Events

Glen Garlick, the Rotary District 6440 End Polio Now Chair, will provide an update on Rotary International's progress on eliminating polio.

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Jeffrey P. O'Kelley is a partner at Lesser Lutrey Pasquesi & Howe, LLP specializing in estate and trust litigation. He is also the lead chair of the Lake County Bar Association Trusts and Estates Committee, a role he has served in for several years. Mr. O'Kelley specializes in estate and trust disputes such as will and trust contests, claims for financial exploitation of the elderly and disabled, will and trust construction cases, complex fiduciary litigation and contested guardianship proceedings. In addition, Mr. O'Kelley has extensive appellate litigation experience, including the published decisions of In re Estate of Walsh (2012 IL App (2d) 110938) and In re Estate of LaPlume (2014 IL App (2d) 130945). Mr. O'Kelley also practices in the fields of estate planning and commercial litigation, as well as estate and trust administration. He has lectured at Loyola University School of Law, and he has written for the Illinois Bar Journal, the Illinois State Bar Association Trusts & Estates Newsletter, and the Lake County Bar Association Docket. He is an active member of both the Illinois State Bar Association and the Lake County Bar Association. Mr. O'Kelley graduated with honors from the Chicago-Kent College of Law, and he has been licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois since 2009.

Host: Carl Marcyan

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Mark Pickett, Rotary Club Communications Chair will explain the use of ClubRunner and how to use it to engage with our Club and fellow Rotarians.

Host:  Mark Pickett

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Steve will be presenting on the career pathways at LFHS, their current state, plans, and future needs.

Host: Matt Montgomery

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

WASH Rotary Action Group supports and ensures sustainable long-lasting clean water, sanitation, and hygiene programs to communities in need.

Marianna is a member of the Lincolnshire Morning Star Rotary Club, Member of the WASH-RAG Operations Team Subcommittee and Rotary District 6440 WASH Ambassator.

Host: Doris Lim

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Traditionally, American Higher Education has enjoyed the relative luxury of being immune to the consequences of public opinion.  In the past, the American public believed in the basic worth of a college degree, in the research contributions of college intellectuals, and the value of a traditional college experience to prepare its young people for our economy, to contribute to our communities, and to act responsibly in a civil/democratic society.  Recent data and evidence show that public confidence in higher education is changing.  According to recent polls such as one done by New America, less than half of Americans believe that colleges are having a positive effect on the country.  In this talk, I will discuss the impact that this change in public opinion is having on higher education and present possible solutions for consideration.

Lake Forest College offers an MLS (Master of Liberal Studies) degree, which includes eight interdisciplinary courses at the graduate level. Dr. Abt-Perkins will be teaching the spring 2025 evening seminar MLS572, "Higher Education in the U.S.:  Goals and Outcomes, Current Challenges, and Sustainability". For more information, see: https://www.lakeforest.edu/academics/majors-and-minors/master-of-liberal-studies

In her roles at Lake Forest College,  Special Assistant to the Dean of Faculty for Student Success and Associate Dean of the Faculty for Student Success, Professor of Education Dr. Dawn Abt-Perkins has been in the center of current issues challenging higher education—investments in changes in technology, belief systems about the value proposition of higher education, and the growing public concern about the increasing costs of the higher education experience. Dawn's recent book project,  Professors Matter, is about the role that professors play in these important conversations about higher education reform.

Host:  Paul Lemieux

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Thor Davidson has been an active member of the Rotary Club of Wheaton (Noon Club) since 2015 and a Rotarian since 2001. He has previously been a member of the Hunt Valley Rotary Club (Hunt Valley, MD) where he served as Treasurer, as well as the Rotary Club of Springdale (Springdale, AR).  He served the Rotary Club of Wheaton as President, Membership Co-Chair, Foundation Chair, and currently as Public Image Coordinator. In addition to his club roles, he has served as Assistant Governor the past three years in District 6440.
 
A graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, Thor has a BA in Accounting and Economics. After a successful 17 year career in finance, logistics and operations, Thor retired from Tyson Foods, Inc. in Springdale, AR. A servant leader, he has been a lifelong member of Boy Scouts of America, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, then serving as an Assistant Scoutmaster in both Arkansas and Maryland.
 
Thor is an active member of St. Timothy Lutheran Church, Naperville, IL, where he is serving his second term on Church Council and holds the position of Stewardship Chair. He and his wife, Wendy, have been active members of the ELCA Bishop’s Advisory Council since 2017. For the past two years, he has volunteered on the parent board for Benet Academy Girls Lacrosse.
 
Thor lives in Wheaton, IL with his wife and two children: Anders, a recent college graduate, and Brenna, a high school senior.

Host: Peter Elmer

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Host: Paul Lemieux

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Host: Peter Elmer

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

Pioneer Press article by Dan Dorfman
UPDATED: September 23, 2024 at 3:54 p.m.

John Burke now finds himself in an interesting position. He is a new face at the Lake Forest Police Department, but he is also the new leader.

“It’s a fresh start and new challenge to come in and get to know everybody and figure out the inner workings of the city and how to collaborate with different partners,” he said. “The job is the same but it has been a new challenge.”

Burke was sworn in as Lake Forest’s police chief at the September 3 City Council meeting, marking a new chapter in a law enforcement career stretching back nearly three decades.

Burke was hired in Barrington in August 1997 and then joined what is now the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Department after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He moved out to San Diego to work on 9/11-related cases but returned to Barrington in 2004 for family reasons.

He rose through Barrington Police ranks culminating with being named chief in April, but that turned out to be a short run as he made the move to Lake Forest in September.

Now less than a month into his new job, Burke speaks of a mutually introductory phase with his Lake Forest officers.

“It’s different when you come in and you are the chief of police and you are also the new guy,” he said. “I’m meeting with all of my co-workers one on one. It is more of a conversation so I can get to know them and they can get to me. I can talk about my expectations and they can talk about their specialties and what they are looking for from the chief of police.”

Those introductions are not just within the corridors of the Deerpath Road headquarters. Burke said he had already met with Matthew Montgomery, the superintendent of both the city’s elementary schools as well as Lake Forest High School.

Then in terms of saying hello to the general public, the City set up a series of “Chat with the Chief”  engagement sessions at different city locations.

In terms of taking over police operations, Burke said he is now reviewing scheduling for officers and may make changes to the existing shift layout.

He is excited over the City Council’s recent $3.5 million purchase of the vacant 1925 Field Court building in Conway Park, to convert it into the city’s new police headquarters.

“To have larger classroom facilities where we can host classes in the future I think would be very important,” he said. “The building is located right off the (Tri-State Tollway) so we can be a training hub for other agencies to come in if we have an instructor to be a host site.”

Regarding new officer recruitment, Burke acknowledges it has been a rocky period for police throughout the nation.

“In the past five to eight years the profession has taken a beating through media and other high profile events that were wrong but by and large officers are really talented, caring hard working people,” Burke said. “It is a great job if you are willing to take a step and go down that path.”

He said finding officers for Lake Forest presents some unique challenges given its low crime rate.

“You have to find the right candidate. They have to know coming in here we are not the City of Chicago. We are not drowning in call volume but there are still expectations as far as service and how we treat people.”

He takes on the issues related to his new role, but there is a still personal side. Burke is married to his wife, Erica and the couple has two children. He likes to run with cooking, particularly grilling, one of his favorite activities.

“I just love cooking,” he said. “It’s a good distraction.”

As he starts this latest phase of his career, Burke reflected on why he wanted to work in law enforcement in the first place.

“I loved helping people,” he remembered. “It is about service for me. I liked the excitement when I was younger that every day was a little different. When you got to work you were not doing the same thing over and over again. You didn’t know what you were going to get.”

Host: Jason Wicha

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week

• Breakfast and socializing
• Welcome: Pledge of Allegiance, Rotary's principles, reflections/blessing, announcements
• Sharing of joys with 'Happy Dollars' which help fund club activities
• Focus on a Member's career or life story
• Speaker on a topic of the week