President Frank Yoke III (Development | Serra Residential Center, Inc.) welcomed everyone on Zoom or in person at the Hotel Nikko.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Our Visiting Rotarians were Yvonne Flores from the Niles Rotary Club of Fremont, Emilio Gallego from the Rotary Club of Tokyo West, Barbie Hernandez from the Rotary Club of Ignacio, Jon Murdoch from the Rotary Club of Portsmouth, Rhonda Poppen who is a Past President from our Club and now from the Rotary Club of Sacramento, Melissa Prandi from the Rotary Club of Mission San Rafael, and Johwell Saint Cilien from the Rotary Club for Global Action. Our guests were Basil Bernstein, Seth Calhoun, Flavio Diaz, Allison Glass, Ankit Gupta, Eugene Lee, Jack Pokorny, Dawn Sibanda, Jayden Sibanda, Helen Sroka, Dick Wenzel, and Suzanne Zadeh. Today's speaker was Festus Ezeli. Welcome to all!
Women's History Month
March is Women's History Month. For this occasion, President Frank recognized some of the outstanding women in the Rotary Club of San Francisco.
Best Wishes to Allie Glass
Our Club thanked Allie Glass of the Hotel Nikko who served us at luncheons and Club events held at the Hotel. Allie has moved to a new job with SF Travel, and we wish her the very best.
Alliance for Smiles Mission
Jessica Hansen (Nonprofit Management | Alliance for Smiles) and Sunny Singh (Financial Services: Advising | PK Wealth Management) shared their rewarding experience at the Alliance for Smiles mission in Guaranda, Ecuador in January 2026. In the audience were other members and volunteers of Alliance for Smiles.
To support Alliance for Smiles, all are invited to attend the 22nd anniversary Night of Smiles of Gala on April 25, 2026.
New Member Inducted
Dan Joraanstad (Financial Services: Advising | Retired) on behalf ot the Membership Committee joined President Frank to welcome James Horsman (IT Governance / Policy and Project Management | MicroHealth) to our Club. James moved to the Bay Area and transferred from the Rotary Club of Capitol Hill in Washington, DC where he had served as Club President in 2022-2023. Cheering for James in today's audience were his wife, Dawn Sibanda, and his nephew, Jayden Sibanda. James' mentor in our Club is Club TRF Officer Bob Hermann, Jr. (Information Technology: Administration | Retired). Rotarians in today's audience pledged to support James Horsman on his Rotary journey with our Club, and he is looking forward to business networking and local and international service. Please welcome James when you see him at our meetings and events.
Bob Hermann, Dan Joraanstad, James Horsman, and President Frank Yoke
An Update on our Club's Giving to TRF
Our Club is still a long way away from the 100% participation in the Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) Campaign. Please contact Bob Hermann to participate today.
It's Almost Time for the Annual Bike Build 
Emily Borland (Engineering, Architecture, and Construction | Emily Borland Specifications) invited all to participate in this year's Bike Build. Register here.
2026-2027 Grant Process
Deadlines are approaching quickly. Contact President-Elect Ozan Yasavur (Engineering: Mechanical | Frank M. Booth, Inc.) for information.
Recent and Upcoming Club Activities
- Check the Club's calendar for upcoming meetings and events.
- District Assembly: Registration for the District Assembly to be held on March 21, 2026 is now open. This annual assembly provides a great deal of training and planning for the Rotary Year that begins on July 1, 2026. All Club members are invited, and all Club leaders are strongly encouraged to attend. Our Club will pay for the registration of Club members. See here for more information about the assembly and the District T-Shirt.
2026 Emergency Services Day
ALL are welcome to attend the 2026 Emergency Services Day on April 23, 2026 and/or participate in the sponsorship opportunities. Click here for registration. Click here for more information or contact David Dye (Management Consulting | Retired). This year's Emergency Services Day will be an evening special event.
Haiti Water Project
Johwell Saint Cilien is a founding member of the Rotary Club for Global Action in District 5150. He joined us today to talk about this water project and request our support.
Melissa Prandi Children Foundation
Melissa Prandi from the Rotary Club of Mission San Rafael and Barbie Hernandez from the Rotary Club of Ignacio joined us to talk about their work to help people in Uganda and how we can participate/support.
Guest Speaker
District 5150 Chief of Staff JT Forbus (Accounting | SD Mayer and Associates LLP) introduced today's speaker — Festus Ezeli. When Festus walked into the room, we all felt the difference between his height and ours. Festus inspired us as he told us of his journey from Nigeria to the United States and his career as a Golden State Warriors basketball Center. He continues to inspire through his roles as an NBA Ambassador, an advocate for NBA Africa, and a voice for the Golden State Warriors. Off the court, he has made a lasting impact through philanthropy, founding schools in Nigeria and Sacramento, and empowering underserved communities worldwide. President Frank thanked Festus Ezeli and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in his name.
President Frank and Festus Ezeli
Meeting Volunteers
President Frank thanked today's meeting volunteers: Dora Dye (Education | San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) for serving as scribe; Bob Hermann for serving as photographer; Kirt Burdick for managing the audio-visual equipment during our in-person meeting; Ruth Wenzel (Registered Nurse | Retired) for managing the microphone; Margaret Miley (Hospitality: Hotels | Retired) and Larry Booth (Engineering: Mechanical | Retired, Frank M. Booth, Inc.) for serving as greeters; and Ann Daugherty (Financial Services: Private Trading | IBN Financial Services) and Gary Dales (Accounting and Business Consulting | Fly Leasing) for doing check-in at the Hotel Nikko.