Mark Randol retired in May 2011 after 35 years of military and federal civil service and moved to Oakmont.  He has taught college courses in domestic terrorism and counterintelligence; lectures at the University of Southern California’s Viterbe School of Engineering on aviation security; and teaches U.S. Coast Guard-certified maritime security courses.  He also provides security consulting services.

Prior to retirement from the government Mr. Randol served as the senior specialist in domestic intelligence and counterterrorism at the Congressional Research Service (CRS) in Washington, DC, where he provided non-partisan research and policy analysis for members of Congress and their staffs.  He was also the Director of Counterterrorism Policy at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where he was responsible for ensuring the Secretary’s priorities were reflected in interagency counterterrorism plans and policies.  In that role, he represented DHS at national-level coordinating bodies including the National Security Council’s Counterterrorism Security Group, charged with overseeing U.S. Government counterterrorism efforts.  

Other professional assignments include serving as one of the original cadre of Transportation Security Administration Federal Security Directors.  He has 14 years experience as a civil aviation security manager, inspector, and intelligence analyst with the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C. and Brussels, Belgium.  He also served as a Senior Aviation Security Officer with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). in Montréal, Canada.

Mr. Randol served for 8-1/2 years in the U.S. Air Force, with assignments in Taipei, Taiwan; Stuttgart, Germany; Osan, Korea; and Fort Meade, Maryland; as well as 3-1/2 years as a civilian on the Army Intelligence Staff at the Pentagon.

Mr. Randol is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, earned a Masters Degree in Government (National Security Studies) from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., and has completed all Ph.D course work and comprehensive exams at the Catholic University of America; Washington D.C.  He also graduated from the U.S. Government Senior Executive Service development program at the Federal Executive Institute in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Link to Virtual Sunrise info

On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith, submits pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.

Thanks for all the great pictures Warren! Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!

I spend a lot of time thinking of family, not just my own or the extended family of Rotary, but also the families we are helping in the communities we serve. In many parts of the world, mothers and children face challenges to survive that most of us will never comprehend. According to the World Health Organization, the risk of a woman in a low-income country dying during pregnancy or childbirth, or from related causes, is about 120 times higher than that of a woman living in a high-income country. It is encouraging that infant mortality rates are declining globally, yet 4 million babies annually still die within the first year of life.

In April, Rotary turns its attention to maternal and child health. And when we think of what we can do to help, we can look to clubs like the Rotaract Club of Calabar South-CB, Nigeria, for inspiration. It teamed up with the Rotaract Club of Canaan City (CB) in a program focused on educating mothers on best practices to prevent infant mortality and promote postnatal health for themselves and their babies. In Bangladesh, the Rotary Club of Dhaka North provides free surgeries and medicine to pregnant women who cannot afford the hospital costs associated with giving birth. I encourage you and your club to go to ideas.rotary.org to find projects like these that are helping to save mothers and children.

We also have witnessed how millions of people — families and entire communities — have been ripped away from their homes because of conflict, poverty, and disasters during the past decade. But Rotary has not stood idly by during the global refugee crisis.

During Rotary Day at the United Nations last November, we honored a Rotary Peace Fellow and five Rotarians who are taking action to help refugee communities. Among them was Ilge Karancak-Splane of the Rotary Club of Monterey Cannery Row, California. After visiting several tent camps in Turkey, she led a Rotary project that collected 1,000 pairs of children's shoes and socks for families in the camps and, later, led a global grant project to help educate refugee children. In March, Gay and I had the privilege of visiting a tent camp in Torbalı and seeing firsthand the good work that Rotarians from Turkey and California were accomplishing with Syrian refugees.

The challenges faced by mothers, their children, and refugee communities around the world are daunting. But when we remember our greatest strength — how Rotary Connects the World — we can begin to find solutions. Through our creativity, our resources, our dedication, and our networks, Rotary can and will open opportunities to face these challenges.

Perhaps the most fulfilling of all human endeavors is to give back, and Rotary offers countless opportunities to do it, such as donating to The Rotary Foundation. Each Rotarian and club can choose the level of Foundation giving that is right for them.

When you give $100 or more per year to the Annual Fund, you can become a Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member. Multiply that gift by 10 and you are a Paul Harris Fellow — one of those who donate $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, the PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants. Since 1957, there have been more than 1 million Paul Harris Fellows. And when Rotarians give $1,000 or more to the above annually, they become Paul Harris Society members. The Rotary Club of James River (Richmond), Virginia, is just one club that reached 100 percent membership in the society, and your club can do it, too.

Let's multiply by 10 again. Rotarians who commit to future gifts of $10,000 or more to the Foundation join the Bequest Society. Major Donors are those who have already given $10,000 or more to our Foundation. I am still proud of how we added 106 Major Donors in Taiwan during Rotary's centennial, exceeding our goal of 100. Together with the 103 additional Major Donors recruited the following year, they contributed more than $2 million to the Annual Fund! The gifts these donors make can change entire communities.

The Arch Klumph Society recognizes the highest level of giving at Rotary, at $250,000 or more, touching hundreds if not thousands of lives for generations to come. This month, I salute the 11 individuals and couples recognized during this year's International Assembly for increasing their giving level within the society. These generous supporters traveled from Japan, Nigeria, Taiwan, and the United States to celebrate their philanthropy.

Now, imagine what your club can do, what contribution you would like to make, what legacy you would like to leave, and find a giving level that works for you. Whatever you choose to give, whatever goal your club sets, remember that the gifts we give today will help Rotary and the communities we serve this year, next year, and beyond, in ways we may never know.