Afshin is the founder and CEO of Colorado Health and Tech Centers, which brings build-to-suit business space solutions to innovators who want to get to market faster. He has extensive experience establishing and leading teams in start-ups, as well as Fortune 500 biotech and pharmaceutical companies. Her has a BS in Biochemistry from UCLA and PhD in Biochemistry from Kentucky medical school. He previously founded BioAgilytix Labs, one of the most successful multi-billion dollar Contract Research organizations, known internationally. He served 4 years as a City Councilman for Cherry Hills. His wife is Atousa and they have two children.
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Josh Hellman is an innovative American entrepreneur, sustainability advocate, and a Business Development Officer at the Bank of Colorado. He graduated with a specialized degree from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS), where his research into traditional banking systems exposed a heavy reliance on fossil fuels and unsustainable investments. Hellman applied his academic discoveries to co-found the Green Bank of Colorado in 2018, establishing the state's very first public green banking model. Outside of his professional endeavors, he actively practices Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a tool for personal discipline, growth, and community engagement. He lives in Castle Rock with Lauren and 2 year old Kylie.
A stormy start to set up gave way to a successful afternoon and evening of food, drinks and fun. Proceeds benefit the many projects of the club. See more pictures here.
At the graduation ceremony for Cross Purpose Jason Janz, Board President of Cross Purpose, recognized DSE with a Good Neighbor Award. Rotarians (from left) project champion Bill Palmer and volunteers Catherine Sides, Mary Jo Heinz, Susan Donahue and Rob McMaher. Cross Purpose inspires young adults to launch productive careers, move up the economic ladder and set themselves up for success.They experience career coaching, mock interviews, resume workshops, and ongoing, one-on-one advocacy thanks to staff and volunteers from Rotary and the business community.
Blair Perron was inducted July 9. She is retired and was the former Co-owner of the Momentum Group, which is a Custom Electronic manufacturer representative serving residential and commercial AV markets thoughout the Rocky Mountain region. She has a BA in History from CU. She is single and lives in Denver. She is excited to give back and help her community through Rotary.
The Service Above Self Award is Rotary’s highest individual honor. Each governor or director may nominate only one candidate, and a maximum of 150 recipients are selected worldwide. In 2025, just 132 Rotarians were chosen — 132 out of 1.2 million members globally. That makes Steve one of approximately one in every 9,000 Rotarians to receive this distinction.
A longtime member of Denver Southeast, Steve has served Rotary at the club, district, and international levels. He is widely recognized for his leadership advancing Rotary’s mission in water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). Known affectionately as “The Godfather of WASH,” Steve founded District 5450’s WASH Local Action Group, sponsoring 16 annual WASH Symposiums. He has also played key leadership roles with the WASH Rotarian Action Group, the Rotary WASH Ambassadors Program, and the Peaceful Schools Initiative.
The Village Health Partnership (VHP), a non-profit chartered in 2013 and based in Denver was selected as the International Service Committee signature project for the next 3 years. VHP serves people in remote southwest Ethiopia. Its work regarding maternal health care and WASH -- two of Rotary's foci -- is central to its mission of safer motherhood. Clinics and small rural hospitals are featured. Our assistance will help to cover the training of nurse midwives in seven new target villages and clinics. These professionals are the primary caregivers for pregnant women; very few doctors and nurses are available. A six-person DSE committee, all with Ethiopian interests, will advise.
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Would you like to honor or memorialize someone special? Make a contribution to the Denver Southeast Rotary Tribute program to let them know you are thinking of them. Each donation funds our local and international humanitarian Rotary projects and is 100% tax deductible. Download Form
Do you have a succinct explanation of Rotary when someone asks you- what some would call an "elevator speech"? Here is a possible response, authored by former member, Jim Creamer:
Rotary is an international organization dedicated to the service of mankind. Denver Southeast Rotary Club is an active organization of men and women providing domestic and international assistance to others far and wide. And we have fun doing it with fellowship for our members and with a sense of ethics as outlined in the Four Way Test.
Women in Business Table Sept 24
Walk for Sudan Oct 4
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BiWeekly Breakfast Walk
Landmark CafeSep. 21, 2026 7:30 a.m.
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DSE Foundation Trustees Meeting
ZoomSep. 22, 2026 4:00 p.m.
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DSE Board of Directors Meeting
ZoomSep. 22, 2026 6:00 p.m.
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DSE at Women in Business registration closed
Hilton Garden InnSep. 24, 2026
9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. -
Walk for Sudan
Campus Middle SchoolOct. 04, 2026
12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. -
BiWeekly Breakfast Walk
Landmark CafeOct. 05, 2026 7:30 a.m.
The entertainer and philanthropist Dolly Parton died 25 August 2026. This Q&A was originally published in the March 2010 issue of The Rotarian (now Rotary) magazine. Later that year, she spoke at the Rotary International Convention in Montreal, Canada.
A Rotary club in Kansas helps women break the cycle of incarceration and elude dangers on the outside
Learn how Rotary clubs are taking action in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Thailand.
Rediscovering a weapon against the deadliest infectious disease, TB advocates look to better nutrition