Speakers

Two of our newer members will introduce themselves and why they have chosen to join Rotary.

Join us and hear from Bill Maes & Scott Schneider

Greeter: Bob Danielson

Maple Grove Rotarian, Raj Khankari, will speak to us about his experience in developing and implementing Rotary Global Grants in India. Raj has a PHD in the pharmacutical field. Raj has had a successful business career working at the C suite level in the pharaceutical industry, spending 13 years at CIMA Labs followed by 9 years as CEO at RIBCOR, Inc. 

Under his leadership he has raised over $800K through Rotary International grants providing drinking water, drip irrigation, check dams, satellite blood banks, physiotherapy and thalassemia detection in remote areas of India; and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to multiple clinics in Minnesota.

Raj recently completed a term as Chair of The Rotary Foundation fundraising for our district. 

We will be meeting at the cafeteria facilities located at the Eden Prairie Schools new building located at 11840 Valley View Road

Jeff Griffith of Jeff Griffith Creative is an award-winning Creative Director of advertising, design and branding located in Eden Prairie. His career spans stints in regional, national and global ad agencies in Honolulu, Atlanta, San Francisco, Chicago, Winston-Salem, NC, and 26 years in New York City. 

At the meeting, he’s going to share his emotional work for America’s heroes at the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, which culminated in a branding takeover of the NY Stock Exchange building on Wall Street earlier this year. For those 61 brave Recipients who wear the highest military award around their neck every day, how do they define the true weight of the Medal and their sacrifice?  

This week's meeting was the District event on Tuesday.
If you show up at Tavern 4&5 on Thursday, you'll be all alone.

Chris Hrapsky works as a Live Desk anchor, KARE 11 Saturday co-host/anchor and extras reporter for Kare 11. Chris joined the station as a general-assignment reporter in July 2014 before expanding his roles to include anchoring and hosting. His work has earned regional Emmy awards for General Assignment Reporting and Arts/Entertainment. 

A U of M graduate, prior to joining the KARE 11 team Chris worked for TV affiliates in Green Bay, Phoenix and Rochester MN. He lives in Chaska MN and he and his wife, Jackie, have three children. 

Chris will present to us on his experience and reporting in today's ever changing landscape. 

Located in Eden Prairie the foundation was founded by the late Margaret A. Cargill. MACP actively partners with capable organizations to make a lasting difference for individuals and communities, with particular attention to overlooked causes. MACP’s combined assets (Margaret A. Cargill Foundation and Anne Ray Foundation) places MACP among the top ten foundations in the United States.

MACP develops and implements integrated grantmaking strategies across seven programmatic areas they classify as domains: Arts & Cultures, Disaster Relief & Recovery, Environment, Animal Welfare, Quality of Life, Teachers, and Legacy & Opportunity. MACP is a quiet member of our community and this no doubt will be a fascinating and informative presentation.

Nora Hertel is the founder and executive director at Project Optimist, which serves greater Minnesota with solution-focused news. Nora has more than 10 years of experience as an award-winning investigative reporter, political and public issues correspondent, and environmental journalist in the Midwest and earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Project Optimist strives to engage residents of greater Minnesota to help them collaborate across common divides, tackle seemingly intractable problems and grow more optimistic about the future of their communities, region and world.

Project Optimist does this by tapping Minnesota’s creative and independent talent to produce solution-focused stories and local art to inform and inspire. We provide training and spur conversations in support of media literacy, community problem solving, community journalism and democracy.­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

Ben Knudson is the Waste Reduction and Recycling Manager for Hennepin County. He has been working for the county for the last 15 years and will present to us on his position and the strategy for the county in the context of waste management and recycling.