2020 PETS Instructors

Michael Boyer
COMMUNICATION, SOCIAL MEDIA, & ROTARY

Course: Communication, Social Media & Rotary
Day: Friday
Time: 9:00 - 9:45, 10:00 - 10:45, 11:00 - 11:45
Location: Pacific Coast 3

Michael Boyer has been working in Technology and Digital Marketing for 22 years.  He is the Chief Operating Officer of Digital West, Inc., a company providing digital products and services to thousands of business across the country.

Michael has Rotary in his blood, a fourth generation Rotarian. Michael’s Great Grand Father, Luther Hodges was Rotary International President in 1967-68.  Michael’s Father is Past District Governor in District 5010, his mother is Past President of the Rotary Club of Wasilla and his wife is Past President of the Rotary Club of Pismo Beach/Five Cities.

The Rotary Club of Pismo Beach-Five Cites, 2001-Present

Positions Held: President, President-Elect, Treasurer (3 years), Club Service Director (2 years), Public Relations Chair (8 years), Vocational Service Director, International Service Director, Club Foundation Vice President & Club Foundation President.

Current Position: President’s Advisor

Rotary District 5240 Staff, 2002-Present

Positions Held: Website Chair (3 years), Public Relations Chair (3 years), Club Service Director, Communications Committee (3 years), Membership Advisor, SOCAL PETS Instructor (5 years – Public Image, #WeAreRotary, Social Media), SOCAL PETS Facilitator (4 years – Promote Rotary, Your Members, Your Leadership, Club Management). Current Position: Membership Chair, District Conference Promotion Committee

Rotary Zone 25/26 Board of Advisors, 2015-Present

Positions Held: Assistant Rotary Public Image Coordinator, Keynote Speaker AZ PETS, AZ PETS Instructor (Rotary Club Central), Speaker at Zone Institute 2015, 2016 & 2017.

Current Position: Rotary Public Image Coordinator

Both the San Luis Obispo Tribune and the Pacific Coast Business Times recognized Michael with their “Top 20 Under 40” Award for his professional excellence and profound commitment to the Community.

Michael lives in Arroyo Grande, CA with my wife and son.
MEET MIKE
PDG Randy Brooks
CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Course: Conflict Resolution
Day: Friday
Time: 9:00 - 9:45, 10:00 - 10:45, 11:00 - 11:45
Location: Los Angeles 4

Randy is a Past District Governor (2012-13) Rotary D-5500, a past president and member of the Rotary Club of Marana, AZ. He was the Rotary Regional Assistant Coordinator, Chair of the Arizona Tri-District PETS committee (2016), served as the District Vice Governor (2015-18). Randy is president of the Rotary District 5500 Foundation (2017-2018) and  a board member of The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona (2016-19). He is on the steering committee for the newly named Southwest PETS (2017-2020) and is an Assistant Rotary Regional Foundation Coordinator Zone 26, (2017-2020). He has attended a Rotary Peace Conference in Paris, and the Rotary Day at the United Nations. Randy attends Zone Institutes and Rotary conventions. He has worked  on many community and international projects and a facilitator and graduate on the Rotary Leadership Institute. Randy is a graduate of the Arizona Rotary Leadership Academy and a facilitator with the Visioning” process in Arizona. He’s also is a facilitator for the Rotary Leadership Institute. He Randy is a major donor, Paul Harris Society and Bequest Society member. Randy is Vice President  of the International Alzheimer’s Research and Prevention Foundation (1997-2018).
MEET RANDY
PP RAY Bushell
FUNDRAISING

Course: Fundraising
Day: Friday
Time: 9:00 - 9:45, 10:00 - 10:45, 11:00 - 11:45
Location: California 3 & 4

Ray is a member of the Arcadia Rotary Club, District 5300. Served as President in 1997-98. Ray has worked with the Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee for over 20 years raising awareness for Rotary on a global scale. He was Chair for the 2008 parade. Ray has served on non-profit boards and fundraising councils including Red Cross and Methodist Hospital. Ray owns and operates RBI Systems, currently focused on helping organizations with marketing and fundraising. The firms focus is on better communications to increase market share and fundraising potential. He lives in Glendale California with his wife, Barbara and their two chocolate labs. Between them they have two grown children. Ray and Barbra are Paul Harris Fellows.
MEET RAY
PDG Lucinda General
Grow Rotary - The three essential elements

Course: Grow Rotary - The three essential elements
Day: Friday
Time: 10:00 - 11:45
Location: Imperial D, E, F

Lucinda General joined Rotary in 1990 in Hartford Connecticut. She was pleased and honored to become the first female Rotarian with Club Rotario de Rohrmoser, Costa Rica in 1993 and since 1996 is a member of the Rotary Club of Mesa West, Arizona.

