Events

Rotaract meets on the 3rd Thursday of the month.

Ms. Virginia L. Guleff Virginia Guleff was appointed the Superintendent/President of Butte-Glenn Community College District effective July 1, 2022. She was previously the Vice President of Instruction and Accreditation Liaison Officer for Butte College, where she oversaw all instructional programs including the economic and workforce development arm of the College as well as all accreditation activities, for six years. Virginia began in the California Community College System in 1986 as a tutor at De Anza College. She has served as a classified employee at De Anza College; a part-time faculty member, a full-time tenured faculty member, an ESL coordinator, and as Chair of English, Communication and World Language in the San Diego Community College District; Dean of CTE, Transfer and Basic Skills as well as Vice President of Education and Student Services at Mendocino College; and Vice President of Instruction at Solano College. President Guleff’s leadership at Butte College is focused on securing DEIA2 practices into the foundation of the College, starting with updating the mission statement; reinvigorating participatory governance; and working with the campus community to develop a new strategic plan.

John Waterman

I am on my fifth Rotary Club, Dixon, Davis, Paradise, Roseville, and Red Bluff. I am serving as President for Red Bluff this year. What a journey it has been. Red Bluff Rotary is the 5th largest club in the district. A very giving club, from the foundation to community projects, we are a classic club. We do a lot of fundraising, especially in April, but this year in May also. Our charter night is May 13th and dinner will be on May 18th, you are all invited. We are also having a golf tournament at Rolling Hills on May 17th, and you are invited to this also. 

 

Longtime Rotarian Todd Shelton will share his experiences living as an expatriate with his family in various parts of the world.  For 25 years, Todd and his family lived in locations such as Samoa, London and Saudi Arabia, qualifying for membership in the Century club having visited over 100 countries.  Beginning his career as a television producer and director, he eventually became the television production advisor to the Saudi Arabian government.  That work experience eventually positioned Todd to join Saudi Arabian entrepreneur Adnan Khashoggi as VP of Marketing , utilizing his years of in-Kingdom experience, contacts and friends.  Todd will share what it was like to adapt to living overseas and some of their more memorable times as an expatriate family.

Aimee Sunseri is a 5th generation California winemaker and started her career at New Clairvaux Vineyard in 2003. Her great-great grandparents founded the Napa based Nichelini Family Winery in 1890, where she is also their winemaker since 2009. She has made over 800 awarded wines and is known for bright, clean, fruit-forward style wines that are made to be paired with foods.

Mike Wiltermood grew up in nearby Lincoln, Calif., and began his career in 1986, when he graduated from Brigham Young University with a master’s degree in health care administration. He has over 35 years of professional experience and came to Chico as Enloe Medical Center’s Chief Operating Officer in 2007. He was named President and CEO in 2009. In this capacity, he serves as an ex-officio member of the Enloe Foundation Board of Directors and the Enloe Medical Center Board of Trustees. Mike is a member of Chico’s Noon Rotary Club, a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and has served on several trade association boards. He is currently on the California Hospital Association’s Board of Directors. Mike’s wife, Kelly, has a master’s degree in art education and taught K-12 in Washington state before moving with the family back to California. Mike and Kelly have four grown children and four grandchildren.

I grew up in the Town of Sonoma, before attending De La Salle High School in Concord, CA (East Bay) where I was fortunate to win two national championships in football.  I finished my college education at Chico State University with a BS in Civil Engineering and went to work for 5 years back in the East Bay Area working for a heavy civil general contractor building bridges, box culverts, retaining walls, mass grading projects, sewer lines, storm drain systems and asphalt paving.  That ultimately led me to working for a consultant construction management / engineering firm where I oversaw public agency construction projects.  This included the widening of SR32 Phase 1 from SR 99 to El Monte for the City of Chico.  After that project, I was hired by the City of Chico as the Public Works Manager in February of 2015.  In May of 2015 I was named the interim Director of Public Works - Engineering and have been in this role ever since, with the exception of a stint back in the private sector from September 2021 to April 2023.

"Noah Ross is a recent Chico State Business Entrepreneurship graduate. He was Captain of the Chico State Men's Soccer Team and worked as a social media manager for the university's Center For Entrepreneurship. Through the newest entrepreneurship class offered at Chico State, he and a few of his classmates co-founded a Smart Technology company called Fusion NFC."

 

"Ivan Monreal is a recent Chico State Business Entrepreneurship graduate. He has lived in 4 different countries and been to over 15 countries. After graduating Chico State he and a few of his friends co-founded a Smart Technology company called Fusion NFC."

