Events

Today a new stoplight-controlled intersection directs traffic where the new Chico thoroughfare Bruce Road crosses Humboldt Road.  The Humboldt Road right there at that location stands as one of the oldest place-names in Chico.  Where did the name come from, who put the first road in place there, and what role did that road play in Chico’s past?  In his presentation, Dave will answer those questions - and more.. 

Dave Nopel is a fourth-generation Chico-area person.  He grew up here in Chico, attended Chico-area public schools and four years at Chico State, enlisted in the United States Army and served nearly three years of active duty, then returned to Chico where he has primarily resided since his military discharge.  He has spent considerable time in the outdoor world, lived through a 30-plus year run as a daycare provider with his wife Betty, and since the end of the daycare in 2014, he has been a volunteer and Board Member with the Chico History Museum in downtown Chico.

Woody Fridae has never been very good at sitting still — which is fortunate, because Rotary has given him plenty to do.

A former public-school educator with 38 years of service, Woody has also served his community as a Winters City Council member and Mayor. A Rotarian for more than 20 years, he now devotes his time to local and international service, travel, writing, and finding new ways to say yes to worthwhile causes.

In Rotary, Woody has served as club president and in a variety of club leadership roles. He helped strengthen his club’s nonprofit capacity and expand its international service efforts, including projects that supported the construction of a girls’ school in Tanzania, water projects, and broader Rotary service around the world.

At the district level, Woody has worn more Rotary hats than most people knew existed. He has served as ITHF Traveling and Hosting Chair, Assistant Governor, Membership Ambassador, Polio Warrior, and member of several district committees. Most recently, he served as District Action Plan Champion and helped support the District Visioning Team and Master Plan process. On July 1, Woody will begin (or began) serving as District Governor, a role he approaches with humility, a healthy respect for the responsibility, and deep pride in the opportunity to serve.

Woody and his wife, Rebecca, have been married for 46 years. They are the proud parents of two sons and share a deep commitment to community service. Rebecca is active in local philanthropic, library, and garden projects, proving that service — and probably a good pair of gardening gloves — run in the family.

Together, Woody and Rebecca have supported Rotary Youth Exchange, hosting two year-long students and several short-term students, building relationships that have continued through visits across the years and around the world. They are members of the Paul Harris Society, Major Donors, and Bequest Society, reflecting their enduring commitment to Rotary’s work locally and around the world.

Through education, public service, Rotary leadership, and international friendship, Woody continues to live out Service Above Self — with a full calendar, a willing heart, and the occasional round of golf whenever he can sneak one in.

Carolina Burreson is actively involved in farming, beekeeping, and agricultural education. Alongside her husband, she helps manage olive and almond orchards and operates Moore Creek Apiaries, a 2,000-hive apiary business that supports pollination throughout northern California. She holds degrees in business and child development and has served as CEO and Board Member of the Honeybee Discovery Center since 2019. In this role, she has helped develop branded pollinator curriculum and field trip programming that schools across the region currently use, reaching nearly 5,000 students and community members annually. She is dedicated to fostering agricultural literacy and promoting awareness of the critical contributions honeybees make to our food security and our environment.

Chico Rotarian Tyler Smith returns with a brand‑new update on Artificial Intelligence. His presentation last fall was a club favorite, and with the pace of AI innovation, this follow‑up promises to be even more eye‑opening.

Tyler is the CEO and a Part­ner at Matson & Isom Technology Consulting, where he has spent over 20 years help­ing small busi­ness­es, non-prof­its, and local gov­ern­ments in North­ern Cal­i­for­nia lever­age tech­nol­o­gy to dri­ve growth and suc­cess. Tyler began his career with M&I as an intern in 2002 and has become a leader in deliv­er­ing inno­v­a­tive solu­tions that enhance pro­duc­tiv­i­ty and improve cybersecurity.

A proud grad­u­ate of Cal­i­for­nia State Uni­ver­si­ty, Chico, Tyler holds a degree in Com­mu­ni­ca­tion Design with a focus on Infor­ma­tion Sys­tems and Com­put­er Sci­ence. He is also a Ford Schol­ar and recip­i­ent of the Ger­ald E. Bruce Com­mu­ni­ty Ser­vice Award from The Ford Fam­i­ly Foun­da­tion. Tyler has deliv­ered hun­dreds of hours of train­ing to thou­sands of peo­ple and cre­at­ed Clear­IT Acad­e­my, M&I’s on-demand learn­ing plat­form, to help orga­ni­za­tions max­i­mize their tech­nol­o­gy investments.

In addi­tion to his pro­fes­sion­al work, Tyler serves as Vice Pres­i­dent of the Pleas­ant Val­ley High School Music Boost­ers, rais­ing crit­i­cal funds for local music pro­grams. He is also an avid pho­tog­ra­ph­er, cap­tur­ing por­traits and land­scapes through­out North­ern California.

Dr. Joan Schumann is a passionate, purpose-driven leader with more than two decades of experience building systems that work—for students, families, and the educators who serve them. From classrooms in Salt Lake City to international schools in Singapore and Beijing, and then as a principal in California, Joan’s leadership journey has always centered on one thing: Equitable and effective education for all.

Kory L. Honea became the 31st Sheriff of Butte County in May 2014. Prior to becoming the Sheriff, Honea served as the Undersheriff for nearly four years. Sheriff Honea began his career with the Butte County Sheriff's Office in 1993, when he was hired as a Deputy Sheriff. Prior to that, Sheriff Honea was employed by the Shasta County Sheriff's Office. During his law enforcement career, Sheriff Honea has held assignments in Corrections, Patrol and Investigations. In 2000, Sheriff Honea transferred to the District Attorney's Office as an Investigator. While at the District Attorney's Office, Sheriff Honea promoted through the ranks to become the Chief Investigator in 2008. Sheriff Honea held that position until his return to the Sheriff's Office as Undersheriff in 2010. Sheriff Honea holds a Juris Doctorate from the Taft School of Law and is a member of the State Bar of California. He also holds an Associate of Arts degree from Butte College. Sheriff Honea has extensive law enforcement training certified by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).

Tim O’Connell is the Founder & Executive Chairman of Rescue 42, a 30-year-old international manufacturer of compact, rapidly deployable portable cell towers for AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and FirstNet in the US, and similar cellular networks in other countries. Rescue 42 also manufactures emergency stabilization and other specialty rescue devices for Fire Departments worldwide.

Tim, a long time member of the Rotary Club of Chico, is a graduate of Chico State University, a former Nuclear Engineer on Fast-Attack Submarines, a former CalFire firefighter, and just retired after 40 years as a Volunteer Firefighter with the Butte County Fire Department.

Tim has been married to Celia for 36 years and has two grown children.