philadelphia completing their professional development internships. Participants in The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders’ program, through the U.S. Department of State, participate in internships in 12 major cities across the U.S. and are comprised of young professionals aged 25‒35 who are interested in connecting with Rotary Clubs for social networking, cultural exchange and overall fellowship.
The day’s guest speaker, Camille Ragin, Ph.D., M.P.H., is well known for her research on cancer disparities affecting populations of African descent. Among many accomplishments, Dr. Ragin, an associate professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, founded and leads the African-Caribbean Cancer Consortium, which furthers the study of genetic, lifestyle, and environmental cancer risk. She published in the journal Cancer about a link between African ancestry and poor survival rates in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. She is active in several organizations that connect underserved populations of African descent to critical healthcare and educational services, including the Mayor’s Commission on African and Caribbean Affairs, the African Family Health Organization, and the Elise Joseph Foundation. Dr. Ragin established the Cancer Prevention Project of Philadelphia (CAP3), a cancer prevention registry that enrolls persons with no known cancer diagnosis. She is also doing her part to train the next generation of African American scientists. Every year she serves as mentor and trainer for two students recruited from historically black colleges. Dr. Ragin has earned many notable awards, including an International Community Service Award, and several Citations from the City Council of Philadelphia. In November 2016 she received the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Control Award, for her unique contributions to cancer education and training.
August 1: Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer and Planetarium Director for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and NASA Solar System Ambassador made a return visit, with an enlightening talk about NASA and exploration of the great red planet Mars. Pitts has held numerous positions in academic and community organizations. He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including being selected as one of the “50 Most Important Blacks in Research Science,” recognized with one of Philadelphia’s highest honors, the “Liberty Bell Award” and declared as a "Philadelphia Hero" for his contribution to educating and exposing children to the sciences. Active in the community, Pitts advocates for the need to prepare young people for a far different and challenging future by giving all children access to an equal education.
July 25: Stanford Thompson is a musician and educator who serves as the Founder and Executive Director of Play On, Philly! and Founding Board Chairman of El Sistema USA, bringing music education to students in underserved areas throughout Philadelphia and beyond. Recognized as a TED Fellow, Stanford believes that music education is a powerful tool for positive personal and community change. Mr. Thompson serves on the faculties of the Global Leaders Program, SAAVY Arts Venture, and Dean of the Sphinx LEAD program while regularly lecturing at major Universities and Conservatories about leadership, entrepreneurship and social justice. As a consultant, he has guided the development of dozens of music programs across the United States and collaborated with major orchestras and arts organizations to develop new strategies and initiatives that helps provide equitable access to the arts. As a professional trumpeter, Stanford has performed as soloist and section member with major orchestras around the world and continues to perform chamber music and jazz. Stanford is a native of Atlanta, GA and hold degrees from The Curtis Institute of Music and the New England Conservatory’s Sistema Fellows Program.
July 18: Greg Bradley, Individual Giving Manager at Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia, spoke about his life-changing experience in Kenya, helping build a home for a family in need with Global Village, Habitat’s international volunteer program. Under the program, teams travel to over 40 countries to work alongside communities, build housing solutions, and experience local culture. Their goal is to change the lives of the people they serve, as well as the lives of the volunteers. Greg showed photos of the trip and let us know that volunteers are needed to do a building project in Central America in the Fall.
June 6: Barry Johnson, from the U.S. World War One Centennial Commission, which was created by Congress in 2013 to provide public outreach, education programs, and commemorative events recognizing the 4.7 million veterans of America’s ‘most forgotten war.’ In 2014, Congress also authorized the Commission to create the first-ever National WWI Memorial in Washington D.C. Johnson emphasizes the importance of giving meaning to the events 100 years ago that fundamentally changed America. “The modern American nation that we know today really emerged from the first world war. We were a completely different country after the first world war and we remain so. It’s a largely forgotten generation and era, but they did their duty. We’re the beneficiaries of their sacrifice and their courage,” says Johnson.
May 2: Patrick Foley, CFP® and Kristin Hillsley, MBA, Baird financial advisors of the Foley Hillsley Group in Blue Bell, PA, spoke about the three things needed to increase the odds of happiness in retirement, and handed out their book Winning at Retirement: A Guide to Health, Wealth & Purpose in the Best Years of Your Life. The acclaimed how-to guide provides step-by-step instructions on practical matters like investing, Social Security, and Medicare, but also takes an entertaining and inspirational look at the quest for happiness in the post-work years.
April 18: Martha Sharkey, president and founder of TODAY is a Good Day, a nonprofit which provides personal, spiritual and financial support to families of premature babies during their time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).
April 4: Paul Quintavalla, District 7450 Governor (2018-19), provided an update on district matters as well as his vision and goals during his term, detailing many of the initiatives he has made and will continue to implement during his tenure. Through Rotary's Rotoplast program, which provides surgery to children with cleft lips and palates, Quintavalla has been on several missions to third world countries to provide volunteer support when doctors perform surgery.
