Events

Susie Scott is Office Manager at Suburban Waste Services and will present to us on the business services and operations of SWS.

Susie manages the WOW customer support team at SWS. Their values include Integrity: "Doing the right thing when no one is looking" and Teamwork: They work together for the common goal of each other and those we serve. SWS works under a Servant Leadership philosophy which drives our company culture. It consists of respect, encouragement, accountability, teamwork and colleagues that truly care for each other.

The company provides waste services for communities in the southwest suburban area with a focus on minimizing the impact of waste on the environment. SWS has an emphasis on no sort recycling, converting waste to electrical power and methane recovery to covert to biofuel.

Leif Hagen grew up in Stevens Point and graduated from St. Olaf College in 1988 with a BA in German and French. His early career included teaching languages in Zug, Switzerland, and high school English in Gero, Japan. In 1992, he entered the financial services field as a financial planner with Lutheran Brotherhood, later joining LPL Financial in 2002. He now owns Achievement Financial in Eagan, Minnesota, offering financial planning and Medicare supplemental insurance services.

Leif has held multiple leadership roles within Rotary, including two terms as President of the Eagan Rotary Club and serving as the two-year charter president of the MN Pride Rotary Club. His Rotary involvement includes leading a GSE team to Bangalore, India, hosting GSE visitors from Finland and Brazil, serving as District Conference co-chair, Assistant Governor for Area 2, and on the District Foundation grant committee. He is a Paul Harris Society member, a Major Donor, and has attended Rotary International conventions in Birmingham, New Orleans, Bangkok, Hamburg, Calgary, and Taipei. 

Leif lives in Eagan with his partner, Valdir Oliveira, and has three daughters — Kajsa, Svea, and Britta. He enjoys foreign languages, international travel, collecting art and attending art shows.

His District Governor's theme is “The Art of Rotary.”

Linda Wallenberg is the 2025 Minnesota Teacher of the Year. Known affectionately as Wally, she has been teaching English at Eden Prairie High School for 50 years! A Gustavus Adolphus grad she joined the staff at EP High School in 1976 teaching English, Swedish and coaching gymnastics. 

Wally  earned a master’s degree in English education from the University of Minnesota. She has taught in Canterbury, England, and for the past 44 summers has taught Swedish and served as the director of Concordia College’s Swedish Language Village. In addition to numerous teaching awards, Wallenberg has been named National Gymnastics Coach of the Year twice and awarded the Royal Order of the Polar Star from King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden. She was also awarded the Parr Prize for Excellence in Teaching Shakespeare.

Greeter: John Steinlicht

Reports, updates, accomplishments, and hopes from leadership and committees of the Club at our noon lunch meeting today.

Jason is both the Assistant Head Coach and the General Manager for the U of M's Women's Basketball team. Hired by Head Coach, Dawn Plitzuweit, prior to last season Jason came to MN after serving in the same position at the University of West Virginia. Prior to that he had coached with Coach Plitzuweit for five years at the University of South Dakota. Jason originally hails from Dallas Texas. He and his wife, Courtney, have two daughters, Rylee and Hailee. 

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

Join us and hear from Bill Maes & Scott Schnieder

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