On Tuesday, March 11, our lunch program will be on the Latino Community Association of Central Oregon. Our speakers from the LCA will be Executive Director Catalina Frank, and Deputy Director Mary Murphy.

The Latino Community Association (LCA) is an essential connecting point for our immigrant community to ask questions, have letters translated, get help making phone calls (interpretation) and negotiating payment plans (advocacy).

They help families pay their bills, file their taxes, work through legal issues, find work, improve their English, and connect to new opportunities. They give their clients the time to be heard and understood. They also provide volunteer opportunities that bring people together across cultures to build a more cohesive community.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, March 4, our lunch speaker will be Eric Denbrook.

From 1989-2019 he worked for Orbital Sciences Corporation where he worked on the upper stage for the space shuttle as well as numerous rockets including Pegasus, the first successful commercial rocket. Before that, Eric was at Hughes Space and Communications from 1979-1989, where he worked on numerous commercial, NASA, and classified Satellites starting with design and finishing with integration, test, and launch. Eric graduated from Arizona State University in Mechanical Engineering in 1979.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, February 18, our lunch speaker will be Shareef Dajani, Vice President of Business Development, Strategy, and Sales at Silverlabs Inc.

Silverlabs leverages AI from leading companies like Anthropic, OpenAI, Getty Images, and Eleven Labs to transform written text into video. The company focuses on using AI responsibly to create marketing videos, training and DIY content, and converting articles into engaging video formats. The focus of Shareef’s discussion will be to provide insight into how AI is being used in business and the future applications of this technology.

With a 32-year career spanning Knight Ridder, Yahoo, Intel, and Getty Images, Shareef has been at the forefront of digital innovation. His insights into AI, data gathering through home gateways, and the broader implications of technology will leave you entertained—and possibly a bit shaken—given the current landscape with TikTok, tariffs, and AI regulations.

Outside of work, Shareef enjoys everything Bend, Oregon, has to offer, alongside his partner and great friends.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, February 11, our lunch speaker will be Kira Sandiford from the Central Oregon Trail Alliance (COTA).

Kira is a leader in the outdoor industry with a focus on public lands and trail stewardship. She currently serves as the Development Director for COTA. Prior to that, Kira spent 8 years working for REI, in a variety of roles, including Outdoor Programs and Retail Management.

Kira is an avid adventurer, mountain biker, and river nerd. In 2016, she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada, and in college, she spent a school year living and studying in Thailand. On her days off you’re likely to find her working in the garden or on the single-track trails in Bend.

COTA is a non-profit organization that focuses on the development, protection, and enhancement of the Central Oregon mountain biking experience. This goal is achieved through trail stewardship, advocacy, collaboration, and education. COTA currently has 6 chapters, who collectively maintain over 600 miles of single-track trails.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, February 4, 2025, our lunch speaker will be Dr. Steve Ross, Adjunct Professor at the Center for Marine Science, University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Steve will be talking to us about deep-sea science and returning to the Titanic shipwreck. Chief Scientist of the 2022 Titanic Survey Expedition, Dr. Ross led a team of accomplished scientists in a first-of-its-kind survey of the marine ecosystems on and near the Titanic. The wreck of the Titanic, sitting at over 12,000 feet down on a barren abyssal plain, is a refuge for life forms like corals, squat lobsters, brittle stars, and rattail fish. His team utilized the 5 crew member Titan submersible as a research platform to observe and record the deep dwelling sea life.

Location: We’ll be over at the Riverhouse Convention Center, in room Cascade AJ.

You MUST sign up for lunch ahead of time, as we’re expecting a big turnout!

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, January 21, our lunch program will be autobiographies from new members Eric Taylor and Ron Parodi, and long-time member and past president Mark Capell!

Come learn more about some very interesting fellow Rotarians!

Eric Taylor is an attorney at Brix Law. His diverse business and real estate practice focuses on acquisition, disposition, and financing of various real estate assets, leasing, mergers and acquisitions, business succession planning and general corporate and real estate matters. He’s represented clients in large scale real estate financing transactions in variety of asset classes as well as affordable housing projects utilizing complex debt stacks incorporating both public and private funding.

Ron Parodi has lived in Bend for five years and he is the General Manager at KTVZ News Channel 21. He has served in the TV/Media business for over 25 years. Since moving to Bend from Scottsdale, Arizona, Ron, and his wife Lori have welcomed their two daughters with their families (yes, that means 5 grandchildren) to the community as full-time residents as well. Besides wrangling the grandkids and grilling at large family gatherings, Ron enjoys golf, hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, road trips that include their two golden retrievers and riding horses “western style”. He and his wife still own horses in Arizona that are being used for therapy at an at-risk youth and horse rescue non-profit ranch.

Mark Capell has been a member of our club for 22 years. He is a past president and a past co-president. Mark is retired. He recently sold the IT business he started 22 years ago. Before that he worked in Sales Management and Planning for American Airlines. Mark spent 8 years on the Bend City Council. His family has been in Bend since 1916.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, our lunch speaker will be Jenny O’Bryan, Executive Director of the St. Charles Foundation.

Jenny is an Oregon native who has spent the past two decades working in the nonprofit sector, first with the Portland Rose Festival Association, and then as Senior Vice President of Revenue and Development at the Children’s Cancer Association in Portland. Over the past several years, the Foundation has provided funding for much-needed advancements for the region, including leading-edge equipment, scholarship programs, grants, patient services and multiple capital projects like the Bend patient tower, which houses St. Charles’ 24-bed Intensive Care Unit and 28-bed Progressive Care Unit.

Location: We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, January 7, our lunch program will be our annual New Year’s Toasts, led by Neil Bryant. If you’d like to give a toast during the meeting, we’d love to hear what you have to say.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person at the Riverhouse (Deschutes South, our usual room), and virtual. Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link. You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

On Tuesday, December 17, 2024, our lunch speaker will be Anthony Poponi, and he’ll be talking about “Happiness & Resilience in the Workplace”. Anthony moved to Bend from Colorado in 2020. His career has included decades of work in the public and non-profit sectors. His experience specific to youth development includes serving as a school educator and working as staff for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hawaii. Anthony has also been a foster parent twice and profoundly appreciates those who support youth in any capacity.

Currently, Anthony’s business, Focus on the 40, offers a mix of professional speaking services, workplace training, and workshops focused on the applied research of positive psychology: the study of human happiness.

Location: We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.