Events

Guest Speaker = Peter Robinson  

Zomm Link:  https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85239514533?pwd=IamquF88aQzMveRdJNbJOAviEOzb8p.1 

JIM LATTIS is director of the UW Space Place and a native Madisonian. He manages the historic Washburn Observatory and teaches course in introductory astronomy and its history as well as leading many trips focused on astronimical tourism. He will discuss some of this year's current and upcoming astronomical events, including current solar activity and the associated auroral activity, solar and lunar eclipses, and what the planets are up to in our night sky.

Book to be discussed is "Freezing Order" by Bill Browder

Dinner at 107 State Restaurant prior to Overture's show, "Shucked"

Hosted by Areli Estrada and Clement Abongwa

Cost = $32/person

Dues to the weather forecast for a winter storm, the February 12 Rotary meeting has been CANCELED.  These guest speakers will be rescheduled for another date.

First sworn into office in May of 2020, DAVID CROWLEY became the youngest county executive in the history of Milwaukee County and the first Black leader elected to serve in the role. On April 2, 2024, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley was reelected to a second term. The fundamental tenet of Executive Crowley’s administration is to build bridges that bring people together, deliver prosperity for working families, and foster a safer, stronger and healthier Milwaukee County.

IAN ABSTON and our club president Jason Ilstrup created the Hoan Group—a private network of 160 civic-minded leaders focused on connecting the Milwaukee and Madison business communities.  Ian is a member of the Wauwatosa Rotary Club.

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley  and Ian Abston will discuss the economic development opportunities and challenges that both Milwaukee County and Dane County are facing, and how partnerships will help create successful results for both communities, as well as the entire State of Wisconsin. As the two leading economic and educational engines of Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Dane Counties share many of the same priorities. Addressing these shared priorities is critical in boosting economic development efforts, recruiting and retaining talented workers, and supporting small businesses, entrepreneurs, and contractors to grow Wisconsin’s economy. They will share their perspectives on how Milwaukee and Dane Counties can continue investing in innovation and leading the Badger State forward in building the Made-in-Wisconsin economy of today, tomorrow and beyond.

Like the rest of the world, Wisconsin is experiencing climate change and its impacts. The past two decades have been the state’s warmest on record, and the 2010s was Wisconsin’s wettest decade. How can we put these kinds of climate changes into historical context, and what does the future hold for our state? For many years the Wisconsin State Climatology Office and the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI) have been documenting climate change and its consequences across the state. STEVE VAVRUS's presentation will highlight some of the major trends and effects, including those associated with extreme weather.

Guest Speaker = Chris Campbell

The landscape of behavioral health crisis care in Dane County has developed significantly in recent years. While Journey Mental Health has provided a 24/7 crisis hotline as well as mobile crisis response for decades, Community Alternative Response Emergency Services (CARES) adds a fourth branch of emergency response to 911 calls. SARAH HENRICKSON, Clinical Team Manager in Journey Mental Health Center’s Emergency Services Unit, and SHANE QUELLA, a CARES Crisis Response Team Member will discuss a partnership between the City of Madison Fire Department, Journey Mental Health, and the Dane County Public Safety Communications (911) to dispatch a non-law enforcement response to behavioral health calls for service in Madison, with expansion into surrounding areas pending.

Book = Kingmaker by Sonia Purcell

YANG TAO is the Director of the City of Madison’s Traffic Engineering Division, which has over 150 employees and is responsible for the City’s pedestrian, bicycle and motor vehicle transportation systems. 

Yang will talk about the City of Madison’s Vision Zero Initiative, an innovative strategy aimed at eliminating traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all road users in Madison. He will discuss the progress the City has made so far, such as implementing the Safe System Approach, enhanced public engagement, the new Safe Streets Madison Program, speed management, and the team’s successful efforts on securing over $10 million of safety related federal grant funding. Yang will also share lessons learned along the way.

Regardless of your role, what are people, customers and business partners looking for in you? What is the workplace culture you have created with your team that leads to success? Creating a mission driven culture with compassion and trust turns satisfied customers into loyal customers. In addition, if the work we do is tied into a purpose beyond profits, our job satisfaction increases substantially and employee turnover is reduced.  Guest speaker JOHN McHUGH, Vice President of External Affairs for Kwik Trip, Inc.,  will explore the role you play in your organization’s success and how you can find the key people to help you achieve that greatness. His examples and stories are ones that you won’t forget.

Guest Speaker = Courtney Westover

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81758211401?pwd=WVFFMVcya3dCRnZNU2k0Z3dGcUhJQT09

Meeting ID: 817 5821 1401
Passcode: 968367

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85239514533?pwd=IamquF88aQzMveRdJNbJOAviEOzb8p.1

JEN RUBIN, the former producer of the Moth StroySlam, and DANIELLE HAIRSTON GREEN, a host of the Moth StorySlam, will talk about the Moth, a nonprofit organization that celebrates the commonality and diversity of human experience through the art and craft of personal storytelling, what type of storytelling events are happening in Madison and the benefits of storytelling for both the audience and the teller. 

ANTHONY COOPER has worked for Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development since February, 2013 as Director of Reentry Service and recently as Vice President of Strategic Partnerships & Reentry Services.  He speaks from experience when he talks about the problems that ex-offenders have when released from prison or jail. Whether it is finding housing, getting a job, or re-connecting with family members, he understands the challenges involved. 

Having a strong foundation in financial management and business operations, MARK CASH continues to expand his expertise through ongoing education in technology, legal frameworks, and business practices bringing those skills to serve Focused Interruption.

Their Rotary presentation will highlight Focused Interruption, Inc.’s mission to build safer communities through engagement and support. They will outline key programs like Outreach, Community Safety Work (CSW), Brothers Against Odds (B.A.O.), Leaders of Tomorrow (L.O.T.), and Aftercare Services, emphasizing their impact on reducing violence and fostering recovery. 

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85239514533?pwd=IamquF88aQzMveRdJNbJOAviEOzb8p.1

Do you know how many voting members are in the House of Representatives? What year the US Constitution was written? Passing the US Citizenship Test might be trickier than you think! Approximately 9.1 million immigrants in the US are eligible to naturalize but haven’t done so yet (US Department of Homeland Security, 2019). In this overview of the citizenship process, you’ll learn the basics: eligibility requirements, steps in the legal process, the four areas of the test, and how Literacy Network helps over 100 students on their citizenship journey each year. A tutor-learner pair in the citizenship program will also join us to share their experience working toward this essential milestone.

CAITLIN MACKESEY found her way to the world of adult education when she signed up as a volunteer tutor at Literacy Network in 2010. After studying languages at UW-Madison, she taught English in Marseille, France. Since 2015, she’s lead ESL and citizenship programs at Literacy Network for adult learners from over 100 countries. 

Guest Speaker = Trey Sprinkman

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85239514533?pwd=IamquF88aQzMveRdJNbJOAviEOzb8p.1

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89117925371?pwd=NkxMUjNlTnQ5TC9JYkpLRzhtTmlydz09

Meeting ID: 891 1792 5371
Passcode: 211495

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85239514533?pwd=IamquF88aQzMveRdJNbJOAviEOzb8p.1