Events

Mark Kurusz will talk to us about the development of the artifical heart, and the breakthroughs that made this life-saving technology possible.

About Mark Kurusz:

Mark Kurusz has been a member of the Rotary Club of West Austin since 2011. He spent nearly 40 years as a clinical perfusionist (operates heart-lung machine during cardiac surgery) in two university settings (Penn State-Hershey Medical Center, 1972-1977 and the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, 1977-2006) and with one contract group in Austin, Texas (2006-2010). Over the course of his career, he had the opportunity to meet many leading figures in the development of artificial organs. This led to a long-time interest in medical history, and he has published several articles and book chapters on historical events and clinical research. He is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the UTMB Department of Surgery. Today, he will recount the story surrounding the first implantable artificial heart, which occurred in 1969. While the case initially generated euphoria, there was much controversy and criticism concerning details of the event. This led to a famous, decades-long feud between two former colleagues, Drs. Michael DeBakey and Denton Cooley. Mark is still involved in blood pumping and works for a start-up company developing a left ventricular assist device for heart failure patients. He and his wife have been married for 50 years, raised three daughters, have seven grandchildren, and have lived in Austin since 2006.

Ayah Alomari and Tiger Yang will be speaking to us about the Greater Austin Chapter of Engineers Without Borders, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving communities across the world by engineering infrastructure projects. The Greater Austin Chapter will also be speaking about its water project in Tanzania, where they are rehabilitating a water system for a village of over 12,000 people.

About our speakers:

Ayah Alomari: 

Ayah Alomari is a native Austinite with a love of built environments and humanitarian work. She recently graduated from UT Austin with an M.S. in Structural Engineering and B.S. in Civil Engineering and is now a practicing EIT at KPFF Consulting Engineers. She joined EWB ATX in 2020 and has served on the Tanzania project as both a fundraiser and a Health Safety Officer for their in-country travel in August 2022. In her free time, she enjoys Dungeons and Dragons, hanging out with her family chickens, and kayaking around Red Bud Isle.

Tiger Yang began volunteering with Engineers Without Borders in 2016 as a freshman at Rice University. He has held roles such as Project Lead and President at the Rice Student Chapter and now serves as Director of Finance for the EWB Austin Chapter. Tiger graduated in 2020 with a B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Business and works as a software engineer at Silicon Labs. Outside of EWB and work, he enjoys soccer, cooking, and finance.

About Officer Shelly Borton:

Michelle Borton is a police office with the Austin Police Department  Austin, TX.

• Patrol Officer in Southeast FRANK sector
• Street Response Unit, conducting street level narcotics, prostitution, and high crime operations
• Cadet Training Instructor, Austin Police Training Academy.  Specialized in defensive tactics
• District Representative Unit Downtown area command.  Responsible for community outreach with business owners, special events in downtown, and acting at the direction of Downtown Commander.
• Crisis Intervention Unit/Homeless Outreach Street Team assignment (HOST).  Assigned as the APD representative to a collaborative team consisting of EMS, Downtown Community Court, Integral Care to assist persons experiencing homelessness in the downtown area.  This team assists with mental health services, medical, substance abuse treatment, and other homeless services.  

She has received special training and developed skills in:

• Mental Health Officer
• Hostage Negotiator
• Adjunct Firearms Instructor
• Adjunct Defensive Tactics Instructor
• Bicycle Patrol
• Crowd Management Team
• Bicycle Public Order Team

About Charles F Stahl

Charles F Stahl was a practicing architect with the firm Barrow & Stahl. David B. Barrow and Charles F Stahl both graduated from the University of Texas. Barrow & Stahl formed their office in Austin Texas in the 60's and produced both commercial and residential works from the 1960's until present day.  Their work was influential in the design, layout, and look of the Balcones neighborhood in Austin, TX.

