Events

Jim is a native Texan having lived in Texas all his life.  He was born in Longview, attended one year at Kilgore Junior College and then transferred to Baylor University in Waco where he obtained his BBA degree and later his JD degree from the Baylor University School of Law.  Jim is now retired from full time employment.

Jim is the first in his family to be a Rotarian, having joined the Northwest Austin club in 1990.  Jim is a very active member of the club having held numerous offices including President, President Elect, Vice President of Community Service, Club Service, International Service and Vocational Service and served on the club’s Past Presidents Council.  He is a Rotary Benefactor, a member of the Paul Harris Society, a Major Donor and a member of the District 5870 Roll of Fame.  He remains very active in supporting all of the clubs projects throughout the community.

At the district level, Jim served as an Assistant Governor for four years from 2013 thru 2017, has served on the district membership committee and is currently chair of the district membership committee, is currently the District 5870 representative on the Lone Star PETS Board of Directors and was District Governor for Rotary year 2019-2020.  Jim’s passion in Rotary is membership, especially membership retention.  Not just obtaining new members but obtaining and retaining Rotarians.   

Mark has a Bachelors and Master in Health, Fitness and Recreation Administration.

Mark has  been in the parks and recreation field for 30 years.  Fifteen of those years with the State of Tennessee in the Recreation Services Division of the Department of Environment and Conservation.  They are a sister agency of TN State Parks.  He served three years as Assistant Director and seven more of those 15 years as Director of the Division.

He was also Assistant Director and Director for 10 years with the City of Clarksville, TN

He is now into his seventh year with the City of Leander TX as Director of Parks and Recreation

He's married with three adult children, two young men who live in TN and a daughter and her family that lives here in Leander. He loves to walk/hike; fly fish, kayak, just being outdoors is my happy place, especially in a park or natural area.

David Starnes is a native Texan. He grew up in a military family that moved a lot but spent most of his childhood growing up in the Washington D.C. area of Northern Virginia. David and his wife moved to Austin in 1983 and Cedar Park in 1985 raising a son and a daughter in Cedar Park.

After 45 years of working for others in sales, marketing, retail management, and real estate, David decided it was time to start using his talents to help others and give back to the Cedar Park community. He started Cedar Park Local; a marketing company dedicated to helping local businesses grow and most recently DWS Notary & Loan Signings, a mobile notary service.

David is very active in the Cedar Park community serving as an Ambassador for the Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce, and feeding his passion for libraries and education through serving on the Board of the Cedar Park Public Library Foundation and volunteering as a literacy partner with the Education Connection. 

Joe Powell has served in almost every division of law enforcement from the mid 90's to present. (Defying the obstacles that assured his dream of serving would be next to impossible) His career includes numerous years as Chief of Police and one term as an elected County Sheriff in the great State of Texas. He is recognized as a Senior-level Chief of Police from beautiful Northwest Arkansas.  He also served as Chief of Police in Southwest Missouri, and the Panhandle of Texas!  He possesses three degrees; one in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor in Criminal justice Management and Administration, and a Master of Public Administration.  He is a graduate of the Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas where he studied at Sam Houston State University, Texas Womans' University, and Texas A & M. He's a trilogy recipient of FBI's Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, and also maintains a Master Peace Officer Certification in the State of Texas and Senior in the State of Arkansas. He is a certified law enforcement instructor for both states, and a licensed Concealed Carry Instructor for the State of Texas. He holds in excess of 100 awards, certifications, and commendations. He has spoken at numerous venues where people have left inspired, lifted up, encouraged, less-stressed, motivated, and most of all, with a smile on their face, some with sore cheek bones from laughter at his true-life stories he's collected over his years on the street. He recently completed his first children's book, "Sheriff Joe - "FROM BULLIES N' STUFF TO MY BADGE & CUFFS."  Now, Joe Powell brings his experiences, knowledge, and wit to you and your group/s, employee's, clients, clubs, conferences, graduations, etc.

The 1st 25 ppl free for the Taco Bar and drinks are on their own. After, that it's $10 per person for the Taco Bar.

Joe Bob and his family moved to Leander in April of 2009 to Pastor Hill Country Nazarene Church on Bagdad Rd in Cedar Park. God did a lot of AMAZING things in his time at Hill Country Nazarene, including the opportunity to help start Reveal Resource Center on September 8, 2010. After 6 years at HC Nazarene, he transitioned onto the staff for Hill Country Bible Church Leander where he served as the Community Impact Pastor for 4 years. After 23 years of full-time Pastoral ministry, Joe Bob transitioned to work for the City of Leander as a Police Officer and currently is the Outreach & Community Risk Reduction Coordinator for the Leander Fire Department. He also serves as Lead Chaplain for the Leander Fire and Police Departments.”

