Senior Manager of Natural Resources Partnerships and Projects - Conservation Corps North Bay
Greg joined CCNB in February of 2020 with a diverse set of professional experiences. He worked as an Green Building Engineer in his native France before becoming a Volunteer Corps Member at an international non-profit called ATD Fourth World. During his 6 years tenure at ATD Fourth World, Greg collaborated with governmental figures in France to craft legislature to improve the lives of those living in persistent poverty. When the chance arose to continue working with ATD Fourth World in the United States, Greg moved to New Orleans where he ran street library programs making books and artistic activities accessible to children and families living in under-resourced neighborhoods.
Since moving to Sonoma County in 2017, Greg’s career has shifted towards natural resources management; Greg has designed, installed, and maintained school gardens and worked as an arborist, tree climber and foreman for local tree services.
In 2020 – 2021, Greg was the Sonoma Natural Resources Coordinator and then the Senior Natural Resources Coordinator for the NRC Department. In January of 2022, Greg decided to part ways with CCNB and worked as a Vegetation Program Manager for Pacific Gas and Electric in Sonoma County. Greg couldn’t stay away for too long and he returned to the CCNB team in September of 2022 as the Sonoma Natural Resources Manager.
In his spare time, Greg enjoys spending time with his family, gardening, beekeeping, tending to his flock of chickens, and competing in epee fencing.
Our speaker last Thursday, December 4, 2025, was Dorothy Battenfeld, Santa Rosa Junior College Board of Trustees. Dorothy represents Area 5, the area in which the main campus is located. There are six other areas throughout out the county.
SRJC has been serving the community since 1918 with five campuses across Sonoma County. This institution served 33,000 students taking at least one class last year. The college has a significant economic impact of $1.8 billion on the regional economy.
Dorothy discussed how the college is focused on supporting students through scholarships, basic needs assistance and creating pathways to four-year institutions. SRJC admits 100% of students without an application system, making education accessible regardless of background.
Dorothy concluded her presentation by inviting us to visit their campuses. On a date to be announced, there will be a Roseland Campus Grand Opening.
Thank you, Dorothy, for visiting our club and giving a wonderful update leading to an extensive Q & A session. We hope you will visit us again soon!
Click HERE to watch a limited time video of Dorothy's presentation.
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!
Santa Rosa Sunrise Sunday Healdsburg Historic Walk & Holiday Lunch
Twenty Club members and friends were guided by local Healdsburg tour leader, Linda Cook, around central Healdsburg’s historic sites and contemporary shops and restaurants.
The town was decorated for the holidays, capped by the 50-foot Xmas tree in Healdsburg Plaza.
Following the hike the group enjoyed lunch at the historic Cousteaux Bakery, itself decorated with over 1,000 holiday nutcrackers. All on a a crisp and sunny Sunday morning. Life’s good.
Rotary and Interact Club Members Help at the Redwood Gospel Mission Thanksgiving
On November 26th, ten students from our sponsored Interact Club of Elsie Allen High School, Merle, my oldest daughter, Amelia, and myself, Willie Billeter, assisted in the coat distribution area providing coats to those in need. It was a very busy shift and the Interactors knowledge of current fashion trends certainly assisted in their determining what coats would be good fits.
Above Paul O'Rear plays Eenie Meenie Miny Moe of sorts. After a pickup at Lucky's and Whole Foods Paul doubles as a sorter to see that products are within date and properly stored.
Why is Director Jennifer smiling?
Jennifer and another volunteer survey the large delivery of produce and bakery goods. Soon to arrive were 100 gallons of milk, needing refrigeration or bagging for distribution that same day between noon and 2:00 PM. About 100 people each weekday receive a monthly allotment of two bags of groceries, a perishable and non-perishable assortment.
On this day, a plethora of potatoes, pears, apples, carrots, and cucumbers filled the produce bag.
Sunrise volunteers have provided over 500 hours service at FISH so far this year. Filling pantry and plates of local residents experiencing food insecurity demonstrates one impactful way Rotary Unites for Good!!
This month’s special issue of Rotary magazine is all about happiness, that most elemental of human yearnings. More than a feeling, though, this state of positive well-being, and the conditions necessary to create and sustain it, should be considered a universal right.
December also marks Rotary’s Disease Prevention and Treatment Month, when we highlight our members’ work to promote health and wellness, including mental wellness. Globally, nearly 1 in 7 people have a mental health disorder, according to a recent World Health Organization report. Yet only 9 percent of people with depression receive adequate treatment.
We are fortunate in Rotary to have a powerful way to support emotional well-being and happiness: friendship. The connections we build in Rotary can be a powerful force for change. I know this from personal experience.
When my fellow members first proposed that I become club president, I demurred. I had a stutter. I was terrified of speaking. But having club members who supported me and surrounded me with affection enabled me to face my fear, and I found a way to stand confidently before a crowd.
Today, I regularly address audiences — some numbering in the thousands — in a language that is not native to me. The Rotary members in my life helped me create lasting change within myself.
That fellowship gives us the courage and means to create lasting change in the world as well, and mental health services are in desperate need of improvement. The WHO reports that governments on average devote only 2 percent of their health budgets to mental health, and only 11 percent of that funding reaches community-based services. In some countries, only one trained mental health professional is available for every 100,000 people. The WHO has called for strategic and urgent action to close the gap.
Rotary can answer that call by championing mental health awareness in our clubs, working with local health systems, funding training for community health workers, and supporting initiatives that bring care to places where none exists. Even small investments in mental health yield enormous returns in productivity, public health, and happiness.