Chuck was President of the Rotary Club of West Austin from 1973-1974, and became a member of the District 5870 Rotary Hall of Fame in 2005.  He is the longest serving Rotarian in the Rotary Club of West Austin, and is a Paul Harris recipient.

The Ukraine war has exposed a raft of contradictions in which world leaders are making claims that have little substance.  By focusing on the underlying economics we can gain a clearer picture of the forces shaping responses to the war by the major powers.  At the start of the war the Russian leadership said that they "wanted a new deal with the West."  That is a fine wish but there never was a deal with the West following the breakup of the Soviet empire.  Western responses have been less than direct.  Let us look at who has what to win and who has what to lose. 

About KC Cerny

K.C. founded Management Information Analysis (www.mia-consulting.com) in 1990 with the  goal of providing analysis to support corporate decision making. Over the years, he has helped build a well-rounded team. Corporations increasingly capture more and more data, without having a centralized solution to process it, and often they have multiple warring information systems. Having a team that can unravel and manage data allows us to support quantitative decision making at a very high level.

Dr. Cerny received a BA from Princeton University and Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin, TX.

Management Information Analysis is a team of proven professionals that support you with data integration services, custom application development, and enterprise and strategic planning solutions

We will host "table talks" this week. It is a way for West Austin Rotarians to visit and get to know each other through deeper conversations during the lunch meeting.

This type of meeting is much better suited to in-person gatherings.  Zoom participants can engage in conversation amongst each other.

Jill Skinner will talk about the Drive a Senior program in Austin, TX.
 

About Jill Skinner

Jill Skinner joins us as the new Executive Director of Drive a Senior after spending fourteen years helping to create life-changing wishes to children with critical illnesses at Make-A-Wish Central and South Texas. She brings with her an extensive knowledge of the inner-workings of a nonprofit with six years as their Chief Program Officer, four years as the Chief Marketing & Communications Office and four as the Major Gifts Officer. Prior to her work at Make-A-Wish, Jill spent many years in Los Angeles where she built a career in the music and television industries working with Grammy winning artists and later as a writer and producer for Dr. Phil. Jill moved back home to Austin in 2007 to start the next chapter of her life. "I've had such unique experiences working with such incredibly talented people in Los Angeles, but nothing or no one can compare to the incredible people I've been blessed to work with in the nonprofit arena who find so much joy in sharing their talents, treasures and compassion for others," Jill said.  She is married and has two beautiful step kids, a brand new granddaughter, and two sweet kitty cats.

About Dr. Namkee Choi

Namkee Choi, PhD, is Professor and Louis and Ann Wolens Centennial Chair in Gerontology in the University of Texas at Austin’s Steve Hicks School of Social Work. She received her MSW degree from the University of Minnesota, supported by International Rotary Foundation Scholarship. She received her PhD from the University of California at Berkeley, and intensive geriatric mental health research training at the Advanced Research Institute in Geriatric Mental Health at the Weill Cornell Institute of Geriatric Psychiatry, a program funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Choi’s primary research goal is to improve low-income and /or  disabled older adults’ access to mental health services, especially in the context of geriatric mental health workforce shortages. Through NIH-funded randomized clinical trials, Dr. Choi and her research team have provided evidence for effectiveness of videoconferenced depression treatments and fall prevention delivered by lay counselors/coaches. Her community partners are Meals on Wheels, Area Agencies on Aging, and other aging service network agencies. Dr. Choi have also done extensive research on late-life suicide and substance misuse among older adults. Dr. Choi was one of the five recipients of the 2019 Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Innovators in Aging Award and the 2021 recipient of the Gerontological Society of America’s Maxwell A. Pollack Award for Contributions to Healthy Aging.

Category Talks : several members will introduce themselves and their professions. We look forward to hearing from:

Tab Barker
Kris Bills
Elaine Loyd

Retired Judge Lee Yeakel will lead the installation of the Rotary Club of West Austin Officers for the Rotary year 2023-2024.  Outgoing President Nancy Ray will share a recap of her year as Club President.  Incoming President Angela Smith will share her vision for our Club and the objectives she is setting forth.

