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Member Profiles

2025-2026 Board Members

Karen Blakeman – Club President 2025-2026
FAMILY
  • Native Texan
  • 3 Daughters, all native Houstonians 
CAREER
  • Texas A&M University: Bachelor of Environmental Design, Cum Laude & Master of Architecture
  • Certified Interior Designer, Registered Architect - Texas, LEED A P, Certified Document Technologist
  • Cutting-Edge Health Supplements
  • Financial Educator & Debt Eliminator
ROTARY
  • 37 years Perfect Attendance
  • Past President 2000-01 & 2020-21
  • District 5890: Co-Chair Peace Committee, Co-Chair Empowering Girls & Women
  • R I Foundation: Major Donor, Bequest Society
  • ESRAG & RMB
  • World Academy for the Future of Women
  • Founder Rotaract Club for Peace, D5890
Nuzhat Siddiqui - Secretary
 
Nuzhat is an entrepreuer involved in food services and healthcare.
Greg Gregory - Treasurer, Past President 1999-2000
 
Greg is the owner of Gregory Financial Services, Inc.  His primary goal as a trusted advisor is to be available to provide insightful advice to enable his clients to make informed financial decisions.
 
Greg and wife, Mary are graduates and RED-hot supporters of the University of Houston.  They have 2 daughters and expect grandchildren soon.
 
Greg has been an active member of the Sharpstown Club for many years and served as President in 1999-2000.
Roberto "Rex" Martinez - Past President 2024-25
 
I was born in Houston, Texas, on 07/20/1994.
My current profession is in the private security industry working as a field officer, part time private investigations officer, and Security Technology Expert.  I joined the Lee High School Interact Club back in 2013 and, upon graduation, continued my Rotary service by joining the Galleria Rotaract Club. When that club disbanded, I joined the West Houston Katy Rotaract Club and within a few short months became its President. Now I am also, jointly, a proud member of the Sharpstown Rotary Club!  My goals in Rotary are to increase support for Rotaract Clubs -- especially those based in the community where retention is steady and interest is attention-grabbing.
 
I am always willing to put my full energy into any project that abides by the 4 Way Test and places a smile on someone's face.  My hobbies include reading history books, watching documentaries, and doing occasional target practice at the shooting range. My favorite foods are Korean, Japanese and Italian!  My favorite book is The Art Of War by Sun Tzu even though I prefer practicing The Art of Peace!
 
Bola Stephen - President-Elect, Past President 2009-10, 2019-20
 
Bola has been in Rotary most of her life.  She was an Interactor in Nigeria and became a Rotarian in Great Britan.  She is a Past President of the Sharpstown Club.
 
Jon King - Sergeant at Arms, Past President 1998-99, 2017-18
 
I am a Native Texan. I was born in Pecos and moved to Houston when I was four years old. I graduated from Milby High School, obtained an AA from South Texas Junior College, and was awarded the degrees of a B.S. in Technology and M.S. in Occupational Education from the University of Houston.  
I joined the Houston Fire Department in 1957 and retired in 1995 as a Senior Captain.  I taught at the University of Houston College of Technology for 6 years.
I have a daughter, Stephanie, son-in law and 3 grand children and a great-grandson.
 
I joined Sharpstown Rotary Club in 1972 and have a perfect attendance record to present.  I have served as a Board Member of our club for over 30 years and was President for two terms in 1988-89 and 2017-18.
I am Literacy Chair for the Neff Early Learning Center and for Neff Elementary School in Sharpstown and a Board Member of Team Houston FirstBook.          
 
J P Jourard - Club Administration Director, Past President 2005-06
Retired Hospitality Industry
 
John Paul, J P, has served in many capacities in the Hotel business.  Activities that became a natural outgrowth of his profession included leadership positions with the Asian Chamber, Southwest Management District as well as Rotary.
J P joined Rotary when in San Antonio and was active in 2 different Clubs over the years.  He became a Paul Harris Fellow while in San Antonio.
Since coming to Houston, J P has been a member of the Sharpstown Club, serving as President.
Arif Saleem - Director of Club Service, Past President 2009-10, 2013-14 
Saleem is the CEO of Affordable Insurance of Texas and the Chairman of the American Insurance Agents Association (AIAA).
Saleem considers himself to be an entrepreneur and, apart from the insurance Industry, has successfully ventured into textiles, software development, as well as Outsourced Customer Solutions.
Saleem is also a philanthropist and has been an active member of Rotary for over 15 years. He has lived in Houston since 1985.
 
