Events

Meet K. Neil Van Dine, founder of Haiti Outreach and a passionate advocate with over three decades of dedication to Haiti’s development. Since 1989, Neil has called Haiti home, working tirelessly to improve access to clean water and sanitation in developing nations. His ultimate goal is to ensure that every household has sustainable access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene.

Neil is the former President of the Rotary E-Club of WASH and a founding board member of the Rotary HANWASH initiative. He also served as the Board Chair of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Rotary Action Group (WASH-RAG).

He continues to work closely with fellow Rotarians to develop and implement international tools that enable data-driven decision-making and effective tracking of Rotary WASH initiatives around the world.

Adam Kooyer joined the Uptown Rotary Club in August 2024 and has been actively contributing to the club's goals in many ways. He’s backed up the Program department and wrangled guests, jumped in on planning committees, and offered fresh ideas. He’s also volunteered at Ella Baker for Every Meal and Joyce Food Shelf.

Adam's first job (not working for his dad's insulation business) was as an Actor in a theater production put on by the Headwaters Society in northern Minnesota.  At one time he had aspirations to become an actor--until he learned he'd be broke most of the time. He began studying Communications and English in college eventually pivoting to technology when the IT industry was heating up in the mid-1990s. 

Adam's IT career began with "Project Gold" at Bell Atlantic Business Systems, supporting the brand-new Windows 95 operating system on Compaq computers. Over the years he's adapted to waves of  evolving technology and carved out a career path that led him to IDEMIA--an identity services company. Having spent a large portion of his career working for this company in its many iterations, Adam has had the opportunity to travel the world for many biometric and identity implementations and demonstrations.

He currently works as a Cloud Platform Engineer and Team Lead, building secure, scalable identity systems that help protect the identities of hundreds of thousands of people.

On the side, Adam enjoys traveling to Hawaii, listening to a wide variety of music, singing Karaoke, video games, and graphic design (including creating logos and products for small businesses and personal projects).  A longtime enthusiast of vintage coin operated games, he restores arcade and pinball machines and is the former producer and host of RcadeRadio, an arcade related podcast he produced for seven years.

Adam’s mix of creativity and technical experience is well-suited for his role as Public Image Relations Chair. While not a web designer by trade, he has spent years exploring web standards, modern design practices, and technologies. This hands-on curiosity has allowed him to contribute meaningfully to the Uptown Rotary Club’s digital presence, including the redesign of its website and content.

Bob Jacobson was appointed ​the 15th commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety by Gov. Tim Walz in January 2023. Prior to his appointment, Jacobson served as the interim deputy assistant commissioner in the Department of Human Services.

Previously, he served for more than 33 years in active law enforcement including 16 years as the director of public safety/chief of police for the City of New Brighton where he led their police, fire and emergency operations. He also served as interim police chief for the City of Stillwater during a leadership transition.

Jacobson also served as the interim inspector general for the Department of Human Services. He served as the professional development director for the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association, coordinating and implementing statewide and regional training and con​ferences for the Association.

Jacobson has a B.A. from Bethel University in Organizational Leadership and attended the Senior Management Institute for Police conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum.​

Bob came highly recommended to the club by my step-dad, Harlan Johnson, who served as Executive Director for the Minnesota Chiefs of Police for many years.

Katherine is Executive Director of Mary's Pence, which was was founded by women to support women on the margins at a time when women-led social justice projects were overlooked and under-funded.

Katherine has led Mary's Pence for almost 17 years, managing the two programs - Mary's Pence Grants which are given across the US, and the ESPERA program in Central America and Mexico. During her time the programs have grown and expanded. Prior to working with Mary’s Pence she worked at Honeywell and Toro, in organization development roles where she gained skills in strategic planning, project management, training and facilitation. She has facilitated retreats on nonviolence, and served as a core team member founding the Minnesota Peace Team which was created to provide a nonpartisan presence during the Republican National Convention. She currently serves on the board of Ignatian Volunteer Corps.

Tricia Wright serves as the first Executive Director of Onward, stepping into the role in April 2022 after two years of board service. With 17 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, she has served as a strategic advisor, consultant, organizational leader, and board member—helping mission-driven organizations grow and strengthen their impact. Tricia holds an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, where she focused on organizational leadership and social entrepreneurship. A strategic and values-driven leader, she is passionate about driving community change and expanding opportunities for young adults.

We will hear from the students we've recently sponsored for Rotary Short Term Student Exchange -- Irene (daughter of Kwame and Alissa) and Johanna (who is here now from Germany). 