Lucinda has served extensively in her club and districts. She led a successful membership drive for Mesa West that received district recognition. She has been honored as Club and District Rotarian of the year, presented with the Rotary International Service Above Self Award and was honored to serve several times as a Rotary International President’s Representative.

District operations, club engagement and leadership development are intensely important to Lucinda. Her experience includes two terms as chair of Arizona Tri-District PETS, multiple years as a District Conference chair and as Group Study Exchange chair, service on the RYLA committee, faculty at Zone 25-26 GNATS, and vice chair for the 2013 Phoenix Zone Institute.

Lucinda presently serves in the following capacities; on her club’s board, the Multi District PETS Alliance and West Coast PETS Alliance, as the Zone 25-26 Treasurer, the convener of Zone 26 Nominating Committee and continues to serve to strengthen District 5495. She has recently completed service as an Assistant Rotary Coordinator. Lucinda supports our Foundation as a Major Donor, Benefactor and Bequest Society member.

Lucinda is the owner of Simplified Expansions an office management and bookkeeping business. She and her husband Wayne live in Phoenix with Bella the softest cocker spaniel you will ever meet.
MEET LUCINDA
Jeff Laforteza
MAXIMIZING CLUBRUNNER

Course: Maximizing ClubRunner
Day: Friday
Time: 9:00 - 9:45, 10:00 - 10:45, 11:00 - 11:45
Location: California 3

PDG Steve Lingenbrink
Grow Rotary - The three essential elements

Course: Grow Rotary - The three essential elements
Day: Friday
Time: 10:00 - 11:45
Location: Imperial D, E, F

Steve Lingenbrink served as Rotary International District Governor (D5030) in 2012-13. Previously he served as the President of the Bellevue Breakfast Club (2005-06), Assistant District Governor (2006-08), Executive District Governor (2008-09). While Steve was serving as District Trainer in 2009, he was selected as the District Governor Designate. More recently Steve has been appointed an Assistant Rotary Coordinator for Zone 25 (2013-15), and currently serves as the Zone 25/26 Membership Chair. On the Education side, Steve serves on the faculty for GNATS/GETS, Rotary Institute (Z25/26) and the 2017 International Assembly.  In April of 2016, Steve served as the District 5030 Council on Legislation Representative in Chicago. Steve is frequently featured as a presenter and keynote speaker in all 23 districts. He and his wife Terri, along with their grown children Sarah-Grace (21) and Rachel (20), have both led and served on many international projects all over the world, including an NID in Ethiopia, water projects in Kenya and Guatemala, Computers for the World in Antigua-Barbuda and medical dental clinics in Romania and Russia. Steve is an attorney with 35 years of experience.  He has his own law firm, and his wife Terri is the HR Director/Bookkeeper for the firm. (www.lingenbrink.com). When not serving Rotary International, Steve and Terri love to travel, collect wine, and ride his Harley Davidson. Terri was a member of the Seattle 4 Rotary Club, and now enjoys the job of Education Chair for Zone 25/26 Partners Program supporting GNATS and GETS partners. Steve and Terri are Major Donors, Bequest and Paul Harris Society Members.
MEET STEVE
PDG Ernie Montaigne
Polio Today

Course: Polio Today
Day: Friday
Time: 9:00 - 9:45, 10:00 - 10:45, 11:00 - 11:45
Location: Pacific Coast 4

Ernie has been a Rotarian since 1997. He served as District Governor for District 5500 (Southern Arizona) in 2010-11. He currently serves as End Polio Now Coordinator for Zone 26.

As a member of the Rotary team, Ernie participates in the annual Ride to End Polio / El Tour de Tucson, cycling distances up to 104 miles and helping to raise millions of dollars for PolioPlus. Ernie and his wife Sally participated in a Polio National Immunization Day in West Africa in 2005 and in India in 2017. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Tucson.

Enthusiastic supporters of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International, Ernie and Sally are members of the Arch Klumph Society and Legacy Society, multiple Paul Harris Fellows, and members of the Paul Harris Society.

Ernie and Sally developed dozens of Rotary projects in West Africa. These projects have provided clean water, sanitation, health care, education support, and income generation for tens of thousands of needy people in 50 communities in Togo and Niger.

Ernie served in the US Army from 1959 to 1981, serving in Germany, Greenland, Vietnam, and Korea, as well as numerous posts in the United States. He subsequently retired from a second career as a defense analyst responsible for test and evaluation of military weapon systems.

