Events
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COVID-19: Working together to protect our community’s health
Apr. 09, 2020
Anthony L-T Chen is the Director of Health of Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. As the chief health strategist for Pierce County, he promotes a policy, systems and environmental change approach to advance the Health Department’s vision of healthy people and healthy communities. Chen has a passion for health equity, bringing a personal commitment to the health department’s mission: to protect and improve the health of all people and places in Pierce County. During his career, he has developed expertise in:
Chen serves on state and national public health committees; regional planning bodies; and local, state and congressional district committees on healthcare access and reform. A Duke University medical school graduate, he completed family medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati and a faculty development fellowship at Duke University. He received his Masters of Public Health at Harvard School of Public Health and has taught at medical centers and universities. |
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Recycle Reset: How International Market Changes Are Impacting Tacoma
Apr. 16, 2020
Preston Peck is the Recycle Reset Project Lead focused on community outreach, engagement, and education for the City’s residential recycling program. Preston is deeply passionate about inclusive policy development that utilizes a participatory approach and reflects the desires of impacted communities. Originally from Alabama, Preston’s background is rooted in bridging the rural-urban divide through grassroots organizing and empowering people to advocate for thoughtful policies. Prior to moving to Washington in 2018, Preston was the policy director at Toxic Free NC in Raleigh, North Carolina where he worked to advance policies to protect communities from toxic pesticides and chemicals. Preston holds a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Development from SIT Graduate Institute and a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Birmingham Southern College. |
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Baby Court
Apr. 30, 2020
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May 06, 2020 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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Port of Tacoma - Strategic Planning and Operating During a Pandemic
May 14, 2020
Eric Johnson served as the executive director of the Washington Public Ports Association since January 2009. In that role he represented port district interests to state and federal elected officials, including the Washington legislature and state agencies. In addition to government relations, he was responsible for numerous specialized seminars and conferences. Johnson joined the Washington Public Ports Association in 1988 as the environmental affairs director, where he developed many of the fundamental environmental laws and policies that are still in place today for ports across the state. He was promoted to deputy director in 2006. A native of Pierce County, Johnson holds bachelor’s degrees in biology and political science from Pacific Lutheran University and a master’s in public administration with a concentration in environmental policy and natural resources management from the University of Washington. When the Northwest Seaport Alliance was formed in 2015, the executive director of the Port of Tacoma took on the additional role of the CEO of the NWSA. With the transition period ending, John Wolfe continues as the CEO of the NWSA, with Eric Johnson as the Executive Director of the Port of Tacoma. Eric will celebrate his one-year anniversary with the Port of Tacoma in June. |
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Creatives Respond to COVID-19
May 21, 2020
How has the coronavirus affected Tacoma’s creative economy? What do creatives need to survive as professionals and small business owners? What opportunities now exist for their talents to aid in our recovery? Spaceworks program director, Michael Liang, will offer data, insights, and recommendations for how we can support, and be supported by, our cultural sector. Spaceworks is a program of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber and provides training and support to Tacoma’s artists and creative entrepreneurs. Program director Michael Liang came to Spaceworks after a ten-year career as a designer and creative leader with the National Park Service. He provides vision and support to the Spaceworks staff and clients, helping the program grow and strengthen as a pillar of Tacoma’s creative community. |
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The Economic Impact of Tribal Gaming
Jun. 04, 2020
David Z. Bean graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1992 with a degree in business and public administration and after college worked for the Puyallup Tribe’s economic development arm and as a small-business owner. In 2006, he won election to the Puyallup Tribal Council, the Tribe’s seven-member governing body, and in June 2019 accepted the chairmanship. David also serves as vice chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association and is active with other Indian associations. He participates regularly in cultural activities such as drumming, singing, dancing and language classes, and he continues the fishing tradition he learned as a child by participating in Tribal fisheries as a diver harvesting geoducks. |
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Challenges for Business Today
Jun. 11, 2020
The business world was rocked in mid-March when the Stay Home order took effect to protect the community from the COVID-19 crisis. Now, just as those restrictions are starting to be lifted, the community is suddenly -- and finally -- confronting the bigger, deeper crisis of systemic racism. Thousands of people in the greater Tacoma area have participated in protests for nearly two weeks. Just as our communities have rallied to address the COVID-19 crisis, they are also rallying to support the Black community, including Black-owned businesses. Tom Pierson, president of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, and T'wina Nobles, president of the Tacoma Urban League, have been working to provide resources to help businesses. They will do a joint presentation to offer some highlights of what's available and what they're learning during this journey. |
