Events

Tom Hall’s Rotary vocational classification is Active Law Practice, Real Estate, and when he’s not in the courtroom or getting ready for it, he is President of whatever organization he currently belongs to.

Tom is a native of Southern California, grew up at Lake Tahoe (Nevada side), and came to UNR in the early 1960’s, earning a BS degree in Finance and Economics in 1965. He received his law degree from Northwestern University in 1971 and has been practicing law in the area for the past 52 years. He has played a vital role in precedent setting land use cases at Lake Tahoe.

Tom and his wife Peggy have a total of 5 children, all well educated with doctorate degrees. They also have 5 grandchildren ranging in age from 8 to 23 years of age. A forest fire burned down the family home in Washoe Valley in 2016 and they rebuilt with their Airplane House in west Reno.

Tom’s accomplishments include:

• Served 7 1/2 years in the Air National Guard
• Elder and active member of Spanish Springs Presbyterian Church
• Licensed Contractor for 50 years
• Served 3 terms as President of the UNR Alumni Association
• Former Chair of the UNR Foundation
• Former Chair of the Community Foundation of Western Nevada
• Member of the Whittel Advisory Board for Little Valley,
• Member of the Washoe County Bar Associations
• Member of the American Bar Association

Tom pilots his own Beechcraft Bonanza and his current passion is aviation education. He is the Founder and President of Pathways to Aviation. He is also Co-Trustee of the George W. Gillemot Foundation.

Tom stopped drinking alcohol on March 11, 1991, and has 33 years clean and sober living as a member of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He will discuss the Alcoholics Anonymous 12 Step Program and how alcoholism affects many attorneys, young and old.

Scott Kellermann, MD, is a graduate of Tulane School of Medicine where he also received his Master’s in Public Health and Tropical Medicine.  He currently serves as Adjunct Professor and Medical Director at the University of San Francisco School of Nursing and Health Professions.  He has published articles in professional journals of medicine on such topics as the Zika and monkey pox viruses, and on public health in Africa, especially in the Bwindi region of Uganda where he founded Bwindi Community Hospital.  He is the recipient of several awards and distinctions such as Rotary International’s “Service Above Self” award (2013), the Dalai Lama’s “Unsung Heroes of Compassion” (2014), Tulane School of Public Health’s Alumnus of the Year (2016), the Fulbright Scholar award (2018), the AMA’s Nathan Davis Award for International Service (2018).

Scott lives with his wife Carol in Nevada City, California, where they have received the support of friends and associates through their more than twenty years of service in southwest Uganda. They have two children and five grandchildren, all of whom have participated in different ways in this work of care and compassion.  Scott returns to Uganda often to practice medicine at Bwindi Community Hospital, lecture at Uganda Nursing School Bwindi, visit his many friends from the Batwa tribe, and encourage his Ugandan colleagues as they continue to serve and heal.

Dr. Birungi Mutahunga R. Edwin, Former Director Bwindi Community Hospital

Dr. Birungi is an enthusiastic, highly adaptable Ugandan Public Health specialist with vast experience in strategic management. He holds a diploma in Health Systems Management from Galilee International Management Institute, Israel (2012); Master of Science degree in Public Health from the University of London, UK (2010) and a Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree from Makerere University, Uganda (2006), diploma in clinical medicine and community health, School of Clinical Officers Fort portal (1997). 

He has served as Executive Director at Bwindi Community Hospital in Uganda’s South Western district of Kanungu, ranked by the Uganda Protestant Medical Bureau the best performing hospital for nine consecutive years. Dr. Biruni received the prestigious 2011 STARS Foundation health impact award for Africa and Middle East regions, Maama Alive Initiative (Uganda) Public health impact award 2014, Grand challenge Canada innovation award 2017 and Social Innovation in Health Initiative award, 2018.  Birungi is currently a doctorate student of Business Administration, corporate strategy jointly offered by Paris School of Business, France and Galilee International Management Institute, Israel.

