“The best thing we can do is create opportunity—bring people into the process and leave something meaningful behind for the community.”
— Philip Pitruzello
Downtown at a Crossroads—Rotary Welcomes National Voice on What Comes Next
Downtown Seattle is changing. Fast. Office towers aren’t as full. Retail is evolving. Housing, safety, and public space are all part of a bigger question now facing cities across America:
What should downtown become next?
That’s the focus of next Wednesday’s Rotary Club of Seattle program, as we host nationally respected real estate and development leader Philip Pitruzello for a Zoom-only presentation: “Reimagining Downtown.”
Pitruzello has spent his career helping answer that exact question. From leadership roles at Time Warner, Columbia University, and BlackRock to serving as President of the Battery Park City Authority, he has helped shape some of the country’s most ambitious and successful urban transformations.
At Columbia University, he was instrumental in the Manhattanville campus expansion—turning underutilized space into a thriving academic and community hub. His work consistently blends big-picture vision with practical execution: how to rethink space, attract people back, and build places that truly work for the communities around them.
And that last point is key.
For Seattle, the timing couldn’t be better. As our own downtown continues to evolve, this conversation gets to the heart of what comes next—how we adapt, how we revitalize, and how we build a city core that reflects the future, not the past.
Join Us (Zoom Only)
This will be a Zoom-only meeting, making it easy to tune in from wherever you are. If you care about Seattle’s future—or simply want to hear from someone who has helped reshape some of America’s most important urban spaces—this is a program worth your time.
Don’t miss it. The future of downtown is being written right now.
This year, thanks to an increased Seattle Rotary Service Foundation contribution, the UW Foster School was able to expand its mentor program to add Spring Term 2026!
If you were unable to participate this winter, please consider serving a Business Mentor this brief April-June segment. Contact Paul Tsai or Barton DeLacy for details.
"Having observed the Business Mentor program for several years and spoken to both participants and mentors, I can attest to the fact that everyone finds this a fabulous experience! The business mentors seem to get as much (or more) out of it as the participants!" Jan Levy, President, 2025-26, Rotary Club of Seattle
Our member and past club president Mark Wright interviewed the CEO of Horizon Air, Andy Schneider who started working at Alaska Airlines in 1989 as an accountant. Andy started with, “We want to be your airline for a long, long time and we realize there have been some challenging times so we appreciate your patience but we will come back strong; pick us.” Mark asked about the secret to her success and moving up in the company, “In the early days she tried to add value to the people around her.”
Some of the other topics that Mark asked her about were:
· The hallmark of their culture is that they invest in people; every job matters so they take care of all of their employees – they have an “employee-powered model, not top down; an empowerment model”
· They look for leaders that “get things out of their way that makes an employee’s job harder”
· Major challenges for airlines like Alaska and Horizon include increasing costs of fuel which they cannot control
· Horizon is “the front door to Alaska; their feeder market” as they bring guests into Alaska’s national/international flights.
· What an exciting time it is at Horizon as Alaska will start flying to Europe this year, which is also good for employee retention, pay and morale
He concluded the interview with a “lightening round” with short answers from Andy:
One word to describe you: Fair
And one word to describe Horizon Air: In Sync – work well together
City/Destination to fly to: Boise or Hawaii
Where do you prefer to sit when flying: Premium section or Aisle seat
President Jan opened the meeting at the Washington Athletic Club after a few minutes of Table Talk answering the question: “What do you remember about the first time you flew in an airplane?”
Jose Iniguez accompanied by Dr. Kia Sams on the piano sang “De Colores” that Jose said fit well with our theme of communities and neighborhoods and that “makes him smile every time he heard it as a kid.” They received a standing ovation!
Bill Fetterley introduced our new member, Roy Wild, who serves as a major in the Salvation Army. As a fifth generation family member working for the Salvation Army, he is looking forward to rejoining Rotary as he was a member when he lived in Pasadena.
President Jan closed the meeting reflecting on her first airplane trip and remembering the “old days of flying. Airlines connect families, businesses and cultures and keep us connected to the rest of the world.”
Wednesday, March 25th 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Columbia Tower Club
March Evening Event Happy Hour
Join us for a cash bar happy hour with your fellow Rotary Club of Seattle members and Columbia Tower Club members! RSVP to let us know you plan to attend! Parking is $10 in the Columbia Tower Garage after 5 PM.
Sunday, March 29th 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM Benaroya Hall
Key to Change Spring Salon Community Concert
The concert is free and open to the public with pre-registration. It will feature soloists from our student community alongside the Federal Way Symphony.
After the concert, a public reception will occur in the main foyer to allow guest to gather and meet Key of Change students, families, and Staff. We hope you will consider joining us for this meaningful performance and community gathering.
Thank you for caring about the next generation of musicians! You can reserve your free tickets through this link here.
Tickets are limited, so please RSVP as soon as possible.
Thursday, April 16th 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM Frolik Bar at Motif Hotel
Club Happy Hour Hosted by the Young Rotary Leaders
In an effort to offer more non-ticketed evening and weekend events, our Young Rotary Leaders aged 40 and under would like to invite you to a casual social happy hour at Frolik Bar inside the Motif Hotel. If you are looking for an opportunity to get to know other members outside of the lunch setting, then this event is for you!
Guests are welcome, especially prospective members or companies from the downtown core. If bringing a prospect to this event, please email mary@seattlerotary.org in advance so we can track and follow up.
