Events

Donna is a native Houstonian who grew up in Sharpstown and graduated from Sharpstown High School.  She has a degree in Molecular Biology which led her to become a research scientist.  She is an antibody researcher who has created a few vaccines in her day.  Her research is the reason canine heartworm prevention was developed.  She is a mom and blessed with three children, a son and two daughters whom are all grown up.  However, still awaiting grandbabies.

She absolutely love everything about the rodeo.  Go Texan Day was one of her favorite days as a kid.  She is extremely proud to belong to such a wonderful organization that gives so much back to its community, and helps almost 700 kids a year attend college. If you are at the rodeo and see her please come over and give her a hug, because she is there every single day.

Kaleigh Huxley is a recent graduate from the University of Central Oklahoma where she received her Master of Art in Museum Studies. She is originally from East Texas but is very happy to be in a city like Houston. At the maritime center, Kaleigh is the Education Programs Manager. She has worked in museums since she was 16 and is very passionate about the role of museums in education.  

khuxley@houstonmaritime.org

Presentation copy in email folder.  

Kurt Podeszwa is the President of Camp Aranzazu, Amelia Smith is the Camp Director at Camp Aranzazu, she is a Certified Therapeutic Recreational Specialist and has been at Camp For 10 Summers.

kurt@camparanzazu.org

713-705-9790

John and Frank reseaching options.  

Robert (“Bob”) Joyce was raised in San Francisco. He is a lawyer who retired from Chevron in 2015. He career involved drafting, negotiating and administering engineering, procurement, and construction contracts for major capital projects (pipelines, power plants, offshore platforms), having worked domestically and abroad (San Francisco, Houston, Fairbanks, Norway, London, and Perth, Australia) as in-house counsel for major construction companies (Bechtel and Aker Kvaerner) and major oil companies (Mobil Oil, before their merger with Exxon), and Chevron. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of San Francisco and his LLB from UCLA Law School.
Bob has been married to Beverly for 56 years, and they have had 3 children, 2 boys and a girl. The oldest two of the children live in the Northern California area, and each of them has two children. Bob’s and Bev’s youngest son died of leukemia at age 25 in 2001.
Bob has been with the Houston Ground Angels since 2011 and is on their Board. He also was on the Board of Golfers Against Cancer from 2011 until late 2021.

Gem Munro has devoted his life and career to improving educational opportunities for disadvantaged people across Canada and abroad.  He will give a presentation about Amarok Society -- how it is teaching impoverished mothers in the slums of South Asia to become neighbourhood teachers. 

Pursuit of this objective carried him into residence in unfortunate communities across most of Canada, before carrying him overseas.

He is presently a Director of Amarok Society, a registered Canadian charity that provides education programmes to the very poor in Bangladesh. As well, Gem is a bestselling author and artist whose new book, And Where the Wind Spun Them, follows the epic adventures of a resourceful girl and her courageous little brother who struggle, by wit and grit, to overcome the perils and extreme disadvantages of their lives. (Sale of his books is a major fundraiser for Amarok Society.) For their work, Gem and his wife, Dr Tanyss Munro, were recipients of Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals.

amaroksociety.org@gmail.com

250-398-0335

Pam Plagens, Advanced Manufacturing Team Leader. Pam Plagens currently serves as the Advanced Manufacturing Team Leader for the U.S. Commercial Service (CS), part of the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Her global team focuses on the exports of industrial technology and advanced materials. Pam joined the CS Houston office in 2000. Prior to joining CS, Pam worked in economic development for the Greater Houston Partnership, promoted exports to Asia for the State of Ohio and handled global sales for a line of industrial replacement parts. She is a member of the ITA Coaching program, the International Coach Federation Prism Award 2020 winner, is an Associate Certified Coach, and holds the Co-Active Coach Certification. Currently, she resides in West University Place, Texas.

Invited by John Thorton 

1 832-248-1558

pam.plagens@trade.gov

 Terry Ziegler is a native Houstonian and a Texas Tech University graduate with an Honors Studies degree in microbiology.
Terry and his wife, Sarka, have two daughters and Terry is the owner of Big Z Lumber Company, a business operating in Houston since 1938.
A Rotarian since 1982, Terry served as president of the
West U (Houston) Rotary Club in 2004-05 and as the Astrodome Rotary Club’s president in 1988-89. The West U Club was awarded the “Best Large Club” in District 5890 during his year as president. In addition, Terry attended a baseball game for physically & mentally challenged youth on the White House lawn with President George W. Bush in 2006 as a result of the West U Rotary Club’s Centennial Project.
Terry produces a Polio Eradication Update newsletter which is emailed weekly to Rotarians around the world In 2010 he received the Rotary Regional Service Award for a Polio-Free World. In 2022 Terry received The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service.
Terry served as the Endowment & Major Gift Adviser for Rotary Regions 36 (central North America from Texas to Ontario) for the 2019-2022 Rotary Years and as a Volunteer Coordinator for Rotary Books for the World.

Or the short version – Terry Ziegler was asked to join Rotary in 1982, fell in love with it, and has been having trouble saying no since then.

Chloe Dannenfelser is the Texas Coastal Outreach coordinator for the American Bird Conservancy and their Stopping Plastics And Litter Along Shorelines (SPLASh) program!  We would love to give some presentations to groups in the Houston-Galveston area and especially any that are located around Sims and Brays Bayous as we are about to start focusing a lot of our cleanup/education efforts over there.  

CDannenfelser@abcbirds.org

(281) 832-4255