Events

Join us for our Thursdays at 5pm!

Be entertained by our talented Rotarians and learn about the celebration of holidays in Norway and Paraguay. 

Enjoy hearing from our Exchange Students and be entertained by our talented members

We will have one hour shifts at Katie Downs, Harmon and Farelli's on Ruston

Join your fellow Rotarians at Scrooge the musical

Join us for a fun session with an expert who will show us the way to meaningful New Year’s resolutions as individuals, as well as resolutions for how Rotary 8 will serve the community.

Cosette Pfaff has over 30 years of business practitioner experience, working on both the revenue generating and operational side of business and has a passion for growing healthy organizations. She specializes in performance coaching and training with individuals and teams in the areas of revenue generation, customer service/retention strategies, interpersonal communications, leadership skills, organizational behavior, management and supervision, and behavioral change through methods that provide sustainable results, not the motivational “quick fixes” typical of seminar based trainings.Her diverse background includes executive management in engineering, manufacturing, telecom, HVAC and running a business incubator; company composition ranged from Fortune 500 to national, multi-site and multi-division, to small, single entity start-ups. 

She is a visiting Instructor of Business” at PLU, teaching Organizational Behavior and Global Management, Cosette is the current South Sound Group Leader for Excell Puget Sound and President of Fast Forward Your Success.

Join us for our Thursdays at 5pm!

Park in the lot by entering on So 11th St between Tacoma Ave and Yakima. Proceed north to the Yakima side entrance and take time to admire the museum quality exhibits, before you go down one floor to Courtroom 100. There will be great food and fun for all!  We will also have brief welcomes and information from leaders of the entities whose employees daily populate the premises. Delicious eats catered by Stadium Thriftway and lots of time to socialize with your fellow Rotarians and guests.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Ana Mari Cauce, the 33^rd president of the University of Washington, will share some of the exciting work happening at the University as well as her vision for the University over the coming years.

As Washington’s largest public research university, the UW’s impact is felt throughout our state and President Cauce will be discussing some of the ways that the UW delivers on its public mission to serve students and families, advance scientific knowledge and discovery, foster economic growth and support innovation.

She will also discuss some of the challenges the UW faces and share how the UW is working to expand access to education and ensure that a public college degree is affordable and achievable for every Washington student. 

UW President - Ana Mari Cauce

Ana Mari Cauce, the 33rd president of the University of Washington, will share some of the exciting work happening at the University as well as her vision for the University over the coming years.

As Washington’s largest public research university, the UW’s impact is felt throughout our state and President Cauce will be discussing some of the ways that the UW delivers on its public mission to serve students and families, advance scientific knowledge and discovery, foster economic growth and support innovation.

She will also discuss some of the challenges the UW faces and share how the UW is working to expand access to education and ensure that a public college degree is affordable and achievable for every Washington student.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Former Rotarian Don Doman has tagged Richard Dorsett as “the Johnny Appleseed of Microbiology.” It’s a bit corny,” Dorsett says, “but apt.” 

About three years ago, Dorsett was smitten by an idea he saw on a TED talk. Stanford’s Manu Prakash was discussing what he calls a Foldscope, an origami-based paper microscope that cost less than a dollar to manufacture. Just over a year ago Foldscopes became available and Dorsett purchased a hundred to take along to Laos and Thailand, with the idea of planting the seeds of science among students who otherwise would have little access to science education and microscopes. 

Come learn about Foldscopes and how Tacoma’s Johnny Appleseed of Microbiology is planting seeds in the minds of students in the mountains and rural communities of Laos, Thailand, and Cambodia. 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Symphony Tacoma’s Maestra Sarah Ioannides will discuss balancing her multifaceted career with family time and some of her recent projects, including Symphony Tacoma’s current and upcoming seasons.

