Speakers

DRC Sponsor: Phil Iversen

In February 2026 career music educators, Decorah residents, and local philanthropists Jim and Liz Fritz presented a plan to the Decorah City Council for a privately funded, solar-powered performance pavilion and market plaza in downtown Decorah. Jim will be visiting the club to provide background information on the proposal and a status report on the progress of this initiative.

The proposal includes a central green space, an outdoor performance pavilion, a canopied farmers market area, public restrooms and adjacent playground areas. The proposed location is east of River Street between Day Spring Lane and Heivly Street. The project is described as being designed to complement the surrounding downtown architecture while maximizing use of what many characterize as underutilized space. A major component of the plan involves solar generation. Using waterproof solar arrays as canopy, the pavilion would generate up to 45,000 kilowatt-hours annually with the market canopy providing up to 250,000 kilowatt-hours per year. The energy production is envisioned as helping to offset long-term maintenance and management costs. Initial estimates of planning and construction costs range from $1.5 to $1.75 million.

The Decorah City Council and local committees have reviewed the proposal and discussed timelines, operational frameworks, and legal details. As of August 2026 the project remains in the planning and discussion phases.

Following retirement from their illustrious education careers, Jim and Liz founded Mission Green LLC, a local non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the local community’s transition to sustainable energy. More information about the pavilion proposal is available on the Mission Green website at https://missiongreen.llc/decorah-performance-pavilion/.

---

**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 announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Jon Lund

To help realize the dream of the Natopiwo Eluwai Women's Center in northern Tanzania, the Burnsville Rotary Club in Burnsville, MN and the Arusha Clocktower Rotary Club in Tanzania have been working jointly on a Rotary International District/Global Grant to support the initiative. Building on the 25-year Luther College and Decorah partnership in Eluwai, it seems natural that the Decorah Rotary Club would want to consider partnering in this effort. This presentation will introduce the project and context and begin a local Rotary Club conversation about a global partnership. We will also explore the possibility of a "service in action" (i.e., sweat equity) trip to Eluwai, organized through Luther College, for Rotarians participating in the project from partner Rotary chapters.

Our presenters include Lori Stanley, retired professor of anthropology who began Luther's partnership in Eluwai, co-leader of 18 January (J) -Term courses in Tanzania, and currently serving as the Natopiwo Partners president; Jon Jensen, professor of philosophy and environmental studies, co-leader of several Luther J-Term courses in Tanzania, and Natopiwo Partners treasurer; Decorah Rotarian John Moeller, retired professor of political science, co-leader of two Luther J-Term courses in Tanzania; and Decorah Rotarian Jon Lund, retired director of Luther's Center for Global Learning, frequent traveler to Tanzania, and Natopiwo Partners board member.

Luther College has been deeply involved in the life and work of the Maasai community of Eluwai in Northern Tanzania. Since Luther’s first J-Term Program in Eluwai in 2002, 253 Luther students, 11 different faculty members, and a handful of staff members have experienced community life in Eluwai.

In 2017, Natopiwo (Lifted Up), a registered non-profit, non-governmental organization was founded in the Monduli region of Northern Tanzania where Eluwai is located. Since its founding, Natopiwo has focused on supporting Maasai families through education, community-based environmental work, the empowerment of women and girls, and the distribution of basic provisions during times of crisis.

In 2024, Natopiwo Partners was founded in Decorah as a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose sole purpose is to collaborate with and support the important, ongoing work of Natopiwo. Both Natopiwo and Natopiwo Partners operate on the principle that the most impactful community development work involves projects that emanate from the expressed needs and wishes of community members themselves and that directly address one or more community priorities. The Natopiwo Eluwai Women’s Center is a project that emanates from and directly meets the needs of the community.

---

**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 announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Decorah Rotarian and past District 5970 Governor Ward Budweg and his spouse, Decorah Rotarian Jacky Budweg, traveled to Taiwan in June in conjunction with the annual Rotary International Convention being hosted in Taipei. As part of that journey, they represented our club and district in the End Polio Now Taiwan Cycling Tour. Ward and Jacky will reflect on and share their many amazing adventures and experiences while traveling in Taiwan.

The End Polio Now Taiwan Cycling Tour started from Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan and finished at the Taipei Music Center. The tour spaned seven days and six nights along the scenic east coast, visiting some of the most beautiful sites of Taiwan. Participants raised funds and awareness to help Rotary's End Polio Now campaign.

The 2026 Rotary International Convention took place in Taipei from 13-17 June. It was hosted at the Taipei - Farglory Dome and the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, with over 38,000 attendees from 140 countries and regions.

Most Decorah Rotarians know Ward and Jacky in a variety of contexts. In addition to their Rotary leadership roles, their yard and driveway were an annually recurring construction zone for the Rotary Nordic Fest float. They are co-authors of the 2020 book The World at 10 MPH. The book provides a fascinating look at their global, 1,106 day, 33,523-mile joint bicycle journey across six continents from 2007-2010.

---

**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 announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Tom Overlie is a former nightly news anchor, producer, and reporter, as well as an Emmy Award winner. Drawing on 35 years in local television news, he offers firsthand insight into the major changes that have transformed the industry. In this speaking engagement, Tom explores how local news has evolved over the decades and what its future may look like.

Mr Overlie has been a Rochester, MN native for over two decades. He was born in Minneapolis and grew up in southern North Dakota, and also spent time in Nigeria, Western Africa. He has anchored and reported news for KEYC-TV in Mankato and KMOT-TV in Minot, North Dakota. He was the primary KTTC-TV 6 pm and 10 pm co-anchor in Rochester beginning in May 2000 until his retirement in 2024. He is the recipient of nine Emmy Awards for best newscast (Upper Midwest Chapter) and has received honors from the Minnesota Broadcaster’s Association, Minnesota Associated Press, Northwest Broadcast News-Eric Sevareid Award, and the North Dakota Broadcasters Association.

