Past Programs

Embracing the Future


	City Club of Tacoma programs feature well known speakers on a variety of topics significant to its members and to the South Sound community. While most programs are centered on a principal speaker, others have included outings, candidate forums, and special ethnic-cultural presentations. The Program Committee strives to put together meetings and activities that are of interest to the membership. You are encouraged to contact the Program Committee through the City Club Office with any suggestions you may have as to program content.

Programs Presented in Calendar Year 2003
January 1st	NO PROGRAM TODAY - Happy New Year!
January 8^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Tacoma Art School: Michael McGavock coordinates this discussion about our innovative high school program in downtown Tacoma.
January 15^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	Peter Callaghan and Associates: They're back to update us on this year's legislative slate.
January 22^nd Noon Roundtable The Vault	Homeland Security: Role of the Red Cross Carrie Cirrito, Executive Director, and Tom Valentine, Chairman of the Board of the Tacoma Pierce County Chapter, will talk about the Red Cross's role in homeland security
January 29th 7:30 am Breakfast Meeting Landmark Convention Center	THIS IS SOMETHING NEW! Ben Wedding of New Definitions, Inc (NDI) will speak about homeland security and the integration of local and military resources.
February 5^th 6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Student Center Rotunda	Update on the Convention Center: Scott Harm, AIA, of Merritt Pardini Architects will give us an update on the progress of our new Convention Center that is due to be completed in August of 2004. Coordinated by Dave McKeever.
February 12^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Tax Equity and Proposed Tax Reform: Kristin Pula of The Tax Fairness Coalition, will take the group through some budget exercises, discuss tax equity in Washington State and listen to City Club members about their ideas for solutions. The Tax Fairness Coalition, working closely with the Gates Tax Structure Study Committee, is a group of education, health, labor, senior citizens, human service, consumer, policy, conservation, and faith-based organizations that came together last April to work for tax reform. Julie Anderson coordinates this informative Roundtable. Visit these sites to read more about the Tax Fairness Coalition: Real Change News, Seattle PI Commentary, and Children's Alliance. This program is coordinated by Julie Anderson.
February 19^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	World Trade Center: Andreas Udbye, Executive Director of the Tacoma World Trade Center, will speak about our Gateway to Global Trade. For more information click here. Coordinated by Dave McKeever.
February 26^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	In anticipation of Women�s History month in March, the February 26th roundtable will be Women�s History in the City of Tacoma. Tacoma has an incredibly rich history of remarkable women who are national treasures! Attend this inspiring presentation given by Judy Fortier of the City of Tacoma. Judy�s presentation includes historical photographs and a gold mine of Tacoma trivia. This program is coordinated by Julie Anderson.
March 5^th 6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Student Center Rotunda	Care of the Aging - Dr. Mimi Pattison The American health care system has become very sophisticated in meeting crisis medical conditions. Very little attention is paid to the process of a dignified, comforting, and, yes, even joyful, death. Dr. Pattison explains paliative care and discusses the award winning program she has developed with Franciscan Health Care.
March 12^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Update on Tacoma's Homeless Youth. Representatives from the national organization, StandUp For Kids, will join local activists from the Alliance for Youth, to provide an update about Tacoma's homeless youth and the prospects for a youth shelter. Coordinated by Julie Anderson.
March 19^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	Health Care on the Critical List - Dr. Maureen Callaghan, President of the Washington State Medical Association; Joseph W. Wilczek, President and CEO of Franciscan Health System; and Mary McWilliams, President of Regence BlueShield; will discuss the challenges facing the health care system from each of their perspectives. Discussion will be moderated by Brooke Beschen, producer and host of KBTC's PULSE television show.
March 26^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Art Space: Josie Emmons, Director of Tacoma's Division of Culture and Tourism, will talk about Art Space, a project to develop artist live / work space in Tacoma. Learn more about how the visual and performing arts fit into Tacoma's economic revitalization, and the innovative approaches being used to draw artists to our City. Coordinated by Julie Anderson.
April 2^nd6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Student Center Rotunda	Eleanor Roosevelt - A Legacy of Leadership: Pat Baillargeon to speak about her years as Eleanor Roosevelt's assistant, 1953 through 1960. Dawn Lucien coordinates this living history program. This is a DON'T MISS program.
