Speakers

Shellie is a former City of Victoria Councillor who is passionate about working together for the enhancement of the region. Shellie was born and raised in Victoria. She and her husband have owned several restaurants over the past twenty five years and currently own Il Terrazzo Ristorante in the City of Victoria. Shellie believes that "Simply put - together we are stronger."

Colonel Mike Atkins enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in 1985, attending the Collège Militaire Royale in St-Jean, QC before graduating with a Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Royal Military College, Kingston, ON in 1990.

Following pilot training, Colonel Atkins was posted to 423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron in Shearwater, NS, serving on several of Her Majesty’s Canadian Ships and deploying twice to Europe before making the jump to the Search and Rescue (SAR) community. Subsequent postings to 424 Transport and Rescue (T&R) Squadron Trenton as a SAR pilot, Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Halifax as an Air Coordinator, 1 Canadian Air Division Winnipeg as A3 SAR Readiness and 413 (T&R) Squadron Greenwood as Cormorant Flight Commander ultimately prepared him for his appointment as the Commanding Officer, 413 (T&R) Squadron.

Following command Colonel Atkins was posted to the Air Staff Readiness section in Ottawa. He then deployed to the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan, serving initially as the Director of Plans and subsequently as the Chief of Staff to the Deputy Commander Police, Ministerial Advisory Group. Upon return he was posted to the Strategic Joint Staff at NDHQ as the Director Strategic Engagement.

Colonel Atkins is a graduate of the National Security Program at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. He previously attended the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham, UK, where he completed the Advanced Command and Staff Course and earned a Master of Arts in Defence Studies from King’s College London. In addition, he holds a Masters in Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS

Education:
Born in the United Kingdom, Richard and his family emigrated to Canada when he was very young. After living in White Rock for several years, the family moved to Kamloops before finally settling in Victoria in 1982 where Richard attended Margaret Jenkins Elementary and Oak Bay High School.  During his last year of high school the family moved from Victoria to Saanich and following that, Richard began studies at University of Victoria.  Richard completed several university co-op work terms at BC Systems in Victoria, Bell Northern Research in Ottawa and BC Hydro in Port Kells and Surrey and it was during this period that he developed a passion for Apple Macintosh software and computers.

Career:
After earning a B.Sc in Computer Science from UVic Faculty of Engineering, Richard drove his Volkswagen Westfalia camper to Austin, Texas, and began work as an engineer at the Metrowerks Corporation for five years.   He then returned to Canada, and
 resettled in Saanich .  He set out to become more involved with community by volunteering as a Director of the Falaise Community Association (FCA) and he began attending Council meetings on behalf of the association.  Through the Falaise Community Association, Richard discovered the Saanich Community Associations Network, where he was introduced to the many associations and community leaders within Saanich, broadening his understanding of local Saanich issues.

Campaigning on a comprehensive platform, Richard was elected Mayor by the citizens of Saanich on November 15, 2014. In addition to his council role, he also sits as a Director on the CRD Board and Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee as well as a voting member on the Victoria Regional Transit Commission (VRTC).

Mayor Atwell’s goal is to build a vision for a modern community where the citizens of Saanich will thrive, where businesses can grow and where neighbourhoods will flourish through open and transparent government employing comprehensive community consultation and empowerment.
Saanich has been Richard's home for eighteen years and he is very passionate about its' future.
In his own words, "I am absolutely committed to working with citizens and local organizations to help make Saanich the best place to live where we can enjoy the highest quality of life and leave behind a genuine legacy for future generations."

Mayor Atwell continues to serve the citizens of Saanich and approaches his job as an advocate for both Saanich and the Capital Region.

Carolyn Thomas is a heart attack survivor and the first Canadian ever accepted to attend the Women Heart Science & Leadership patient advocacy training at Mayo Clinic.

Since ‘graduating’ from her Mayo training in 2008, Carolyn has spoken to thousands of women (and a few men!) during her popular HEART SMART WOMEN presentations. As we’ll hear more about today, heart disease kills six times more women each year than breast cancer does – in fact, heart disease kills more women annually than all forms of cancer combined. Carolyn’s been on a mission to help change that grim reality since her Mayo Clinic training.

Her award-winning blog HEART SISTERS has attracted over 12 million views from 190 countries, and her writing about women’s heart health and the patient experience has been published internationally, including in the British Medical Journal. Since 2012, she’s also served as a Patient Reviewer for cardiology research papers submitted to that journal for publication.

Before her heart condition forced an early retirement, Carolyn’s work background included over 35 years in the public relations field, including corporate, government and not-for-profit sectors ranging from Mercedes-Benz to the Salvation Army and the Victoria Hospice Society.

She is the author of “A WOMAN’S GUIDE TO LIVING WITH HEART DISEASE”, published hot off the press this month (November 2017) by Johns Hopkins University Press. 

Tom Carroll, from the Gateway Rotary Club of Thurston County has been selected to serve as the governor for Rotary District 5020, which makes him one of 531 district governors worldwide who represents a combined membership of 1.2 million. Rotary’s District 5020 itself represents 88 clubs, with a membership of approximately 5,000 Rotarians in Washington State and British Columbia.  Carroll will be pursuing a vision focused on membership growth and increased donations to the Rotary Foundation, which is leading worldwide efforts to eradicate polio.

Jonathan Sprouffske, President of the Gateway Rotary Club, stated, “We are always proud when one of our own is selected to advance the work of Rotary outside of the club. Tom has been an outstanding member of our club, and was our founding president. We are excited about his selection as governor of District 5020, where his enthusiasm and passion for Rotary will be felt by more than just our club.”

Carroll is President/CEO of Tiburon Systems LLC, serves on the Leadership Thurston County Board of Regents and is the Chairman of the Lacey Fire District 3 Citizens Advisory Committee. He previously served on the board of directors of the local Boy Scout Council and on the board of directors of the Lacey Chamber of Commerce.

About Gateway Rotary Club of Thurston County

The Gateway Rotary Club is the fastest growing Rotary club in the Northwest, with a membership in excess of 80 community-minded individuals. The club was chartered in 2011 and its membership is dedicated to “service above self” and participating in Rotary International’s mission to promote understanding, goodwill, and world peace.  If you are interested in learning more, please contact Tim Scheuffele at Timothy.Scheuffele@edwardjones.com.