Events

Our speaker on September 16 is Attorney Renee Brooksbank of Missoula. With more than 20 years of legal experience, starting as a paralegal in Reno, Nevada, Renee is a Montana elder law attorney uniquely qualified to advocate for seniors and the issues affecting them. 

In addition, Renee has more than a decade of experience as executive director of senior independent living, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing communities. 

Renee earned her JD at the University of Baltimore School of Law and her BA and MA at University of Maryland Baltimore County Erickson School of Aging. She is a licensed nursing home administrator in Maryland and Montana. 

Renee serves as a board member of Montana Alzheimer’s Association, a member of the Missoula and Ravalli County Senior Networking Group, and a volunteer community educator for the Montana Alzheimer’s Association.

The speaker is hosted by Victoria Emmons.

A longtime Rotarian, Heidi is past president of the Rotary E-Club of WASH, a global virtual Rotary club dedicated to advancing water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives worldwide. She is committed to leveraging Rotary’s network to create lasting impact and accelerate progress toward safe water and sanitation for all.

Our speaker this week is hosted by DG Kathy Schulte.

Our fellowship lunch will be held Septermber 30 at China Garden restaurant, 2100 Stephens Avenue, Missoula. It is located in the small shopping center where you also find the battery store! 

Montana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Todd O'Hair will be our guest speaker on October 7, discussing "Montana's Changing Economy: Opportunities in Big Sky Country."

Todd has served as president and CEO of the Montana Chamber since May 2019. An organization of over 2,000 business members representing every size, industry, and region in the state, the Montana Chamber offers a key link to our state's success. As head of this statewide business organization, Todd assures the Montana Chamber’s strategic plan – Envision 2026 – is carried out as intended. The plan is designed to improve the health of Montana’s economy by focusing on the state’s business climate and assuring appropriate investment in infrastructure, workforce development, and promoting entrepreneurship.

A Montana native, Todd hails from Livingston where his family owns a multi-generational family ranch in the Paradise Valley. Prior to being named president and CEO of the Montana Chamber, Todd served as senior manager of government affairs for Cloud Peak Energy, a major coal mining company. While at Cloud Peak, he was a member of the Montana Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and served as chair of the board in 2016-17. 

Before his private sector work at Cloud Peak, Todd worked for four years in Governor Judy Martz’s office. He also served as the natural resources policy advisor for U.S. Congressman Rick Hill in Washington, DC, and later as state director.

A Montana State University graduate with a degree in Business Marketing, Todd resides in the Paradise Valley.

Our speaker for this week is hosted by Tim Berry.

“Lines That Shaped Montana” is the title of retired journalist Kim Briggerman’s presentation at our October 14 meeting of Rotary Club of Missoula. 

Kim grew up in the Bonner area on both the Road to the Buffalo and the original Mullan Road. 

“I owe a huge debt of gratitude to history-loving teachers like Larry Burlingame at Bonner School, Hal Stearns at Sentinel High and K. Ross Toole, Harry Fritz and David Emmons at the University of Montana,” he says. 

Kim met his wife Linda Biggs when both were first-year school teachers at Valier in 1981. By 1984, they were married and teaching at Hall School near Drummond, where they began raising the first two of four daughters, all of whom have now gifted their parents with ten energetic grandchildren. 

“I had worked part-time sports at the Missoulian through college,” Kim explained. “And in 1986 shifted back to the newspaper business, first at the Independent Record in Helena, then at the Missoulian for the next 33 years. I was the beat writer for the Grizzlies when they won the Division I-AA football championship in 1995 and when they played for the title in 1996.”

In 2006, Kim switched from sports to the news department where he completed the last 14 years of his journalism career. In 2024, he was appointed to succeed his old high school teacher, Hal Stearns, on the board of the Montana Historical Society. 

“I’m active with our Bonner Milltown History Center, which includes the popular weekly coffee sessions in Bonner that we call Old Roads and Rabbit Holes,” he said. 

Our speaker is hosted by Tim Berry.

Dan Lee has spent a lifetime collecting titles. He’s been a teacher, principal, superintendent, professor, dean, and, as of May, an Emeritus Professor, a distinction he proudly mentions whenever a conversation pauses for more than three seconds. 

When not adding lines to his résumé, Dan stays busy serving his community through Rotary Club of Missoula, the Knights of Columbus, the Missoula County Tax Appeals Board, CASA, and the Board of Directors for Brightways Learning. Apparently finding all that free time unacceptable, he was recently elected president of his HOA, proving that after years of managing schools, he was finally ready for a difficult leadership challenge: disputes about garbage cans, lawn height, and the proper shade of beige for front doors. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. 

In January, Dan traveled solo to Antarctica, fulfilling a childhood fascination with polar exploration and proving that retirement is not for the faint of heart. At our Rotary Club meeting on October 21, he will share the fascinating history of the White Continent while discussing climate change, environmental stewardship, and the challenges posed by the exploitation of natural resources.

Or at least that’s the plan. 

The truth is, Dan isn’t entirely sure what he’s talking about. But after decades in education and administration, he has mastered the art of sounding authoritative. So, sit back, enjoy the presentation, and see if you can figure out which facts are real before he does.

Our speaker for this week is hosted by Tim Berry.