 

Please come to this free event, bring your Rotary shirt and a chair! President Bob will be throwing out the first pitch!

This will be a joint meeting with Local Rotary Clubs around us.  Sunrise Chico, Durham, and  Paradise.

Bob is bringing a special Speaker.

Taylor Bunch has a long history of engagement in public service, beginning with her role as an instructional aide to students with autism spectrum disorder at just 18 years old. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley with honors and a bachelor’s degree in religious studies, Taylor provided case management services and operated programs for at-risk youth in Plumas County. After completing her master’s in social work at Chico State University, Taylor returned to Plumas County where she developed a vocational and social/emotional training program for impoverished teens with mental illnesses. Many of the teens Taylor worked with experienced housing insecurity/homelessness. Refining the structure of the program to meet their unique needs helped many participants go on to college and/or secure employment in trade industries and challenged and changed traditional approaches to mental health services in the community.

 

Taylor has also served as a Camp Fire Recovery Counselor with the Butte County Office of Education and as an instructor of Social Work and Human Services at Feather River College, where she helped to create innovative degree and job-skills programs for students.

 

As a formerly homeless youth herself, Taylor brings a unique perspective and set of skills in her role as Executive Director of True North Housing Alliance. Moving into her third year, she has improved operations, service delivery, and outcomes for TNHA. Taylor and her team are dedicated to developing services and programs that address the root causes of homelessness to move individuals forward and out of homelessness permanently.

Our speaker will be member Michele Shover. Her talk "Here at the Beginning”, will set out the earliest origins of two remarkable entities, the New Clairvaux Winery at Vina and River Partners. She will set out how each originated in decisions by a prominent Los Angeles businessman who bought the Stanford Ranch. Bernard Flynn, Sr. meant to shield his family after the appearance of a Japanese submarine off of the Pacific coast in WWII. Their large family enjoyed stays at the ranch and had no desire to let it go. Michele Shover, a retired professor of political science and local historian is a property manager. She is the author of Exploring Chico's Past, California Standoff: Farmers, Indians and Miners at War: 1850-1865, and Chico's Chapman: A.H. Chapman, 1860-1899. The latter is a history of Chico as seen through a biography of business leader Gus Chapman, who arrived in 1861 and was in the thick of every aspect of its development.

Rashell Brobst's journey in youth advocacy spans over three decades, driven by an unwavering commitment to supporting children in need. Throughout her remarkable career, she has passionately championed the cause of youth development, firmly believing in the transformative power of not giving up on kids.

 

Having devoted 28 years of her life to the Boys & Girls Clubs, Rashell's impact on the lives of countless youth is undeniable. From mentoring youth involved in the criminal justice system, to creating programs for youth with disabilities, her hands-on experience reflects a profound understanding of the diverse challenges faced by youth. In her role as CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of the North Valley for the past 14 years, Rashell's leadership has been instrumental, especially during times of adversity. She has navigated the organization, comprised of 11 Club locations in Butte & Glenn Counties, with her incredible team through economic downturns and federally declared natural disasters with resilience, prioritizing the well-being of the youth and the communities served in the region.

 

Rashell extends her influence to tackle broader societal challenges. As a board member for Healthy Rural California, she actively enhances public health services in rural communities. Her vision to create a suicide response team and involvement as an advisory member for the Thrive CARE Team underscore her dedication to preventing youth suicides and promoting mental health awareness. She is also passionately committed to leadership development, contributing to Vistage and Chico Executive Group, and plays a significant role in the Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA). Rashell has been actively involved with California Parks & Recreation Society (CPRS), California School Age Consortium (CalSAC), Community Action Volunteers in Education (CAVE), Bidwell Park, the Caper Acres - Nico Project, and many other community projects.

 

Her dedication and contributions have not gone unnoticed, as evidenced by the numerous awards she has received. These include the 1999 CPRS TR Section Play Award, the 2001 Big Brother Big Sister of the Year Award, the 2018 Chico Executive Group Ideal Team Player Award, the 2018 Woman of the Year for Assembly District 3, the 2019 Soroptimist Ruby Award, and the 2019 Boys & Girls Clubs of America Blue Spirit Award. Rashell Brobst's tireless dedication and unwavering passion serve as a beacon of hope for youth everywhere, inspiring positive change and fostering brighter futures for generations to come.

