Events

Tracy Mohr has over 45 years of experience in animal care and control, starting as a volunteer at a local animal shelter during her high school years.  Although she had wanted to become a veterinarian, she felt that working on behalf of shelter animals would have more impact.  Tracy’s experiences include vet tech, animal control officer, and animal shelter manager.  She had previously run the shelter as the executive director for Butte Humane and worked for the city of Chico as an animal control officer.  Tracy is also the founder of several non-profit organizations and has run a horse sanctuary since 2001.  She has 8 years of experience as a building designer and was working out of state when the city asked her to come back.  Tracy has been the Animal Services Manager for the City of Chico since 2012 when the city resumed shelter operations and moved the city to no-kill status in the first year.  With limited staffing, Chico Animal Shelter has been able to drastically reduce the euthanasia rate, support at-risk animals, and provide programs that serve as a model for shelters across the country and internationally.

DARK FOR 4TH OF JULY!

WELLCOME PRESIDENT BOB!

Walt Schafer Rotary Bio

Walt has been a Chico Rotarian for nearly 30 years during which he has served in a number of roles including Board member, International Service Chair, and Past President.  In Rotary District 5160 he has served as Grants Committee Chair and received Rotarian of the Year, largely for his leadership through Chico Rotary Club and 18 other District Clubs in an 11-year series of community development projects near Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.  Walt taught in higher education for 41 years, the last 30 at Chico State where he was named Outstanding Professor in 1992.  He also serves on the Enloe Board of Trustees and as President of the Honey Run Covered Bridge Association. Walt is married to Teresa Kludt and has two daughters, the older a Rotarian near San Diego.  In 2019-20, she was President of the Golden Triangle Rotary Club of La Jolla.  Both daughters have traveled with Walt to visit our Rotary projects in Tanzania. 

Chief Billy Aldridge was born and raised in Monroe, NC where he graduated high school before joining the US Air Force and served for nearly eight years. He attended the Yuba College Police Academy in 2001 and began his law enforcement career with the Butte County Sheriff’s Office in September 2001.

In February 2005, Aldridge joined the Chico Police Department. He has worked as a Patrol Officer, Field Training Officer, Crime Scene Investigator, Mobile Field Force Team Member, Use of Force Instructor, and Street Crimes Detective. Aldridge was promoted to Sergeant in December 2009, Lieutenant in April 2015, Captain in March 2020, and Chief of Police in December 2022.

Chief Aldridge holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice management and a master’s degree in organizational management with a specialty in human resource management. He holds Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced certifications as well as Supervisory and Management level certifications.

Aldridge is a graduate of the Sherman Block Supervisory Leadership Institute (SBSLI), Executive Leadership Institute at Drucker School of Management, and the POST Executive Development Course.

Chief Aldridge and his wife Rosemary have been married for over twenty-four years and have two sons. Outside of work, he enjoys fishing, boating, softball, yardwork, spending time with his family, and volunteering in the community.

The Fire Chief’s job presents routine and emergency challenges every day. Preparation for emergencies requires far more time than does the actual response to those emergencies. In providing services to Chico, citizens, businesses, and visitors, a strong emphasis is placed on preventing emergencies before they happen. When prevention doesn’t work, the firefighters must be trained, equipped, and led in a way that minimizes death and injury, protects property, and preserves city resources.

The Fire Chief has to protect every firefighter’s life by making sure the Department’s employees are highly trained and use safe procedures. Along with the City Manager and City Council, the Chief assures that fire fighting vehicles are modern, safe, reliable, and well maintained. The Chief emphasizes the use of high technology personal protective equipment. The Chief manages the Department’s budget and recommends hiring highly qualified employees. The Fire Chief, working with the Fire Marshal and Inspectors, enforces the Fire Code, investigates fires for origin and cause, and provides public life safety education.

The Fire Chief works closely with the Police Department to provide 9-1-1 and dispatching services. He also works closely with the Public Works Department on the purchase and maintenance of fire apparatus and repair of fire stations. The Department has numerous mutual and automatic aid agreements with other agencies to provide fire, rescue, emergency medical, and hazardous materials response services.

No matter how well the Fire Department is currently doing, one of the most important tasks of the Fire Chief is to be sure that the Department is never satisfied with the status quo. The Chief encourages ways to improve training, is responsive to the public, and embraces new technology.