Described by the New York Times as a conductor with “unquestionable strength and authority” and as a conductor with “magic,” Sarah’s dynamic presence on the podium has won praise from audience and critics around the world. Now in her fifth season as Music Director of Symphony Tacoma, Sarah is listed as one of the top 20 female conductors worldwide by Lebrecht’s Woman Conductors: The Power List. With guest engagements spanning six continents, she has conducted orchestras including the Cincinnati Symphony, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre Nationale de Lyon, Malmö Symphony Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Flemish Radio Orchestra, Nordic Chamber Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, New World Symphony, and many more. A zealous supporter of living composers, Sarah has commissioned numerous scores and art films for live orchestral multimedia performances and conducted over 60 world and US premieres. Her projects have received Artwork grants from National Endowment of the Arts.

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Tacoma Police Department Public Information Officer Loretta Cool will give a presentation on the investigations of the Michella Welch and Jennifer Bastian homicides.  The presentation will cover the initial discovery of the crimes, the timeline covering the 30-year investigation and the new techniques used to identify the men believed to have committed the crimes.

Join us for our Thursdays at 5pm!

 CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Learn the key tools on how to engage in civil dialog when faced with disagreements and receive information on The Center’s work to make this a reality in our community. 

Maralise, and her husband Julio (former Rotary 8 member), chose to “retire” in Tacoma because 20 years ago Tacoma was internationally known for successful community response to violence. Since 2007, Maralise has brought her academic interests of conflict resolution, international relations, anthropology, and law to her work as the Executive Director of the Center for Dialog & Resolution.  She shares her enthusiasm for lifelong learning and her curiosity about what motivates each of us to help make our community a better place. Her background with Julio at the United Nations University for Peace Conflict Resolution Program and the years of work in violent settings, brings an optimistic approach that encourages us all to be better!

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Tacoma resident David Mikkelson is the founder and CEO of Snopes.com, the oldest and most respected fact-checking site online. In his visit to Tacoma Rotary Club #8, he will speak about the company he founded and his daily work fighting "fake news." Mikkelson founded the site in 1994 and today the site receives over 20 million unique monthly visitors. He speaks worldwide about combating “fake news” and the rise of the digital age and its impact on investigative journalism and is excited to bring this conversation to his own community. Managing everything from researching and writing articles about urban legends to overseeing the site’s technical infrastructure, David made Snopes.com the go-to place for Internet users to query the veracity of anything questionable they encountered online. www.davidmikkelson.com 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

A Conversation with Melannie Denise Cunningham

2018 Greater Tacoma Peace Laureate

Melannie recently returned from a 10-day adventure in Norway representing the South Sound as the Greater Tacoma Peace Prize winner.  She will chat with us about her experiences shooting a television documentary of her adventures and attending the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies.   

Meetings will be held at the Rotary office 9-26, 10-24, 11-14 12-12 2-6 2-20 and 3-13

The Esplanade

1515 Dock Street

Press 0102 at the door to be let in.

Light refreshments served so please RSVP

Thank you!

Dorothy is retired from government service and is currently a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Encorps program working social justice issues.  She began volunteering with AIDNW in 2017 as part of a grad school project and remains committed to supporting the legal immigrants who are released from the NW Detention Center.

Shauna is a stormwater engineer and has worked for the City of Tacoma Environmental Services Department since 2002.  She is the mother of three boys ages 5, 8 and 10, and recently became interested in volunteering for AIDNW when she learned about the Northwest Immigrant Detention Center operating down the street from her office at the Center for Urban Waters.

David L Hirschberg is an Affiliate Professor and Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Urban Waters. He also has appointments in School of Engineering and School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, at the University of Washington, Tacoma (UWT). He is a Science and Technology advisor supporting the Joint Program Executive Office and Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC, US Army RDECOM).  At ECBC, Dr. Hirschberg has been working with ECBC leadership to develop long term research programs in biosecurity that leverage technologies being developed in the commercial sector. At UWT, Dr. Hirschberg trains students in critical thinking and to foster careers in biotechnology. He founded and directs the RAIN Incubator, an entity focused on exposing students, colleagues and community members to molecular tools for biomarker discovery in environmental surveillance and medical diagnostics. Dr. Hirschberg’s current projects center on developing accessible technologies that can rapidly detect microbial threats, and on assessing and optimizing devices for commercial, community and military applications.

