Maria Haase – President
I grew up in Germany and moved to San Diego for my Bachelor’s. When I met my husband, I got “stuck” in this beautiful city. As a travel writer, I get to travel and experience different cultures and communities around the world.
I feel very fortunate and recently decided to join Rotary E-Club of San Diego Global to give back. I am looking forward to connecting with like-minded people and supporting projects around the world.
Amanda Wirtz Rosolowski – President Elect
Amanda Wirtz Rosolowski, MPH is a globally celebrated keynote speaker, violinist, scientist and educator. She has inspired thousands around the world, creatively weaving her story and musical talent into an unforgettable tapestry that is both moving and motivating. In her self-directed one woman show, ’The Right Question’, Amanda’s transparent, captivating, and humorous style reveals the truth behind her incredible tragedy-to-triumph journey and her resolve to change the world.
After leaving a home tarnished by alcoholism and abuse, Amanda pursued a successful career as a top graduating cryptologic analyst in the US Navy. She voluntarily served twice in combat and was among the first women to serve at sea. However, her decorated career was cut short by seemingly insurmountable health challenges – a rare, progressive, and incurable disease.
Out of desperation, Amanda began a deeply personal inquisition that caused her to reevaluate her character, her values, and the choices that remained. One question stood alone: Who do I want to be? The answer resulted in a revolutionary transformation that led to a life dedicated to humanitarian service, scientific research, and public speaking. She earned a B.S. in Community Health from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with highest honors – the Bronze Tablet. She completed her Masters in Public Health at San Diego State University, where she was recognized as the Top Graduate Student. With unwavering determination, focus, and resilience, Amanda emerged as a passionate advocate for personal and global transformation. Her relentless commitment to service resulted in innumerable outreach projects and over 1.2 million dollars raised for humanitarian aid.
Amanda chartered and served as the first President of United Services Rotary: the first Facebook-based Rotary Club uniting the world’s militaries in peace through service. In addition, she served as a member of a Vocational Training Team member to Uganda, Interact Chair, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards facilitator, and was the Chief of Staff to the 2015-16 Rotary District 5340 Governor.
Touted as a champion for change, Amanda has advocated for a variety of underserved populations including at-risk youth, domestic and sexual violence survivors, and homeless veterans. In addition to touring over 12 states and three countries, she has been featured on PBS, Fox News, The Rotarian magazine, and was honored to serve as a regional speaker for the YWCA. Amanda received numerous awards including:
- Center for Community Solutions Courage Award, Selfless Service Award, Special
- Congressional Recognition Award, California State Assembly Veteran of the Year,
- Disabled Americans Veteran of the Year for California, and Ms. Veteran America.
She now serves as adjunct faculty at the College of Business at California State University San Marcos and is delighted to be a member of the Rotary E-Club of San Diego Global.
Benjamin Kettor – Treasurer
Benjamin Kettor is originally from Liberia, West Africa. Since the late 90’s, he has been involved in humanitarian services working with organizations like UNHCR, GTZ, World Hope, Medecins du Monde – France, Orphan Cry, Compassion for African Villages, Link Aid and Destiny Hands International in an effort to help alleviate the sufferings of needy people and communities around the world.
While attending College as an International Student in Upstate New York, Benjamin became aware of Rotary International through the mentorship of Rotarian Ken Wilcox, Jr who took him to several Rotary meetings and conferences since 2008. As he traveled with his mentor from one Rotary meeting to another, making presentations and sharing his experiences from a 14-year civil war that his country (Liberia) suffered, he became involved in undertaking and coordinating projects in partnership with Orphan Cry and Clubs from Rotary District 7170.
Fast forward, in 2016, Benjamin was recognized by Rotary Foundation as Paul Harris Fellow “in appreciation of tangible and significant assistance given for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world.” This recognition further motivated him to finally become a full flesh member of Rotary. When Benjamin looks through the lenses of assisting people, he believes that the centerpiece of his passion grows and he feels satisfied. He was President of the Club for the Year 2021-22.
Gillian Semmer – Secretary
I grew up in San Diego before getting my Civil Engineering and MBA degrees in Pennsylvania and Scotland, respectively. After a decade of working in environmental remediation and project management in the Bay Area I moved back to San Diego where I shifted my career towards renewable energy. All the while, I’ve been an avid world traveler and philanthropist.
When I moved back to San Diego in 2016, I joined my parents Alex Kwoka (20+ year Rotarian) and Robert Semmer (10+ year Rotarian) at Rotary events where I met a wonderful community of thoughtful, intentional, and hard-working people who cared about causes near and far. My younger brother Fred Semmer, a Rotarian since 2014, further inspired me to become a Rotarian as the organization mirrors my own beliefs in service above self.
After joining the San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club, I co-chaired the Community Services Committee with my dad including through the first year of the pandemic which was both a challenging time and extremely meaningful work.
Through changes in jobs and moves, joining the e-club has helped expand my network of passionate, action-oriented people and continue supporting projects and people in communities from San Diego to Guatemala to Liberia and beyond.
Maureen Venti Duncan
After college I made the best choice of my life: I joined the Peace Corps. I was sent to Brazil which became a country I have stayed connected to throughout my life. I spent my 20s in Oakland teaching special education and unwed mothers. My 30s were spent raising my children and changing careers, writing computer-based children’s reading programs, which was a revolutionary idea for the times 1980s.
