Breakout Session Speakers
Gretchen Nollman - Lead Learning Facilitator
Gretchen is part of District 6000 and a member of the Rotary Club of HOPE (Homeless Outreach Prevention and Education). She has been a Rotarian for 9 years and is currently the Lead Learning Facilitator for NCPETS.
Her favorite quote is "Be the change you wish to see in the world" Gandhi
James and Molly Herrington
Jim and Molly are an active Rotarian with the Bismarck Rotary Club. Jim served as President from 2021-23 and Molly served as President in 2017-18 and currently as Secretary. Jim currently serves as District 5580’s Learning Facilitator and Molly has led Visioning for District 5580 and currently serves as Grant committee chair.
Outside of Rotary, Jim is a Senior Software Engineer and Technical Architect for JLL, and Molly serves the state of North Dakota as Chief People Officer. They both enjoy their community and experiencing new adventures with their two sons.
Kyle Haugen​
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Kyle has been a member of the Rotary Club of Prior Lake, MN since 2003 and has served in several roles in the club and beyond, including club president (2009-10), District 5960 Governor (2017-18, and was the youngest governor in the world that year), and District Rotary Foundation Team Leader (2019-21). He recently completed a three-year term as Rotary Public Image Coordinator for Zones 25B and 29 and is now the Rotary Three-Year Goals and Plans Co-Lead. Since 2012, Along with serving in these roles, he has traveled internationally to participate in relief efforts in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, to India as part of a polio immunization drive, and to Uganda and Rwanda to develop and broaden Rotary relationships with refugees, and in the summer of 2023 went back to Uganda to reconnect with refugees and traveled to Kenya to visit water projects there.
During the 2021-22 Rotary year, Kyle was one of eight recipients of Rotary’s International Service Award for a Polio Free World, recognizing his significant active personal service toward the goal of polio eradication.
​Cynthia Adams
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Born and raised on a farm near Toronto, SD, Cynthia initially served in the U.S. Navy for nearly 23 years, acquiring leadership and technical experience in a scientific intelligence community focused in undersea passive acoustic analysis training. Upon military retirement, she was employed with Booz Allen Hamilton as an Instructional Systems Designer and Program Manager for 18 years, working in the Defense and Federal industries. With just over two years as a Rotarian, she currently serves as President of the Iowa Great Lakes Rotary in Spirit Lake, IA and is a member of the NCPETS Training Team. She has a personal passion for addressing and building an awareness of Mental Health, especially PTSD and Moral Injury. Cynthia has three children: Christopher King in Altamonte Springs, FL; Brittany Taylor in Williamsburg, VA; and Aren King in Spirit Lake, IA.​
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Michael Lovett
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first became aware of Rotary 35 years ago, when his family was invited to host an exchange student. After ten years and four more exchange students, Mike joined Rotary. His home club is White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Mike currently serves as the Learner Facilitator for District 5960. Professionally he served as a public school administrator for more than 40 years, and currently works as adjunct faculty at two universities, preparing future generations of principals and superintendents.
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Paul Baessler
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Paul is a member of the Rochester Risers Rotary Club serving as it’s 2022-23 President. He has been a Rotarian since 1993, first joining the Marshalltown (IA) Rotary Club and while a member of the Austin (MN) Rotary Club served as President in 2015-16. Paul is a District 5960 Assistant Governor as well as a Rotary Foundation team member with specific responsibilities for fund development and grant approval. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Paul Harris Society and PolioPlus Society member.
He is a Sedalia, MO native, growing up on a beef cattle farm and received his undergraduate degree from Northwest Missouri State University in Agricultural Education. He spent several years as a high school vocational agriculture instructor in Iowa before moving into agricultural finance. He retired in 2022 after nearly 39 years as an agricultural lender and agricultural banking manager in Iowa, Michigan and Minnesota. He lives in Rochester and has been married to his wife Dawn for 46 years. They have two adult sons, both living in Minnesota.
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Jewelie Grape
Attorney/Owner, J. Grape Law, PLLC
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Jewelie is a member of Rotary eClub of Global Travelers. She was District Governor for Rotary District 5950 in 2023-24 (a fantastic experience!!!) and presently serves on the North Star Rotary Youth Exchange Foundation Board and as the District 5950 Council on Resolutions representative. Jewelie loves being a Rotarian because it gives her the opportunity to serve others, build lasting friendships, and make a difference in the world.
Jewelie has several decades of human resources, employee benefits and general corporate legal experience and provides legal counsel to small and medium sized companies and non-profits.
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