Events

Each Month members of the Rotary Club of Houston sponsors a reception for patients and their families who are staying at Rotary House International. 

Volunteers will chat with participants and share their smiles. A small number of volunteers are needed. 

William M. Taggart IV has spent over 35 years working on major projects in deepwater oil/gas, shale oil, copper mining, and refineries.  He is recognized as a subject matter expert on systems that control industrial applications and protect personnel, equipment, and the environment from those industrial processes.  He took those skills and wrote "Fixing America:  An Engineer's Solution to our Social Cultural and Political Problems".  A book that Kirkus Reviews called "A timely, level-headed analysis of America's most polarizing political issues."  This book takes America's problems and analyzes them with a nonpartisan, factual, data-driven approach to reach simple solutions that can be implemented.  The book invites a discussion of the issues that America is grappling with.

You are invited to come be part of our last Fun on the Fifth (Thursday) event for the 2024 - 2025 Rotary year at Paul and Bernice's home. 

We (or rather Paul) will be firing up the grill with all your favorites - hamburgers, hot dogs and all the sides.

Bring your appetite and feel free to bring a dessert (optional, but appreciated)!

Come out for fun and fellowship!

(Address to be provided after registration, but can be found on Club Runner.)

Avalyn Castillo Langemeier 
Foster Global, Partner

Immigration update for friends and family-This presentation will enlighten and surprise you with news you can use immediately especially for traveling domestically and internationally this summer. 
 

Avalyn Castillo Langemeier is a partner at Foster LLP’s Houston office and is Board Certified in Immigration and Nationality Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. She has been recognized by Who’s Who Legal: Corporate Immigration, Best Lawyers in America, The Legal 500 Next Generation Partners, and Lawdragon 100 Leading Immigration Lawyers. She also was recognized by Texas Executive Women as a Woman on the Move and by Houston Women’s Magazine as One of 50 Houston Influential Women in 2023.  Avalyn focuses her practice on business and employment immigration and compliance, including visas, permanent residence, and Form I-9 compliance. She is a frequent speaker on immigration.

As we prepare to embark on an exciting new Rotary year together, I want to again extend my heartfelt congratulations and sincere gratitude to each of you for stepping into these vital leadership roles.

I’m truly inspired by the plans already taking shape for the year ahead, and I look forward to building on the strong momentum we’ve gained over the past years. The continued success of our club depends on all of us working together, supporting one another, and staying committed to the values and mission of Rotary as exemplified in the Four-Way Test.

Our first step forward will be the Strategic Planning Session, scheduled ahead of the July 1st start to our Rotary year.  

Thank you again for your dedication and service. I’m excited about what we’ll accomplish together.

Come out for fellowship and fun!

Text/Call Karen with any questions 713-858-6115.

2025 - 2026 Officers

President—Joel Levine
Past President—Karen Sotallaro
President Elect—Tom Vann
Secretary—Kate Gabriele
Treasurer—Dillon Burr
Treasurer Elect—Shahla Mohammad-Hosseini
Sergeant-At-Arms—Connor Grill

2023 - 2026 Directors

Dick Kuriger

2024 - 2027 Directors

Mike Dougherty
Chuck Finnell
Inga Hebdon

2025 - 2028 Directors

Martin Cominsky
Nick Hosn
Jennifer Hudson

Director At Large

Jeff Tallas
 

Full course buffet dinner including Filet Mignon and Lemon Chicken, Appetizer, Salad, Sides, Dessert, Beverages,Coffee and Tea

Cash Bar

Business Casual Attire

We are supporting BEAR (BE A Resource for CPS Kids) Back to School.  

Please bring school supplies ( pencils, pens, paper, notebooks, folders , binders, erasures, glue sticks, etc, ).  

BEAR will have drop boxes for BEAR Back to School at the Installation.  

Each Month members of the Rotary Club of Houston sponsors a reception for patients and their families who are staying at Rotary House International. 

Volunteers will chat with participants and share their smiles. A small number of volunteers are needed. 

