All posts by Mary Radovan

Insurance  – Consumer, Additional Active

Valerie Gomez is Director of Operations/Agent for Farmers Insurance.

She is a native San Diegan and attended Valhalla High School.  Before going into sales, she tried a career in web design and in pastries.  Now while working in insurance, she has started her own business selling gemstones and crystals because she really enjoys teaching customers about them.  But first and foremost, she is mom to her 4-year old son.

Valerie enjoys networking and says she couldn’t think of a more better place than Rotary.  She says it was the warmest group of people she has ever met! And she says what better way to connect with others than to do work alongside them in service.

Duke Sobek, Stephanie Saathoff and Annie Rodriguez were her sponsors.

Community Liaison-MCRD, Additional Active

Jimmie “Jim” Gruny is the new Community Liaison Officer for MCRD San Diego.  He is responsible for high level community engagement on behalf of the MCRD and is also responsible for resolving conflicts between the depot and the city, port and Airport Authority related to land use.

Jim is a retired Marine Colonel.  His 30 years of service in the Marine Corps as an Armor Officer included two combat tours in Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Born and raised in Kentucky, he holds a BA in Economics from Vanderbilt University and a Masters in Management from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.

Prior to his current position, Jim was the COO for Workshop for Warriors. He and his wife, Teresa, have been married for 35 years and they have 2 sons and 1 grandson.

Rick Huenefeld, Doug Taber and Rachel Inmon were his sponsors.

Human Resources-Job Training, Additional Active

Peter Callstrom is the President & CEO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership (SDWP) which funds job training programs to empower job seekers to meet the current and future workforce needs of employers in San Diego County.

Peter had led nonprofit organizations in the San Diego region since 1986, including services to people with disabilities, the homeless, and under-represented job seekers.  He has led the SDWP since 2012 and was awarded the 2021 Nonprofit CEO of the Year by the San Diego Business Journal.

A Minnesota native, he moved to San Diego in 1986. He and his wife, Patricia, have been married for 26 years and they have 2 daughters.  On his free time, he enjoys racquetball with his favorite “target”, President Phil Blair.

Peter is a returning Club 33 member (2013-2018).

Associations – CCCBA

Constance Carroll is the President and CEO of the California Community College Baccalaureate Association (CCCBA), a non-profit 501(c)(3) she founded that is dedicated to the promotion and expansion of baccalaureate programs among California’s 116 community colleges in workforce fields.

Constance grew up in Baltimore, Maryland during the period of segregation.  It was that experience that generated in her a great passion and commitment to diversity and expanding equity and opportunity to everyone.

She has had a distinguished career in higher education for almost 50 years.  And on July 1, 2021 she retired as the longest serving chancellor for the San Diego Community College District in which she served for 17 years.  She also served as President of San Diego Mesa College for 11 years.

Constance’s professional history includes service on national boards, numerous awards, and publications.  In 2011, she was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed by the US Senate to serve a six-year term on the National Council on the Humanities.  In 2020, she was appointed to serve on the College Promise National Advisory Board, which leads a nonpartisan initiative dedicated to building public support for tuition-free Promise programs across the country.

She holds a BA in Humanities from Duquesne University, an MA and Ph.D. in Classics (Ancient Greek and Latin) from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Certificate of Proficiency in Hellenic Studies from Knubly University in Athens, Greece. She also attended the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management.

She says she is looking forward to being a very hardworking and active member.

Mark Stuart, Jim Hughes and Chris Sichel were here sponsors.