The Speaker for January 29th: Kim Walesh

Throughout her career, Kim has helped people collaborate across disciplines to improve economic opportunity, strengthen community, and create places that foster connection and creativity, health and happiness. As Deputy City Manager, Kim is responsible for Community and Economic Development, providing leadership and strategic coordination to city departments shaping the future growth and development of the city. She co-leads execution of the City’s enterprise priorities focused on the transformation of Downtown San José, achieving the City’s ambitious housing goals, and improving city facilitation of private development. As Director of Economic Development, Kim oversees City initiatives in business retention and attraction, workforce development, cultural affairs, and real estate. Prior to joining San José, Kim was co-founder and managing director of Collaborative Economics, and senior policy analyst at SRI International’s Center for Economic Competitiveness. Kim is co-author of the books Grassroots Leaders for a New Economy: How Civic Entrepreneurs Build Prosperous Communities and Civic Revolutionaries: Igniting Passion for Change in American Communities. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Humanities from Valparaiso University and a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University, where she was a Kennedy Fellow.

History Books

John Kennett, Carl Cilker, and Mike Bohrer collaborated to produce a wonderful book celebrating our first 100 years of service. You can pick up your free copy at next Wednesday’s meeting!  The first copy is free but you also have the option to purchase additional books for only $40.

International Expo 2020

The Rotary Gala - Razzmatazz Jazz Club

Rotary International Convention

New Member Colleen Reilly

Reilly was born and raised in San Jose attending local schools St Lucy’s and Archbishop Mitty. She graduated from Loyola Marymount University where she received a BS in Political Science. Her first job after graduating was for the San Jose Sharks/San Jose Arena Management as the SAP Arena was beginning construction. Working as an assistant to the Sharks Project Manager she learned to read blueprints, estimate work and coordinate project deliverables. The experience created a spark to change career objectives to Construction Management that has lasted to this day. She has managed construction all around the South Bay and throughout the world. Along the way she relocated to Atlanta, GA and Waikoloa, HI where she married, ran triathlons and learned to SCUBA dive. Working for a Developer she gained skills in Entitlement and Development of property that led to her own project as a partner in commercial work. She currently represents CBRE as the Managing Director of the South Bay in Construction Management where she can work with a network of lifelong friends and family. Colleen and her husband are part of a large Irish Catholic family where she enjoys, entertaining, sports, reading and traveling.

New Member Rosemary Van Lare

Rosemary is a Senior Librarian with the San Jose Public Library. She currently manages public reference collections and adult programs at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. library, as well as SJPL Works, the library’s business and career development center. Her past library experience includes special collections work at the SJSU Visual Resource Library, serving as school librarian for preschool through middle school age children, working as a Youth Services librarian at King Library, and serving as branch manager for the Almaden and Vineland locations of the San Jose Public Library.

Rosemary was born and raised in Petaluma, California. Both her grandfather and father served as Presidents of the Petaluma Rotary Club. She left her hometown to attend college at Santa Clara University, majoring in Art History. She pursued graduate studies at San Jose State University in both Art History (M.A.) and Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S). She met her husband while attending SCU and lived happily in the South Bay for almost thirty years, raising two boys who grew up to be SCU Broncos like their Mom and Dad. She recently moved to Alameda with her husband and is enjoying small town life by the sea.

The Meeting Summary for January 22, 2020

Rotarians and guests were greeted in the Joe Levitt Lobby of the Rotary Summit Center by members of the Rotaplast Committee, chaired by CYNDIE GEORGE.

President KARYN SINUNU-TOWERY rang the bell at 12:10 p.m., calling to order meeting 5,235 of the Rotary Club of San Jose.

We were made aware that the PAWS Committee provided a waste station for residents with pets at Second Street Studios.

Musician extraordinaire JEREMY HARRIS, on piano, accompanied NICHOLAS ADAMS who sang a jazzy rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon.”

President Karyn thanked the Rotaplast Committee for welcoming all, then Red Badgers DOUG JAMES and CALVIN KEEN introduced themselves as they both handled the travelling microphones as visiting Rotarians and guests made themselves known.

BONNIE BAMBURG again had the honor of engaging the Rotameter, the device that indicates the number of volunteer service hours which have been performed by our members locally and globally. To date, a total of 5,051 hours has been completed toward our goal of 8,000 hours for the Rotary year.

KATHLEEN THOMAS introduced CATHERINE VOSS-PLAXTON of San Jose State University’s Handshake program, encouraging Rotarians who have businesses to consider offering an internship through SJSU. Details available at: sjsu.joinhandshake.com

It was wonderful to see Cyndie George return to the podium to provide an update about Rotaplast. She thanked our members for support and indicated that the next cleft palate mission will likely occur early next year in South America.

MATT MAHAN received his Blue Badge from President Karyn.

STEVE PROUTY and NANCI WILLIAMS encouraged all to register for the gala and thanked our sponsors. We currently have raised $110,000 in sponsorships toward a goal of $150,000. Sponsorship opportunities are still available, and the Gala Committee is still seeking unique auction items.

DEIMA ELNATOUR was fined by President Karyn, not because she was pictured attending a Rotary Club of London meeting without wearing her Rotary pin, but rather because an image shown of her cat did not depict the cat wearing a Rotary pin! What a “catastrophic” event. The good sport that she is, Deima added to the fine and contributed $100 to the permanent endowment in President Karyn's honor for the incredible leader that she is and another $100 in memory of her late mother.

TOM FANDRE and RON ZRAICK made a pitch for Job Shadow Day, taking place February 26. The participating companies were acknowledged, whose involvement will benefit youth from San Jose Job Corps and Pivotal during their respective on-the-job experiences.

President Karyn reminded us that the Rotary International Convention takes place June 6 through 10 in Hawaii, and also that throughout the year a contribution will be made to San Jose Jazz in honor of our speakers This led into ARTHUR JUE’s introduction of this week’s speaker, Rajiv Nagaich, who manages AgingOptions, an organization dedicated to educating the public about comprehensive and multi-disciplinary life planning solutions that can help everyone age in place, protect assets, and not become a burden to others. Information about this topic is available at: www.agingoptions.com, but the following are some highlights of today’s important and interesting presentation:

Life Planning is retirement planning reimagined. People want to retire for a variety of reasons, including having more free time, travelling, spend more time with family, etc. These folks worry about institutional care, becoming a burden, running out of money, and family feuds. The majority will do well with their hopes, but 70 percent of Americans will not live out their lives in their own homes; 69 percent will become incapacitated. This, said our speaker, is a “predictable journey.” “The day that you fall ill is the day that your family is stuck in your life,” said our speaker. As to health care planning, our speaker made the case that we should focus on how not to fall ill. He also emphasized the importance of being sure family members are “on the same page” as to your wishes, and offered a blueprint for a better plan, including health (preventative care), housing (predictability of outcome), finance (protection and use of money), legal (manual of instructions). “The system is not broken; the information is broken.”

President Karyn thanked our speaker and rang the bell at 1:15 p.m. to adjourn the meeting.

Next week’s program will feature Kim Walesh of the City of San Jose addressing the topic of downtown development.

Summary submitted by Brian Adams, Meeting Summaries Committee.
Photos taken by Bill Alston, Photography Committee. Please click here to see the full set.