Some of Mr Overlie's favorite memories during his tenure as a newcaster include a one-on-one interview with a sitting president, parachuting from an airplane at 16,000 feet while broadcasting live, and hosting the longest running, locally produced telethon in the nation, raising millions of dollars for cancer research.

Since his retirement from KTTC-TV he has turned his attention to spending time with his parents, pursuing his hobby of music and singing, spending more time writing (he is creating a series of young-adult books), and working on restoring his Civil War-era farmhouse and barn outside Rochester. The barn currently functions as a site for community concerts, weddings and fundraisers.

---

**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 announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Distinguished fellow Decorah Rotarian Dr. Liang Chee Wee will be presenting his reflections on the experiences that have shaped him during his 43-year journey in America as an immigrant.

Dr. Wee has extensive community college leadership experience, having served as President of Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC) from 2011 to 2022. He also recently concluded nearly two years of service as Interim Chancellor of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges and six months as Interim President of Des Moines Area Community College. His distinguished career includes significant experience in strategic planning, workforce development, student support, legislative engagement, organizational culture, and community partnerships.

During his tenure at NICC, Dr. Wee led a successful capital campaign totaling $10 million and a $39 million bond levy. He earned recognition as Iowa's Outstanding Chief Administrator by the Iowa Association of Community College Trustees in 2013. He was named the Chairman’s Institutional Leadership Award recipient by the International Economic Development Council in 2016 and received the Crescent Community Health Center Advocacy Award in 2022. Most recently, in 2025, he received the Larry Ebbers Honorary Trustee Award from Community Colleges for Iowa and was honored as an Honorary Lifetime Leadership Iowa Alumni Society Member by the Association of Business and Industry.

Dr. Wee holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Arizona's Karl Eller Graduate School of Management, along with an MBA and undergraduate degree with distinction in Management Information Systems from the same institution.

---

 **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 announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Endurance sport puts people on the same start line, regardless of where they come from or what they believe. In this talk, Carson Christen shares what 14 years of coaching, racing, and living abroad taught him about people, from a Rotary youth club in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to a German language classroom filled with students from around the world, to the streets of Taichung, Taiwan, where he was the tall, blonde outsider who was welcomed like a neighbor. Along the way, he'll share how, in more than 33 countries, people were far more curious about his life than about his passport.

Carson's introduction to Rotary began long before he was old enough to join. He spent many lunch hours at Mabe's Pizza with his grandfather, Elliott Christen, a longtime Rotary International member, and later joined the Young Rotary Club at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids. After swimming at Luther College and earning a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology at the University of Northern Iowa, he began a career in endurance sport that took him from Boulder, Colorado, to Germany and Taiwan. He is a professional endurance coach whose athletes include an Olympic cyclist from the 2016 Rio Games, multiple National Champions, and World Championship qualfiers. He now lives in Muskego, Wisconsin, with his wife, Katie, and their son, Noah.

Today, Carson is a dad and the lessons he picked up abroad--to show up curious, treat people fairly, and build friendships across every line--are the ones he hopes to pass on to Noah, just as his grandfather and family have passed to him. Join us to hear how a shared love of sport can build the kind of understanding Rotary was founded on, and how a few slices of pizza with Grandpa set some of it in motion.

---

**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 announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Don Holmertz

Decorah Rotarian Jeff Tomlinson will be presenting information to our members on background, recent activities, and accomplishments of the Rotary Foundation.

The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions.

The foundation was established in 1917 by Rotary International's sixth president, Arch C. Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary "to do good in the world." It has grown from an initial contribution of $26.50 to more than $1 billion in assets. It has one of the largest and most prestigious international fellowship programs in the world.

The Rotary Foundation transforms members' gifts into projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. As the charitable arm of Rotary, our club taps into a global network of Rotarians who invest their time, money, and expertise into shared priorities such as eradicating polio and promoting peace. Foundation grants empower Rotarians to approach challenges such as poverty, illiteracy, and malnutrition with sustainable solutions that leave a lasting impact.

---

**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 announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Shannon Duncan

Chris Lindell serves as chair of Rotary District 5970’s District International Service Committee (DISC), a team of experienced Rotarians who help clubs expand and strengthen their international service. The DISC connects clubs with Rotary resources, expertise, potential partners and other clubs while encouraging greater collaboration throughout the district. Chris will provide an overview of the state of international service in District 5970 and highlight the many ways clubs and individual Rotarians can make global connections—from youth and cultural exchanges to international projects and Global Grants.

Expanding Rotary international service opportunities not only extends Rotary’s impact around the world, but also gives members more ways to become meaningfully engaged. Strong international connections can help clubs attract new members, retain existing members and provide the kinds of experiences that make Rotary membership rewarding.

A second-generation Rotarian, Chris has been a Rotarian for 38 years and has belonged to four Rotary clubs, including four years with the Rotary Club of Auckland, New Zealand. He is a past president of Cedar Rapids West Rotary and has held numerous club and district leadership positions, including serving as the District Global and Peace Scholarship Chair.

Chris is a native of Le Mars, Iowa, and married his high school sweetheart. They have two adult children. Following careers in jewelry, utilities, banking and engineering, Chris fully retired in 2024. He is an avid bicyclist and musician—and a self-described computer geek.

---

**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 announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email.