Sally, a member of the Rotary Club of Tucson, is also a Past District Governor (2014-15) and is a recipient of Rotary’s highest award, the Service Above Self Award. She served as Grants Chair for several years. She is a retired criminal defense attorney, having practiced for many years with the Public Defender Service in Washington, DC.
MEET ERNIE
PDG Wade Namura
CULTURE CLUB

Course: Club Culture
Day: Friday
Time: 9:00 - 9:45, 10:00 - 10:45, 11:00 - 11:45
Location: Pacific Coast 5 & 6

Wade has attended 12 consecutive PETS and is a charter member (2002) of the Rotary Club of Carpinteria Morning. He served as the District Governor in 2011-2012. He is a Level 2 Bequest Society member, Major Donor and recipient of the Rotary International “Service Above Self” Award. Wade has been on 31 international trips for Rotary, including an NID to India, where he has a special passion, having had polio as a child. Wade serves/served as a GNATS Instructor, Zone Trainer, Zone Institute Marketing and Registration Manager, Zone Training Cadre Administrative Chair, Rotary Foundation Cadre for Water and Sanitation, and Community and Economic Development in English and Spanish speaking countries, 2015-2017 Rotary International Director Nominating Committee, Rotary International President’s Representative for Presidents Tanaka and Burton, the 2013-2014 Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee Chair, 2016 Rotary International Council on Legislation delegate, and the 2017 So. Cal/Nevada PETS Chair
MEET WADE
PP Michael Soden
MAXIMIZING DACdb

Course: Maximizing DACdb
Day: Friday
Time: 9:00 - 9:45, 10:00 - 10:45, 11:00 - 11:45
Location: Los Angeles 3

Michael first joined Rotary in 2003 by invitation and is currently a member of the Rotary Club of Green Valley, Henderson Nevada,  He is a two time President.   First time was in Central Virginia, District 7600, Brandermill (Midlothian), 2008-2009. The second time was for his current club Green Valley, District 5300, 2013-2014. During his year as President of Green Valley, the club was named the #1 medium size club in District 5300, received the RI Presidential Citation with Distinction and the club became a 100% Paul Harris Fellow club. Michael was honored in receiving Rotarian of the year by his respective clubs on three separate occasions.

Michael currently serves as one of the Assistant RPICs for Zone 26,  District Communication Officer (DCO) for District 7600 and District 5300. Is the District 5300 Grants chair 2017-2020. He has been serving on the SWR PETS committee since 2015 as committee chair for the Website/Social Media/USummit Event App.

Additionally Michael is a Paul Harris Fellow +7.
MEET MICHAEL
PDG Cozette Vargari
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS & ROTARACTORS

Course: Attracting Yound Professionals
Day: Friday
Time: 9:00 - 9:45, 10:00 - 10:45, 11:00 - 11:45
Location: Pacific Coast 1 & 2

Cozette Vergari is a member of the State Bar of California and is also admitted to practice law before the United States District Federal Court for the Central District of California. Cozette established her own law firm in 1996 in the areas of Family Law and Trust and Estates.

In September 1995, Cozette joined the Rotary Club of Westchester (Los Angeles). She has served in numerous positions at the club, district and zone levels, including chairing the opening night event for the 2008 RI Convention in Los Angeles, staring Natalie Cole at L.A. Live. She currently serves as District Governor for RI District 5280.

Cozette also serves on the Board of Directors for 1736 Family Crisis Center and the U.S. Selective Service System, while developing the RI District 5280 Human Trafficking Initiative.

Cozette and her husband Richard Moon met in Rotary and have a blended family of four children, two daughters-in-law, two grandchildren, with another due in March.
MEET COZETTE

Young Professionals Panel

Tori Hettinger
Moderator
Tori Hettinger was the 2018-19 President of the Rotary Club of Westchester. Tori joined the Rotary Club of Westchester as a Young Professional in 2014 and loves the mix of new and seasoned members that make up the club.

Tori is also employed by Rotary District 5280, serving as the District Administrator. She loves working with Rotarians on a daily basis and has had the opportunity to work in the non-profit sector for over twelve years. By far, her favorite part of the job has been traveling to the annual humanitarian trips in Latin and South America.

Tori graduated from UCLA in 2005 with a degree in Art History. In her free time, she loves visiting museums, gardening, and finding any opportunity to swing a hammer. She has a passion for interior design and has worked on several demo/rehab design projects.
MEET TORI
PDG Cozette Vergari
Panel Member
Cozette established her own firm in 1996, subsequently overseeing well over 1000 client matters in Trusts and Estates and Family Law. With her vast legal and life experiences, she is able to take a serious, yet sensitive, approach to the concerns of each of her clients.

