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!

Bob was born and raised in Chico, and attended local schools. He worked in the medical field for a short time before attending college in Southern California. He returned to Chico and worked ten years for someone else before purchasing his own business in 1991. Funeral Service has been his life’s work. He cares deeply about this community. Bob enjoys spending time at Lake Almanor.

Kristy Bird MaKieve, MBA, CAE, is the founder, CEO and GME Administrator of Healthy Rural California in Chico. Healthy Rural California is accredited as a Sponsoring Institution for Graduate Medical Education. Our first cohort of Community Psychiatry Residents will matriculate in June 2024. We have submitted an application for accreditation to launch an Integrated Behavioral Health Family Medicine Residency by 2025. Kristy is also the Executive Director of Butte-Glenn Medical Society, the Lost Sierra Medical Society and North Valley Medical Association in Redding, now representing healthcare leaders in 10 counties. Kristy is passionate about workforce education and training as a key solution to access to care and mental health care in underserved, rural areas. Kristy worked at UC Davis for almost a decade helping launch the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and supporting the dean of medical education. In 2015, Kristy was the lead staff person who helped secure $15 million in funding to establish Behavioral Health research and policy centers at UC Davis and UCLA, where she became interested in system-wide solutions to the growing mental health crisis. Best described as a meandering path of interesting work, Kristy’s career started teaching art to people who are blind, teaching English in Japan, running Japanese language lessons at the Japan Society of Boston, launching a graphic design staffing service in Sacramento before running a statewide education program for the California School Boards Association in Sacramento. Kristy earned her MBA from UC Davis Graduate School of Management in 2015. Kristy earned her BA from Barnard College of Columbia University in New York. She was born in Berkeley, California but grew up on Long Island, New York where she was often asked if she was from California. Kristy moved to Sacramento in 1997.

 Dave Nopel has spent most of his life here in Chico, and is a fourth-generation member of his family to live in the Chico area.    He went through the Chico public school system, graduating from Chico High School in 1962.  He spent the next four years completing most of his under-graduate courses at Chico State College, then was swept up into the United States military, 1966-69.  He served as a U. S. Army finance records clerk, and spent a year in the Vietnam war zone, 1967-68.  He has passed through the years since living at the edges of the American cultural mainstream.  Today he finds interest and fulfillment in gardening, walking in Bidwell Park, serving as a volunteer at the Chico History Museum in downtown Chico, moving his father John Nopel’s collections of Chico and Butte County material into the digital age, and maintaining his more than fifty years of partnership with his wife Betty.  His Rotary presentation will be titled JOHN BIDWELL:  A LEGACY FOR CHICO.

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. Also, June of this year Walt was added as Chair Elect of the Enloe B oard of Trustees.

 

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.

 

Jeff and Kristin Boyd are currently the pastors and administrators for the Salvation Army Community center in Chico. They moved to Chico just over 2 years ago, along with their 4 children, ages 14, 12, 11, and 7. Jeff and Kristin are both SoCal natives and have been married for almost 18 years. The Salvation Army is a second career for them. They spent the previous 15 years in residential real estate, becoming top 100 realtors in Orange County and top 1% nationwide. They decided to trade success for significance, joining forces with the salvation army, so that they could have a platform to help those most in need, and they have never looked back.

CLAIRE’S BIO

Claire is a serial volunteer. Throughout her life she has volunteered for non-profits including local and national organizations. Claire served as the Board President of the Orinda Association, let the effort to expand services to include a local volunteer clearing house and to promote business sponsorships for the local 4^th of July celebration.

In college, Claire joined Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity. She has remained active since graduation and has served on the national Board of Directors and as a Trustee of the Delta Sigma Pi Leadership Foundation. Claire currently serves as the Chair of the fraternity’s national Professional Development Committee leading training and professional development programs for collegiate and alumni members. In 2017, Claire was recognized as the first woman to receive the fraternity’s Lifetime Achievement award.

