President Frank Yoke III (Development | Serra Residential Center, Inc.) welcomed everyone on Zoom or in person at the Hotel Nikko.
Visiting Rotarian and Guests
Our Visiting Rotarian was Liz Mayta from the Rotary Club of San Mateo. Our guests were Philip Cazahous, Thomas Christian, Flory Dekovic, Andres Emmanuelli, Marisol Gonzalez, Erica Hernandez, and Robin Praeger. We were very happy to see long-time member Sacha Shashi (Information Technology: Consulting | Nimbus Systems) in our audience. Today's speaker was USF President Salvador Aceves. Welcome to all!
May is Youth Service Month
In the Rotary calendar, May is Youth Service Month — a time for Rotarians to support youth (if not already doing so) and include youth in events to foster intergenerational collaboration.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Jessica Hansen (Nonprofit Management | Alliance for Smiles) who placed first in both the Humanitarian Impact award and the Woman of the Year award of the Women Changing the World awards. Jessica traveled to Paris, France to accept her awards.
Baby Shower
Thank you to Maureen O'Shea (Governmental Relations | Retired) and Margaret Miley (Hospitality: Hotels | Retired) for hosting a Baby Shower on May 3, 2026 in honor of President-Elect Ozan Yasavur (Engineering: Mechanical | Frank M. Booth, Inc.) and Merve Yasavur (Information Technology: Computer Science | Self-employed) who are expecting their first child.
New Paul Harris Fellow
Paul Harris (1868-1947) founded the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905, hoping to bring some of what he treasured from his rural Vermont upbringing to the big city. Rotary would not exist without his vision of a group of business professionals who helped each other by helping others. For each $1,000 donated to The Rotary Foundation, a person can become a Paul Harris Fellow. Our Club was proud to award a Paul Harris Fellowship to Peter Logan (Law: Insurance | Peter Logan Law Offices).
Immediate Past President and TRF Chair Bob Hermann, Jr. (Information Technology: Administration | Retired) and President Frank congratulated Peter Logan.
Celebrating the Scouting Program
Marisol Gonzalez, District Executive from the Golden Gate Area Council, Scouting America, recognized our Club for the success of the new Cub Scout Pack at Mission Dolores Academy. The Rotary Club of San Francisco sponsored the formation of this new Cub Scout Pack, which is 100% Latino. Joining Marisol at today's luncheon were Flory Dekovic and Robin Praeger.
Recent and Upcoming Club Activities
Bike Build: President Frank thanked Emily Borland (Engineering, Architecture, and Construction | Emily Borland Specifications) for an outstanding Bike Build on April 18, 2026. See full story here.
2026 Emergency Services Day: President Frank thanked Past President David Dye (Management Consulting | Retired) for leading this year's Emergency Services Day on April 23, 2026. David spoke about the success of this year's Emergency Services Day as a dinner event for the first time and in a new location. He acknowledged and showed appreciation to all who had contributed to putting on this Event. David credited President Frank for contributing his decades of experience in putting together galas and large recognition events. David also recognized his wife, Dora Dye, for managing many of the behind-the-scenes details including all of the promotion on the Club website and Facebook, registration, table assignments, and other items that came up. Finally, David acknowledged AT&T as this Event's Community Sponsor and announced that AT&T has committed to be a sponsor for the 40th Emergency Services Day in 2027. See full story here.
Epic Day of Service: Join the Rotary Club of San Francisco Chinatown on May 16, 2026 for this service project.
Joint Meeting with the Rotary Club of Oakland: On May 21, 2026, there will be a joint meeting with the Rotary Club of Oakland. The meeting is in person in Oakland. If you are attending, please let President Frank know by or before 3 PM on May 18, 2026.
Check the Club's calendar for additional meetings and events.
International Firefighters Day
May 4, 2026 was International Firefighters Day — a day to honor active-duty firefighters and recognize their "courage, dedication, and sacrifice" and to remember those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
2026 District 5150 Conference
The 2026 District 5150 District Conference was held on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at the Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel. The Conference began at 10 AM and continued until past 9 PM. Attendees were allowed to choose the lunch celebration, the dinner celebration, or the all-day celebration. There were also fun Interlude Activities. Our Club received the following Club Excellence awards:
During the presentation of the Public Image award, District 5150 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Chair and Past President of our Club Scott Plakun (Management Consulting | Retired) showcased our Club's website — https://www.sfrotary.org/
Registration is now open for the 2027 District 5150 Conference. Click here to register early.
Flag Exchange
Heidi Kühn (Peace Building | Roots of Peace) exchanged Rotary flags with President Frank. The flags came from Rotary clubs in the Orient where Heidi had visited recently.
Heidi Kühn and President Frank
Guest Speaker
Anita Stangl (Medical Services | Alliance for Smiles) introduced today's speaker — Salvador D. Aceves, Ed.D., who is the 29th President of the University of San Francisco (USF). He is the university's first lay president and first Latino president. Dr. Aceves talked about the value of a college education and how a liberal arts degree from USF continues to open doors for his university's graduates. President Frank thanked USF President Salvador Aceves and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in President Aceves' name.
USF President Salvador Aceves and President Frank
Meeting Volunteers
President Frank thanked today's meeting volunteers: Dora Dye (Education | San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) for serving as scribe; Lisa Stark (Communications & Media) 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; Maureen O'Shea and Dan Joraanstad (Financial Services: Advising | Retired) for serving as greeters; and Ann Daugherty (Financial Services: Private Trading | IBN Financial Services) and Larry Booth (Engineering: Mechanical | Retired, Frank M. Booth, Inc.) for doing check-in at the Hotel Nikko.