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Our Scholarship Winners
Jun. 18, 2020
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Emerging Challenges for 2020 Elections: Election security, COVID, and People in the Streets
Jul. 01, 2020
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ShowCase Magazine - sharing "good news" stories and saluting to Covid 19 Heros
Jul. 01, 2020
Robin is the Publisher of ShowCase Media, and has been a member of our club for over 7 years. Robin is a media executive with more than 20 years of experience leading, mentoring, and inspiring editorial and sales teams to peak productivity and innovation. She is responsible for providing overall leadership, direction, strategy and vision for ShowCase Media. Overseeing editorial, events, sales and partner relations. She received her BA from Pacific Lutheran University. In 2014 Robin was named a Woman of Influence by the Business Examiner. |
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Update from the Mayor
Jul. 01, 2020
Tacoma’s Mayor will provide an update on the COVID-19 recovery, development of the 2021-2022 budget, and the transformation of services and systems impacted by racism. Victoria Woodards has called the “City of Destiny” her home for nearly her entire life. She is a proud graduate of Tacoma’s Lincoln High School and served as a soldier in the United States Army. Before becoming Mayor in 2018, she served for seven years as an at-large member of the City Council. During that time, she launched the City’s Equity and Empowerment initiative which led to the establishment of its Office of Equity and Human Rights. She also brought partner organizations together for then President Barack Obama’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, and spearheaded the City’s Project PEACE initiative which bridged community members with the Tacoma Police Department. In Mayor Woodards’ first term, she continues to be a champion of these important issues while expanding her involvement in regional and national conversations on affordable housing, transportation, strengthening youth and families, public safety, growing local business, and the creation of family wage jobs. She has also worked to more fully engage the City’s youth in community decisions that impact them every day, by expanding Student Government Day and establishing the Mayor’s Youth Commission of Tacoma. |
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Remarks from the Speaker of the House
Jul. 09, 2020
Laurie Jinkins made history on January 13, 2020 when she became Washington state’s first woman and first out lesbian Speaker of the House. She represents the 27th Legislative District in Pierce County, which includes East, Downtown, Hilltop, North, Northeast, West, and part of South Tacoma as well as Ruston and Fife Heights. She is a native Midwesterner who earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and later a Juris Doctor from Seattle University School of Law (then the University of Puget Sound School Of Law). She also completed executive studies at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. Laurie started her career litigating child abuse and neglect cases for the state Attorney General’s Office. She then shifted her career toward public health, eventually serving as an assistant secretary of health at the state Department of Health before taking the position of Director of Organizational Initiatives at the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, where she continues to serve. She has also been active in advancing Washington’s anti-discrimination laws both prior to and during her time in the House. Prior to becoming Speaker, Laurie served on the House Appropriations and Health Care & Wellness committees, and chaired the Civil Rights and Judiciary Committee. Laurie and her wife, Laura Wulf, live in Tacoma, where they raised their son |
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Jul. 25, 2020 - Jul. 26, 2020
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Jul. 28, 2020 9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
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Aug. 11, 2020
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Votes For Women: 100 Years and Counting
Aug. 13, 2020
2020 marks the centennial of national women’s suffrage in America. Washington women won the vote 10 years earlier, and led the way for the nation as the tide of suffrage rolled from the West coast to the East. Jennifer Kilmer, Director of the Washington State Historical Society, will share stories about noted suffragists in Washington, as well as the work of the Society to commemorate this important milestone in our nation’s history. |
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Candidate Forum - Pierce County Executive
Aug. 20, 2020
Bruce Dammeier A Pierce County native, Executive Dammeier attended Curtis High School before going on to graduate with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy and serve eight years as a Civil Engineer Corps Officer. While on active duty, he was deployed on humanitarian relief missions in the United States and across the world. At the conclusion of his military service, he returned to Washington State and became a dedicated community volunteer. Bruce and Lauren, his wife of more than 35 years, live in Puyallup. They have three grown sons. Larry Seaquist Enlisting in the Navy, Larry rose to command four warships including battleship USS IOWA. He followed his 32 year Navy career with eight years’ service in the Washington Legislature. Larry and his wife, writer Carla Seaquist, live in Gig Harbor. |
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Aug. 20, 2020 1:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
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Aug. 25, 2020
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Ouor Returning Exchange Students
Aug. 27, 2020
