Events

Nick Tscheekar leads fundraising for Volunteers of America’s programs in Northern Nevada, which are dedicated to moving people from homelessness to independence. 

Travis Sandefur is the VOA Regional Vice President of Northern Nevada. Prior to joining VOA’s staff, Travis served on the VOA Board of Directors for four years as a member and as the Vice Chair. He is a local business owner of Pangolin Café, and a dedicated advocate for the community.

Volunteers of America Northern California and Northern Nevada (VOA) moves people from homelessness to independence with love and dignity. VOA houses and shelters more than 1,000 people on any given night in the Reno-Sparks Area.

VOA offers a unique continuum of housing options and services for people who are experiencing homelessness or are struggling. Supports range from conducting outreach along the Truckee River in the downtown corridor to build rapport with people sleeping outside, to operating the Nevada Cares Campus emergency shelter, offering case management, and providing more than 400 units of affordable housing.

Helen Townsell, the daughter of Jeff and Carrie Townsell, and Granddaughter of Ollie and Helen Westbrook, has six brothers, is the mother of four, grandmother of seven and great grandmother to one. She is married to Jim Parker, step-mother to seven, step-grandmother to seven and step-great grandmother to one.

Helen was born in California and migrated with her family to Reno, Nevada in 1956. She was raised in Black Springs, located in the North Valleys. She attended The Holy Child Day Home, located on Reno Street. She attended St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School, first through eighth grade, 9th grade at Clayton Jr. High and graduated from Procter Hug High School in 1973. In 1991 she received an Associate’s Degree in Sociology.

In March of 2008, Helen founded The Westbrook Foundation in memory of her grandparents. Its purpose was “Youth Empowerment through Educational Scholarships” and gave academic scholarships to local graduating seniors furthering their education.

Helen wrote and published a book in 2010; “A Cry for Help” chronicling the building of a black community, Black Springs, Nevada, in the early fifties through the year 2000.

President Laurie will give a presentation about the projects, scholarships, and support our club has provided to our community and internationally this past Rotary year.

Vicki Puliz began her 4-year term as Trustee of The Rotary Foundation on July 1, 2025. 

As part of her preparation to serve, she participated in the April 2025 Trustee meeting and Arch Klump Society celebration in Evanston, Illinois at the world headquarters of Rotary International.

Vicki will share an overview of the impactful work of Our Rotary Foundation, along with an update of key initiatives and highlights discussed at the recent Trustee meeting.

Since he came to his position in 2015, George Combs has dedicated himself to the year-round role as the General Manager of the fourth largest rodeo in North America. His job involves coordinating countless moving pieces to ensure the success of this historic ten-day event. 

Cheree Boteler is a native Nevadan and graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, and brings a wealth of experience in leadership, community advocacy, and nonprofit management to her role as Executive Director of the Reno Rodeo Foundation. In this position, Cheree spearheads initiatives that positively impact children and families across 14 counties in Northern Nevada, with a focus on those facing extraordinary challenges.

McKinna Jackson, 2025 Miss Reno Rodeo, is a 23-year-old native Nevadan. McKinna was raised in Gardnerville, NV, where she graduated from Douglas High School. Following graduation, she then went on to earn her certificate from Texas Horseshoeing School, located in Scurry, TX. After refining her farrier skills, McKinna realized that home truly means Nevada and returned to Gardnerville. 

Darcy Phillips is a native Coloradan who adopted Nevada in 2013. Darcy holds a Master of Arts in anthropology with a concentration in non-profit management and has worked in educational, environmental, public health, and outreach organizations. Her passion for the outdoors shows in both her work and her play - she enjoys kayaking, hiking, gold panning, and visiting ghost town cemeteries with her husband. Darcy also plays classical piano and loves to paint. She looks forward to working within the community to keep the Truckee Meadows beautiful.

City Manager Jackie Bryant comes to the City of Reno from the Second Judicial District Court, where she was the Clerk of Court and Court Administrator. She held that position since November 2014. In this role, Bryant was responsible for the operations of the District Court and oversaw all members of the Executive Leadership Team.

Bryant previously served as a Nevada Governor’s Deputy Chief of Staff and General Counsel; Insurance Counsel and Hearing Officer to the Nevada Division of Insurance (DOI); Staff Counsel to the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN); and as an Attorney Associate for Holland & Hart. She practiced in the areas of public utility law, insurance law, and administrative law and worked in both the public and private sectors.

Bryant earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Irvine and her law degree from California Western School of Law. She moved to northern Nevada in 1998 to work for the PUCN. She loves the climate and relaxed, authentic nature of Nevadans. On weekends, she spends her time gardening, hiking and riding horses.

Critical Infrastructure Consulting Services, LLC was formed to provide professional services to meet the emerging needs of the Advanced Nuclear Micro-Reactors (ANMR) nuclear industry. The founders’ vision is to provide design/construction/project control functions, as well as engaging and sourcing critical industrial resource services needed to perform site design, build, and oversight to ensure the client’s objectives and plans are properly executed throughout all phases of the project life cycle.

CICS LLC, a NV corporation and Veteran owned business will share its insight on the state of power and what the future holds for the greater Reno / Washoe County basin.