Leading with Purpose: Eduardo Peñalver’s Legacy at Seattle University
“I am especially proud of the ways we have lived out our Jesuit values by centering the dignity of every person and preparing students to lead lives of purpose in service of a just and humane world.” — Eduardo Peñalver
Next week, the Rotary Club of Seattle welcomes Eduardo Peñalver, president of Seattle University—the incoming president of Georgetown University. Peñalver will step down from Seattle U in March 2026 to lead Georgetown, bringing his visionary leadership to one of the nation’s most prominent Jesuit universities.
Peñalver made history at Seattle University as its first lay (non-Jesuit) president since the university’s founding in 1891 and its first president of Latin descent. During his tenure, he guided the launch of new academic programs, helped re-establish the university in the West Coast Conference, and oversaw the integration of Cornish College of the Arts into the SU community.
Pat Callans, chair of Seattle University’s Board of Trustees, praised his tenure: “Eduardo has guided our university with vision and integrity… strengthened our academic mission, deepened our Jesuit, Catholic identity and positioned Seattle University for continued success.”
Rotary members will hear directly from Peñalver about leadership in higher education, sustaining institutional mission, and fostering community impact as he transitions to his next chapter in Washington, D.C.
“Safety is not just about buildings and barriers, its about smart planning, good policies, and being ready when things don’t go as planned,” President Jan Levy said in opening remarks on Wednesday, January 28. Seattle Rotary virtually hosted Seattle Police Captain Dan Nelson to discuss planning for safety for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup. As the month comes to a close, the theme of safety for the month culminated in Captain Nelson sharing behind the scenes details going into ensuring safety and security for Seattle’s upcoming spotlight on the world stage.
With two decades with the Seattle Police department in crisis response, large-scale event planning, and emergency management, Captain Nelson is well prepared for the tournament. “This year’s tournament is a total of 48 national teams. So that’s 50% larger than any previous World Cup,” Captain Nelson shared. In addition to more teams in this year’s World Cup, Seattle is expected to hose over 750,000 visitors to the city for the World Cup, in addition to the standard summer visitors.
Seattle is hosting 6 games starting on June 15th and culminating on July 6th. In addition to hosting games at Lumen Field, the city and surrounding communities will host training facilities, fan activation zones, and team base camps.
Captain Nelson explained that teams will use two Seattle training facilities (UW and Seattle University) plus two team base camps in Washington at Longacres in Renton (Sounders facility) and Gonzaga University in Spokane, with final team assignments announced by FIFA. He noted that Washington will also host nine fan activation zones statewide so “local opportunities for those communities to enjoy FIFA” exist without everyone coming into downtown, alongside a diffuse fan experience model in Seattle with activations at Seattle Center and in the downtown core.
While the US Men’s National Team is scheduled to play Australia on June 19th, the match that has recently drawn the most attention is the June 26th match between Iran and Egypt. This match is scheduled to be the pride match during Pride Weekend in Seattle. Many have noted the anti-LGBTQ stances of these two countries is at odds with the scheduled pride event for the match. Captain Nelson noted that there are planned large scale Pro-LGBTQ protests to occur at or near the venue. “It’s very important that we offer parity for everybody. Everybody gets the same amount of consideration,” Captain Nelson said when ensuring safety for players, fans, and protestors.
We chased away the winter blues this week at Fedva's annual ethnic dinner. Thank you Fedva for the pictures!
We need even more social events like this to add to our club calendar. Do you have an idea for a fun social or service event? Do you see a gap in programming that you would like to fill? Club Director Mary wants to hear your ideas!
How Your Investment in SRSF and TRF Multiplies to Benefit the Community and the World-Clean Water in Cameroon
This fall a Rotary Club of Seattle-led project brought clean water to the Mokindi District of Limbe, Cameroon, an area overwhelmed by refugees fleeing civil strife in the country. 3000 residents, including more than 1800 children in three schools are benefitting through improved hygiene, better health and improved productivity. A borehole was dug connected to a water tower with a 20,000-liter capacity with water distributed to three conveniently located stand taps across the area. Your Seattle Rotary Service Foundation's seed investment of $10,000 made a $39,122 project possible. Five local Rotary clubs made grants totaling $11,500; the District 5030 match added $6,000; the Seattle Limbe Sister City Association contributed $11,000; the Limbe Rotary led the project on the ground and contributed the remaining funds.
Thank you for your participation in SRSF and TRF. Your participation in TRF releases vital matching funds that make projects like these possible. And your donations to SRSF are combined with others to make great projects happen in Seattle and in the world.
