Events

Steven Weitzen is the Governor of District 5340 for the Rotary Year 2020-2021. Weitzen is a solo practitioner in civil litigation who has owned his own practice since 1990. He served as President of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary in 2013-14, as Assistant Governor from 2015-18, as well as Chief Assistant Governor in 2019-2020.

Wen was born in China at the end of the Great Cultural Revolution. Being victims of the horrific atrocity that killed two million intellectuals and destroyed traditional Chinese culture, Wen's parents had mixed feelings about her education. Despite their discouragement, Wen eventually won a national prize at a science competition when she was 16. Hence, she was accepted into a top university for undergraduate study. In 1994, Wen came to the U.S. for graduate school and received a doctorate in Biology at the California Institute of Technology in 2000. Because of her personal experience of being brainwashed in China, she decided to be a voice for the voiceless. Since 2012, she has given over 300 presentations to community organizations about Chinese culture, history, and human rights.

Dr. Wen Chen has been working for Caltech since 2000 as a biologist and information scientist on genomics and biological research. Part of her everyday work is to speak at scientific conferences and seminars in universities like UC San Diego and Harvard Medical School. In her personal life, she is an active member of Amnesty International, a board member for Caltech Women in Biology and Biological Engineering, and a special event host for the Caltech Alumni Association. She lives in Pasadena with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Faye Girsh was President of the Hemlock Society USA in Denver from 1996 to 2004, following its founder, Derek Humphry. In 1987 she began the Hemlock Society of San Diego and was president from 1987 to 1996 and again from 2006 to 2019. She was also President of the World Federation of Right to Die Societies. She initiated the Caring Friends program at Hemlock which has become the Final Exit Network, where she serves on the Advisory Board. She is on the board of ERGO (Euthanasia Research and Guidance Organization) For many years she was on a board member and Newsletter Editor for the World Federation of Right to Die Societies and is Past President. 

In 2003, she was awarded Hemlock’s Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2016 she was the recipient of the Marilyn Sequinn award from the World Federation of Right to Die Societies. Dr. Girsh received her doctorate in Human Development from Harvard University. She was Associate Professor and Chair of the Psychology Department at Morehouse College for nine years. From 1974-78 she was a Research Associate at the University of Chicago and also taught at Roosevelt and Northwestern Universities. For 18 years she practiced as a clinical and forensic psychologist in San Diego. She has lectured extensively in the U.S. and abroad and appeared in numerous radio and TV shows.

This presentation will help the Girl Scout practice her marketing and entrepreneurship skills, and members will have the opportunity to get cookies they’re hungry for!

 

Jeffrey Sitcov is President & Founder of Doors of Change (also known as Photocharity). Jeffrey, a physical therapist for 18 years, suffered a careerending injury while treating a patient in 1998. For the past 19 years Jeffrey has been leading an amazing group of committed, caring people (mostly volunteers) to help homeless youth ages 12-24 in San Diego. Over this time the group has helped place over 2,000 homeless youth in long-term safe housing, and developed an award-winning music and art program in Ocean Beach (“Taking Music & Art to the Streets”) that has benefited more than 2,700 homeless youth.

Jeffrey is an award-winning photographer and his relationship with music industry greats like Billy Joel and Kenny Loggins has helped raise over $865,000 through the sale of signed music memorabilia alone. Billy Joel, Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Carlos Santana, B.B. King, James Taylor, Kenny Loggins, Steve Martin, Etta James, Jewel, and many others have signed memorabilia to help homeless youth in San Diego.

Jeffrey has received awards locally and nationally, including the Channel 10 Leadership Award, Torrey Pines Bank Circle of Excellence Award, La Mesa Rotary “Peacemaker of the Year Award," and the Jewish Family Services Volunteer of the Year Award. He was also a national semifinalist for the Volvo For Life Award.

Jeffrey is only “the quarterback” for this amazing group of caring individuals. Without the leadership and passion of many team members, none of this would
be possible.

Marisa Reichardt is the critically acclaimed author of the YA novels UNDERWATER, AFTERSHOCKS (2020), and A SHOT AT NORMAL (2021). She has a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Southern California and dual degrees in English & American Literature and Creative Writing from UC San Diego. Before becoming a published author, Marisa worked in academic publications, tutored high school students in writing, and shucked oysters. These days, you can probably find her huddled over her laptop in a coffeehouse or swimming in the ocean.  

Marisa Reichardt
Young Adult Author
http://www.marisareichardt.com/

SDUT 
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/books/story/2020-10-03/in-marisa-reichardts-aftershocks-little-problems-and-one-big-one

District Attorney Summer Stephan has devoted her life to protecting children and families, providing justice to the most vulnerable, and is a national leader in the fight against human trafficking and sexual exploitation. Summer is focused on advancing public safety through fair and equal justice, bringing solutions to complex issues with a unique data-driven, commonsense approach that works to address the root causes of certain crimes driven by mental illness and addiction. As District Attorney, she leads the second-largest DA’s Office in California, managing a professional staff of 1,000 employees, serving as the People’s Prosecutor for San Diego County and its more than three million residents. Summer leverages her extensive courtroom, management and leadership experience to set clear public safety priorities in collaboration with law enforcement and the community, keeping San Diego County one of the safest urban regions in the United States.

Summer rose through the ranks to become the elected District Attorney. As a trial prosecutor, she tried more than 100 jury trials, including cases of complex homicides, sexually-violent predators, child molestation, sexual assaults, school shooting, and human trafficking-related cases. She served as Chief of the DA’s North County Branch and Chief of the Sex Crimes and Human Trafficking Division, a special victims unit she pioneered. In June of 2018, San Diego County voters overwhelmingly elected Summer as District Attorney.

DA Stephan holds leadership positions in public safety on the national, state and local levels, which includes serving as a vice-president of the National District Attorneys Association, co-chair of the California District Attorneys Association Human Trafficking committee, and the National Association of Women Judges Human Trafficking committee. Summer served on the Governor’s Task Force for High-Risk Sex Offenders and Sexually-Violent Predators. She spearheaded the innovative “Know the Price” campaign, which focused on reducing sexual assaults on college campuses. She also led the award-winning “The Ugly Truth” human trafficking awareness campaign as well as the “San Diego Opioid Project,” aimed at reducing opioid overdoses. Summer led a coordinated effort to protect the community from targeted mass violence with a School Threats Task Force that implemented a unified protocol with all 42 school districts in San Diego County. In addition, she began an effective Veterans Treatment model in North County inspired by a heroic Marine Corps veteran.

Summer is the recipient of numerous local, state and federal awards, including an FBI commendation for organized crime prosecution, outstanding achievement award from the Deputy District Attorneys Association for the complex prosecution for the rape and murder of an elderly woman. She was named an “Angel of Anti-Human Trafficking” and a “Modern Day Abolitionist.” She was selected as the 2017 Southern California District Attorney of the Year by Crime Victims United, was awarded the Pathbreaker Award by Shared Hope International, and received the 2019 Humane Award for her work in fighting animal cruelty.

Summer received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Davis and her Juris Doctor from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.