Twice monthly we profile a member of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee. Although every RCM member is an achiever and contributes much to the fabric of our local and global community, our PEOPLE OF ACTION stories provide an in depth look at how some members are making a difference.
September 2024
Mr. Rodgers changing from his suit jacket into a cardigan and sneakers, Mark Kannenberg is trying retirement on for size and getting comfortable with this new phase of life. After selling 80 percent of RBP Chemical Technology, his specialty chemistry company, to his management team two years ago, Mark began stepping back from the business he ran for nearly 40 years. When the COVID pandemic hit, Mark, like millions of others, stopped going to work every day. It made him realize he could—and should—step back even more.
August 2024
Hanna Paul has a North Star: “To do whatever I can to ease the suffering of people in the world.” An old soul, Hanna adopted this guiding principle at an early age, and it has steered her throughout her education, career and in the development of her interests, including her decision to join the Rotary Club.
As a marketing professional, Dave Murphy created compelling, actionable messages over the course of a 40-year career. Now that he’s retired—or as he says, practicing “prefer-ment”—he still finds time to dedicate those skills to organizations like the Rotary Club of Milwaukee.
July 2024
Saj ThachenkarySaj Thachenkary’s family presumed he would become an MD—and he did. Just not the kind they had envisioned.
“Often in the Indian culture, it’s not whether you’ll be a doctor, but what kind. Although my mother was a doctor, I always had a creative bent. I loved words. I loved images. I was always interested in telling a story. So for me, MD meant marketing director,” said Saj, who was born and spent the first two years of his life in India.
“Often in the Indian culture, it’s not whether you’ll be a doctor, but what kind. Although my mother was a doctor, I always had a creative bent. I loved words. I loved images. I was always interested in telling a story. So for me, MD meant marketing director,” said Saj, who was born and spent the first two years of his life in India.
June 2024
Tom GaleEveryone knows Tom Gale. More importantly, Tom Gale knows himself.
A man of faith-inspired giving, Tom tirelessly applies his love of city and fellow humans through service, purposeful networking and 60-hour work weeks. Tom not only wears his heart on his sleeve, he rolls up his sleeves to serve what’s in his heart.
Kathy Ehley"It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit" – Harry Truman
That quotation has been Kathy Ehley’s email signature for 30 years. More than just a sentiment, it’s a philosophy that has guided her life.
That quotation has been Kathy Ehley’s email signature for 30 years. More than just a sentiment, it’s a philosophy that has guided her life.
May 2024
Some people make connections. Margaret Crawford forges relationships. And with her genuine desire to see others succeed, her network is broad and deep.
April 2024
Dan Fetterley is a navigator. On water and more. Indeed, Dan’s private, professional, and public life have all the marks of a skilled navigator who uses data, technology, observation, and instinct to serve crew, clients, and citizens. He has a good navigator’s attributes of being able to see ahead, balance facts and assumptions and continuously learn.
As you wend your way across Milwaukee, you won’t see Kris Martinsek’s name on plaques or markers (and she’s just fine with that). But she has left her imprint throughout the city in innumerable and significant ways.
March 2024
Marilka VelezMarilka Vélez’s resume is packed with superlative educational, business and community experiences, but what really sets her apart is the heart and soul she puts into making the world a better place.
No matter where you end up in the world, your hometown is an indelible part of who you are. That’s especially true for Chris Marschka. In fact, the ties that bind Chris to Lancaster, Pennsylvania—the places, the people, the experiences—inform every aspect of his life.
February 2024
Ayrton Bryan works from Milwaukee, but serves a larger region remotely. It’s another stop on his path to his personal goal of becoming a corporate chief sustainability officer.
January 2024
Carol Alexander Barnes is a woman of rare gifts. Although she joined Rotary less than a year ago, the ease with which she greets her fellow members any given Tuesday, always by name and with her signature warm smile, projects the poise and confidence of a longtime member.
