RISE stands for Rotarians Inspired to Succeed and Engage. The RISE program came about as a result of DGE Rachele Bouchand and Lisa Edwards attending a leadership development Seminar at the November 2022 Zone Institute in Salt Lake City, UT. Rachele was planning for leadership development to be her theme as 2024-25 District Governor for 5030 and Lisa was then President Elect at UDRC. Lisa was concerned about the retention of new members and was looking for a way to increase their “stickiness”. Together, they adapted a Servant Leadership curriculum created by Dr. Kent Keith and Past RI Director Jerry Hall from District 5190 (NV,CA). Over the past year, DGE Rachele and UDRC Lisa E. worked to design the 5 training sessions and recruited 5 facilitators, 17 mentors and 17 participants. Lisa facilitated the fifth and final session of RISE on November 9th. Her subject was Meaning and Motivation
UDRC sent Marisa Broggel and Michael Reid as participants in this inaugural RISE class. Marisa’s mentor was Kevin Klustner (PEN, Bellevue Breakfast RC) and Michael’s was PDG Bill McElroy (Mill Creek RC). University Rotary members of the Mentor Team were Rosemary Barker Aragon, Ezra Teshome and Tom Andrews.
On November 16, 2023, District 5030 recognized 16 graduates from the RISE program. Participant and mentor feedback from the program has been overwhelmingly positive with participants rating it as 4.8 out of 5 stars and 100% of participants recommending the RISE program for emerging leaders in clubs. “The RISE program is an incredible opportunity for emerging leaders to broaden their horizons and learn from like-minded professionals. I am extremely grateful for this experience!” remarked one participant.
There is an opportunity for interested University Rotarians. Two cohorts of RISE will be offered: April 2024 and September 2024. Club members are encouraged to nominate a member to participate in these upcoming cohorts as a participant or mentor. Please forward names of individuals to club president, Lisa Edwards.