Katie Guild is a rising Stadium High School senior who traded in her junior year for the incredible experience of long-term exchange in rural Brazil, her first time away from the United States. A hopeful future polyglot, Katie has a passion for language and music, playing cello in the Stadium chamber orchestra and helping to teach English classes while in Brazil. Her year abroad has helped her to realize that her interest lies in both the social and scientific aspects of language. After completing her high school education through Running Start, she plans to study linguistics in university with the goal of becoming a translator or language teacher in whichever country the opportunity arises (though her parents are much less inclined to let her go!). Katie is excited to tell you all about her experiences and the many ways Rotary Youth Exchange has impacted her disposition and future. |
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Palmer Scholars - Supporting Students in Challenging Times
Sep. 03, 2020
Jonathan is a Pierce County native, born and raised in Lakewood, WA. His professional experience has revolved largely around providing youth with access to resources they need in order to be successful in both their personal and academic/professional lives. Jonathan currently serves as the Executive Director for Palmer Scholars, a Pierce-County non-profit that takes a holistic approach to serving low-income students of color in pursuit of their educational and career goals after high school. Prior to this role, Jonathan served as the Executive Director for the Fair Housing Center of Washington, Director of Development for the Foundation for Tacoma Students, and Program Director with the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. Jonathan holds a Master of Business Administration from Pacific Lutheran University, where he also earned his bachelor’s degree. Jonathan serves as the chair for Friends of the Children-Tacoma, on the board for the Northwest Furniture Bank, the Executive Advisory Council for the Foundation for Tacoma Students, Pacific Lutheran University’s Alumni Board, the University of Washington-Tacoma’s School of Education Advisory Board. Jonathan is also a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and holds leadership roles within the Iota Mu Lambda chapter in Tacoma. Palmer Scholars' mission is to support underrepresented Pierce County students of color to overcome financial, cultural, and social barriers in their pursuit of higher education. Our “Whole Scholar” model is a deliberately designed set of services that accounts for the holistic needs of our Scholars, not just what is generally encapsulated in a college access program. Palmer Scholars was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1996 and has served nearly 600 promising young low-income students of color from Pierce County in their pursuit of a better life through higher education. In 2019, we expanded our work to be more inclusive and responsive to the industry needs of our community. Our Palmer Pathways program has not only opened avenues for disconnected youth to access family-wage careers in the trades but has also increased the value of services we provide Scholars in our existing Legacy Program. At Palmer Scholars, our family of 6 staff, 10 Board members, and 140+ mentors and volunteers ensure our Scholars successfully graduate from their postsecondary program with the skills, knowledge, and network to be servant leaders in our community. |
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Sep. 03, 2020 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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A Physician's Intimate Experience with COVID
Sep. 10, 2020
Dr. Prakash Gatta, an esophageal robotics surgeon for Multicare Health System in Tacoma said he started documenting what life was like in the operating room before finding out he tested positive for the coronavirus. “I didn’t think I would have COVID. Why? Because, you know, I never get sick. What I see in the world and in my patients, can’t possibly happen to me,” Gatta said. Gatta’s symptoms were mild compared to most, but he said the virus is powerful and one month later, he was still recovering. “Lots of body aches and the fatigue persists to this day. I lost like 12 pounds in just that one week,” Gatta said. Yet, the first thing Gatta did when he got the OK from officials? He went right back to the hospital: “Here I am back to work after COVID-19.” As a surgeon during a pandemic, he said it’s his calling to be there, and now he feels there’s less reason to worry. “For the people with fear, know that no matter what happens, the lights are always on. Babies are being born. Bones are being set. This hospital, this profession, we’re in a league of our own. We’ll take care of you.” |
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Vision for 2020-21
Sep. 17, 2020
Three things have shaped Greg’s life more than any other. Water, family and Rotary. Raised living on a lake in Lakewood, WA, he became an accomplished competitive water skier and barefooter. This led him into the water ski manufacturing business during college at the University of Washington. After college and a stint in the navy, the job grew into a self-employment opportunity as an independent manufacturer’s representative. That led him into the tournament ski boat business, a wakeboard manufacturing business and finally a dock building business. He also raced tunnel boats for several years way back in the 70's where he set a world speed record that still stands. Along the way he joined with some friends and built a water ski lake, one of the finest in the country. Greg is also a lifelong snow skier, and snow is just frozen water. Greg met his future wife, Mary, at a boat race. Mary and & Greg have three adult sons, and now three adorable grandkids. One day a friend called and asked, “What do you know about Rotary?” Greg replied, “Not much. It is a service club that meets for lunch in just about every community I have traveled through. After attending a few meetings, he was hooked. He had found the perfect way to give back to his community and have fun while doing it. After joining Lakewood Rotary in 1996 he became active in just about every aspect of the club. 2009-2010 brought a year of being club president, and then three years as assistant governor followed. “The more I learned about Rotary beyond the club, the more I wanted to be involved,” Mary jokes that Greg asked her to marry him, but neglected to ask her to join Rotary. She recently took the lead and joined Lakewood Rotary where she has had a dynamic first year. Greg and Mary are co-chairs of 2018 Rotary District 5020 Conference and Training in Tacoma. Greg’s four Rotary passions are polio eradication, public image, membership growth, and The Rotary Foundation. A final thought: Do you wish Rotary were not such a well-kept secret? Do you wish everyone in the community knew about all the life-changing things we do? Together we can grow Rotary and make a difference! |