Judge Lee Yeakel (Retired):

We will have lunch at the Casa Chapala Restaurant, and then transfer to the Celis Brewery where owner Christine Celis will give us a tour and talk about the brewing process.

A note from Christine Celis

In the Spring of 1992, my father, Pierre Celis, flew from Belgium to the United States to start a new brewery in the great state of Texas.  No one suspected that he carried something very precious, concealed in his tube socks.  It was the original yeast strain Pierre had been using to brew his world-famous Belgian-style Wit beer for the past 30 years.  And there was no way he was going to brew without it.

The first Celis Brewery opened on July 11th in 1992.  It was an immediate success.  Turns out Texans really liked our beer! Before we crazy Belgians arrived, most Texans were drinking one of the big three brands on the market. The small craft breweries that we all know and love today simply did not exist. When Pierre Celis started brewing his beloved beer, he created a craft beer that changed everything.

Exactly 25 years to the day it first opened, the legendary beer is back, better than ever at Celis Brewery 2.0. Along the way in the Spring of 2011, we lost my Dad.  But Pierres spirit and his commitment to quality lives on along with his original yeast strain.

Welcome to the future, the legacy, the celebration, and the beer that started it all. Welcome to Celis Brewery.

https://www.celisbeers.com/

The Racial Unity and Peacebuilding Committee of the Rotary Club of Georgetown was formed in June of 2020, one month after the murder of George Floyd.  Our vision is that “our model is an inspiration for other clubs and organizations in exemplifying how people of all races and ethnicities can live in harmonious unity, equity, and peace.”

About Jim Deuser

Jim worked for JCPenney for 31 years and for the McAllen Chamber of Commerce for 12 years.  He is happily married to Joyce for over 40 years.  He has served as chair of the South Texas United Way, founder of the McAllen Downtown Coalition and McAllen Downtown Improvement district after the peso devaluation of 1994. He has served as vice chair of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce and as a volunteer with the Catholic Charities McAllen Respite Center for refugees.  Jim was invited to join Rotary in 1995.  He has served as the McAllen Rotary Club president, member of the District 5930 Foundation committee, district Youth Exchange chair, GSE team leader to India, and member of the executive committee of South Central Rotary Youth Exchange.  Jim was invited to membership in the Georgetown Rotary Club in 2016.  He is a member of the Racial Unity and Peacebuilding Committee

Ms. Reina Wiatt will talk to us about ChatGPT and Generative AI.

Reina is sponsoring a raffle at our meeting, and will bring a prize for the winner!

About Reina Wiatt:

Reina G. Wiatt, CMA, CPA  has over 25 years experience in the fields of accounting and tax and serves clients through her consulting company, Wiatt Consulting Services, LLC.  She is also an adjunct professor at Concordia University, the Treasurer of the Recognize Good Foundation, and a member of both the International Management Accountants (IMA) and the National Association of professional Women (NAPW).

In addition to her consulting work, Ms. Wiatt has authored several articles on tax, accounting, charitable giving, and cutting edge technology.  Her 2019 article and accompanying case study on Blockchain Technology earned her the United States Silver Medal.

Ms. Wiatt can be contacted at trwiatt@swbell.net.

Chris will give us an overview of the Heart of Texas Peace Corps, and then talk to us about his expereinces and projects in Nicaragua.

Peace Corps globally brings educated college graduates to developing countries all around the world and works in a wide variety of areas that are negotiated between Peace Corps and the host country to decide in what areas they will work. In Nicaragua there were 4 types of volunteers: English teachers, Environment, Small Business, and Health and in the past there had also been Agriculture volunteers. The 3 main goals of the health sector were 1)Reducing teenage pregnancy 2)Reducing the spread of HIV and STIs 3)Improving infant and maternal health. The Peace Corps experience will vary wildly from country to country, sector to sector, location to location, and the type of projects and community members you work with. There are goals to work towards but still a lot of area for personal preference and seeking out projects as makes sense to you in your community. The length of service is normally 27 months overall for 3 months of training and two years of service. 

