When Luis Moran joined the Rotary Club of San Francisco in 2011, he was reestablishing a relationship begun more than 20 years earlier. In 1992, the Club sponsored him on a Group Study Exchange to western Australia, facilitated by late member Dick Volberg. Two decades later, when he felt established in his career and wanted to give back to the community, Luis immediately thought of Rotary and joined the Club. He is now in the first year of a two-year term as Secretary on the Board.
A San Francisco native, Luis grew up in the Excelsior District, attended St. Ignatius College Preparatory and is the first of his family to graduate from college, earning bachelor’s and law degrees from Berkeley. An opportunity to move to Miami led him to a job as a financial consultant for Merrill Lynch. He joined the Rotary Club of Miami Beach and served as President in 1999/2000. Many of the small Club’s members had roots in Latin America, so the Club focused on international medical, dental, and vision projects in that area.
Missing the Bay Area, Luis moved back to San Francisco in 2001, becoming involved in his family’s furniture business, but he knew that wasn’t his true calling. He had maintained his bar membership and was volunteering at a community law clinic, but knew that wasn’t his vocation, either. A friend suggested real estate, which combined his experience in sales, finance, and law, “so I finally found my profession,” he says. “It took awhile, but I finally found my calling.” He’s been a Realtor with Coldwell Banker since 2006, specializing in residential real estate in San Francisco and the northern Peninsula. He lives in the Outer Mission and is unmarried, although he says he is “pretty close; stay tuned for details.” His parents emigrated from Mexico shortly before he was born; his mother lives in Burlingame, and the family maintains a home in Mexico, where they spent vacations and Luis still visits. He says his plan is eventually to live part-time in Puerto Vallarta.
Luis says his role as Secretary is “record-keeping guru,” connecting the Club to Rotary International and providing reports on membership and Club activities. He also serves as the “conduit” for requests from community members, directing inquiries to the appropriate person. In addition, as an officer of the Club, he assists President John Mathers when requested. Previously, he served as Vice President of Community Service and chaired the Dictionary Project for two years. He’s also participated in many Club service projects, including the Bike Build, food bank, and school playground painting.
The best thing about Rotary, Luis says, “is the fellowship, the friendships I’ve made. Everyone is so open and welcoming and accepting. When I walk in, I feel happy. It’s a cheerful Club; you never hear complaints. People enjoy life, giving back.” Being connected to the wider Rotary world also is important, he says, citing an experience on vacation in rural Cambodia, where he happened upon people drawing water from a well provided by a Rotary Club and felt “somehow, someway, I contributed to that.”
Luis travels a lot and is “always open to an adventure.” He drove cross-country when he moved to Miami and has traveled extensively in Asia and Latin America, commenting that in other countries, “Rotary is a very big deal. When you visit, you make an instant connection; everyone is helpful.” Luis is celebrating “a milestone birthday” this year with an August trip to Paris, Venice, Florence, and Rome.
All things considered, he says, “I love my job, and I love San Francisco. Life is good.”