In 2018, Derek joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northern Nevada (BBBSNN) as the agency’s CEO. Throughout his career, Derek has shown a deep commitment to youth issues, serving on boards for organizations such as the Shared Future Coalition, Girls on the Run, 100 Men Who Care, and the Northern Nevada RAVE Family Foundation. In 2019, he was elected as one of twelve CEO’s to serve on the Nationwide Leadership Council for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Derek is a 2019 graduate of the Reno + Sparks Chamber Leadership program as well as the Non-Profit Academy hosted by the Community Foundation of Western Nevada. That same year, he became a proud Big Brother to his first Little Brother, Sequel, helping him graduate high school and enroll in the Homeland Security Program at Job Corps. Derek is now matched with his second Little Brother through BBBSNN’s school-based program at Glenn Duncan Elementary. Additionally, Derek was selected as a Twenty Under Forty Award Winner by the Reno Tahoe Young Professionals Network in 2022.

Before settling down to get a “real” job, Christi Cakiroglu spent a year living in Izmir, Türkiye and teaching English for corporate executives, private, and government schools from 1998-1999. Since that time, she has visited Türkiye nearly every year to spend quality time with her Kurdish in-laws and immerse herself in their culture.

Raised in Washoe Valley with a Political Science degree from the University of Oregon, Christi has a unique perspective on all things Turkish and is writing a book about her experiences from more than 20 years of visiting the Anatolian peninsula. Her insights relate less to what to do when you visit Türkiye, and more to what it's actually like to live in Türkiye with it's complicated economics and plumbing.

When not writing, Christi spends her days as a soccer mom and nonprofit consultant pulling from more than 30 years of nonprofit and business experience.  

Bold, fun and independent, Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve is a true reflection of the energized city she proudly leads.

But don’t call her a politician. She is a devoted public servant with a love for her constituents and a passion for innovation. She has led the Reno Renaissance that has made the Biggest Little City a big story.  She has been featured on numerous national TV shows and USA Today named her one of its 51 Women of the Year in 2024. Politico Magazine named her one of “America’s 11 Most Interesting Mayors” and labeled her “The re-inventor” for her role in the positive transformation of Reno.

“Hill”, as her friends call her, kick-started the Reno Renaissance well before she ran for office. As an entrepreneur who owned two small businesses in the Midtown district of Reno, Hill was determined to improve the tired downtown area. Her advocacy and engaging personality helped her win an At-Large Reno City Council seat on November 6, 2012. In these divisive political times, Hill holds proudly to her independent non-partisan political status. 

Now, on her third term as Mayor, Hill has invigorated a downtown that attracts residents, students, businesses and visitors. As a major supporter of arts and culture, she was named Elected Arts Advocate of the Year in 2019 by the Americans For The Arts. In June of 2023, Hill was named President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors–only the 8th woman to be elected to that position in the organization’s 81-year history.

Interesting fact: Hill grew up figure skating and competed nationally in pursuit of an Olympic dream, but was stricken with kidney failure. As fate would have it, her sister saved Hillary’s life by donating her kidney for a transplant. Today, Hill is a strong advocate for organ donation and mental health and lobbies nationwide on these vital health issues.

Former Rotarian Sheila Hlubucek is speaking to us September 16 about Drift Farm, which is her flower farming and designing enterprise. Most of you know her from her 40 years of working in marketing and public relations. Her career included Q&D Construction, Clark & Sullivan and Renown. 

But Sheila now has a new communication medium: Flowers. You know, when you just don’t have the words? You give flowers. 

Growing and designing with fresh flowers was Sheila’s side hustle for nearly a decade. But turning 60 in a COVID nation inspired her to commit 100% to making the world a prettier place. So she became a flower farmer designer. 

The deadlines and stress are behind her. Most days feature hard work and fresh air - what she knew as a kid growing up on a farm in Montana. She calls her enterprise Drift Farm, because like Mae West once said, “I used to be Snow White but I drifted.”

Sheila’s goal is to get all the good people she knows addicted to garden fresh flowers. She sells seasonal subscriptions, occasional bouquets and event flowers. She also offers bouquet tour events. 

Eric Ode (pronounced Oh-dee) is a national award-winning children’s singer/songwriter, a widely published author and poet, and a thoroughly engaging entertainer. His upbeat, high-participation programs are bubbling over with fun, interactive music and include stories, skits, poetry, props and puppets.

