Rotary Club of Denver Southeast

Thursday, June 11th, the Rotary Club of Denver Southeast is pleased to welcome Dr. Joe Sanders, CEO of Colorado UpLift, as our distinguished speaker.
Dr. Joe Sanders is a leadership development expert, speaker, author, and mentor with a deep passion for developing leaders of character. A retired U.S. Air Force Colonel, he formerly served as Director of the Center for Character and Leadership Development at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
He holds a PhD in Leadership and Human Resource Development from Colorado State University and has delivered thousands of lectures and workshops on servant leadership, moral development, and transformational change.

Joe is the author of Unreasonable Responsibility, a powerful call for leaders to embrace their influence and make meaningful impact. He currently serves as CEO of Colorado UpLift, teaches as an adjunct professor at UCCS, and is the founder of Touchstone Leadership Academy, equipping leaders in underserved communities.
Rooted in faith and service, Joe has also led ministry efforts for the homeless and regularly speaks at churches and conferences. He and his wife, Lourdes, live in Denver and are the proud parents of Isaiah, Jasmine, and Josiah.

Bring your friends and enjoy the networking, breakfast and insightful program while learning more about Rotary International:
Thursday, June 11th

7:00am at the Curtis Ballroom in the Landmark, Greenwood Village.

Rotary Club of Denver Southeast
Rotary District 5450
Rotary International
Colorado UpLift

www.dserotary.org
https://www.coloradouplift.org/
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Note- this meeting (6/4/26) will be held in the Lucy Restaurant on the 2nd floor not the usual 3rd floor Curtis Ballroom.
Please take the main stairs or the elevator. We look forward to seeing everyone. Rotary Club of Denver Southeast, Rotary District 5450.

This Thursday, June 4th, the Rotary Club of Denver Southeast (DSE) is pleased to welcome Serena Bruzgo, President of the Craig Foundation at Craig Hospital, as our distinguished speaker.

Serena Bruzgo serves as President of the Craig Foundation, which provides critical funding for Craig Hospital programs and equipment for Craig patients that are not covered by insurance. Prior to joining the Craig Foundation, Bruzgo was Vice President of Development and Marketing at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Bruzgo was founder and principal of Community Investment Advisors, a national corporate social responsibility and nonprofit consulting firm and previously held progressive leadership roles at the Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association. During her tenure at Mines, she expanded global alumni engagement programs, grew the organization’s endowment and membership revenue, served on the President’s Cabinet, and cofounded the Colorado School of Mines Leadership Summit. She also led successful capital and endowment campaigns, major gift solicitations, and marketing and digital engagement efforts for the United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates and Avila University.

Bruzgo is a member of the International Women’s Forum, serves on the board of directors for Reach Out and Read Colorado, Board of Governors for the Metro Denver EDC, Swedish Hospital Community Advisory Committee, and President’s Leadership Committee for the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. She was an inaugural mentor in the Morgridge Accelerator Fellowship Program, is an alumna of Leadership Denver (’21) and served as board chair at Impact100 Metro Denver. She is a graduate of Hannibal LaGrange University in Missouri. In her free time, she enjoys exploring the world with her family, including adventuring in Colorado as community scientists.

Bring your friends and enjoy the networking, breakfast and insightful program while learning more about Rotary International:
Thursday, June 4th

7:00am at the Curtis Ballroom in the Landmark, Greenwood Village.

Rotary Club of Denver Southeast
Rotary District 5450
Rotary International
www.dserotary.org
https://craighospital.org

Rotary Denver Southeast’s Day of Service at the High Line Canal was truly EPIC! We enjoyed perfect weather and an incredible turnout of volunteers from Rotary, the High Line Canal Conservancy, and local high schools.
On EPIC Day, we joined nearly 20,000 volunteers participating in 1,000 projects across 34 states and 13 countries—all on the same day through the leadership and spirit of Rotary.
Donations supporting the community efforts served by Rotary https://www.epicdayofservice.org/checkouts/donate?direct=true&hub_opportunity=14026 are very much appreciated.