Claire joined the Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise in 2012. She served on the Club Board as the chair of the Membership and Communications committees prior to becoming President for the 2016-17 year.  Claire was recognized as the Rotarian of the Year for 2013-14.

At the district level, Claire has served on the Foundation committee, as general co-Chair of the Rotary 4-Way Fest in 2019, as District Trainer for 2019-2021 and as the Chief of Staff for the 2021-22 District Governor. Claire was recognized as District Rotarian of the Year for 2018-19.

Prior to her retirement in September 2021, Claire spent her career in the financial service industry focusing on Risk Management and Compliance.

Claire and her husband, 2020-21 District Governor Mark Roberts live in Danville with their three very pampered cats.

 

Janice Walker was born into a pastor's home, where from an early age she was
surrounded by love, discipline, hard work, and lots of visiting missionaries. She heard stories of the tremendous need for medical care and saw photos of poverty that never left her heart and mind. Her love for God and others started at that point. She wanted tomake a difference in the lives of others and serve wherever God led her.
After marriage, she became a military wife, as her husband David served in the Army for 9 years. In 1979 they moved to Chico and it truly became home. Janice is a mother of 2, grandmother of 5 and a great-grandmother of 4. Her husband David was an ENT head and neck surgeon in both Chico and Yuba City for many years.
In 2004, after volunteering to help a floundering medical project, Chico Project SAVE, which stands for Salvage Al Valuable Equipment, was turned over to her. Starting out of a 10x30 unit, that hadn't been opened in a year, it has become a thriving non-profit sending millions of dollars of unused equipment and supplies each year overseas as well as providing a staggering amount of equipment to local people in need.
She loves God, loves America, loves Chico, and loves people everywhere.

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.

 

Most of us share a great deal in common with Lenn Goldmann, we came to Chico State and never left. While focusing his studies in art and art history, Lenn realizes how lucky he was to work with professor Ann Pierce who helped Lenn come up with a independent studio class in architectural rendering that was to be his greatest boost into what would become his future career. Professor Delores Mitchell, while studying with her in Florence Italy, took Lenn to task to paint one landscape watercolor a day outside. That adventure led to a lifetime love affair with painting. Both instructors taught Lenn the tools and techniques for helping others to see and imagine the world around them. While at Chico State, Lenn also met Chris, his wife of 47 years, and mother of their two daughters: Greer and Britta. Chris’ dad, Hank Currier, a lifelong Rotarian from Oroville, kindled Lenn’s respect for how significant service in Rotary could be, and very importantly, how to best cast a fly rod. Lenn’s fishing and hiking experiences continue to find expression in his current paintings that are always searching for new ways to combine water and light. Lenn considers himself lucky to come to Chico at a time where his ability as a architectural illustrator and designer gave him opportunities to work with previous generations of Chico’s finest: Steve Nettleton, Jim Normoyle, Ron Piret, Tom Dufour and Chuck Priddy and Darrell Stevens. The last 30 years have given Lenn many opportunities to return to the Santa Cruz Mountains, his home before coming to Chico. Lenn’s desire for artistic expression finds many outlets in the Monterey Bay area with “paint outs” where he will meet with other artists in a variety of interesting locations around the Monterey and Carmel area. Lenn is very proud to have his watercolors represented by Curated by the Sea Gallery in downtown Santa Cruz. Those of us in Rotary share with Lenn the love of Chico and all of its natural beauty, which we can see reflected in his art.

Mary Latimer is a registered nurse that has been working at Enloe Medical Center for 44 years. She has always had an interest in Enloe history which has earned her the unofficial title of Enloe Historian. Mary prides herself being an Enloe native and Enloe baby. She teaches all new employees once a month about how Dr. Enloe moved to Chico and started the hospital. Mary started her career providing patient care and mentoring new graduate RNs. She went on the be the charge nurse and clinical educator. After 19 years, Mary began teaching full time at the Education Center and later became the Director of Education. Currently she works in Utilization Management as a Clinical Documentation Specialist.