Committed to the community, Cozette has served in a leadership capacity in many civic organizations including the Board of Trustees of the Westchester Rotary Foundation, Selective Service Board (Los Angeles Region), Neighborhood Council Westchester/Playa, LAX Coastal Area Chamber of Commerce, Airport Marina Counseling Service, and 1736 Family Crisis Center. In July 2017, Cozette became the District Governor for Rotary International District 5280 and will maintain that position until June 2018. She takes pride in her twenty-two years of membership in the Rotary Club of Westchester having served as the club’s president in 2001-2002, as well as serving in numerous district and zone positions for Rotary International. Through Rotary she is leading an effort within District 5280 in establishing the Rotary International District 5280 Human Trafficking Initiative.

Professional Experience
After graduate and law schools, Cozette worked as an academic counselor and adjunct law professor at the University of West Los Angeles. In 1996 she established her own firm; and in 1999 through 2004, she worked with a partner under Vergari & Fu, LLP. Since 2014, Cozette has partnered with Kimberly Napolitano to open the new firm of Vergari & Napolitano.

Education
Cozette’s eclectic educational endeavors began with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance and a lifetime secondary teaching credential from the University of Southern California. She graduated 5th in her class from the University of West Los Angeles School of Law, was named Outstanding Graduate by the faculty, and completed her internship with a federal court magistrate. Cozette holds a Doctorate of Juris Prudence.

Affiliations
As a member of the State Bar of California Cozette is also admitted to practice before the United States District Federal Court for the Central District of California. Aside from litigation, she is trained in Mediation; Collaborative Family Law; and has received Court appointments as Minors Counsel, representing children in high conflict custody battles.

In September 1995, Cozette joined the Rotary Club of Westchester (Los Angeles) where she has served in numerous positions at the club, district, and zone levels. As a dedicated Rotarian, Cozette is a second level major donor to the Rotary Foundation.

More about Cozette
Native to Los Angeles and raised in Westchester, she and her husband Richard Moon (who is also an active Rotarian at the club and district levels) still reside in Westchester. They have a blended family of four children, two daughters-in-law, and two grandchildren.
MEET COZETTE
Jeff Kim
Panel Member
Jeff J. Kim, CFP® is the Managing Principal at Larchmont Financial, specializing in 401(k) plans and corporate retirement plans. Prior to finding Larchmont Financial in 2011, he spent combined years at a Fortune 100 Company and a boutique firm working with AT&T, Verizon and Northrop Grumman's employee benefit packages as well as California's government pension programs. Before transitioning into corporate finances, he worked in the front offices at UCSB Athletics and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Jeff is a member of the Playa Venice Sunrise Rotary Club.
MEET JEFF
Mehrnoush Yazdanyar
Panel Member
Mehrnoush Yazdanyar graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of California, Los Angeles with a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in Near Eastern Languages. She obtained her J.D. from the University of Southern California’s Law School. She has been a member of the California State Bar Association since 2005. She opened own private practice in 2009 and her firm currently has offices in Beverly Hills, Irvine, San Francisco, and Westlake Village.

Her firm, Yazdanyar Law Offices, specializes in assisting clients nationwide to comply with and address issues related to the sanctions programs administered by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). More specifically, her practice focuses mainly on assisting Iranian-Americans and Legal Permanent Residents of the United States with the legal and transparent transfer of assets from Iran to the United States and/or obtaining specific licenses from OFAC authorizing otherwise prohibited transactions. Ms. Yazdanyar has successfully handled issues relating to U.S. trade sanctions arising before various U.S. government agencies and depository institutions, as well as successfully assisted thousands of clients throughout the U.S. with the legal and transparent transfer of assets from Iran to the United States.

In addition to the legal assistance and guidance Ms. Yazdanyar provides to the Iranian-American community, she is also a dedicated supporter of many non-profit organizations within the community. In the past few years she has served as a member of Farhang Foundation’s Patrons Council as well as a board member of ISCC’s Second Generation. Ms Yazdanyar has also been an avid supporter of the Iranian American Bar Association, Pars Equality Center, Iranian American Women’s Foundation, and Mothers Against Poverty. And finally, Ms. Yazdanyar has been an active member of the Rancho Park Rotary Club for over 6 years and served as President of the Rancho Park Rotary Club for the 2018 to 2019.
MEET MEHNROUSH
Erin Cueto
Panel Member
Erin Cueto is a native Los Angeleano and Westchester Rotarian. She received her undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in Molecular & Cell Biology and her Doctorate of Pharmacy from the University of Colorado. She returned to Westchester where she now resides with her husband and daughter, but remains an avid traveler of the world. She is currently pharmacist and owner of Westchester Pharmacy, an independent community pharmacy that focuses on patient care . Erin currently serves as Westchester Rotary Club's Membership Director, working on strengthening fellowship and diversifying membership, including the growth and development of the club's Young Professionals.
MEET ERIN