Sunday, February 8 1:00 PM 4710 Lake Washington Blvd. NE Renton
Rotary Tour of The More We Love
You are cordially invited for a very special private tour of the Emergency Receiving Center run by The More We Love. People open to pathways out of sexual exploitation get referred here, often by police officers who find them on N Aurora or tent encampments. Agenda: 1:00 Arrive and mingle 1:15 Friendly introductions - this may include participants at TMWL who will be invited to join us 1:30 Overview of TMWL by Founder and Fellow Rotarian Kristine Moreland 1:45 Tour of the intake room where TMWL first greets guests - so much heart!! <3 2:15 Tour of the Community Kitchen - this will be of special interest to the Rotary Clubs who are contributing to the project 2:45 Q&A 3:00 Wrap up Address: 4710 Lake Washington Blvd NE, Renton, WA 98056 Note, the facility is a converted motel. To keep the location private there is not a sign out front that says "The More We Love." Parking is easy and free in the adjacent parking lot. The entrance is under a large portico. Look for Virginia McKenzie who will be there to greet you warmly. Who is invited? This event is for Rotarians and guests. Yes, you are welcome to bring a friend or family member, as long as they are 13 years of age or older. Please let Virginia know so she can keep track of head count. We have room for 15-20 guests. RSVP by Wednesday, February 4 by emailing virginia.mckenzie74@gmail.com
Rotary in Action: Youth, Learning, and Community Through the Arts
By Tatyana Tsyrlina-Spady and Lori Walker
On December 13, the Seattle Rotary Education Interest Group, together with Taproot Theatre Company and School Connect WA, created a meaningful holiday experience for local students and families through a special performance of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Thanks to the generosity of four Rotarians, many children experienced live theater for the very first time.
The guests were students and caregivers from Daniel Bagley Elementary School served by School Connect WA, including families identified under the McKinney-Vento Act as experiencing housing instability. For these young people, the evening was far more than entertainment—it fostered youth development, enriched language and literacy experiences, and encouraged empathy and positive social connection.
Taproot Theatre deepened this impact by welcoming families with Spanish-speaking staff, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the production, and introducing children to the actors. Hearing their home language spoken created an immediate sense of dignity and belonging. Special thanks to Karen Lund, Producing Artistic Director of Taproot Theatre Company, whose leadership and commitment to accessible, inclusive arts education made this experience especially meaningful.
This initiative was made possible through close collaboration with Roy Chang, Founder of School Connect WA, whose work ensures that students receive academically focused after-school tutoring and caring adult guidance. Together, these partnerships reflect Rotary’s commitment to safe, welcoming learning environments and effective anti-bullying education.
Building on this successful collaboration, the Rotary Education Interest Group and Taproot Theatre Company invite Rotarians from all local clubs to a special anti-bullying program and social gathering on February 10 at 5:00 PM at Taproot Theatre. For this occasion, the entire theatre will be open exclusively for Rotarians, with light snacks and drinks available, and—most importantly—ample time and space for socializing and discussing our shared priorities as Rotarians committed to serving youth.
All Rotarians are warmly encouraged to attend, bring guests, and invite fellow club members. Come curious—and expect the unexpected.
In an effort to better inform membership of the health of the club, we will start posting member additions and resignations after each month's club board meeting. January membership changes approved by the board are as follows:
New Members: Ben Linford (reinstatement), Kay Kim
Resignations:Susan Szafir, Alyson Teeter, Bob Alexander, Eileen Schuetz, Steve Crandall, Terry Van Nostrand, Cody McNeal
We love to see our Rotary members promoting good works in our community and abroad! If you have a project or fundraiser that you are excited about and would like to promote to your fellow club members, please check in with our Club Director, Mary Goldie, before distributing information or invitations through our email roster. We value the privacy of our members’ contact information and can let you know the appropriate ways to reach out to folks in our club. Thank you!!
These are club membership (not total years of Rotary membership) anniversaries only
1 Year
Allison Webel
Karen Kalish
Dalia Sherif
Jean-Paul Yafali
2 Years
Kyle White
Paul Spieldenner
Ariel Delaney
3 Years
Jorge Chapa
Tony Chen
6 Years
Rajeev Agarwal
David Frum
Steve Woolworth
9 Years
Randy Frisch
15 Years
Lillian Sherman
21 Years
Burr Stewart
25 Years
Ev Billingslea
26 Years
Jeff Borek
28 Years
Bill Hammond
31 Years
Nancy Cahill
32 Years
Don Nielsen
33 Years
Chris Clark
36 Years
Sten Crissey
37 Years
Bill Fetterley
Fedva Dikmen
38 Years
Laurie Jonsson
43 Years
Bob Davidson
46 Years
John King
48 Years
Bill Weisfield
52 Years
Neil McReynolds
Get Involved
Meet fellow Rotarians and get involved in service. See below for a list of committees. Email the committee chair by clicking on their name. Or, contact Mary Goldie for more information.
4. Invite your connections to a weekly meeting, and let mary@seattlerotary.org know so they may be introduced.
If you don't already have a LinkedIn profile, CLICK HERE to learn how to get started.
SEATTLE 4 ROTARY AUDIO VISUAL SPONSORS
Video of Seattle 4 Rotary Programs are available online thanks to the generous support of our Seattle Rotary Audio Visual Sponsors.
In addition to supporting our club, becoming a Seattle 4 Rotary Audio Visual Sponsor brings many benefits. To learn more, click here, or contact Mary for more details at mary@seattlerotary.org.
Do You Have Any Musical Instruments to Donate to Students in Need?
Music4Life is a non-profit and project of Rotary District 5030 that distributes musical instruments to public school students in need.
We welcome any gently used musical instruments you wish to donate. They can be delivered directly to these local music stores that are now open: American Music in Phinney Ridge and Kennelly Keys Music in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Everett.
Please accompany your instrument with the PDF donation form, linked below.
Our Rotary Cares team is ready to listen and to support you. One of the wonderful things about our club is that you have many friends --you just need to reach out to tap into our amazing network of caring people. Please contact our Rotary Cares Committee Chair to let us know how we can help.
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