Tom Bahr was hired at the Chico Regional Airport on April 12, 2021 Mr. Bahr brings more than 11 years of aviation and airport experience to this position, including 11 years as a pilot. Mr. Bahr most recently worked for the City of Show Low in Arizona, where he served as Airport Manager. Previously, he was the Adjunct Professor of Aviation for Utah Valley University. He has also worked for Diamond Flight Center in Utah. Mr. Bahr earned his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Southern Utah University and a master’s degree in Aviation Management from the University of Nebraska. He is a member of the American Association of Airport Executives and the Arizona Airports Association. He is also a certified commercial pilot and an advance pilot ground instructor. Tom has a wonderful wife and two daughters.

Wine Tasting & BBQ dinner

SAX members and spouses

RSVP to Tom Hughes by October 12th

 

 

 

Kasey Reynolds is a local, downtown business owner with decades of involvement
within the Butte County community where she, her husband Mike, and their family call
home. Being fourth generation of the family business, Shubert’s Ice Cream & Candy,
naturally led Kasey to attending only local schooling and acquiring her unique life skills
as well as values of hard work from the beloved Chico community.
 Though she took over ownership with her brother Nathan just a decade ago, she has
been involved within the family business from an early age. Over the years Kasey has
been involved in and served on several boards, clubs, and service organizations. 
Currently the focus of her charitable time has been with the Omega Nu Sorority, which
largely focuses on causes benefiting women and children as well as providing
Scholarships to local High School Seniors continuing to college.
    Kasey and Mike have a large family of five kids, three grandchildren and two dogs.
Though most of her children are grown, she states that it is important to be active and
involved in our community because the decisions we make now influence not only our
own future but most importantly our kids’ futures.

Mark Roberts

District Rotary Foundation Chair 2023-2026

Past District Governor 2020-2021

Mark’s first encounter with Rotary was as a founding member and second president of the Rotaract Club at the University of San Francisco in the late 1970s.

After a 30-year hiatus, he joined the Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise in 2009. He was club president during 2012-13.

Most of Mark’s career was in non-profit management, primarily fundraising, including at the University of San Francisco, Saint Mary’s College of California and California Shakespeare Theater. He retired at the end of 2018.

In Rotary District 5160, Mark was assistant governor for 2 years for the Lamorinda Fab 5 clubs. He held positions with District Rotary Foundation Committee. He was selected to the District Governor line in May 2018 and completed his year as DG on June 30, 2021. He is currently District Rotary Foundation Chair (DRFC).

Mark is a big wine and single malt Scotch guy. He is a history, old maps, gardening and car buff and is a lifelong SF Giants and 49ers fan.

His spouse, current District Governor Claire, is also a Lamorinda Sunrise Rotarian and past club president. They have been married 38 years and, after living in Orinda since 1993, moved to Danville in 2021.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please meet at 1:30 pm at the City Plaza, the event starts at 2:00 pm.

We will pass out Rotary vests, assign you a corner, and take a group picture before sending you out.

Group social afterwords TBD. 

Parking passes for the lot at Chico Municipal Parking lot will be available.  Parking Lot Map

Biography for Mike DiGiordano Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of California District 15 Commander Mike is a retired Technical Sergeant (E-6) in the United States Air Force.

