Ardi Arian
Ardi was born in Iran during the Iran/Iraq war, left at age six, and was raised in Germany, where he earned his degree in Management Information Systems. A spontaneous 2008 vacation to Los Angeles turned into a business opportunity when a self-written energy concept caught the attention of the German Chamber of Commerce, leading to a delegation trip to Berlin and a fateful meeting with Thomas Chen of Crystal Windows — a partnership that launched Ardi's first U.S. company in 2009. He went on to develop solar farms across the East Coast, then in 2014 launched a holding company in Switzerland, where he lived for four years building an award-winning business installing solar and battery storage in high-end homes, while also co-investing in a solar panel factory in the Czech Republic and gaining experience across the entire solar manufacturing chain. In 2017, Ardi settled in San Jose, drawn by community as much as opportunity. In 2019, he founded Renewable America, an end-to-end solar developer focused on bringing community-scale benefits to California — with seven projects now in operation, including the largest solar-plus-storage project on the North Coast and two projects delivering discounted electricity to over 3,400 low-income households in Merced County. He now works with several organizations to support Assembly Bill 1813, expanding affordable electricity access for low-income Californians.

Dr. Simone Lundquist
Dr. Simone Lundquist is an accomplished philosopher, educator, and counselor, internationally recognized as a thought leader in trauma recovery and human resilience. Inspired by a deep desire to understand human nature, she has spent decades helping thousands of individuals and families overcome life’s most profound challenges. Early in her career, she worked with the United Nations and the Red Cross, supporting military troops and survivors of war, torture, and violence. She later operated three safe houses in San Jose over a five-year period, sheltering hundreds of women and children escaping domestic violence.
Her formal education includes master’s degrees in Literature, Linguistics, and Psychology, alongside a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. With over 40 years of teaching experience both nationally and internationally, she has spent the last 11 years serving as a professor at San Jose State University.
In 2019, she founded a nonprofit - Open Doors to Future Possibilities - fulfilling her mission to support and empower veterans and low-income community members. Facing dark nights of the soul with gratitude and determination, including surviving a brain tumor, breast cancer, and the loss of her eyesight, she persevered to expand her organization from one small office to seven Bay Area locations, and eventually across the nation to help millions heal and create more meaningful lives.
Her extensive travels, academic foundation, and studies in quantum physics and spirituality led her to create the Tri-Axis Narrative Theory, an innovative approach to counseling that she has used to heal lives for the past 25 years. Her upcoming book, Unraveling the Echoes: A Journey Through Trauma and Healing, will be released in December. As a prolific writer, speaker, and researcher, she continues to pioneer new ideas in mental well-being through her teaching, publications, and leadership.

 

The 2027 convention is being held June 26–30 in beautiful Barcelona.


Register here 

Marie will be moving from 30 hours/week to 40 on September 1, while continuing to work from home on Fridays. Her schedule will be 7:30 am to 4:00 pm Mon-Th, and 7 am to 1 pm on Fridays.

Leslee will be shifting to a Monday–Thursday schedule on Sept. 1, and the Gordon House will be closed on Fridays. 

Lisa will continue to work from 1:00–3:30 pm on Mondays and 9 am to 3 pm Tuesday–Thursday.

Follow the Penguin: Help Build Peace
Rotarians Bill Baron, Kimberly and Michael Mulcahy, and Ron Zraick joined philanthropist Diane Brandenburg on August 19th to launch the public campaign to raise the final $200,000 needed for the $1.5M project.

A penguin represents Antarctica in the 18' monument but is an NHL rival of our Sharks, so Sharkie stopped by for a bit of hazing.

The penguin will be visiting various venues in San Jose, including the Gordon House (now) and the 9/19 Rotary Collaborative Impact Summit at the McEnery Convention Center, to raise awareness of this peace-promoting project. 

Click here to contribute to the campaign to build peace.

2026-27 Community Grants application window is open until September 30.

What a night — a record crowd for the September BBQ! Kudos to the Executive Chefs (led by Rick Alpers, Jim
Nielsen, and Sam Wool), Red Badgers (directed by Dora Padilla and Mary Fuller), and Helen Lambert (decor) for a spectacular event. President Tim brought a mariachi band and folkloric dancers — Michelle Acosta took a break from the booze mobile (thank you Bert George and crew) to sing with the band, and Pat Reilly organized the guacamole contest (congrats JP Padilla). Photographers Hal Hendrickson and Kathleen Thomas captured the fun. Please click here to see the full set of pictures.

Stepping off the elevator, the Summit Center was abuzz. Rotarians and guests filled the foyer to shmooze (mingle) and nosh (eat) on mooncakes provided by the International Service Committee while entertained by lion dancers.  The Leigh Weimers Committee led by the fabulous Stephanie Bielanski-Fehr was out in full force to handle this week’s greeting line duties. Their annual Emerging Artists Awards show will be held in the evening this year on Oct. 21.  Mark your calendar. 

 

Past President Karyn Sinunu-Towery then returned to the podium with a history highlight on the Sainte Claire Hotel (now the Westin Sainte Claire). Opened in 1926 and dubbed the “million?dollar hotel,” rooms went for just $2.50 a night. As always, Karyn sprinkled in great tidbits, including a roll call of famous guests. She quizzed the crowd on William E. Miller’s claim to fame (Barry Goldwater’s 1964 running mate), but the room went silent; not exactly the right audience for that one.   Karyn wrapped up by noting that in its early years the hotel hosted service clubs like Rotary, and with four name changes over the decades, perhaps we should’ve locked down naming rights early. Always a good idea.