Mike Benz has been a member of the Minneapolis Uptown Rotary Club for over five years, after working many years with John Campobasso and Chris Dokken at Kraus-Anderson Construction Company.

Mike grew up outside of Buffalo New York, went to college in upstate New York, and came out to Minneapolis about 100 years ago to see a Bonnie Raitt concert, then decided to stay for graduate school. Originally studying elementary education, then MBA, and finally settling on computer science. Mike has always worked in information technology — first as a computer programmer, network engineer, project manager, strategic consultant, then moving into executive leadership positions.

Mike is a lifelong learner, recently earning two Master of Science degrees in Cybersecurity and the Management of Technology at the University of Minnesota. He has been studying French daily for the last 30 years and is getting pretty good at it. He and his wife LuAnn have an apartment in a small town in southern France where they live part-time.

Dr. Peter Kennedy is a Professor in the Department of Plant and Microbial Biology at the University of Minnesota, where he studies the hidden world of fungi and their vital role in our forests and soils. His research focuses on how fungi interact with plants, microbes, and the environment, and how these interactions shape ecosystems from the North Woods of Minnesota to the tropical forests of South America. He has published widely on topics ranging from how fungi recycle nutrients to how climate change is altering underground communities. Beyond his research, Peter is also deeply involved in mentoring students and training the next generation of scientists, guiding both graduate and undergraduate projects in the lab and in the field.

In addition to his scientific work, Peter has served in leadership roles such as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Biological Sciences and as Interim Curator of Fungi at the Bell Museum of Natural History. He is a Fellow of the Mycological Society of America and has received several national and international awards for his research and teaching.

Margot Carlson Delogne and Kim Benner are the daughters of Air Force Captain John W. Carlson, who was shot down near Saigon on December 7, 1966. Captain Carlson’s crash site has never been found, and he remains missing in action. Decades after his death, Margot sought to bridge the divide left by war by founding the 2 Sides Project, a nonprofit that unites sons and daughters whose fathers were killed on opposite sides of the war. In November, Kim and Margot will travel to Vietnam with a group of 15 American sons and daughters who lost fathers in the Vietnam War, so that they too can visit the sites where their fathers died and meet children of North Vietnamese soldiers. This will be the fourth such Two Sides Project trip, which to date has united 20 Americans and nearly 100 Vietnamese children of war. Kim and her husband Rich are also spearheading the search for Captain Carlson. That search continues through their own intense investigative work and that of the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Kim and Rich’s perseverance and insights are guiding other families of the missing and the DPAA’s search of a potential Captain Carlson site in Vietnam, scheduled to start just a few days from now. 

Stephanie graduated from Benilde-St. Margaret's High School, the University of Wisconsin-Stout (BS), and Cardinal Stritch University (MBA).

Though she’s traveled around the world, Stephanie is proud to call Minnesota her lifelong home. She has two sons who keep her grounded. Five years ago, as her kids were entering middle and high school, and parenting through COVID – she decided it was time to fulfill her dream of becoming an entrepreneur, and she started her State Farm Insurance Agency. Steph enjoys building her business while ensuring her customers stay on track to achieve their goals, so that unexpected challenges don’t get in their way.

Stephanie just passed her fourth year Rotarian anniversary; she has been a member of our club since Aug. 05, 2021.

M. Jay Shahidi has been an international affairs researcher, public speaker, opinion writer, lobbyist, consultant and human rights activist since 1968 as well as a business owner since 1977.  He now lives in Saint Louis Park, MN. 

Jay has published dozens of opinion articles and given over 1,200 public speeches on social-political issues. Born in Tehran, Iran, he studied life sciences, economics and political science and became a private businessman with a lengthy history of advocacy and representation on a multitude of civic and humanitarian boards.

In 2019, Jay received the Lifetime Achievement Award of the United Nations Association/Foundation for 50 years of advocacy of the UN mission and work.

In 2004, he received the Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award for his leadership as student body vice president and president in 1970s and for his later work on diplomacy and peace-building; public education; refugee assistance; landmines removal; population stabilization; environmental protection; economic development; and, nuclear disarmament.

His work continues today through M.J. Shahidi Business Consulting Co. which has provided organizing & management services to and advocacy for small business, civic and charitable groups.

Michael Piafsky is a book seller at Magers & Quinn.  A relatively recent transplant to Minnesota, he retired as an English Professor and Chair of the Creative Writing Program at Spring Hill College.