Thursday, May 21st, the Rotary Club of Denver Southeast (DSE) is pleased to welcome Arok Garang from Seeds of South Sudan as our distinguished speaker.

Come hear Arok's amazing story of the Journey of the Lost Boys Across Africa:

"We Lost Boys walked 1,000 miles to Ethiopia with no shoes, clothes, water or food. Many died from starvation, thirst, or wild animal attacks. Two thousand drowned crossing the Gilo River. Others were shot by Arab militia or forced to become soldiers and kill our own people. Today, 35,000 are still enslaved.

After 18 months in a refugee camp, we were driven out at gunpoint. Many died recrossing the Gilo River during the height of the rainy season. It took us a year to walk to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, a brutally hot and dangerous place. I spent the next nine years at Kakuma. Today, more than 100,000 Sudanese refugees still live there with little food, water, or hope.
Coming to the US

I arrived in the United States in 2001 with the help of the United Nations. Then, I earned a degree in Economics at the University of Colorado at Denver.
Throughout the years, I’ve heard God calling me to rebuild my village by educating, equipping, and empowering the South Sudanese children who survived the genocide."

Today, Seeds of South Sudan has educated many students through the hard work, generosity, and prayers of our donors and sponsors.

Bring your friends and enjoy the networking, breakfast and insightful program while learning more about Rotary International:
Thursday, May 21st

7:00am at the Curtis Ballroom in the Landmark, Greenwood Village.

Rotary Club of Denver Southeast
Rotary District 5450
Rotary International
Seeds of South Sudan

www.dserotary.org
www.seedsofsouthsudan.org

This Thursday, May 14th, the Rotary Club of Denver Southeast (DSE) is pleased to welcome Body Language Expert & Behavior Analyst Traci Brown, CSP as our distinguished speaker.

A Body Language Specialist, Author and Behavioral Analyst
SHE’S ONE OF THE TOP 3 BODY LANGUAGE EXPERTS IN THE WORLD.

THE BODY DOESN'T LIE

Trained alongside top law enforcement and special forces, she’s adapted this peer-reviewed framework to help business leaders detect deception and make smarter decisions.

When she’s not keynoting, she’s investigating real-world cases, appearing on national TV, or writing bestselling books—including How to Detect Lies, Fraud and Identity Theft.

She’s also a former U.S. National Cycling Team member!
Bring your friends and enjoy the networking, breakfast and insightful program while learning more about Rotary International:

Thursday, May 14th
7:00am at the Curtis Ballroom in the Landmark, Greenwood Village.

Rotary Club of Denver Southeast
Rotary District 5450
Rotary International

www.dserotary.org
www.bodylanguagetrainer.com

Thursday, April 16th, the Rotary Club of Denver Southeast (DSE) is pleased to welcome Mr. Rob Miller of Mighty Water as our distinguished speaker.
Rob Miller, the CEO of Mighty Water, is an industrial designer and educator with over 25 years of experience developing products and patents for international companies and start-ups.
His work has been recognized by the Industrial Designers Society of America, BusinessWeek, Wired Magazine, and the American Institute of Architects.
Rob co-invented water filtration systems with Roger Cabbage and now focuses on applying human-centered design to social innovation. After seeing the impact of social design first-hand, he continues to work towards developing systems to improve lives everywhere.

Bring your friends and enjoy the networking, breakfast and insightful program while learning more about Rotary International:

Thursday, April 16th
7:00am at the Curtis Ballroom in the Landmark, Greenwood Village.

Rotary Club of Denver Southeast
Rotary District 5450
Rotary International

www.dserotary.org
www.mightywater.org

This coming Thursday, April 9th, the Rotary Club of Denver Southeast (DSE) is pleased to welcome Mr. Austin Hill of the The Wild Animal Sanctuary.