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Sep. 22, 2020
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Higher Education in the World of COVID
Sep. 24, 2020
Michele L. Johnson, Ph.D., has served as Chancellor and CEO of Pierce College since 2005. She began her career at Pierce College in 1977 as an adjunct professor, then became a full-time professor in 1978, teaching criminal justice and sociology at what was then Fort Steilacoom Community College. For many years, Dr. Johnson also coached women’s softball and basketball at the college and was twice named Northwest Athletic Conference Coach of the Year. She was appointed president of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in 1999 when the Puyallup campus became a formal college. A first-generation college student, Dr. Johnson holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in in Police Science and Administration from Washington State University. She earned her Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Management from the University of Oregon and attended the Institute for Educational Management at Harvard University. Under Dr. Johnson’s leadership, Pierce College has garnered national awards for improving student graduation rates, fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion, and serving veterans. In 2016, Dr. Johnson received the Association of Community Colleges Trustees CEO of the Year Award for the Pacific Region. Dr. Johnson is active in the community. She currently serves on the boards of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, the Greater Metro Parks Foundation, the Gottfried and Mary Fuchs Foundation, and Lakewood’s Promise, an organization dedicated to improving opportunities for Lakewood area youth. She is also a member of Tacoma Rotary 8. Dr. Ivan Harrell has a passion for community college education and strives every day to lead a group of professionals in providing the best environment, programs and services students need to complete their academic and career goals. Dr. Harrell most recently served as the Executive Vice President of Academic & Student Affairs at Georgia Piedmont Technical College. Before Georgia Piedmont, he served as the Vice President of Success at Lone Star College, Dean of Student Affairs at Anne Arundel Community College, Coordinator for Student Affairs at J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, and Assistant to the Vice President at Tallahassee Community College. Dr. Harrell is a published author, having written or co-written at least eight scholarly articles and book chapters. He has also served as a presenter at numerous local, regional and national conferences and seminars. Dr. Harrell completed his doctor of philosophy degree (Ph.D.) at Florida State University, where he defended his award-winning dissertation, titled, “Using Student Characteristics to Predict the Persistence of Community College Students Enrolled in Online Courses.” He holds a master’s degree (M.Ed.) from Vanderbilt University, and a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) from Wittenberg University. |
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Economic Development: the Pandemic Pivot
Oct. 01, 2020
Betty Capestany serves as the Director of Economic Development for Pierce County. Her department focuses on retaining, growing and bringing new jobs to Pierce County. Currently she is overseeing $30 million dollars of CARES economic stabilization and recovery funds to help Pierce County businesses receive resources during the pandemic. The department also oversees the Arts and Tourism boards and commissions. She joined the department in 2018. Betty’s career has focused on building communities with the knowledge that successful, supported businesses help a community thrive. Betty’s work has been dedicated to having a deep understanding of how each community functions - its synergies, its quirks, its strengths – and leveraging those to the advantage of the businesses she serves. Betty thrives on pushing the envelope, being the first to try out a new technology brings her joy and has her quickly thinking of ways it could be applied to the advancement of business. Prior to coming to Pierce County Betty served as CEO of the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce for 17 years; and prior to that the City of Renton Economic Development Director, Renton Chamber of Commerce CEO and Assistant Director for the Kent Chamber of Commerce. Betty and her husband George have a blended family of 4 boys (20-25), two loveable labs and 3 blackberry eating goats. For fun Betty runs marathons (has done all the world majors except Tokyo) loves to travel, reading and entertain family and friends. Her civic involvement includes 30+ years as a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow. She is currently a member of Tacoma 8. She has is also a mentor and serves on the Milgard Women’s Initiative Advisory Council, is on the Board for the Red Cross South Puget Sound and Olympics Chapter and serves on the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives Educational Foundation. Jeff Roinson was appointed in July, 2018 as Director of the Community and Economic Development Department, Jeff is responsible for the development, administration, leadership and implementation of the City’s strategies and programs for neighborhood revitalization and business assistance, business recruitment, retention and expansion, as well as housing initiatives and partnerships that will offer equitable access to programs and resources for the citizens of Tacoma with a special focus on underserved or underrepresented communities. Jeff has over thirty-five years of experience in the public, private, non-profit and financial sectors in community and economic development. Jeff has served on numerous boards and commissions. He has a B. S. in Political Science from Willamette University and a Master’s in Urban Planning and Community Development from Portland State University He is a Seattle native, but is a long time Tacoma resident.
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Oct. 01, 2020 4:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
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