Join us for the 2026 Building Bridges District Conference in Santa Rosa! From a dazzling Road to Rio Carnevale kickoff to inspiring keynote speakers, breakout sessions, and wine country adventures, this will be a weekend of friendship, fun, and impact.
You won’t want to miss these great interactive breakout sessions:
Mental Health Initiatives
Environmental Stewardship projects!
Innovative Fundraising!
Brainstorming International and Community Service project
The Rotary Foundation – the ins and outs
Interact
Effective Member Onboarding – engaging new members
Beyond your Club – Getting involved in your Club and beyond
Craig Valentine holds an MBA and is an award-winning speaker, trainer, and motivator who has traveled globally to help people achieve exceptional results in leadership, communication, and change. Known as the Champion of Change, Craig has delivered up to 160 presentations per year worldwide. He is the author of the Amazon.com #1 Bestseller, World Class Speaking in Action, and was the 1999 World Champion of Public Speaking for Toastmasters, winning out of more than 25,000 contestants from 14 countries
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming the ways organizations lead, communicate, and serve. Val and Rob Reddemann bring their expertise to discuss how AI is influencing Rotary’s mission and operations.
In this timely session, Val and Rob will delve into practical applications of AI within Rotary, focusing on how clubs can integrate this technology to increase engagement and overall impact. The presentation will also address the ethical considerations surrounding AI, guiding clubs to adopt responsible technological practices that align with Rotary’s values and mission
PRESENTER BIO
Kerri Schillinger is an entrepreneur and small business owner. Her interest in right-brained versus left-brained thinking began while working as a professional organizer. Kerri began to notice similarities in people who were chronically disorganized. After research and testing, she concluded that the chronically disorganized were quite often right-brained thinkers. This led her to a quest to learn and understand the differences and how they affect people at home, at school, and at work. Over the last 20 years, Kerri has given many lectures on the subject, including to businesses and their employees, to PTA meetings, to Psychology students, to the staff and volunteers of groups that work with children, and to foster parents. In Kerri’s spare time, she is the owner of Bull’s-Eye Bookkeeping, is CEO of Eras Natural Sciences, which manufactures a natural wound care topical, is a board member and CFO of three other corporations and two other non-profits, runs two Volkswagen car clubs, and does lectures on various historic topics.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
This workshop is designed to teach people about the cognitive, behavioral, and learning differences between right-brained and left-brained thinkers. The hemispheric dominance of a person’s brain is a big factor in how that person learns, behaves, and reacts to outside stimuli. We will learn how to identify if a person is a right-brained or left-brained thinker, and learn the common traits and behavior of both. We will then discuss methods of helping people to overcome some of the predominant issues they may face in school and at home, as well as to expand their ability to use both sides of their brain more equally.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE/GOALS
Vicki Puliz, Rotary Peace CentersDiscover how Rotary Peace Centers are preparing leaders to prevent and resolve conflict worldwide. Learn how clubs and districts can support peacebuilding initiatives and engage with Rotary’s growing global peace network.
Former San Francisco 49er and Super Bowl champion Bubba Paris shares powerful lessons in teamwork, perseverance, and leadership drawn from his experiences on and off the field. His keynote will energize attendees and inspire championship thinking in Rotary service and everyday life.
As President of ShelterBox USA, Kerri Murray leads one of Rotary’s most vital humanitarian partners, providing emergency shelter to families displaced by disaster and conflict around the world. Her keynote will highlight the power of Rotary–ShelterBox collaboration and inspire action to build bridges of hope, dignity, and resilience.
Vicki Puliz is a Trustee of Our Rotary Foundation (2025-2029) and will serve as Vice Chair in 2026-2027. She previously served as a Rotary International Director (2021-2023) and has held numerous leadership roles, including Vice Chair of the Rotary Peace Centers Committee, International Assembly facilitator, Rotary Public Image Coordinator, and Governor of District 5190 (2013-2014).
A dedicated Rotarian since 1992 with the Rotary Club of Sparks, Nevada, Vicki is passionate about leadership development, programs for youth leaders, polio eradication, and peacebuilding. She is a Positive Peace Activator, trained through Rotary’s partnership with the Institute for Economics and Peace.
Vicki holds a Marketing degree and MBA from the University of Utah and spent 19 years owning a commercial electrical contracting firm before merging it into a public company. She and her husband, Tim, live in Reno, Nevada, and enjoy outdoor activities and aviation. They are members of the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians and support Our Rotary Foundation through the Arch Klumph Society, Paul Harris Society, Polio Plus Society, and Bequest Society. Their blended family includes seven adult children, twelve grandchildren, and three Rotary Youth Exchange daughters.