Manal is the founder and Executive Director of Note-Able Music Therapy Services. She obtained her master’s degree in music therapy from the University of the Pacific and completed her clinical internship at Oregon State Hospital in Salem. With more than 25 years’ experience in hospital, forensic, education, mental health, addiction, and community settings, Manal is an internationally recognized authority on community-based music therapy. Her current interests lie primarily in the areas of mental health and addiction. Manal has presented throughout the United States and in Europe, and is the western regional representative to the American Music Therapy Association’s Internship Approval Committee. As a member of the Nevada State Music Therapy Task Force, she helped draft Senate Bill 190, which created a state license that oversees the profession of music therapy in Nevada. Manal is a professional violinist with the Reno Philharmonic and serves as adjunct faculty at the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Bill Isaeff retired in November 2001 after 30 years as an attorney and manager for the state of Nevada and the cities of Reno and Sparks. He spent 17 years in the Nevada Attorney General’s office, eventually becoming the chief deputy, the No. 2 position. 

From 1989 until 2001, Bill specialized in water law and such related issues as water quality and water conservation.  Bill was the lead negotiator on behalf of local government on many important water agreements including the Water Quality Settlement Agreement, the Water Conservation Agreement and the Truckee River Operating Agreement. In 1994-95, Bill was instrumental in helping establish new law in Nevada on the question of whether water rights are acquired by a local government when it acquires property by condemnation.  Both the state district court and the Nevada Supreme Court held such rights were part of the condemned property and passed to the new government owner, unless expressly reserved from the transaction.

Under the Water Quality Settlement Agreement, for five years Bill was chairman of the Local Government Oversight Committee which acted to acquire Truckee River water rights for use in-stream and to enhance the water quality of the river, pursuant to a joint $24 million dollar water rights purchase program involving Reno, Sparks, Washoe County, the federal government, and the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe.

In 2000-2001, Bill led the management team which successfully negotiated the purchase of the water business of Sierra Pacific Power Co. on behalf of the newly formed Truckee Meadows Water Authority, which he also helped create under Nevada’s joint powers law.

As part of his duties in the Sparks city manager’s office, Bill used to produce and host a monthly television show called “Spotlight on Sparks”, a program designed to keep citizens better informed about the workings of the Sparks city government. His keen interest in water issues coupled with his experience in public-oriented television led to Bill agreeing, after his retirement, to produce and host a new show for the Truckee Meadows Water Authority called “Fresh From the Tap”, which he used to both inform and entertain the Authority’s 75,000 customers about their water company.

Bill moved to Reno in 1957, graduating from Central Junior High (’59), Reno High School (’62) and the University of Nevada (’66).  He attended George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., receiving his Juris Doctor degree in 1969.  Bill and his wife Beth returned to Reno in 1971, where they have lived the past 53 years.

Attending The University Of California at Berkeley, Dennis got a summer job at a book distributor named Bookpeople. He became a founding member of Bookpeople Employees Association, the employee-owned Corporation that purchased the company from the original owner. Dennis never intended a business career, but he thought, “This is pretty cool for community. What could be better than distributing the written word to people, with all the First Amendment implications of free speech.” Dennis had embarked on a wonderful 7 year business education, peaking early as Chairman of the Board at  the ripe old age of 20 years.

And that service to community launched Dennis on a path to doing good and supporting community. The first day Dennis attended a meeting of the Rotary Club of Nevada City CA, encountering the Four-Way Test, truly a distillation of the way to live, he felt that he had come home.

Dennis says,  Rotarians change lives. Our work and engagement with Rotary projects have enormous power to make our world a better place, but only if we engage our members to be committed, focused and relevant to our local and international communities.

A music lover, Dennis has chosen as the District’s theme for 2024-2025, Rotarians Make Beautiful Music! Every project, every donation, every scholarship and every selfless, kind act is a beautiful song to the community. It has been discovered that those afflicted with Alzheimer’s who are musicians can play flawless music they had learned, when they remember little else. Music is deep in our souls. Deep in our souls, too, is our love and connection to our communities. So, sing your songs loudly and from the rooftops, inviting others to join us in the great work of Rotary!

There is no more magical, musical, wonderful family on earth than our Rotary family. Dennis is deeply grateful to be among you. You are, in the words of Rotary International President Stephanie…Simply Irresistible!

Julia is the newly appointed Behavioral Health Administrator for Washoe County. The Board of County Commissioners has designated behavioral health as a key strategic priority for the County. This new position was created in the Office of the County Manager to facilitate regional efforts to improve behavioral health outcomes in Washoe County. Most recently Julia was the Director of Programs and Projects for the Washoe County Health District where she lead strategic planning and oversaw performance management efforts, collaborated to create and implement community health improvement plans, developed and supported health equity initiatives, as well as provided oversight to accreditation and special projects for the health district.

