Committees and Leadership

Nevada City Rotary welcomes DG Stacy Graham

Club Leadership Roles and Committees 2023-2024

This document is a reference for Nevada City Rotarians looking for meaningful ways to engage with our Club. Brief descriptions of committees, projects, and club leadership are provided. We encourage you to reach out to committee chairs and officers for more specific information.

Click for printable Committees and Leadership

Office Director

Co-Presidents Karen McDonald & Cathy Wilcox-Barnes

Lead our club to engage and inspire members, collaborate with Rotary leadership and our partners, and promote Rotary in our community. Preside over Club and Board Meetings.

President-Elect Louise Bennicoff Johnson

Prepare leadership for the upcoming year.

Treasurer Tom Ryan

Ensure financial well-being of the club through financial management and reporting. Oversee annual budget; collect dues, fees and other income; and disburse expenses and other payments. Partner with the Secretary to prepare taxes and other official filings.

Secretary Robin Milam

Ensure our Club runs smoothly through good governance and administrative processes, maintain Club records and membership roles. Facilitate Club communications in partnership with Club Presidents. Partner with the Treasurer to prepare taxes and other official filings.

Committees Chair

Foundation Lynda Guthrie
Support and promote the activities of Rotary International’s The Rotary Foundation (TRF) and manage Club administration of related programs and support. Note, see Nevada City Rotary Club Foundation on page 4; it is a separate, local California charitable entity.

Paul Harris Fellow and other TRF programs
Area wide TRF Events
World Polio Day
Pumpkins for Polio Cathy Wilcox-Barnes

Membership Dennis Geare
Ensure the Club is actively engaged in attracting and retaining new members so our club is a successful, thriving, and fun place.

Oversee new member induction and orientation.
Patio Patter (with Club Service)

International Service Carolyn Feuille
Lead our Club in identifying and meeting real needs in our global community by planning and implementing service projects around the world. Some of the recent projects include:

Los Barriles Health Scanning and Community Services Project - annually since 2015
Amigos de Guatemala Scholarship - Wendy Marisol, club is sponsoring her middle and high school education
Global Scholar - Wrenn Cleary, Oxford, UK; our Club’s second Rotary Global Scholar
Selected international projects led by other Rotary Clubs
Menstrual Hygiene Project - initiated 2023 Lynda Guthrie

Community Service Dan Foss
Lead our Club in identifying and meeting real needs in our local community by planning and implementing service projects. Some recent projects include:

Partner with Nevada City Police Department on various projects
Partner with Nevada County Health Services to support vaccine and wellness clinics
Support Food Bank of Nevada County - supplying and packaging food
Beautification projects such as planting bulbs at Penzance park and assisting other organizations with trail maintenance
Participation in emergency response and selected projects across our District

Vocational Nicole Dillard

Promote vocational awareness and ethics within our club. Advance vocational excellence and integrity within our community and among our youth.

Scholarships - academic and vocational awards to graduating High School students
Vocational and Business/Professional Awards

Club Service Cathy Wilcox-Barnes and Judy Soldavini

Foster strong, thriving clubs through programs that promote fellowship, membership development, and a better understanding of Rotary.

Social Events such as Holiday and Demotion parties
Rambling Rotarians – fun hikes throughout our region
Sunshine – Member wellbeing
Venue Management – oversee venue selection and ongoing coordination
Club Meeting Programs Chris Newsom and Nancy Kemp

Youth Service Louise Bennicoff Johnson

Empower youth and young professionals through leadership development programs.

Rotary Youth Leadership Awareness (RYLA)
An intense week-long leadership camp program for high school juniors and seniors.
Rotary Eighth Grade Leadership Experience (REGL)
A weekend leadership training camp program for teams of selected 8th grade students who have demonstrated leadership skills.
Interact Club at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning (SAEL)
A Rotary sponsored Club at SAEL to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self for students. Chartered 2023.
Girls Who Code Nancy Kemp
A middle school club to introduce young girls to technology and to explore coding in a fun and friendly environment. Since 2015.
Area 4 Speech Contest
District 5190 sponsored Speech Contest for high school students. Contests are hosted by Area. The winner from each Area advances to the District Contest during the annual District Conference.
Area 4 Music Contest
District 5190 sponsored Music Contest for high school students. Contests are hosted by Area. The winner from each Area advances to the District Contest during the annual District Conference.
Literacy Project Pearce Boyer
Being defined

Environmental Sustainability Chris Newsom

Promote activities that strengthen the conservation and protection of natural resources, advance ecological sustainability, foster harmony between communities and the environment, and reduce our carbon consumption.

NexTrex Plastic Bag and Film Recycling program
Lithium-Ion Battery recycling in partnership with Redwood Materials
Nevada City Earth Day booth and other related events
Environmental Education and Awareness programs, such as plant-based diet awareness

Public Image Walt Stickel

Create and implement a plan to tell Rotary’s story to the public and to promote the club’s projects and activities.

Local signage
Submissions to The Union, Yubanet, District, and other media

Fundraising

Upscale Resale Event Carolyn Feuille

Fundraiser for community and youth service projects by collecting and reselling upscale items.

Being Defined Mai Lee
A number of ideas for fundraising through multiple avenues are being explored.
Past events:
Hungry Games and Restaurant Raffle

Nevada City Rotary Club

The Rotary Club of Nevada City is a 501(c)4 social welfare charitable organization chartered by Rotary International. The Club is part of District 5190 which is comprised of Clubs across northeastern California and northern Nevada. Nevada City Rotary is one of five clubs in Area 4 – Western Nevada County (out of 13 Areas in District 5190.)

For more information about Rotary Committees and Focus Areas visit : https://my.rotary.org/en/learning-reference

Nevada City Rotary Club Foundation

The Nevada City Rotary Club Foundation is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable corporation.

The purpose of the Club Foundation is to promote charitable, humanitarian and educational programs. The primary focus of the Club Foundation is to promote the programs of the Nevada City Rotary Club (a 501(c)4 social welfare charitable organization) and The Rotary Foundation (a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable corporation).