 Dr. Hirschberg earned his BS degree in Cell Biology from Washington State University, and MS and PhD degrees in Neuroimmunology from the Weizmann Institute of Science, in Israel. He completed his postdoctoral training at Stanford University and is the founder and board member of several biotechnology companies focused on biomarker discovery and measurement. He was part of a collaborative multidisciplinary research group in industry for several years before returning to Stanford to form the Human Immune Monitoring Center, a core facility dedicated to facilitating collaborations in clinical research and development between academia and industry. He was invited to develop a similar core at the Center for Infection and Immunity at Columbia University where, as Chief Technology Officer and Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology, he developed and adapted technology for the rapid identification and characterization of pathogens.

meeting on the 3rd Thursday prior to the weekly meeting

Meet the first Thursday, unless otherwise posted

Need volunteers to reserve for the afternoon session from 12:00 – 2:30 pm. to pack  do a repack

Minimum Age: The minimum age to volunteer as an individual at the Repack Project is 16. Youth ages 14-15 can volunteer with a parent or guardian.

Join us for our Thursdays at 5pm!

For the event, we are requesting 5-8 volunteers to assist with demolition of the old equipment. The date is April 13^th and it will probably take 2-3 hours. 

Meet the third Tuesday months determined by Chair unless otherwise posted - location to be posted each month

Elizabeth Pauli is Tacoma's first female City Manager. As City Manager, Ms. Pauli is the Chief Executive Officer for the City of Tacoma government, overseeing a staff of more than 2,000 and a biennial General Government budget of over $1.9 billion, which includes a General Fund budget of $460 million.  
Prior to her appointment as City Manager, Ms. Pauli served as Interim City Manager. Prior to that, she served as the City Attorney for the City of Tacoma. She had joined the City of Tacoma in May 1998, as Chief Assistant City Attorney. She was appointed Acting City Attorney in 2004, and was named City Attorney in 2005.  Prior to joining the City of Tacoma, she was a partner at McGavick Graves, a well-established law firm in Tacoma.  
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School, Ms. Pauli also has Bachelor of Science degrees in education and social work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Ms. Pauli is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and the Washington State Association of Municipal Attorneys. 
A mother and grandmother who lives in Tacoma with her husband, Dave, Ms. Pauli enjoys tandem bicycling and running the trails near her mountain cabin.  

The City Manager will talk about what she has learned in her first two years as City Manager, as well as what to look for in the next two years, and where there is the greatest need for collaboration with community leaders.

Meetings to be announced

Hear from 20 of our great members as you learn about their business and be entered into a drawing for a gift card...and more!

Following the lunh meeting. 

Join us for our Thursdays at 5pm!

Rick Garza is director of the state agency that regulates the cannabis industry. He has been with the WSLCB since 1997, and spent the 13 years prior to that in various staff roles with the Washington State Legislature. Fun fact: in 2016 Rick was inducted into the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators Hall of Fame.

Committee Meetings 3rd Thursday  Aug - Oct and Jan- May No March 2018 mtg
Chair : Kathryn Nelson

Meet the third Thursday, unless otherwise posted

Chairs: Diane Tilstra (inbound) Marsha Burns (outbound)

Registration is required.  Sign up sheets will be at the meeting a few weeks prior or you can contact the Rotary office.

Meeting on the Webster Deck

Co-Chairs: Carol Webster and Tony Belot

Dr. Matthew Kelley is a member of the Urban Studies faculty at the University of Washington Tacoma where he spends his time researching how maps, spatial data, and new information technologies can be leveraged to improve or augment the ways that we approach community development – the ways, in other words, we work to make our neighborhoods more livable. For the past several years he has been building the Action Mapping Project (AMP), which is a youth-centered community mapping and neighborhood improvement initiative that is empowering thousands of Tacoma’s middle school and high school aged youth to be a part of the urban planning and community development process in their own neighborhoods.

Meet the first Thursday, unless otherwise posted

Chair:  Sherri Stanton 

Meets the first Thursday of the month

Meets the first Thursday of the month after the regular Rotary meeting

Meet the first Friday, unless otherwise posted
Co-Chairs:  Gil Quante and Jim whitacre

Meet the second Tuesday of the month, unless otherwise posted