Julia’s public service includes five years serving in the Nevada Legislature as a State Senator where she was the Assistant Majority Leader and chaired the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services. Julia focused her efforts on strengthening the safety net for all Nevadans. Prior to her state service, Julia served eight years on the Sparks City Council where her primary focus was on stabilizing City finances and the workforce following the Great Recession. She served as Chair of the Redevelopment Agency as well as Vice Chair of the Board of Health among other board and committee assignments.

Julia is married to James Cavanaugh. In their spare time they enjoy working on their 1950s home, renovating vintage Airstream trailers, and hiking and camping with their rescue dogs Roscoe and Rita. 

AssistanceLeague® Reno-Sparks is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit devoted to helping those in need within our community by serving children, seniors, veterans and victims of abuse. Our all- volunteer organization operates 11 philanthropic programs such as Operation School Bell (providing school clothing for elementary and middle students), Veterans (supporting homeless veterans, as well as those in community settings), and Food Pantry (distributing groceries to low income seniors at the Senior Center, Indian Colony, and to those homebound).  Our thrift shop at 1701 Vassar in Reno is the primary source of income for our programs and we are proud to say what we make here stays here in the Reno-Sparks community.

Lorie Schaefer has lived and worked in Northern Nevada for over forty years. For many years she taught in the Carson City School District. During that time she also contributed to the weekly Fresh Ideas column in Carson City’s Nevada Appeal. Retired now, she lives in Reno with her husband where she spends her time avoiding housework by reading, writing, and watching her granddaughter grow up way too fast. Lorie serves on the Assistance League board and is the Marketing Committee chairperson.

Carolyn Dondero, M. Ed., is a fourth generation Nevadian who retired from 31 years of teaching high school English in Southern California. She also taught 17 years in Nevada. Carolyn is affiliated with Assistance League and P.E.O. Her purpose is to contribute to community and support human rights. She is a reading grandmother with AL.

The Rotary Club of Reno’s International Committee assists the club in developing programs that promote understanding and good will among Rotarians and among peoples throughout the world. The Rotarian motto, “Service Above Self,” conveys the humanitarian spirit of the organization’s more that 1.2 million members.  International service projects promote strong fellowship among Rotarians worldwide while helping the poorest of the poor.

While Committee members may identify potential projects by attending a Rotary Project Fair, it has become more common in recent years that our projects stem from 2 sources. First, we consider joining in projects and support to other clubs, individuals, and organizations many if not most, we have worked with before. Secondly, we create our own projects where we see the need and solicit other Clubs to support us.

We are currently managing 8 projects from areas as diverse as Uganda, Romania, Thailand, and Haiti and will be spotlighting them for today’s presentation.

Pat Hickey was born in Carson City and grew up in Lake Tahoe, the place where his Irish ancestors settled in the 1870s. Pat has been a ski bum, a seeker, a reporter, an assemblyman, an education advocate, and a proud parent and grandparent. His “Memo from the Middle” Sunday column is carried in the Reno Gazette Journal.

Pat received his Master’s Degree from the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada. His lifelong interest in life after death is matched only by his fascination with the lives he and other Nevadans are currently leading.

Dan Lee is a local security contractor who has given thousands of hours to the Washoe County sheriff’s Hasty Team, specializing in water rescue and recovery.

For twenty-three years he was helicopter deployed and has jumped out of Bell helicopters, Hughes, Blackhawks, Jayhawks, and even the giant Chinook. He has saved dozens of lives and found and recovered the bodies of dozens more people.

Here are some highlights of Mr. Lee’s long career with the Hasty Team:

• Navigated the backcountry and spent the night in ten degrees below zero weather with someone who froze to death. The next morning, Mr. Lee dug up that person and carried them over miles of rugged terrain back to civilization.
• Jumped out of many rescue vessels in bad weather with four-foot swells, during the night, so he could swim to an uninhabited island to rescue hypothermic boaters.
• Involved in the deepest body recovery in freshwater ever recorded: 1,565 feet deep in Lake Tahoe.

He is a master scuba diver and has been decorated by the Washoe County Sheriff’s Department with the Distinguished Medal of Valor for those who have engaged in specific acts of bravery and has received the Medal of Valor twice. Mr. Lee will be sharing insights from his new book of underwater adventures called Heroes’ Treasure.