December 2023
Dan Meyer“Marketer” is how Dan Meyer described himself in a Rotary interview. But drill down on his professional and personal lives and you find wide and deep involvement in Milwaukee – especially education.
Sr. Kathleen O'BrienThink of a job that offers a lifetime of world travel, incredible experiences and meaningful engagement and “nun” probably won’t make your list. But if you knew Sister Kathleen O’Brien, it would.
November 2023
Karen Plunkett is energized by her passions: appreciation of art and great design (which means travel) nurturing family and friendships around the world (also means travel) and having fun (again, travel). She is also passionate about making a difference in the world.
October 2023
JJim Barry, a tireless force for good in Milwaukee, has served in distinguished roles with community and philanthropic organizations including the Milwaukee Public Museum, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee, and the American Red Cross of Southeast Wisconsin, to name a few.
With his parents’ steadfast support, inspired by their work ethic and driven by an innate sense of wanting to make a difference in the world, Jason’s civic engagement and altruism began at an early age, volunteering in his community and dipping his toes into politics... Notably, at 17, he became the youngest person ever elected to the Democratic National Committee (DNC).
September 2023
“Honor the dead. Serve the living” is the War Memorial Center’s motto. It’s a succinct, powerful phrase that occupies every waking moment of Dan Buttery‘s life, and perhaps when he sleeps as well.
August 2023
As the club’s new President, Leslie Hauser is fine with being in charge. But she’d much prefer to keep her head down, roll up her sleeves and just get things done.
July 2023
Marketers at Visit Milwaukee need look no further than Elizabeth Evans Draper as someone who connects the Fresh Coast and the creative class to live a good life here.
June 2023
Frank Cumberbatch‘s own determination and discipline lifted him from a life of poverty in Trinidad to an existence in the U.S. he could only dream about as a profoundly shy, severely asthmatic boy.
John Ferguson has a deep personal commitment to Milwaukee and just a quick drive around the city shows where his professional passion lies.
May 2023
When he’s not turning ordinary household gadgets into load transducers, Tim Hunter is deeply committed to Rotary. He serves on the Johnson Park Committee, the World Community Service Committee, the Scholarship Committee and is a mentee. He participated in the most recent trip to Guatemala and volunteers at nearly every Done-in-a-Day outreach.
April 2023
Principles instilled in Alex Zamora as a child have led him on a pathway to professional and personal success and service to his community.
“What I enjoy most about my job is the people—the people that I work with as well as my clients. Helping clients meet their goals along their life’s journey requires a close connection that is so special. Professional accomplishments without the people component just don’t have meaning to me.”
Jon Rauser is a third generation Rotarian celebrating 50 years as Rotary Club of Milwaukee member. He has led a long and prestigious career in the U.S. Healthcare industry and still looks to leave a lasting impact on his clients today.
February 2023
As one of our newest and youngest members, Antoine Carter‘s thoughts are about Rotary’s future — a future he wants to help shape. At each meeting he sees tables filled Rotary “giants” whose wisdom, purpose, and deeds he appreciates. But his deep thoughts are how his generation can stand on their shoulders to be effective in a much different city.
As a young real estate professional in Michigan, Joanne Grunau picked up kernels of wisdom from an older colleague named Barb Lewis. Joanne has long since moved on from the U.P. and real estate, but she carried Barb’s sage advice with her. “(She) taught me the value of working with others whose viewpoints and experiences might not match my own.”
January 2023
The challenge of building an opera during a pandemic was terrifying, according to General Director and CEO of Florentine Opera Company Maggey Oplinger, but she was in her element. After all, what she loves most about her job is overseeing all the moving parts of an opera company—the people, elements and logistics that go into creating something profoundly beautiful.
2019 Rotary Person of the Year and President of the Wisconsin Policy Forum, Rob Henken, one of our most popular returning speakers, is very proud of the work the Forum does to bring people together to discuss policy issues with mutual respect. He is also thrilled that his two sons are following their dad’s passions: baseball and policy.