His passion for flying led Saleem to become a mission pilot in the Civil Air Patrol, an auxiliary of the United States Air Force. He currently serves in the Civil Air Patrol (US Air Force Aux., Texas Wing), www.txwgcap.org
 
Currently Saleem is involved in the following successful ventures: President/MD : E-Hospital Services Inc.,
www.e-hospitalservices.com 
CEO/President : Affordable Insurance of Texas (AIT)
www.aitinsurance.com 
CEO: Insurance Assistant Inc., 
www.ia-tx.com 
Chairman/CEO: American Insurance Agents Association, 
www.aiaa.us 
CEO/President : Cloud Software Tech Inc., 
www.cloudsoftwaretech.com 
President/MD : Global Retention Solutions Inc., 
www.retention-solutions.com 
Vice President : Mianoor Marketing Inc., 
www.mianoortextile.com 
Vice President : U&I Trading Inc.,
Director : International Foundation for Mother & Child Health (IFMCH), www.ifmch.com 
Yunchiu Chang - Public Relations Director
 
Yunchiu works at the HEART Program which gives vocational training to adults with disabilities.
Violet O'Brien - R I Foundation, Past President 2023-24
Independent Signing Agent
 
I work as a business transaction coordinator and client relationship manager for  Lawyers Escrow Company which specializes in escrow and closing services for the sale and purchase of businesses.
 
I enjoy the honesty of Rotary.  We are not out to impress anyone, just change the world for the better any little ol' way we can.
 
Don Johnson - President-Elect-Nominee
 
Don is semi-retired from the shipping business.

Past Presidents

Peter Gascoyne - Past President 2021-22
 
I was born and educated in England and moved to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in 1976 to begin research in cell biophysics. I moved to Houston in 1986 to develop a research program at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in biomedical engineering over a 30 year career until I retired as Professor in 2015.
 
I enjoy hiking, camping, sailing, playing music, philosophy and being a hopeless nerd. I have two sons and a daughter and a wonderful, talented wife.  Having focused intensely on research for so many years, I joined Rotary because of the outreach opportunities it affords me with like-minded people to create and work on humanitarian and peace projects in our community and beyond. I love the diversity and vibrancy of our members, the companionship and constant humor we share, and our commitment to service beyond ourselves.
 
My favorite project at present is helping to develop a social and emotional support application for smart phones to help school students coping with the stressful impacts of the covid pandemic.  Our club offers new members the chance to spend time with our interesting characters and opportunities to join in ongoing projects or to create a new one with our support.
Jeff Novy - Past President 1992-93
 
Jeff is an attorney.  But not just any attorney - an attorney with a sense of humor!  If you are looking for sound legal advise and enjoy a quick wit, Jeff is your guy!

Members

Dr Satonye "Tonye" Briggs
 
Tonye is a physician and founded the Briggs Foundation .com to feed the hungry and eliminate [overty worldwide.
Deborah Brinen, District Chair for Anti Human Trafficking
 
 
During my career, I was awarded multiple patents that led to two of the highest honors in my career: a Chief’s award and an Outstanding Patent Award.  I have led many safety teams throughout my career and founded a program to reduce the gap in safety education between industry and academia called PALS (Partners in Academic Laboratory Safety). I have been a member of the executive board of the Clear Creek Education Foundation which serves over 42,000 students, as well as the Clear Creek Independent School District Finance Committee.
 As a scientist at ExxonMobil for 25 years. I led multiple, high-functioning teams that allowed me to nurture my love of science and invention. I enjoyed my time in Technology and worked my way through various business roles and finally landed in upstream where I led a global team worked in the US, UK, Brazil and China. It is here that I learned about human trafficking, and it broke my heart to witness some of the brightest coworkers involved in unspeakable behavior. I wanted to help save as many children as possible from the trauma they endured. I discovered that Rotary was making efforts to tackle the problem of human slavery and volunteered to be a part of it. I am currently the antihuman trafficking chair for district 5890 where I partner with NGOs in our district such as unbound and Allies against slavery and NTZ.
Matthew Curran
 
Matt is a skilled videographer and video editor based in Houston, Texas, known for his dynamic storytelling and sharp editing style. With a passion for visual media and years of experience behind the camera and in the editing suite, Matthew specializes in crafting compelling content across genres—ranging from branded videos and documentaries to music videos and event coverage. His work blends technical precision with a creative edge, making him a sought-after collaborator for artists, businesses, and storytellers alike.
Matt was named 2024-25 Rookie of the Year.
Tara Freeman
 
Tara is a Gift officer for WorkFaith, a non-profit that provides faith-based training and coaching for anyone who desires long-term employment.

 

Kate (Hsiao-Wai) Fu
 
Kate is a mult-disciplinary artist.  Photography and photojournalism are areas which she is well known for in the Houston area.
Kyle (Te-Jui) Fu
 
Education: High school and collage /Maryland Institute Collage of Art (M.I.C.A.)(2 years)
Major: Graphic Design/Illustration/Fine Art
 
Mission: I use my educated Chinese skill to help American to exchange cultures and business with China, and open up conservative American & Chinese communities to merging into American & world culture main steam.
 