Public Relations Director, Austin Hill first visited The Wild Animal Sanctuary the day after graduating college in 2014 and was instantly enamored! Not long after, he found himself joining his very favorite place/mission on the planet. He is extremely passionate about telling the animals’ stories to educate others about the Captive Wildlife Crisis.

The Wild Animal Sanctuarycontinues doing great work across the country- come learn more about their amazing work!

Bring your friends and enjoy the networking, breakfast and insightful program while learning more about Rotary International:
Thursday, April 9th

7:15am at the Curtis Ballroom in the Landmark, Greenwood Village.

Rotary Club of Denver Southeast

Rotary District 5450
Rotary International
Rotary Club of Denver Southeast
www.dserotary.org
www.wildanimalsanctuary.org

This Thursday, March 26th, Rotary Club of Denver Southeast (DSE) is pleased to welcome Kim Yuan-Farrell the Executive Director of The Park People, to discuss their amazing work bettering the Denver community. DSE Member Mr. Bob Koelbel will introduce this interesting presentation.

A “Park Person” of 16 years, Kim guides The Park People’s vision and strategic development, oversees the organization’s activities, and develops partnerships in the community.

Kim has 20+ years of nonprofit experience, a master’s degree in Environmental Management from Yale University’s School of The Environment and bachelor’s degrees in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from Santa Clara University. Kim directed The Park People’s urban forestry programs before transitioning to Executive Director.

She sits on Denver’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Board and on the Steering Committee of the national Sustainable Urban Forests Coalition, is an alum of the first cohort of the Barton Institute's Pathway Program and of the Denver Community Leadership Forum, and served on Denver's Urban Forestry Strategic Plan Steering Committee, Community Shares of Colorado's Board of Directors, the national Arbor Day Foundation’s Alliance for Community Trees Advisory Committee, the Trust for Public Land’s Climate Smart Cities Denver Technical Advisory Team, and the City of Denver’s Emerald Ash Borer Steering Committee.

A Colorado kid raised on the Front Range, Kim lives with her family of four in northwest Denver, near where her father grew up after immigrating to Denver from Taiwan. Her mom was raised in Cameroon, Africa, and it’s with a sense of global family that Kim first became concerned about environmental and social issues. Kim is passionate about climate action and the power of parks, urban forestry, and community-driven efforts to cultivate resilient, sustainable communities.

Bring your friends and enjoy the networking, breakfast and insightful program while learning more about Rotary International:

Thursday, March 26th
7:15am at the Curtis Ballroom in the Landmark, Greenwood Village.

-The Rotary Club of Denver Southeast

Rotary District 5450
Rotary International
Rotary Club of Denver Southeast
www.dserotary.org
https://theparkpeople.org/

Thursday, March 12th, The Rotary Club of Denver Southeast (DSE) is pleased to welcome Blair Gifford, PhD, to discuss community health and empowerment projects in Kenya.

Blair Gifford, PhD, is the founder and Board Chair of Global Health Connections. Blair is also a Professor of Global Health Management, and the founder of the Center for Global Health (2003), at the University of Colorado Denver. With GHC, Blair has been involved with GHC’s Global Water Challenge middle school program, the building of GHC’s Maternity Center at CAMEJO Hospital in Leogane, Haiti and GHC’s current Community Health and Empowerment Club initiatives in the area around Kisii, Kenya. Blair was named a New Century Fellow by the U.S. State Department (Fulbright) in 2008 and has had visiting professor appointments at Tsinghua University (Beijing), Yale University, and Northwestern University.

Blair has a B.A. in economics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in sociology from the University of Chicago. Prior to attending graduate school, Blair was a Systems Engineer with IBM. Blair has been a member of the Denver Rotary Club since 2001 and currently Chairs the club’s World Community Services committee. Blair enjoys family time and competing in various sports.

Bring your friends and enjoy the networking, breakfast and insightful program:

Thursday, March 12th

7:15am at the Curtis Ballroom in the Landmark, Greenwood Village.

-The Rotary Club of Denver Southeast
Rotary District 5450
Rotary International

www.dserotary.org
https://globalhealthconnections.org/