This week’s meeting will focus on shaping our strategic plan for 2025–2026, with a special emphasis on membership.
We’ll explore how to grow our club, engage members more meaningfully, and strengthen retention as we look ahead to a new Rotary year. Join us as we lay the groundwork for a vibrant and sustainable future.

We’re delighted to welcome back Linda Berg-Cross, a valued past member and dedicated Rotarian, as she visits our club. Linda will share insights into her current focus and ongoing commitment to service. Join us for an inspiring session and reconnect with a familiar face who continues to make a difference both locally and globally.

We are pleased to welcome Geoffrey Thomas, recipient of our Professional Service Award, to our club. Geoffrey has demonstrated outstanding dedication to community service, and we look forward to hearing about his impactful work with Habitat for Humanity Metro Maryland. His leadership and commitment to providing safe, affordable housing have made a meaningful difference in the lives of many. We are honored to have him join us and share his experiences.

Nick Martinez, CFP®
Financial Advisor – Edward Jones

Nick Martinez is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional based in North Bethesda, Maryland. He brings over 18 years of experience in the financial services industry, serving individuals, families, and business owners with personalized investment strategies and long-term financial planning.

In addition to holding the CFP® designation, Nick also carries a number of professional licenses and certifications, including the Accredited Asset Management Specialist℠ (AAMS®) designation, as well as the Series 7, Series 66, and Life and Health Insurance licenses.

Nick has received multiple recognitions throughout his career, including being named a Million Dollar Producer, a Circle of Success qualifier, and a consistent Impact Conference attendee—demonstrating both high performance and strong client commitment.

Outside of the office, Nick is an active member of the local community, and enjoys a variety of activities including coaching youth sports, playing golf, and participating in high-performance driving experiences at local tracks.

This year’s Teacher of the Year is Kristen Portalea. With a passion for mathematics and a 14-year commitment to teaching and inspiring students, Ms. Portalea has made an incredible impact here at Rockville High School. She has worked with all variety of students and works especially hard to support students with IEPs and our Emergent Multilingual students.

Her nominator summed up her dedication wonderfully, “Kristen goes above and beyond in helping her students learn math and find a place to belong. She is incredibly creative and resourceful when reaching even the most reluctant learner. When students were worried about highlighting the wrong thing in their notes, Kristen got them erasable highlighters. When students were struggling to keep different formulas straight, she color coded the formulas and created a laminated note sheet for them. Every student feels welcome in her class and she helps any student who needs it, even if they aren’t her current student.

She’s always keeping the class active and fun, whether that means having hot chocolate as they practice equations or fun coloring sheet that cover the concepts.”

This year’s Teacher of the Year is Kristen Portalea, a dedicated math teacher with 14 years of experience at Rockville High School. Known for her creativity and commitment to all learners—especially students with IEPs and Emergent Multilingual students—Ms. Portalea makes every student feel welcome. Whether it’s using erasable highlighters, color-coded notes, or hot chocolate to keep lessons engaging, she goes above and beyond to help every student succeed.

Darine Haddad earned her Ph.D. in Optics from the University of Versailles in 2004, where she taught and conducted research in optical sensors and metrology. She has worked on precision experiments to measure the Planck constant and define the unit of mass, first in France at LNE and since 2008 at NIST in the U.S. She now leads NIST’s efforts on the primary realization of mass (NIST-4) and the Quantum Electro-Mechanical Metrology Suite (QEMMS).

Lasse V. Syversen is a seasoned business leader and entrepreneur with a background in executive roles at General Electric, Olivetti, Honeywell Bull, and Dell. He is the owner of Ritmarine Ltd, Bloksberg Inc, and Flagship Trade Net, focusing on trade technology and strategic consulting.

A graduate of INSEAD with a Master’s in Change Management, Lasse is known for leading business transformations and currently serves on 10 corporate boards. His career blends corporate expertise with entrepreneurial drive, making him a respected voice in strategy and innovation.

Glen Fields is the Founder & CEO of BDA and Head of Operations at BrandStar, leading a 50+ person team and specializing in ad buying, analytics, and marketing strategy. With a background in government contracting and over a decade in digital marketing leadership, Glen combines precision and creativity to deliver high-impact results across industries.

A University of Maryland alum and proud Terp, he’s also a devoted family man, competitive athlete, and motorsports enthusiast.

Jake Matysek, President of the Potomac-Bethesda Rotary Club and a financial advisor, specializes in strategies that maximize charitable impact while optimizing tax benefits. In his upcoming talk, he will share practical insights on how Rotarians can give more effectively, enhancing their philanthropic efforts and support for meaningful causes.