Board of Directors

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President 2022-2023
Michael G. Jones
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Immediate Past President 2021-2022
Deutron Kebebew
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Co-Secretary
Celia Organista
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Co-Secretary
Kelly Anderson
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Treasurer
Evan Benevento, CPA

Committees & Other Offices

Club Service — Administration
John Kegebein, Chair
John Kegebein, Chair

 

Membership Development and New Member Information
Al Greeringer
Rob Allen
Al Greeninger & Rob Allen

Works with the entire Club membership to identify, approach, and attract new members to our Club. Facilitates orientation sessions for prospective new members. Organizes information about new members for inclusion in ClubRunner (the Club's member and email database) including photo, birthday, spouse, occupation, address, phone number, and email.

New Member Mentor Match
Gina Swan
Renee Mello
Gina Swan & Renee Mello

In each new member's first year, assigns two existing members who will commit to introducing the new member to other Watsonville Rotarians at meetings and events, providing information about Club service opportunities and events, and making sure the new member feels welcomed and included among the Club's new and unfamiliar faces.

Club Bulletin ("PIPPIN")
Peter Barr
Peter Barr & Kyle Coulter

Takes notes during meetings and sends a weekly email to Club members summarizing the essence of the past week's meeting and program, and informs members about future Rotary meeting topics, speakers, and events.

Finance Committee
John Kane III
John Kane III, Chair

Meets as needed to create, review and update financial policies and recommends adoption as appropriate to the Board of Directors.

Meeting Programs
John Skinner
John Skinner

Creates wish list for program speakers, makes requests to potential program presenters, calendars programs, communicates guidelines for program presentations with presenters, and coordinates with them regarding their requirements. Communicates meeting topics calendar to the Club membership and promotes attendance.

Sergeant-at-Arms
Celia Organista
Celia Organista

Directs and oversees new Red Badge members' participation in preparation of Club meeting venue by hanging banners, preparing podium with bell, setting out badge carriers, and breaking down same.

Nominating Committee
Carol Turley
Carol Turley

Provides suggestions to the Council of Past Presidents for nominees to be considered for President Elect.

District Liaison
Kristin Fabos
Kristin Fabos

Communicates the events, activities and projects taking place at the District 5170 level and encourages members to attend and/or support them.

Music
Kimberly Ferm
Kimberly Ferm

Arranges musical performances/selections for each meeting (while currently online).

Detective
Rob Allen
Rob Allen

Schedules the "detectives" at weekly meetings. The Detective calls on and fines members in a lighthearted way to raise funds for Club programs and support of the community.

Invocation
George Erickson
George Erickson

Coordinates members to provide the weekly meeting invocation.

Fellowship
Art Hayashi
Art Hayashi

Plans non-meeting events that will foster a sense of fellowship and camaraderie and provides an opportunity for Club members to have fun and get to know each other in a purely social and/or recreational setting.

Public Relations & Website Coordinator
Currently Vacant — Interested Members, Please Contact the President

Enhances the Club's public profile using social media, the website and other mediums to share the Watsonville Rotary's story with the community and prospective members about who we are, what we do, future events and programs, and the support we offer to our community through local service programs and financial grants and other support.

Fundraising Event Activities
Kathleen King, Chair
Kathleen King, Chair

The committee coordinates members' participation in enlisting sponsors, marketing  and coordinating all the logistics for the Annual "Claws for a Cause" Take-Out Maine Lobster Dinner held every summer at the Watsonville Elks Club. This event is the largest fundraiser of the year for the Club.  One-hundred percent of net revenues from this event help to fund Watsonville Rotary Club's community grants awarded annually to local eligible nonprofit organizations serving vulnerable Pajaro Valley children and youth.

Annual BBQ
Tom House & John Kegebein
Tom House & John Kegebein
Tom House & John Kegebein

Plan annual BBQ event for Club members and their friends and families.

Grants Review Committee
Kathleen King, Chair
Kathleen King, Chair

Leads the Community Grants Review Committee in the process of its annual marketing, evaluating, and awarding of community grants that are aligned with the Club's funding priorities.

Interact Club Liaison
Art Hayashi
Art Hayashi

Supports local high school youth involvement in Rotary through their Interact Clubs at Watsonville High School and Ceiba College Preparatory Academy. Attends some of their meetings and coordinates with Interactors regarding running a meeting at our Club and assigning members who will serve as liaison with Watsonville Rotary.

Student/School Support
Michael Jones, Chair
Michael Jones, Chair

Coordinates with Rotary-adopted school Principals for E.A. Hall, Renaissance High, and New School regarding the "Student of the Month" presentation at our Club and our Club's occasional off-site lunch meetings at the schools. Coordinates scholarships awards and presentations at the end of the school year, tracks scholarship recipients, and invites them to attend a meeting or otherwise stay in contact with Club.

Student Speech Contest
Currently Vacant — Interested Members Please Inquire with President

Works with local schools to raise awareness of the Contest, coordinates the speech contest meeting program for our meeting, and serves as liaison between District and Club and speech contestants regarding the next rounds of speech competition.

Boy Scouts
Ken Rogers
Ken Rogers

Continues the tradition of Club support of our local Boy Scout Troop. Provides the Club with information regarding ways to help and provides the Troop information on how they can help the Club.

Vocational Projects
Murry Schekman
Murry Schekman

Coordinate the Club's the annual "Job Shadowing Day" for Watsonville High School students with the Watsonville High staff. Enlists Club members to volunteer to have students shadow at their (or others') workplaces and/or to provide transportation for the students for the day. Ensures coordination with Watsonville High School regarding the signing of parent permissions/authorizations.

Youth Exchange
Carol Turley
Carol Turley

Recruits host families for international exchange students and assigns a Club liaison to support the incoming students. Evaluates outgoing participants' experience.

Rotary International Foundation Giving/Grants
John Kane III
John Kane III

Provides a presentation to the Club once each year explaining how the Club's giving to Rotary Foundation works, the incentives to do so, and the "ins-and outs" of District Designated Funds coming back to the Club. Ensures that the Club complies with the deadline to designate its District Designated Funds and write grant requests.

Local Project Coordinator
Josh Schneider
Josh Schneider

Schedules and promotes local projects in coordination with community nonprofits, such as barrel wrap days with SecondHarvest Food Bank and tree planting.

International Projects
Currently Vacant — If Interested, Please Contact Club President

Identifies international service projects for possible funding from the Club and also for possible Club member direct support or hands-on participation.