About Chris Shepperd

My full name is Christopher Shepperd and I am born and raised in Austin, Texas. I did not travel far for college and went to school to get my bachelor's degree right here in Austin at The University of Texas to study Sociology. I greatly appreciated that area of study and helped change the way I think and approach problems, but you study a lot of problems in society, and when finishing up school I wanted to find a way to try and tackle those problems and that has contributed to my career path since then. Around the same time I was also thinking of a change since of location since I had lived in the same place my whole life so far and had caught a bit of a travel bug. That led me to a bigger change than I expected and joined the Peace Corps when I finished school and spent the next few years teaching community health education in Nicaragua. Unintentionally that had also gotten me interested in mental health and after Peace Corps I found a job in Hawaii working at a Wilderness Therapy residential mental health program for young adults. A few years later it was time to come back home and returning to Austin I found a job working with neurodiverse young adults teaching life skills. Rounding out for the next change I am about to start a Master's program in Social Work back at UT in a couple weeks. 

We will offer our Club members the chance to enjoy Table Talks through the entire lunch hour.  We have several Club members traveling this week, and decided to reschedule speakers for when we can offer greater attendence.

Rotarian Todd Smith serves on the District Membership Committee with a focus on cultivating awareness and membership in the various Rotarian Fellowship and Action Groups.

His presentation illuminates the many popular groups as well as those a bit more obscure. He’ll show you what it takes to form a group of your own, and how it differs from a traditional club experience. He’ll even cover some specific activities and events that can make your Rotary membership even more rewarding! And you’ll leave knowing the difference between Fellowship Groups and Action Groups, and how each can be best utilized to your advantage

About Todd Smith:

Rotarian Todd Smith, a member of the Rotary Club of Georgetown, TX and currently serving District 5870 as this year’s District Governor – Nominee, will become District Governor in the 2025-2026 year. 

Todd Smith joined Rotary in 2007 when he joined (and later served as President in 2014-2015) the Rotary Club of Austin, TX. He became a “Rotarian” during a trip to India where he delivered Polio drops to underprivileged children. Following a move to Coastal California, Todd joined (and later served as President in 2018-2019) the Rotary Club of Montecito, CA, subsequently becoming an Assistant Governor in District 5240 where Fellowship activities were strongly encouraged! Todd loves the many opportunities to learn more about our world through Rotary.   He is is a Major Donor Level 2, a member of the Paul Harris Society and a Benefactor, currently a member of eleven Fellowship Groups and is always on the lookout for more!

This is a special meeting experienced jointly with the Rotary Clubs of West Austin and North x NorthEast for the Annual District Governor meeting.  We meet at the Casa Chapala Restaurant in the Cava Room for this joint session.  Lunch will be buffet only.

About District Governor Bob Crouch:

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Bob Crouch grew up in a military family and graduated from high school in Heidelberg, Germany.  He is a Distinguished Military Graduate of the University of Tampa ROTC program, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in May 1990. During his 20+ year Army career, Bob served in various command and staff positions in units across the United States, in Germany, and in Iraq. He currently serves as the Vice President of the National Mounted Warfare Foundation.

His education includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management from the University of Tampa, a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from the University of Oklahoma, and he is currently pursuing a Doctorate of Business Administration with a specialization in Leadership from Capella University.

Bob became a Rotarian on April 6^th, 2012. He has served the Rotary Club of Killeen Heights in multiple capacities, including Programs Chair (2 years), Director, Service Projects (3 years), President-Elect, President (2017-18).   At the District 5870 level, Bob has served as an Assistant Governor (3 years) and Chair of the Career and Technical Education Scholarship program (1 year).  He is a Paul Harris Fellow, a member of the Paul Harris Society, a Major Donor Level 1, a Rotary Benefactor, and a Sustaining Member.  He inducted to the District 5870 Roll of Fame in 2018.