Rotary Club of Houston Final Meeting of the 2024 - 2025 Rotary Year

As we close out a successful and impactful Rotary year, we invite all members (and guests) to join us for a special final meeting dedicated to reflection, recognition, and celebration.

Program Highlights:

Year in Review:  A look back at the major accomplishments, service projects, guest speakers, and moments that defined the 2024 - 2025 Rotary year.

Member Recognition & Awards:  Honoring Outstanding Rotarians whose dedication and service exemplify Rotary's values.  

Special Thanks:  Expressions of gratitute to our outgoing officers and board members for their leadership, and a warm welcome to our incoming leadership for 2025 - 2026.

Join us as we celebrate all that we have acheived together and look ahead to another inspiritng year of SERVICE ABOVE SELF.

No Meeting - Several of us will be in Calgary for the Rotary International Convention.

NO MEETING

HAVE A HAPPY AND SAFE 4TH OF JULY!

Come out for fellowship and fun!

Call/text Karen at 713-858-6115 with any questions.

New News....Invite your friends to join you to learn about our club. Networking is encouraged so bring your business cards, or phones if you are paper free.  Learn about multi club monthly Rotary Means Business evening meetings. 

We will review goals for the years, introduce committee chairs to discuss their committees and how members can get involved, and hear your suggestions for service projects, 5th Thursday Social locations, and speakers. 

Have a talent to share at Rotary House? Curious how to get involved with The 52nd Lombardi Award? 
 

Get ready to share the Magic!

Chris Canetti

President, Houston 2026 World Cup Host Committee

      Chris Canetti is President of the Houston 2026 World Cup Host Committee and oversees the city’s plans to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

     Prior to his current role, Canetti served as President of the Houston 2026 World Cup Bid Committee and led the successful effort to bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Houston. Houston was named a FIFA World Cup host city in June of 2022 after a four-year bidding process.

     He took on the World Cup Bid Committee role in 2019 after working 19 seasons as an executive in Major League Soccer.

      Canetti was with the Houston Dynamo for 13 years and served as club President for eight years. When he stepped down in October 2018, he was the longest tenured club President in Major League Soccer. He joined the Dynamo in its inaugural season of 2006 as the team’s Chief Operating Officer and was promoted to President in 2010. 

     He was a part of three championships with the Dynamo, including two MLS Cup titles and one U.S. Open Cup title. During his tenure, the Dynamo made eight playoff appearances, including trips to seven Conference Finals and four MLS Cup Finals.

      Canetti has been on the Houston sports scene for more than 19 years and has established a positive reputation locally and nationally. He was listed on the Sports Illustrated 2013 ranking of the “Top 50 Most Powerful People in U.S. Soccer” by Grant Wahl. He was given Honorable Mention by the Houston Chronicle on the “2019 List of Houston’s Top 10 Most Important Sports Figures” and on the “Top 10 Houston Coaches and Executives for Teams of the Decade.”He was also Named “No. 1 Most Powerful Person in Houston” by AXIOS Houston in 2022 and Honorable mention by Houston Chronicle on 2023 List of “Houston’s Top 10 Most Influential Sports Figures”.

      Canetti managed the public-private development of Shell Energy Stadium, a state-of-the art venue that opened in 2012. Since then, the stadium has hosted a variety of great events, from Dynamo games to international soccer, rugby, lacrosse, football, and concerts - including hitshows like Ed Sheeran and Kenny Chesney.  He oversaw the 2010 MLS All-Star Game at NRG Stadium that featured Manchester Unitedand attracted a sellout crowd of 70,000 people, making it the fifth-most attended All-Star game in U.S. history at the time.  Canetti’s was responsible for creating the Houston Dash, the city’s professional women’s soccer team.