History:
  I’ve taken public speaking classes in collage, and owned and operated fine art galleries, and with over 25 years experience to deal with varies artists, art collectors, and their odd personalities.
  I’ve over 30 years customer service experience in retail business in varies business: work as Customer service/Manager in Fine Art Gallery,  Michael’s Arts & Crafts , Fine Dining restaurants, and Not-For-Profit organizations.
  I have the ability to speak, write, and read Mandarin Chinese fluently. I’ve been working with USA & China bilingual TV talk show since 2007 and been to China twice for international media business for USA International media network (film & TV).
  As Master Oragami artist, my sister Kate and I enjoy sharing my art with children at the Oragami Festival.
Patrick Harrington
 
Patrick is:
-  Native Houstonian
- Graduate of Memorial High School, Class of 71
- competitive swimmer and still competing in Masters swimming also a coach for MAC Masters (just competed in Masters Nationals in San Antonio along with 3,000 other Masters swimmers and will be competing in the National Senior Games in Des Moines this July)
- Landmark Worldwide graduate of the Curriculum for Living and ongoing participant in the transformation of human beings
 - lifetime home builder and real estate broker via family business
- after Covid saw a great need with regards to especially young men, this motivated me to contact BoysToMen Texas
- I came on as Executive Director to launch the Houston Chapter
 
Lena Martin
 
I am a Texas native, born in Galveston and raised in Brazoria County. I have two adult children and one grandson who I am especially devoted to. Watching sports, especially baseball and football makes me happy. Houston is a great city to live in if you enjoy meeting people and eating authentic cuisine from all over the world, which I do! I am currently starting out as a Mobile Notary | Loan Signing Agent, after many years of working in an administrative capacity within the corporate world. Being involved with people who are up to something is important to me, and making a positive impact is truly a rewarding experience.
Loloy Reyes
 
Loloy is a Realtor, Businessman, and Financial / Insurance Agent..  He is also:
  • Chairman -Filipino American Chamber of Commerce - Texas
  • Vice President for International Trade and Investments 
  • Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC)
  • Advisory Council of City of Houston (AAPI)
  • Mayor's Office for Trade and International Affairs (MOTIA)
  • World Chamber of Commerce (WCC)
Ivan Sanchez
 
Ivan Sanchez is a dedicated Houston community leader, entrepreneur, and advocate for millennials in the United States. As the CEO of Houston Millennials for over a decade, Ivan has grown the organization to over 11,300 members and is now expanding it nationwide with US Millennials, from Miami to Los Angeles.
 
With extensive experience in public service and commercial real estate, Ivan spent 11 years as a senior aide and consultant for a U.S. Congresswoman , gaining invaluable insights into what it takes to run for office, be elected, connect with people, and master top-tier politicking and policymaking. These experiences led him to start Tenas Consulting, an electioneering and AI marketing company, which has successfully helped elect new leaders.
 
His accolades include prestigious awards such as Joe Biden's Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award and recognition from former President Barack Obama. Ivan has also been recognized by the City of Houston, Harris County, the State of Texas, and the federal government for his outstanding contributions to society. In addition to these honors, Ivan has received the Disney Motif Award, a prestigious national award also given to figures like Dr. Seuss and Bill Clinton, and the top-tier award at the Juneteenth Hall of Fame Awards, where he was one of the few Latinos honored.
 
Ivan holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Houston-Downtown (UHD), has pursued executive education in commercial real estate investment and development at Rice University, and received an honorary diploma from the International Parliament of Education. He has also completed nine leadership institutes, showcasing his commitment to continuous professional growth.
 
When Ivan was six, his mother, a Colombian prosecutor, faced danger during the Pablo Escobar socio-narco reign. Fearing for their safety, she brought him to the U.S., where he witnessed the American dream firsthand. From humble beginnings to his current role as CEO, Ivan Sanchez is a testament to the transformative power of perseverance and dedication. His mission remains clear: to uplift his community through private, public, and non-profit initiatives for the betterment of the United States.
Paige Toussaint Tran
 

Paige Toussaint is proud to be one of the newest members of the Sharpstown Rotary Club. With a B.S. in Criminal Justice and a career in public safety as a Telecommunications Officer, Paige has built strong skills in leadership, calm decision-making under pressure, and clear communication — all of which she looks forward to putting into service through Rotary. She brings a strong background in community coordination and a heart for helping others, and she is excited to channel that experience into projects that make a meaningful difference in Sharpstown.

Paige joined Rotary because she believes in setting big goals for community improvement and engagement, and she is eager to learn from and work alongside like-minded individuals who value service above self. Outside of work, Paige enjoys spending time with her husband, tending to her gardens that supply the local wildlife with nourishment/housing, and diving into creative projects that spark joy and connection.