April 9^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Update on the Broadway Center for the Performing Arts:
April 16^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	Seattle-Tacoma International Airport: Juli Wilkerson introduced the Director of our region's airport who spoke about the business health of the airport and its expansion programs in progress. Jim Reardon coordinated this informative program.
April 23^rd Noon Roundtable The Vault	Setting Personal Goals and Achieving Them: Marshall Macy will lead a discussion on the process of setting personal goals and how to go about attaining them.
May 7^th 6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Student Center Rotunda	Tacoma Public Schools - How Well Are We Doing? Dr. James Shoemake, Superintendent of Tacoma Public Schools addressed the challenges facing our school system with the new "No Child Left Behind" legislation. He also told us about the many aspects of our school system that are sources of pride.
May 14^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Update on Stadium High School: The surveys have been done and plans completed. What will the new school look like? Lee Pardini and other project managers from Merrit+Pardini will speak about the progress of this endeavor. Dave McKeever coordinates this program.
May 21^st Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	Tacoma's Renaissance - Does It Include Business? Bruce Kendall, President and CEO of the Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development Board, will address business development in our area, the partnerships that are required to make development happen, and how his office has modified their approach to fit the times.
May 28^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Beautiful Landscapes While Conserving Water: Anna Thurston, and expert in the use and placement of native plants, will explain how to have a beautiful garden with a minimum of watering and work.
June 4^th 6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Student Center Rotunda	Tacoma's Visual Arts Renaissance: Stimulating panel discussion moderated by Josie Emmons, Director of the Tacoma Cultural Tourism Division, Economic Development Department. Panel members will be: Rick Gottas, Owner and Director of American Art Company; Greg Robinson, Director of the William Traver Gallery; and Jen Graves, Arts Reporter and Columnist for The News Tribune.
June 11^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Children and the Arts: Find out how our museums are helping children explore their senses and learn about the world around them - all while having loads of fun. Directors of the Tacoma Art Museum and the Children's Art Museum will lead the discussion. Bev Holland coordinates this program.
June 18^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	Leadership in the New World Order - General Timothy Lowenberg, Adjutant General of the Washington State National Guard will be the key note speaker at our annual luncheon recognizing this year's emerging leaders in Tacoma and Pierce County. For more information about General Lowenberg, please click here.
June 25^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Domestic Violence - Help and Prevention - Connie Brown, Executive Director of the YWCA of Pierce County, will discuss what local agencies are doing for victims of domestic violence, as well as how they are helping prevent it al all levels and ages.
July 2^nd 6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Student Center Rotunda	Culture and Conflict in the Middle East - Dr. Birol A. Yesilada, Professor of Turkish Studies at Portland State University and holder of the only endowed Turkish Chair in America, will give us his perspective on how conflict in the Middle East has affected its culture. For more information about Dr. Yesilada, please click here.
July 9^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Women in the Middle East - Gina Crocetti, Board member of City Club, taught at a university in the Middle East in the early nineties. She will give us her perspective and insightful comments on the culture and role of women.
July 16^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	Operation Iraqi Freedom - Colonel Allardice, Commander of the 62nd Airlift Wing, will tell us about his experiences in airlifting troops and equipment with the C-17 into the Iraqi war zone. This event is co-sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce. Cost is $13 for members of either organization, $17 for guests.
July 23^rd Noon Roundtable The Vault	Downtown Connection - Michael Zachary, Director of Port Planning and Logistics, will bring us up to date on the status of the 11th Street bridge and access issues between downtown and the port. The port is neutral on the bridge issue but sees value in using the money that would be spent in repairing the bridge to improve access overall, with emphasis being placed on improvements to SR167 and the I-5 interchange connections to the Port of Tacoma Road.