     Canetti serves on or has served on multiple non-profit boards, including the Greater Houston Boys & Girls Clubs, Central Houston, Inc, Dynamo Charities, Greater Houston Convention & Visitor’s Bureau, and the East End Chamber of Commerce. Over the years, he has led several community initiatives in and around Houston.  He has received numerous honors including the Sports Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Awardand MLS Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year Award. He was honored by the American Diabetes Association with the Houston Chapter’s “Generosity to Mankind Award.”  His most notable community work was in 2013 when he led the efforts to support Newtown, CTafter the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy. Canetti organized “Soccer Night in Newtown” which drew global soccer stars such as Landon Donovan and Mia Hamm and brought together the North American soccer community to provide hope and healing for the town. Canetti remained active in the Newtown community, and, in 2014, he was a recipient of the Charlotte Bacon Act of Kindness Award.

     Canetti also spearheaded the Dynamo’s efforts to support first responders by recognizing members of the Newtown, CT and Boston, MA Police Departments after tragedies in its communities. He also led an initiative to support the Houston Fire Department after they lost four members of their squad in a 2013 fire.  Under his leadership, the Dynamo organization contributed to the community’s response after the Hurricane Harvey disaster in 2017. Shell Energy Stadium served as a drop off and distribution point for vital supplies, and the club organized two charitable matches that raised funds for the relief efforts.

      He also assisted the Santa Fe (TX) community after a tragic school shooting in 2018, working with a group of Santa Fe High School students to help launch a non-profit organization called Hearts United for Kindness.

       Prior to joining the Dynamo, Canetti served as the Assistant General Manager for the New York Red Bulls of MLS. He joined the New York organization in 2000 when it was called the NY/NJ MetroStars. He spent six years with the team in various roles, including Vice President of Marketing & Public Relations.

     Ironically, Canetti’s first love was baseball, which he played growing up and in college. After graduation from Quinnipiac University (Hamden, CT) in 1992, he spent six years working with the New Haven Ravens, a Double-A minor league baseball affiliate of the Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies – the last three as the team’s General Manager. He was just 26 when he was promoted to GM, making him the youngest GM in baseball.

      Prior to joining the Ravens, Canetti was an Associate Sports Editor for the Shoreline Times in Guilford, CT. He received his bachelor’s degree from Quinnipiac and was a four-year letterman for the Bobcats’ baseball team.

      He lives in the Houston-area with his wife, Judi, and daughters Kara and Ella.

Tom Kelchner
2025-2026 District Governor

Join our collaborative group of three clubs to hear Rotary District 5890 Governor present plans and answer your questions. 
 

From his grandfather to charismatic President John F. Kennedy, Tom Kelchner takes inspiration from personal and global leaders. The common denominators among his heroes were their altruistic and modestly humble approach to the world. Actions speak louder than words. He has shown his belief in big action with big rewards throughout his career.

Come out for fellowship and fun with the Rotary Club of Houston!

Call/text Karen at 713-858-6115 with any questions.

Come out for fun and fellowship with the Rotary Club of Houston!

Call/text Karen at 713-858-6115 with any questions.

2024/2025 Recipient - Fred Zeidman

Event is being underwitten so 100% of proceeds raised will go to support Rotary Service Projects.

Some of Rotary Club of Houston Service Projects include:

Burnett Bayland - Provide workshops and programs to help at-promise boys and girls in Harris County Juvenile Detention

Fresh Start - Help Career & Recovery Resources clients, transitioning to life after prison

Operation Turkey - Help to feed 10,000 needy families across Houston

Rise Against Hunger - Help sponsor and prepare meals for families worldwide

Veterans - Purchase and distribute Holiday wreaths for headstones at Houston National Cemetary; host an event for Veterans and provide and serve food, fun, music, hygiene and cleaning products

CPS Adoption Fair - Host an annual event which has resulted in many adoptions

Dictionary Project - Purchase and distribute dictionaries to HISD 3rd graders

Camp Enterprise - 3-day camp for 72 Houston area highschool juniors (11th grade), filled with mentoring, team-building activities and healthy copetitions that leave the participants (adult Rotarian coaches included) changed for the better.  Students are treated to all expenses paid transportation, lodging and food.  Every year, thousands of dollars in college scholarships are awarded.

Please dress business casual.