During my 40s and 50s: I became a systems analyst, working with government agencies – health and human services, probation, and the courts. But I made a u-turn and came back to teaching, this time, teaching vocational programs: computer information systems and business and managing welfare to work grants with Peralta Community College in the SF Bay Area
I moved to San Diego in my 60s to help one of my sons start his own business and shortly after arriving, joined a local Rotary Club. A Rotary opportunity came up to get a GUTS (Grant for University Teachers Scholarship) and I found myself back in Brazil but this time in the Amazon. Then Rotary gave me another “gift, an invitation to be a Cadre for Central and South America. Cadres do evaluations on large Rotary Grants, over $100,000. I have been on over 15 evaluation projects in Honduras, Brazil, Mexico, Guatemala, Bolivia.
I have enjoyed all the evaluation excursions but fell in love with the students at one vocational high school in Guatemala. I vowed to create my own District grant, helping 16 of them start their own businesses while finishing high school. It was a great success but Covid hit and it has been a struggle to keep them in school, 15 of them did graduate and I was able to support, through District Grants and friends ‘donations, five of these students to further their education at the college level, albeit on-line. We, they, struggle and overcome obstacles every day; the pandemic and economy is still a disaster in Guatemala.
Marian Pavlovich
Marian, a San Diego native, discovered Rotary International as a freshman at Helix Charter High School. After participating in several service projects she decided to join the Interact club.
Thereafter, as a university student, she joined UCLA Rotaract and was selected as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar to represent District 5340 in Budapest, Hungary. Her half-Montenegrin-half Mexican identity gave her a unique insight and openness toward diverse cultural heritages, prompting her to learn many languages, and participate in various international projects. As a Rotary scholar, she helped 100 orphans in a remote village of Transylvania with school supplies, food, and scholarships through a joint effort with various clubs in the United States and Europe. She continued her involvement with Rotary while completing her Master’s Degree at the London School of Economics and returned to Los Angeles to help start the Young Professionals club of Beverly Hills.
After returning to San Diego, to start a career in healthcare, David Ballesteros, her Rotary mentor, approached her with the idea of starting an e-club. Together with the help of several Rotarians, who are part of the club today, RECSDG was chartered. From the onset, the vision included having an electronic club with members from around the world and with a particular focus on international service projects.
Marian served as charter President and President for two subsequent terms. She strongly believes in Rotary’s mission, service above self, and enjoys giving back to the community, on a local and global level.
Amy Vegter
I am an east coast transplant. My husband and I moved to San Diego in 2010. It was a giant leap of faith. We didn’t know anyone and had only been to the city on a few occasions to attend conferences. But we loved the feel of the city and the weather. It was the antithesis of our home city of New York and the city of Albany, N.Y. where we had lived the past 30 years. But we were ready for a big change! Neither one of us has regretted that decision for a moment.
I started my professional career as a Librarian back in the 1980’s. I navigated to the online database field where librarians were some of the earliest venturers. There were no personal computers, no internet, no cell phones. Only large mainframes with databases that stored bibliographic information. The texts of books and journals arrived in an explosion. I was fortunate to be there from the beginning.
I was out of the workforce during the 1990’s and 2000’s to raise my daughter. But I am not one to be idle —-I found organizations that needed business people on their boards and as volunteers. I was able to use my skills, albeit, without pay but with time flexibility.
My volunteer work did not include rotary until my move to San Diego. Like so many others, Maureen Duncan was my introduction to rotary. We met at an MIT event through a mutual acquaintance a few months after I arrived and have been friends since.
Maureen and I traveled through a few different rotary clubs until we were steered to a developing new online club We joined Marian Pavlovich and David Ballesteros on their quest to chart this new club and the rest is history. Our e-club is small but with a huge heart. Our focus is more on service than social or networking. We have been awarded numerous global and district grants in the short time we have been charted. We are a little different but we do meet the needs for people who want to get involved in service but have travel or time restrictions. Check us out at our next online meeting!
Yoana Lozano
I’m the daughter of immigrant parents from Mexico who came to the U.S. with the dream of giving my siblings and me a better life. Growing up, I witnessed their sacrifices and hard work, which instilled a deep sense of resilience and determination in me. Life wasn’t always easy, and I faced many challenges that often made me question what my future would hold. But through perseverance, I pushed forward and built a life that once felt out of reach; one filled with purpose, growth, and the opportunity to give back.
I grew up in Palmdale, CA, and I knew I needed a change after high school. Moving to Oceanside was a big step, but it turned out to be the best decision I ever made. I started at a two-year community college, where my passion for giving back truly took root. I spent time volunteering at schools for children with disabilities and underserved communities, which deepened my desire to serve others.
That passion led me to co-found The U in Us while attending a four-year university, a nonprofit dedicated to providing money, clothes, and basic necessities to the homeless community. During my last year of college, I volunteered at Alzherimer’s San Diego. I truly fell in love with providing care for those affected and supporting their caregivers and family members as they navigated the challenges of the disease. After college, I carried that same heart for service into my career. Now, as a clinical research associate focusing on medical device trials, I hope to make a meaningful impact on those living with heart disease.
I love learning, taking on leadership roles, and finding ways to give back. That is why I’m grateful to be part of Rotary E-Club of San Diego, a community that shares my mission of making a difference.
Vinit Ahooja
Vinit, a lifelong San Diegan, and his family have lived in Carlsbad since 2008. After a highly successful career as a United States Marine, Vinit has been an Executive in the Telecommunications and Healthcare Technology industry for the last two decades. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Carlsbad, where he was Club President and Assistant District Governor, among several other leadership roles.Vinit has also served in leadership roles in several local youth sports and philanthropic organizations.
As a proud Alum, Vinit is actively engaged in several endeavors associated with San Diego State University. He is a Board Member of the Agua Hediendo Lagoon Foundation, dedicated to preserving the Agua Hediendo Lagoon as an accessible and healthy watershed.