August 6^th 6pm Summer Outing Port of Tacoma	Port of Tacoma - This year City Club members will get a behind the scenes tour of the Port and its operations. This is a family event with dinner included. For those of you who would like to see your port from the water, be one of the first 100 guests to make your reservations. The boat will leave the dock promptly at 5 pm and will return by 6 in time for the program. Make your reservations early.
August 13^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Mike Gilbert, Embedded Reporter - Mike and his photographer, Peter Haley, TNT staff, will tell us about their experiences with the troops in Iraq.
August 20^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	Ten Outrageous Things in American Life - John Nance; author of many international best sellers, aviation analyst for ABC News, a top professional speaker, an attorney, a senior Air Force aviator, and a veteran airline captain; will speak to us about one of his favorite subjects. Advance copies of his latest book will be available for sale and John will be glad to autograph your purchases! For more information about John, please click here.
August 27^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	State of Human Services in Pierce County - Catherine Forbes, Impact Coordinator of United Way, will speak about the newest findings in how human services are provided in our county.
September 3^rd 6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Center Rotunda	City Council Candidates - It's that time of year when we get to meet the people who hope to lead our fair city for the coming three years. This is a don't miss program coordinated by Bev Holland.
September 10^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	How Far Have We Really Come? - Barb Hiatt, 23 year veteran of the United States Air Force, will tell us about her experiences in the Women's Air Force and the rapid transition that was made to a fully integrated force.
September 17^th Noon Luncheon Landmark Convention Center	Presentation of the City Governance Study - The City Club Community Research Team introduces its long anticipated study about our city's form of government. This meeting will take place at the Landmark Roof Garden Ballroom. Please make note.
September 24^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Habitat for Humanity - Lee Desta will discuss this important element in our community's health.
October 1^st 6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Center Rotunda	Tall Ships 2004 - The City would like to host the Tall Ships in 2004. In order to make that happen, a concerted effort must be made. Representatives from City Hall will come tell us why this is a would be a good event for our community.
October 8^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	To be announced
October 15^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	Never Give Up - the Power of Positive Thinking. Bob Moawad, the epitome of positiveness, will share his insightfulness with us on a number of topics. For more information about Bob and his work, please visit his website by clicking here.
November 5^th 6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Center Rotunda	Salishan Project - Tess Colby, Director of Development for the Tacoma Housing Authority and Harris Hoffman of LORIG Associates will tell us about the redesign of the Salishan low-income housing community.
November 12^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Our Military Installations - Gary Brackett, Manager for Business and Trade, Tacoma Pierce County Chamber of Commerce, will discuss the role our military bases play in our economy and their vulnerability to closure.
November 19^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	11th Street Bridge - The Tacoma City Council has given the Murray Morgan (11th Street) Bridge a reprieve from the wrecking ball for the time being. It is still in danger of being demolished, though. Come hear Don Meyer, Michael Sullivan, and Steven Sanafelt discuss the history of the bridge and what it would take to save it.
November 26^th	Happy Thanksgiving - No meeting
December 3^rd 6pm Dinner UPS Wheelock Center Rotunda	Coffee and Chocolate - Coffee and Chocolate, A Heavenly Combination - our speakers will be espresso trainer and new accounts rep Natalie Cain of Batdorf & Bronson, and Charlene Murdock and Chris Allen of the food specialties and accessories firm of Murdock & White. And yes, there will be samples!
December 10^th Noon Roundtable The Vault	Puget Creek Restoration - Scott Hansen, President of the Puget Creek Restoration Society, will explain the purpose of his organization and the efforts underway to restore the watershed to Commencement Bay.
December 17^th Noon Luncheon Sheraton Ballroom	New Presidents In Our Midst - Bill Roden, president of Bates Technical College, and Ron Thomas, president of University of Puget Sound, will share with us their experiences in settling in to their new posts. Sharon Babcock will do the introductions for this program that is coordinated by Dawn Lucien.	President Ron Thomas
December 24^th	Happy Holidays! No City Club meeting today. See you next year. Wishing you the very best.

	To view listings of programs given in past years, please click on the appropriate year below: 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997

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This page was last updated: November 29, 2003