Maureen Alger

The Sun Lakes Rotary has a variety of interesting speakers each week! During the month of October, our District Governor David Simmer will be speaking at the evening meeting of Tuesday, October 22.

David Simmer, JD, MSA, CPA, grew up in Nebraska before heading east for his formal education. He followed a bachelor’s degree at Illinois Wesleyan University with a master’s degree in accounting and a law degree from Northeastern University and Boston University, respectively.

David’s professional career concentrated on guiding high and ultra-high net worth clients as they navigated all aspects of wealth management from his firm’s offices in Wellesley, Massachusetts, and Palo Alto, California. David and his wife Isabel retired to Sedona, Arizona, in 2010. Shortly before retiring, David was invited to join the Rotary Club of Sedona where he was quickly drawn into community service and leadership positions. Most notably, he chaired the Imagination Library committee which brought Dolly Parton’s free-book-a-month for preschoolers program to Sedona in 2012. Since inception, the local club has distributed over 25,000 age-appropriate books to children in the Verde Valley to promote early childhood literacy.

David has also served as secretary and president of the club and assistant governor for five clubs from Sedona to the Grand Canyon. He was named the club’s Rotarian of the Year in 2016. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, major donor, Bequest Society Member, and Paul Harris Society Member.

David has appeared before clubs across District 5490 on behalf of the Rotary Foundation as well as being invited to speak at the 2016 District Conference for the clubs of District 5490. David served on three District 5495 merger task groups and was named chair of the newly-formed Leadership Development Committee for the District. In that position, he has received significant recognition in the zone for his efforts to re-think and innovate in Rotary education, including focusing on elective education, broad-based curriculum, and distance learning.

The Sun Lakes Rotary Club meets for breakfast in the Sun Lakes Oakwood Country Club Ballroom every first and third Tuesday morning from 6:30 to 8 a.m. and every second and fourth Tuesday evening for light refreshments from 5:30 to 7 p.m. For visitors, your first visit is on us. To let us know you are coming, contact Jon Lyons at 602-769-7462.