She is excited to begin her Rotary journey, build lifelong friendships, and live out Rotary’s mission of Service Above Self in everything she does.

 

Honorary Members

Honorary Member
  Her Majesty, Queen Evangelist,
  Dr. (Barr) Josephine Diete-Spiff PGDE, JP -
  Honorary Member
 
  QUEEN, Twon Brass Kingdom
  PRESIDENT, Queens of the Niger Delta Initiative
  •   Chief Executive Officer, Peretogu Integrated       Services 2019 – Date
  • Past Managing Director/ CEO. Titare Micro Finance Bank Ltd, Phc. 2006 – 2015
  • Chairperson/ Proprietress, Titare Star Royal Academy (formerly Bereton College)1993 – Date
  • Chairperson, BOT, Foundatin for Children Orientation. 2001-Date
  • President/Founder, LJADS foundation for Widows, physically challenged Aged & Orphans 2009-Date
  • Chairperson, NNEW (NECA Network of Entrepreneurial Women) South-South 2013-2016
  • Grand Patroness – Character Moulding Foundation 2022 – Date
  • Independent Director, University Press PLC 2001- Date
  • Managing Partner, Spiff Fitness and Health Institute – 2022- Date
  • Certified Trainer, LA Fitness International—2023 – Date
  • Certified Microfinance Banker and a Licensed Texas Healthcare Provider
 
<div>Honorary Member</div>
Ilfa (Lilly) Gomes - Honorary Member
 
Fun fact my last name is Portuguese!
I was born and raised in Houston, Texas and I work as a 911 dispatcher.
 
It is a hobby of mine to do arts and crafts in my spare time which has prompted me to have a small side hobby/business making shirts with vinyl.
 
I am the currently secretary of the West Houston Katy Rotaract Club. Even though I am still new to both Rotaract and Rotary, I enjoy the volunteer opportunities as well as the social activities. These allow me to interact with many different types of people. I also have much more opportunity to make positive changes to my community as well as having a presence in volunteering projects, whether local or international.
Kenneth Li - Honorary Member
 

Kenneth has been a leader in the development of the “Asiatown” and surrounding areas.  His firm, Southwest Realty Group, has been helping businesses since 1988. Originally from Taiwan, Kenneth is a graduate of Houston Christian University.

Recognizing his leadership in developing the area and his extensive community involvement, including roles in various Asian American organizations and appointments by Houston mayors. Kenneth Li's membership is strengthening the club's community ties and commitment to making a difference.

Kenneth P Marsh - Honorary Member & Past President 2001-02
 
Author of "Fearless Networking" and international speaker.
Doris St Cyr - Honorary Member & Past President 2018-19
 
Doris has been an Active member of 2 Rotary Clubs, most recently the Sharpstown Club.  She served on the Board extensively including as President.
 
Doris worked in banking for many years, getting to know lots of influential Houstonians.
 
Doris has family in Houston and in Amarillo, Texas.
 
Wayne Staton - Honorary Member & Past President 2011-12, 2012-13
 
Born in the Lynchburg, Virginia area in 1951 and lived there most of his life. He contracted polio at the age of 8 months. It left him with a weak right hip and leg.
In high school he was valedictorian of his class. He graduated from the University of Virginia with a degree in Physics with honors. After college he started his career in computers and has worked in that field ever since.  Since 1999 he has worked at BMC Software, where he was a Lead Technical Support Analyst. 
 
In Virginia, he was a Briefing Leader for the Hunger Project and President of the Boonsboro Ruritan Club in Lynchburg, Virginia. He is a past president of the Rotary Club of Sharpstown.
 
Wayne is married to Gwen Corolla (past president of the Rotary Club of Memorial-Spring Branch). Together they have 6 grown children, 5 grand-children and 1 one great-child. She and he are partners in making the world a better place.
 
Wayne became a Rotarian in 2007. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, a Paul Harris Society member, a Polio Plus Society member, a Bequest Society member, a Major Donor and White Hat Society member. He is the past District 5890 Polio Plus Chair.  In 2014 he was District 5890 Rotarian of the year and has twice been named his club Rotarian of the year. In 2016 he received the Regional Service Award for a Polio-Free World from Rotary International.
Jerrie Ueberle - Honorary Member
 
Jerrie is the Founder of the World Academy for the Future of Women.  The Academy develops global leaders in areas where women are marginalized.  It started in China and has added locations in Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Uganda, South Africa, Kenya, and Mexico.
THANK YOU Sharpstown Club SPONSORS!
Boys to Men, Texas
World Academy for the Future of Women
Be Peace Be Hope
Blakeman Design Associates
Jon King Interests
Financial Emancipation
Gregory Financial Services, Inc
Southwest Management District
FACCGH
HEART
Sharpstown Civic Association
Affordable Insurance of Texas
Fearless Networking
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