 

Championing to put kids first, Rashell

Anthony is a return speaker sharing a great message.  He's a wonderful mentor to players at Butte College.  His topic is "How to be your best self".

The 2021 ABCA National Coach of the Year returns for his nineteenth season as the head coach of the Butte College Roadrunners. In his first 18 years at the helm, his teams have compiled a record of 410-275-1. Under Coach Ferro’s eighteen years of leadership, the Roadrunner’s have accumulated fifteen 20+ win seasons and have played in the postseason eight out of the last ten years, most recently finishing the 2021 season 23-3, winning the GVC championship and ending the year ranked #2 in the state of California. Coach Ferro also spent the 2021 summer as the field manager of the prestigious Alaska Goldpanners collegiate team where he guided them to a 32-15 record.

 

Coach Ferro remains committed to his goal of having a complete program that produces not only quality baseball players, but quality people as well. Ferro believes that success in the classroom is mandatory for the players in this program and he is committed to helping his players move toward earning a college degree. This attitude is ingrained in his players as they have proved extremely successful in the classroom while being a part of a winning baseball program. Twenty-eight of the thirty-five players maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher last season with a team GPA of 3.33, and because of this commitment toward academics, the 2021 team was awarded the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award. The entire sophomore class transferred to four-year schools with all of them receiving their AA degrees.

 

As a result of Ferro’s attitude toward excellence, nearly every sophomore has graduated and moved on to a Four-Year University, to not only continue education, but to continue their dreams of playing baseball at the next level. In Ferro’s eighteen years on the job, he has placed over 145 players at Four-Year institutions. Ferro has boasted fourteen Division-I players, including 2021 GVC pitcher of the year Bryce Armstrong, who is currently playing at University of Washington. 2021 West Coast player of the year Grady Morgan is attending Chico State University while 2018 West Coast Player of the year Connor Blair who attended University of Washington is currently in the Atlanta Braves Organization. In addition, fifty-seven players have gone on to play at the Division II level and forty-three who have gone on to play at NAIA Universities.

 

The 2021 season showed great individual success to go with the team’s overall success. Bryce Armstrong (All-America) was selected Golden Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year. Grady Morgan (All-America) was selected Golden Valley Conference MVP and West Coast Player of the Year. Logan Myers (All-America), John Barry, RJ Aranda, Isaac Schuck (All Norcal) and Andre Schweizer were selected to the First Team All-Golden Valley Conference. In addition, five players were selected 2^nd Team All-Golden Valley Conference.

 

Before returning to the Butte program as Head Coach, Ferro spent parts of two seasons as an assistant coach and head recruiting coordinator under Lindsey Meggs at Chico State (currently the head coach at UW). Ferro was an intricate part of the Wildcats 2002 campaign where the team finished with an impressive 55-10 mark and was the National runners-up in the Division II College World Series. Prior to coaching at Chico State, Ferro was the head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Cal State Stanislaus from 2000-2001.Ferro also spent 16 years as an associate scout in the Milwaukee Brewers Organization.

 

A native of Woodland, California, Anthony received his Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education in 1997 from Cal State University, Chico, and a Master’s degree in teaching pedagogy in the year 2000. Anthony and his wife, Sarah, have two daughters: sixteen-year-old, Grace, and twelve-year- old, Audrey. The Ferro family resides in Chico, California.

 

 

Lisa Oliinyk is a 16 years old exchange student. She is from Ukraine. Her city is Kherson which is located by the Black Sea. 

She is an exchange student in the Future Leaders Exchange Program as part of American Cultural Exchange Services (ACES) https://www.exploretheworld.org/about-aces/

“ACES believes that only through interaction can the peoples of the world truly understand each other, establish friendships and promote world peace.”

She is in the USA for the whole school year. She likes to dance, and she has taken dance classes most of her life. She also enjoys drawing.  

ROUND TWO!!!

Dr. Kathleen F. Gabriel is Professor Emeritus at California State University, Chico. She started her career as a high school teacher (17 years). While earning her doctoral degree at the University of Kansas, she developed an academic support program for at-risk and unprepared college students. She was then recruited to the University of Arizona to start and direct her support program there. 

Dr. Gabriel's next challenge was a “faculty developer” at Arizona before returning to her alma mater, CSU, Chico. Dr Gabriel has received two outstanding teaching awards and authored two books on teaching strategies for promoting success for underserved college students.  Currently, president of Chico Heritage Association and enjoys researching and writing about Chico history with a focus on the 20 century.