March 21: Sue Livingston, Educational Coordinator at Epilepsy Foundation of Eastern PA, spoke on the understanding and awareness of people living with epilepsy, a chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent seizures. With the myths and stigma associated with the disorder, the emotional weight of epilepsy can cause a greater loss of one’s quality of life than the seizures themselves. One of Sue’s passions about working with the Foundation is her involvement as the Medical Director for the EFEPA’s Camp Achieve, a week-long overnight camp for children and teens with epilepsy.
March 7: Andre Lekich, adventurer and world traveler, and founder of Ecco Adventures, which aims to provide travelers with authentic northern Italian experiences and ‘off the beaten path’ adventures.
February 21: Eda Skolnik from the Czech Republic and Romain Potgens from Belgium, students in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, spoke of their experiences while visiting the U.S. and living their home country.
February 7: Dr. June Bretz, organizational consultant to Philadelphia READS, a nonprofit which provides access to books and offers community programs for children and families to foster a love of reading and increase literacy in Philadelphia.
January 3: D.F. Pace, Peace Scholar and graduate of the Rotary Peace and Conflict Studies Fellowship, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand, was chosen from among thousands of applicants. As an attorney and Police Inspector in the nation's fourth largest police department, Capt. Pace focuses on balancing constitutional protections and civil rights with public safety. He currently heads the Philadelphia Police Department’s Police Board of Inquiry. In addition to his patrol experience, Pace has also held positions in the Law Department, as Judge Advocate, Police Academy Instructor, Public Information Officer and Commanding Officer of the Court Evidence Unit. He considered his involvement in the Rotary Peace Fellow Certificate Program to be “on a par with that at the FBI National Academy,” and the training gave him skills and insights that has influenced and been applied throughout his career in law enforcement.
2018
December 6: Dr. Michele Meltzer, a Jefferson University rheumatologist and founder of Rheumatology for All, whose mission is to increase access to rheumatology care and create self-sustaining rheumatology training programs, and funding education of local physicians in under-resourced regions. Dr. Meltzer spoke of the hospital/clinic located in Ethiopia, where the population is over a hundred million with no practicing rheumatologist. Although disability generally increases with age, rheumatic diseases are among the leading causes of disability worldwide, and often affect children and adults in their prime. In addition to needless suffering resulting in under or un-employment or even mortality, the practical effect of the lack of rheumatology expertise is profound.
November 15: Signe Wilkinson, award-winning editorial cartoonist and lecturer, and the first female to win the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning. Wilkinson’s work appears in the Philadelphia Inquirer, Daily News, Philly.com, and other online sources, and has been syndicated into 100 other newspapers across the USA. She states that her proudest achievement was being named "the Pennsylvania State Vegetable Substitute" by a former speaker of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
November 1: Derrick Pitts, Chief Astronomer and Planetarium Director for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, has held numerous positions in academic and community organizations. Pitts has been the recipient of numerous awards, including being selected as one of the “50 Most Important Blacks in Research Science,” recognized with one of Philadelphia’s highest honors, the “Liberty Bell Award” and declared as a "Philadelphia Hero" for his contribution to educating and exposing children to the sciences. Active in the community, Pitts advocates for the need to prepare young people for a far different and challenging future by giving all children access to an equal education.
October 18: Anthony Stover, Community Relations Manager for the Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House, which provides temporary lodging, transportation, meals, and social services to families of seriously ill children being treated at local hospitals, creating a community of comfort and hope. The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House has grown from a single idea to the model for over 350 houses in 38 countries.
September 20: Mike Marrone, Liguori Academy President, shared the mission of the school, while Jeff Wilson from the Central Pennsylvania Scholarship Fund talked about the importance of the PA tax credit program. The Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit (OSTC) allows individuals and businesses to turn their tax dollars into scholarships, giving tax payers the opportunity to CHOOSE how their money gets spent. OSTC has enabled the school to provide tuition assistance to more than 90% of their students.
Sept. 6: Sarah Locklund, manager of outreach and education for Herbology, a medical cannabis dispensary offering holistic services. Sarah has travelled extensively in Latin America, working on farms and cultivating medicinal herbs, helping those in need by spreading knowledge about holistic healthcare. Her presentation covered the science, facts, and laws associated with medical cannabis, as well as the application process for getting a medical marijuana ID card in Pennsylvania.
August 16: Chris Gasperi, co-founder of Ekenywa, spoke about his non-profit’s mission to provide clean water and sanitation to break the cycle of poverty in schools and communities in Kenya. Chris was born, raised and educated in Philadelphia, but with his wife and family left a comfortable American life to dedicate themselves to raising the quality of life of others in need.
July 19: Todd Hemperly, a motivational speaker whose upbeat message inspires and gives hope to the world about how to cope with challenges. Born with no arms, deformed legs and a host of other disabilities, Todd shares his belief that “Impossible is not a word, it's a self imposed prison!”
July 12: Dana Dobson, an award-winning public relations expert and author of How to Reach Millions with Artful PR. Over her 30-year career, she has developed winning PR strategies for both Fortune 500 companies and small business owners to solve their two biggest marketing challenges — how to get the word out, and how to bring the leads in.
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