Saturday, April 25th Time TBD Rotary Boys and Girls Club
Rotary Boys and Girls Club Annual Clean Up Day
Our club established what is now known as the Rotary Boys and Girls Club in the basement of Plymouth Church 1944. The club grew so popular they moved to their own standalone building in 1954, a building funded by member donation dollars and used to this day.
Each year we return in service for an annual clean-up day, tackling tasks such as landscape improvements, kitchen clean outs, painting, and organizing. There is a role for everyone; we hope you “save the date” and join us!
Bellevue Breakfast Club All in for Autism 5K Walk/Run
Calling all Seattle Rotarian walkers, joggers and runners!!
Be part of our SEATTLE ROTARY TEAM for the “All In for Autism” 5K Run/Walk.
Let’s show up TOGETHER for the All In for Autism 5K Run/Walk in downtown Bellevue on Sunday morning, April 26th. The Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club is sponsoring the event to benefit local organizations that empower children with autism.
Register in advance for our Seattle Rotary team by clicking on the QR code that takes you directly to our team page or click on this link:
Our club members will enjoy exclusive access to the new Cascade PBS headquarters for this special "end of Rotary year" evening event. The evening will feature tours, presentations, and plenty of time to socialize in Cascade's special indoor/outdoor welcoming center space.
Thursday, May 21st 5:00 PM -8:00 PM Hotel Sorrento
Major Donors Pinkham & Skeel/President's Circle Reception
The SRSF Board of Directors and donors to SRSF at the $1,000+ level this Rotary year will receive an invitation to our annual appreciation reception. The evening will feature refreshments and updates from grantee organizations on the impact our donation dollars have made to local and international projects.
Saturday, May 30th Shifts from 10 AM-5 PM Rainier Community Center
Volunteers Needed: Launch Learning Family Carnival
Volunteers are needed for several shifts and roles at this annual event benefitting nonprofit Launch Learning. For more information, please see the volunteer info and email Jessica.ivins@launchlearning.org to sign up to volunteer.
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. February membership changes approved by the board are as follows:
New Members: Hayes Mott, Felicity Wang
Resignations:Bobbie Nickel, Astrid Berg, Randy Frisch
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!!
Serves to fulfill Rotary's mission of "advancing international understanding, goodwill, and peace." The committee selects projects that positively impact the health, education, and welfare of less advantaged people in other countries, with a particular emphasis on youth. Actively works with clubs in our District and abroad to leverage — via matching grants — the amount of money available for a project. Members get involved through direct knowledge of the project or by volunteering. Prior focuses have included malaria projects in Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda; microcredit and water projects in India; de-mining projects in Vietnam and Lebanon; AIDS orphan support in South Africa and Ethiopia; education/literacy projects in Nepal, Chile, and Hungary; and more than a decade of wide-ranging projects in Russia.
For more information on this committee, please email info@seattlerotary.org.
Mar 25, 2026 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-07:00)
Join us for a cash bar happy hour with your fellow Rotary Club of Seattle members and Columbia Tower club members! RSVP to let us know you plan to attend! Parking is $10 in the Columbia Tower Garage after 5 PM.
Meets 10:30 am on the second Tuesday of each month via Zoom; please contact Jevon Powell for calendar invite and link.
The mission of the Local Service Committee is two-fold: to coordinate hands-on service activities for club members, and to accept and process grant applications for local service projects and forward those applications to Seattle Rotary Service Foundation for final evaluation and award.
New Members get to learn about the Rotary Club of Seattle (RCOS), Seattle Rotary Service Foundation (SRSF), and what it means to be a Rotarian, by doing. With guidance from their Mentor, every step of the way, and support from the Mentor Committee, New Members get to earn their Blue Badge by completing the Blue Badge Checklist. Once the Blue Badge Checklist is completed, the New Member will be announced formally in front of the Club and presented with their Blue Badge.
Your Rotary Club of Seattle members 40 and under invite you to a casual happy hour! Get to know your fellow members in a relaxed setting. The group hopes to offer more evening and weekend service and social events in the future, so stay tuned!
Serves to fulfill Rotary's mission of "advancing international understanding, goodwill, and peace." The committee selects projects that positively impact the health, education, and welfare of less advantaged people in other countries, with a particular emphasis on youth. Actively works with clubs in our District and abroad to leverage — via matching grants — the amount of money available for a project. Members get involved through direct knowledge of the project or by volunteering. Prior focuses have included malaria projects in Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda; microcredit and water projects in India; de-mining projects in Vietnam and Lebanon; AIDS orphan support in South Africa and Ethiopia; education/literacy projects in Nepal, Chile, and Hungary; and more than a decade of wide-ranging projects in Russia.
For more information on this committee, please email info@seattlerotary.org.
These are club membership (not total years of Rotary membership) anniversaries only
1 Year
Alex Cyrus
2 Years
Joanne Miller
3 Years
Maddy Vonhoff Garin Wedeking Ani Black
8 Years
Bonnie Towne
9 Years Roberto Dondisch
13 Years
Jimmy Collins Mark Long
20 Years
Candy Lee AD Vickery
22 Years
Liv Wernecke Manny Ramos
24 Years
Skip Kotkins Jim Odom
25 Years
Tatyana Tsrylina-Spady Joel Ferrell
26 Years
Einer Handeland
28 Years
John Steckler
34 Years
Laurel James
36 Years
Rich Lacher
44 Years
Stan Foster
48 Years
Fred Weiss
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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