He joined the military as a law enforcement specialist in June 1975 and retired as the noncommissioned officer in charge (NCOIC) of the Public Affairs Office at Beale Air Force Base. His retirement came at the direction of then Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. Sheila Widnall, and at the request of Congressman Wally Herger for the purpose of joining the congressman as a congressional field representative (GS-14 equivalent) in his northern California district office. Mike’s first assignment was with the 100th Security Police Squadron at Beale. He was a patrol dog handler and specialized in explosive detection. He was later the NCOIC of the dog kennel supervising the use of drug detection dogs on the base. He then cross-trained into Public Affairs and was both the chief of community relations and media relations for the wing. He specialized in providing tours to all ages and groups, both locally and internationally, to the U-2 Dragon Lady and SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance missions. He was the media spokesman for the SR-71’s role in surveying the land around Mt. St. Helens after the eruption in 1980. Mike was selected to be part of the Headquarters 8th Air Force Public Affairs office at Barksdale AFB, LA. He was in charge of special projects and worked extensively with the annual bombing and navigations symposiums held each year at the base. He was part of the Space Shuttle Endeavor’s historic trip from Edwards AFB, CA back to “The Cape” in Florida via Barksdale piggy backing aboard a specially-equipped NASA 747. Mike attended the Newspaper Editor’s Course at Ft. Benjamin Harrison, IN, enroute to his next assignment at the 1605th Military Air Support Wing on the island of Terceira, in the Azores. There his base newspaper coverage included a visit by the Vice President George H. W. Bush and a hurricane that nearly destroyed the base. He earned several writing awards which aided in his selection to his next assignment. Mike left the Azores to become an editor for the Pacific Stars and Stripes in Tokyo, Japan. He also covered for vacationing bureau chiefs and was in Okinawa when the Marines finished their new harried pad on Ie Shima, a small island off the Motobu Peninsula on Okinawa. Ie Shima is where famed American journalist Ernie Pyle is buried. Mike returned to the United States stepping into the role of acting NCOIC at George AFB. CA, as units for the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing were deploying to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia for Desert Shield. He was the military spokesman when aircraft from the 561st Tactical Fighter Squadron, led the fight into Baghdad on January 17, 1991 – the start of Desert Storm. He spearheaded numerous events honoring the spouses of deployed members to include Military Family Appreciation Day at Disneyland, securing tickets to the Orange Bowl, a Raiders game and several musical concerts for families of deployed members. He was also on the Air Force team for the Family Feud during Military Appreciation Week. He later deployed to Dhahran where he worked both public affairs and protocol functions. He stayed two rotations before returning home. George AFB closed on December 15, 1992, and after delivering video and photos of the closing ceremony to March AFB, CA, he returned to his first base at Beale. During a civic leader tour from Beale to Hill AFB and Nellis AFB, Mike was recognized for his abilities and was offered a position with Congressman Herger. There he stayed five years before moving out of the political arena. Mike retired from Chico Police Department in 2018 after more than 17 years as a community service officer where he helped revive National Night Out for the City of Chico. He worked primarily as a traffic collision investigator. He joined the VFW in October 2012 as a life member in Post 1555. He helped revive and head the Post’s Honor Guard. He is in his fourth year as the VFW CA District 15 Commander and currently the Post Sr. Vice Commander. He is married to his wife, Debbie, who is a life-long Chico resident. They have 3 children and 6 grandchildren. They belong to the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge 423, and are members of the Chico Elks RVers. In his spare time he is a volunteer for the California Highway Patrol.

Ken Brummel-Smith, MD is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geriatrics at the Florida State University College of Medicine. He founded and served as chair of the Department of Geriatrics from 2003 until 2015. He has been selected 16 times by his peers as a member of the “Best Doctors in America.” He was a member of the National Advisory Council on Aging for the National Institute on Aging and a Health and Aging Policy Fellow with the Senate Special Committee on Aging in Washington DC. He is a past-president of the American Geriatrics Society. He served on the Aging, Disability and Independence Forum of the National Academy of Medicine. He is the medical director of Florida Association of Homes for the Aged.

He graduated from the University of Southern California School of Medicine, did a residency in family medicine, and a fellowship at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. He retired from FSU in 2017 and is enjoying playing pickleball and hiking. He is very interested in community service, serving as the president of the Mt. Shasta Rotary Club, Board of Directors for the Mt. Shasta Recreation and Parks District, and is the USAPA Pickleball Ambassador for Siskiyou County. He continues to provide community education on health issues and consulting to medical schools on ethics, geriatrics and COVID. For 16 years he has served as the organizer of the annual medical mission trip to Filipinas, Panama for FSUCares.