While we are creating lasting change in the world, we cannot forget to take care of each other. Past RI President Gordon McInally wisely reminds us that we must go beyond asking, “How are you?” We owe it to each other to instead ask, “How are you really?”
As we transition to a new year filled with new possibilities, let us Unite for Good — for healing, friendship, and access to happiness.
You can find all prior "RI President's Messages" at this LINK
As 2020-21 Rotary president, I shared our hopes for a new initiative: Programs of Scale. The seeds we planted then are now bearing remarkable fruit.
After the success of Rotary’s first Programs of Scale grant recipient, Partners for a Malaria-Free Zambia, the Gates Foundation and World Vision approached us to do more and bigger projects. They know Rotary can make great things happen. From that partnership grew the Rotary Healthy Communities Challenge, now Rotary’s most significant disease prevention initiative after polio eradication.
The Healthy Communities Challenge aims to combat pneumonia, malaria, and diarrheal diseases, the leading killers of children under 5 in many parts of Africa. Despite progress, these diseases still claim 1 million young lives annually.
This strategic partnership between The Rotary Foundation, the Gates Foundation, World Vision, and PATH, a global nonprofit dedicated to health equity, is now saving lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Zambia.
Let us not forget that our partnerships are made up of people — volunteers, Rotary members, and professionals — striving to make a difference. One of them is Gisela Bettencourt Mirção, of the Rotary Club of Chimoio-Planalto, Mozambique, Healthy Communities Challenge national coordinator and assistant governor for District 9210, who reports:
In Mozambique, preventable diseases remain leading causes of death of children.
With support from our partners, District 9210, and the Ministry of Health, the Healthy Communities Challenge mobilizes resources, technical expertise, and volunteers to strengthen community health systems in two provinces in the country’s west.
Community health workers are trained to deliver lifesaving education, prevention tools, and early treatment to families in hard-to-reach areas. The program expands access to testing, diagnosis, and treatment, ensuring children receive timely care. Rotary coordinates advocacy, procures essential supplies, and ensures local ownership alongside government health structures. In its first year, the Healthy Communities Challenge reached thousands of households across four districts, supporting more than 4,400 community health workers to protect children.
I have been involved since the planning stages, but I hadn’t grasped the true impact until seeing it firsthand.
Through the Healthy Communities Challenge, Programs of Scale, and polio eradication, Rotary proves that partnerships, community engagement, and vision can transform global health and save lives.
Your support of The Rotary Foundation makes you part of this life-changing work.
You can find all prior "Messages from the Foundation Trustee Chair" at this LINK
Acclaimed chef Vikas Khanna created a children’s book, Festivals at the Bungalow, with support from the recently chartered Rotary Club of South West Florida District 6960. The club raised $20,000 from U.S. and Indian Rotarians, other individuals, and businesses to print 2,000 copies of the illustrated book that are being distributed free to Rotary-led literacy initiatives. The book “takes children on a journey across India, showcasing how families come together to decorate, cook, and celebrate,” says Priya Ahluwalia, who helped start the club with her husband, Mohit Pohani. “The combination of stories and recipes makes it both educational and engaging, sparking curiosity while fostering cultural appreciation.” On 15 August, Rotarians joined Khanna in ringing the closing bell of the Nasdaq Stock Market in New York City to mark the book’s publication.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines
The Rotary Club of St. Vincent staged a “glow run” for good health in June in partnership with a fitness center. At dusk, about 500 participants carrying illuminated sticks brightened the streets along a scenic route starting from the cruise ship terminal in the islands’ capital, Kingstown, reports club member Kimeisha Bailey. Businesses and medical facilities sponsored the family-oriented event. “This Glow Run is part of our club’s ongoing commitment to disease prevention and treatment,” Bailey says. The run also supported a District 7030 emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles and encouraging Vincentians to stay active. “By getting the community moving, the club aims to raise awareness and take action,” Bailey says. The club also offered a virtual workout session for families and a nutrition webinar.
This story originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of Rotary magazine.
Rotary projects make a difference in communities around the world.
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Acclaimed chef Vikas Khanna created a children’s book, Festivals at the Bungalow, with support from the recently chartered Rotary Club of South West Florida District 6960. The club raised $20,000 from U.S. and Indian Rotarians, other individuals, and businesses to print 2,000 copies of the illustrated book that are being distributed free to Rotary-led literacy initiatives. The book “takes children on a journey across India, showcasing how families come together to decorate, cook, and celebrate,” says Priya Ahluwalia, who helped start the club with her husband, Mohit Pohani. “The combination of stories and recipes makes it both educational and engaging, sparking curiosity while fostering cultural appreciation.” On 15 August, Rotarians joined Khanna in ringing the closing bell of the Nasdaq Stock Market in New York City to mark the book’s publication.
The Rotary Club of St. Vincent staged a “glow run” for good health in June in partnership with a fitness center. At dusk, about 500 participants carrying illuminated sticks brightened the streets along a scenic route starting from the cruise ship terminal in the islands’ capital, Kingstown, reports club member Kimeisha Bailey. Businesses and medical facilities sponsored the family-oriented event. “This Glow Run is part of our club’s ongoing commitment to disease prevention and treatment,” Bailey says. The run also supported a District 7030 emphasis on promoting healthy lifestyles and encouraging Vincentians to stay active. “By getting the community moving, the club aims to raise awareness and take action,” Bailey says. The club also offered a virtual workout session for families and a nutrition webinar.