 

The Value of Service through Rotary: Camp Venture, Duke Rotaract, and Beyond

 

Justin Dodds is a Chico native, Camp Venture alumnus, and graduate of Pleasant Valley Senior High School (2018). He graduated magna cum laude from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in economics (2022) and recently completed a Master of Healthcare Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2024). While at Duke, he was a charter member of the Rotaract Club of Duke University and later served as vice president and president. He is starting his career in healthcare administration this summer as an Administrative Fellow at Sutter Health, where he will be supporting Sutter Davis Hospital and Sutter Amador Hospital. Justin is grateful for the impact of Rotary in his life and looks forward to joining a Rotaract or Rotary club in the near future.

Name:  Julie Kistle

Title:      Director, Facilities & Construction Chico USD

 

Professional Background:

Julie Kistle has twenty-five years of hands-on experience in the construction industry and has specialized in public works.  She began her career in marine engineering and construction before transitioning to building construction and eventually specializing in K-12 educational facilities.  Julie is a proven Construction Manager with a focus on managing budgets and expectations, controlling costs and delivering successful projects.  She has been with the Chico Unified School District for the last fourteen years.  In her current role, she manages a large General Obligation Bond program and is overseeing the design and construction of phased capital projects.  She is very proud of the fact that she is a C.A.S.H. Leadership Academy graduate.  Julie works closely with the Chico Unified School District Board of Education, administrators, teachers, community stakeholders, and others to ensure safe and adequate school facilities are available for the students of Chico.

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Beth is a Chico native who attended Parkview Elementary School before moving to Durham for Middle and High School.  She earned her undergraduate degree in Nashville, TN at Lipscomb University, majoring in Public Relations with minors in Communications and English.  In addition to her studies, she was also a Division I basketball athlete.

After college, Beth worked for international non-profit Operation Smile as the regional development manager for California.  Eager to get back to her athletic roots, Beth worked at the University of San Diego with their women’s basketball program while getting her masters in Organizational Leadership.  She worked for women’s basketball programs at Old Dominion University, University of Denver as well as the College of William and Mary before closing out her collegiate athletics career at the Atlantic 10 Conference as the Director of Administration.

Beth moved back to Chico in 2018 with her wife (Karsen) and two kids (Roman and Logan).  As the CEO of their home and all activities, Beth is now heavily involved as a volunteer at Rosedale Elementary and will be the 2024-25 PTA President. She also boasts a head coach title in all the sports they play. 

As the Co-Chair of Chico Citizens for Safe School Facilities, Beth looks forward to connecting with the Chico community to educate and motivate our collective investment in the future of our schools.

Ronnie Cockrell  

Passionate Educator and Mentor

 

Ronnie Cockrell is a dedicated member of the Chico Unified School District (CUSD), specializing in agricultural welding. With over two decades of hands-on experience, Ronnie has played a crucial role in shaping the district’s Ag welding program, ensuring students gain practical skills and industry knowledge essential for their future careers.

 

As a committed mentor in the Future Farmers of America (FFA), Ronnie has guided numerous students to success in local and national competitions. His passion for agricultural education and student development is evident in his tireless efforts to create a supportive and engaging learning environment. Ronnie's mentorship extends beyond the classroom, as he actively fosters leadership, responsibility, and a love for agriculture in his students.

 

Beyond his professional life, Ronnie is an avid fisherman who enjoys the tranquility and challenge of the sport. His deep connections within the fishing community reflect his love for the outdoors and his commitment to preserving natural resources. Ronnie's unique blend of skills and passions makes him a respected figure in both educational and recreational circles, continuously inspiring those around him.

 

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Info to follow

 I grew up in the Bay Area and graduated from Sacred Heart Preparatory in Atherton in 1997.  Came up to Chico to attend the University and received a degree in Manufacturing Technology in 2002.  Briefly work at Sierra Nevada Brewery on the bottling line.  Started at Sel-Tech in 2003 as the Quality Assurance Manager.  Worked my way up to General Manager by 2008, and purchased the shares of the company in 2018 along with Jason Teixeira.  I grew up in manufacturing as my Dad owned Quality Plastics in the Bay Area.  Came up to Chico with my girlfriend Melanie from High School.  We married in 2004 and had our first daughter, Ashley, in 2007.  Our second daughter, Haley, was born in 2010.  We had both girls at Feather River Hospital in Paradise.  I enjoy riding my dirt bike, fishing, backpacking, and camping with the family.  We enjoy our getaways at the family cabin in Lake Almanor.