Bob is a lifetime member of the National Eagle Scout Association, the Association of Quartermasters, the 13th COSCOM Association, the Association of the United States Army (AUSA), Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, and the National Society of Leadership Excellence. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Governors for the Central Texas-Fort Hood chapter of AUSA, board member for the Cove House Emergency Homeless Shelter and the Copperas Cove Boys and Girls Club, and is very active in his church.

Bob and his wife, Dr. Coleen Crouch, have a son, Kennedy, a graduate of Stephen F. Austin State University, and a daughter, Lucy, a graduate of the University of Tampa.

The RYLA Class of 2023 sponsored by the Rotary Club of West Austin will speak to the Club about their experiences this summer.

About our RYLA Campers:

The Rotary Club of West Austin sponsored 5 RYLA campers to enjoy the 2023 Summer Session:

Harper Jordan - Anderson High School
Junyeop Lee - Anderson High School
Ekatarina "Katya" Veasey - Anderson High School

William Perkins - McCallum High School
Sydney Piper - McCallum High School

Our Club Past-President Nancy Ray will share her experiences and stories from the Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia this summer.

About Club Past-President Nancy Ray

Nancy was born and raised in Mineral  Wells, Texas, graduated from the University of Texas and bleeds burnt orange. She is married to rancher Bruce Wittig whom she met through her 85-year-old mother-in-law (known as the matchmaker) .

Nancy has two grown daughters and four amazing grands, 2  stepsons and another set of six amazing step grands. 

She is gleefully retired and her passions include faith, family,  friends,  Rotary and being a weekend cowgirl! As a Rotarian for over 30 years she once had the privilege of meeting the first female Rotarian president. 

UT Texas Women's Basketball Head Coach Vic Shaefer will talk to us about this season and team development.

About Vic Shaefer:

Two-Time National Coach of the Year Vic Schaefer preps to enter his fourth season at the helm of the Texas Women’s Basketball program in 2023-24. Schaefer was the 2023 Big 12 Coach of the Year. 

Schaefer, a Texas native who has spent 24 of his 38 years in coaching within the state of Texas and 29 years in the Southwest, is the fifth head coach in program history.

In 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach, which also includes eights seasons at Mississippi State and seven seasons at Sam Houston State, Schaefer now owns a career record of 377-199 [.655].

Before coming to Texas, Schaefer spent eight seasons as the head coach at Mississippi State (2011-20), where he led the Bulldogs to a 221-62 [.781] record and five NCAA Tournament berths, including two NCAA Championship Game appearances. Under his direction, Mississippi State won the program's first SEC regular-season championship and SEC Tournament championship and made five consecutive appearances in the SEC Tournament Championship Game, tying the University of Tennessee's record for consecutive tournament final appearances.

A native of Austin, Texas, Schaefer served as a men's assistant coach at Sam Houston State [1987-89] between stints as the assistant boys' basketball coach and head tennis coach at Houston's Milby High School. As a player, Schaefer was an all-state performer in basketball, football and baseball at Houston Lutheran High School before going on to play two seasons of collegiate basketball at Alvin Community College. He graduated from Texas A&M in 1984. 

Schaefer and his wife, Holly, who played basketball at Arkansas State and later served as an assistant coach at UT Arlington, have twin children, Blair and Logan, both of whom graduated from Mississippi State during the 2017-18 year. Blair Schaefer currently serves as Texas’ Assistant Coach.

THE VIC SCHAEFER FILE
Hometown: Austin, Texas 
Alma Mater: Texas A&M [1984]
Wife: Holly Schaefer
Children: Blair and Logan

https://texassports.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/vic-schaefer/3279