Brian Hernandez serves as the Chief Storytelling Officer (Chief Storyteller) for Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA). He is responsible for creating value for Texans by generating brand awareness of WSRCA's services for employers and job seekers, and cultivating effective media relationships and partnerships with community and industry leaders throughout the nine-county Rural Capital Area of Central Texas. Previously, Brian served as the first Digital Media Coordinator for the Texas Workforce Commission, developing creative marketing and communications solutions for the agency statewide, and leveraging these across all platforms, with a strong emphasis on digital innovation and value. Prior to delivering workforce solutions for Texans, Brian served as multimedia journalist and digital content leader for more than 14 years, with news organizations in more than a dozen top 50 markets, including Denver, San Diego, Orlando, and Austin. His efforts have earned him and his teams multiple regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, Associated Press Awards, as well as an Emmy Award nomination for an in-depth special feature he directed and produced on teachers training to take down active shooters in schools. Brian's stewardship of WSRCA's story has led to nine global communications awards for the Board in the past year, and many more recognitions that help build advocacy for the Board's mission to empower its communities. Brian holds both a Master of Organizational and Professional Communication Degree in New Media and Internet Marketing, and a Master of Liberal Studies Degree in Creative Writing from the University of Denver, as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Organizational Communication from Rollins College. Brian is a Muppets fans who resides in Georgetown, Texas, and has a full heart and gray hair, thanks to his marriage of 16 years, his teenage son, and his identical twin daughters—who will be turning 5 this year and find new ways to make him cringe and smile every day. 

Private Backyard Setting 

in Grand Mesa at Crystal Falls, Leander, TX

Learn more: https://rotarycedarparkleander.org/sitepage/charity-garden-party

Rich is a retired U.S. Army officer who served on active duty for 20 years, including battalion command in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm. Following retirement, he worked for nearly 17 years in the defense contracting industry, managing a variety of technology and logistics programs for companies including AT&T, L-3 Communications and Kellogg, Brown and Root before retiring again in 2010. Rich and his wife, Diana, have been married 46 years. They have one son, Richard, who lives in Austin. Rich holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a M.S. in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from Kansas State University, and an MBA from the University of Mary Harden-Baylor. Rich is a member of the Rotary Club of Temple-South where he is currently their President-nominee. As a member of his previous club (Killeen Heights), Rich served as Club President in 2003-04, was selected as Rotarian of the Year in 1998 and is a recipient of Rotary International’s Avenues of Service Citation in 2000 and the Service Above Self Award (2019). At the district level, Rich has served as District Governor; Vice Governor; District Secretary; Assistant Governor; Finance Committee Chair; District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair; Grants Subcommittee Chair; Annual Fund Subcommittee Chair; Endowment/Major Gifts Subcommittee Chair, GSE Team Coordinator; a member of the Ambassadorial Scholarship Selection Committee, and Registrar for ten District events. Rich is currently serving as District Chief of Staff. He is a recipient of the Rotary Foundation’s District Service Award (2006) and the Citation for Meritorious Service (2011). Rich was inducted to the District 5870 Roll of Fame in 2003. Above District level, Rich served as President of the Zone 25b Rotary Multi-District Training Institute (2019), as a member of the Lone Star Multi-District P.E.T.S. board of trustees (2018-21) and is currently serving as Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Region 36 which is comprised of 23 Districts stretching from Windsor, Ontario, Canada to the US-Mexican border. Rich and Diana are members of the District 5870 Paul Harris and Polio Plus Societies. They are both members of the Arch Klumph Society and the Legacy Society. Rich’s community activities have included stints as Chairman of the Board, Harker Heights Chamber of Commerce; Vice President, Fort Hood-Central Texas Chapter, Association of the United States Army; and 1st Vice President, Central Texas Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. He is currently serving as the President of the 1 st Cavalry Division Association. He has served as a member of the board of directors for numerous local agencies including Families in Crisis, Killeen Food Care Center, Leon Valley District Boy Scouts of America, Armed Services YMCA, Mid-Tex Chapter American Red Cross, and Fort Hood Area Habitat for Humanity. Rich is a Lifetime Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Association of the United States Army, and the Associations of the 9th Infantry Division, 11th Cavalry Regiment, and the 1st Cavalry Division.

Join us for a pot-luck dinner at Earl's place (1431 Cafe) to welcome in the new Board of Directors and thank the out going Board of Directors for their dedication to the club.  Please bring your significant other and join us to celebrate the new Rotary Year.  Meat and libations will be provided by the club.  Please sign up to bring a dish to share.

Join us for our Monthly Lunch Meeting at Southstar Bank, 10737 E Crystal Falls Pkwy, Leander, TX 78641. Our guest speaker is Rupal Patel, a pharmacist with Texas Specialty RX. 

Join us to help fill LISD student backpacks.  

Stefanie Turner is the founder of Texas Against Fentanyl, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives through fentanyl awareness. Her life was forever changed after her 19-year-old son died after taking one illicit Percocet pill in September 2021. This tragic event challenged Stefanie to use her voice and passion to help bring awareness and attention to this epidemic that our nation is facing. Stefanie is extremely passionate, honest, and authentic as she bravely shares her son’s story with hopes of helping to prevent others from suffering the deadly effects of this dangerous drug that is devastating our communities.
 
The mission behind TXAF is to create awareness about fentanyl, provide resources, and support affected families who are grieving the loss of a loved one. TXAF is also focused on lobbying for fentanyl education in all schools and has partnered with a national educational publishing company to create an accredited curriculum written to Texas standards for grades 6-12. By continuing to educate, support, and help foster legislative changes, TXAF is committed to helping end the fentanyl epidemic.