Wednesday, July 23 Socialize @ Noon! 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM Washington Athletic Club
Christine Gregoire
Christine Gregoire is the CEO for Challenge Seattle, an organization comprised of 17 major international companies and non-profits located in the Seattle region. Challenge Seattle is providing leadership to ensure greater Seattle is one of the most innovative and globally competitive regions in the world.
Previously, Gregoire served for two terms as governor of the State of Washington with a $32B biennial budget and over 60,000 employees.
President Jan called the Seattle Rotary Club #4 meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. July 9, 2025 at the downtown Seattle Washington Athletic Club.
President Jan spoke about two former Rotary Club members who recently passed away. Anne Farrell and Charles Mitchell. This was followed by a moment of silence. She then went on to outline her priorities for the Seattle Rotary Club for the next year.
Tiffany Lewis introduced the main speaker of the day: Urs Koening. She said that Mr. Koenig has a varied background that includes UN Peacekeeper, endurance champion and best-selling author of a book called “Radical Humility.” Tiffany said that the book redefines leadership in the modern world. In 2017 Urs served as a military peacekeeping commander on a NATO mission to the Balkans. In 2021 he continued his service as a military peacekeeper in the Middle East.
Summary of Urs Koenig remarks:
Urs Koenig opened his remarks with humor and gratitude, introducing the concept of “leading with radical humility,” a modern leadership approach essential for today’s rapidly changing world. This leadership style emphasizes self-awareness, engagement, belonging, a growth mindset, and psychological safety—while still delivering strong results. Koenig, drawing on his 35 years of leadership experience in sports, business, academia, and international peacekeeping, said that the outdated command-and-control leadership model must give way to more human-centered leadership.
He outlined three pillars of humble leadership: (1) failing successfully—viewing mistakes as opportunities to learn and grow, (2) being tough on results but tender on people—building meaningful relationships while maintaining high standards, and (3) championing a fearless, psychologically safe culture—encouraging open dialogue without fear of shame or punishment. Koenig highlighted that across various fields, from sports to business, leaders who embrace radical humility achieve higher levels of success.
A new fiscal year is here, and it’s the perfect time to recommit to what defines us as Seattle 4 Rotarians: our shared dedication to service above self. Through the Seattle Rotary Service Foundation (SRSF), our generosity becomes action. Every donation powers the service projects we care about, locally and globally, and allows us to live out our values in real, tangible ways.
Over the past decade, SRSF has invested more than $4.8 million in projects led by our service committees and trusted partners. From empowering students at the Rotary Boys & Girls Club to bringing clean water to communities in Africa, these achievements are made possible by us - our commitment and our contributions.
Our annual giving campaign is how we sustain this momentum and will be kicking off October 1 (but why wait - donate today!). Each member is asked to contribute $400 annually; this isn’t just a suggested donation - it’s a shared investment in the causes we believe in.
As we enter this new year, let’s lead with generosity and purpose - and make our biggest impact yet. Your support will ensure Seattle 4 remains a powerful force for good, both locally and globally. Let’s start strong, give boldly, and show what’s possible when every member steps up!
Thank you again for your very generous donations to the Seattle Rotary Service Foundation!
Her actual birthday isn't until August, but festivities got underway early as fellow Rotary Club of Seattle members helped Laurel James celebrate her 90th birthday on July 4! What a great turnout to honor our beloved member!
Sue Nixon lit up the night at a recent Jazz Alley performance that club member Sten Crissey attended. We've been very fortunate to gave Sue grace our Rotary stage for many memorable performances!
Anne Van Ness Farrell died peacefully on June 14, 2025, with her family by her side.
Her life—marked by warmth, purpose, and quiet effectiveness— left a lasting mark on Seattle, strengthening its institutions and touching countless individual lives. She had the grace and work ethic of an earlier generation, infusing her ‘four score and ten’ with an idealist’s vision and unwavering sense of fairness.
Please help us celebrate Anne’s life on Monday July 21st, at 3:30pm, at the Seattle Tennis Club. The gathering will be informal, with remembrances and comments at 4pm.
You will have the opportunity to chat with Rotarians from other clubs while working at Elk Run Farm, which Rotarians across District 5030 and HAH helped to launch in 2015 by raising over $100,000 for the initial infrastructure and securing AmeriCorps members to build it.
Elk Run Farm exists solely to serve hunger relief organizations in South King County. Every carrot pulled, every tomato harvested, and every row planted is done with the express purpose of feeding our neighbors in need who are benefiting from over 10,000 pounds of fresh, nutritious, culturally familiar produce grown by Elk Run Farm every year.
Elk Run Farm thrives because of volunteers and will need our help with activities such as raking, hoeing, planting, weeding, hauling materials, mulching, turning compost and harvesting produce. Work parties will be held from 10am to 2pm on the second Sunday of the month from July through October and you can start signing up now!
When Mandela Visited Seattle: An Evening to Remember and Reflect
Join us at MOHAI for a special evening to reflect on Mandela’s 1999 visit to Seattle, his impact on our community, and how his message still resonates today. Club member Paul Suzman will be participating in the panel and will discuss Mandela's presentation to the Rotary Club of Seattle at Benaroya Hall.
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. June membership changes approved by the board are as follows:
New Members: Erica Thrash-Sall
Resignations: Anne Farrell, Anna Liotta, Jim Spady
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
Andrew Lewis
Charmaine Vazquez
Max Martina
4 Years
Alex Liatsis
Jennifer Hohnstein
5 Years
Tiffany Lewis
David Bobanick
6 Years
Marsha Mutisi
10 Years
Harold Scoggins
12 Years
Allison Parker
14 Years
Beth Knox
17 Years
Paula Houston
18 Years
Travis Keeler
Susie Roe
21 Years
Ken Colling
Wally Kegel
22 Years
Sue Nixon
23 Years
Lori Walker
25 Years
Cathy Gibson
31 Years
Bob Alexander
35 Years
Russ Taylor
37 Years
Don Root
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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