Events

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

On November 28, 2017, 19-year-old Brendan Sime and son of our guest speaker Jennifer Sime lost his life to sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP). Like so many families who have lost loved ones to SUDEP, they knew nothing about it and did not know Brendan was at risk.

In memory of her son, Jennifer has been a steadfast supporter for over six years through participation in multiple aspects of the Eplilepsy Foundation of America and the Danny Did Foundation including Walks to End Epilepsy, running marathons, and sharing her family’s story to raise awareness about SUDEP. She works to honor Brendan's life by helping others and continuing to share the love and light he brought into this world.

For more information on the Epilepsy Foundation of America please visit https://www.epilepsy.com/volunteer.

For more on the Danny Did Foundation please visit https://www.dannydid.org.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW, supplemented by Zoom broadcast. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, agenda, and any other logistical information including a Zoom meeting link will be distributed to all members by email in advance.

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Thursday, October 24 is Rotary International (RI) World Polio Day. The designated World Polio Day is a time for Rotary members, public health advocates, and all who want a world free from polio to come together, recognize our progress in the fight to end polio, and talk about the actions we need to take in order to end polio for good. In recognition of that intention, fellow Rotarian Jim Morrow will be assembling a slate of speakers to bring the club up-to-date on RI's progress toward worldwide eradication of polio through its PolioPlus program. The topics to be discussed include the history of RI involvement in the polio eradication effort; the current global state of affairs; and how our club and its members can continue to support this important initiative.

Rotary launched PolioPlus in 1985 and was a founding member of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988. Through decades of commitment and work by Rotary and its partners, more than 2.5 billion children across the globe have received the oral polio vaccine. The world has made huge strides against polio with cases down 99.9% over the last four decades. With renewed global attention and commitment, the ulitmate goal of eliminating polio is clearly within reach.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Phil Iversen

Dr. Bill Smith, Luther College Vice President for Communications, will be visiting our club to share updates and insights from Luther for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Dr. Smith came to Decorah from Arkansas State University (ASU) where he served since 2013 and most recently as Chief Communications Officer. At ASU, he led external and internal communications efforts. He initiated a visual branding program, served as primary university spokesperson and managed crisis communications. For his work in university communications, he has won multiple regional awards from the Council for the Support and Advancement of Education (CASE).

He is a historian as well as a communications expert. Dr. Smith holds a Ph.D. in History from the University of Arkansas, as well as an M.A. in History and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He has taught history at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and at Northwest Arkansas Community College. For the regional National Public Radio affiliate in Northwest Arkansas, he created and co-hosted a monthly “We’re History” radio program reflecting on the use of history in popular culture. His scholarly areas of expertise are in U.S. diplomatic and military history as well as 20th-century U.S. and European history.

As a crisis communications expert, he holds certifications in public information and the incident command system from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. He achieved the National Weather Service’s StormReady Campus certification for Arkansas State in 2017 and 2022. 

An avid cyclist, Dr. Smith holds a certification as a safety course instructor from the League of American Bicyclists, and he has served as board president of the Northeast Arkansas Bicycle Coalition. His cycling interests brought him to Iowa in 2018 to complete RAGBRAI (Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa).

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Steve Slessor, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of WinnMed in Decorah, will be providing updates on the many growth initiatives at WinnMed. Among those of particular interest includes the Transforming Tomorrow Facility Project. He will also detail the ongoing evolution in the relationship between WinnMed and the Mayo Clinic Health System.

Steve was appointed to the CAO position on June 1, 2021. He previously served as the chief executive officer for Buchanan County Health Center in Independence, Iowa, and had been in that role since 2013. Prior to serving there, he held various leadership and administrative roles at UnityPoint Health Allen in Waterloo, Iowa, including Vice President of Strategy and Business Development, Vice President of Operations, Senior Director of Strategic Development, and Director of Business Planning and Development. He received his Master of Health Administration from University of Iowa, and his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from University of Northern Iowa.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Quinton Liebl, owner and operator of Liebl Habitat Solutions in Decorah, will be introducing his business with our members and providing information on the cross-section of services his company provides to the community.

Quinton moved to Decorah in 2019 for a job opportunity. Relying on his background in Natural Resources, he started Liebl Habitat Solutions in 2022 as a side business, transitioning it to a full-time, full service business in March of 2024. Liebl Habitat Solutions focuses on assisting private landowners maintain, enhance, and restore their property and reach their habitat and land goals. They provide services such as tree cutting and timber stand improvement, invasive species removal; fenceline, yard, and storm damage clean up; prairie management including prescribed fire burns; and targeted pesticide applications. They prioritize customer service and performing work in a matter that is efficient for the landowner and low impact to the landscape.

For more information please visit their website at https://www.lieblhabitatsolutions.com.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcment, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advace to all members by email.