Dulles Rotary Club Meeting
May 2, 2025
Rotary Club of Dulles International Airport – May 2 Meeting Recap
We proudly inducted Kimberly LoCascio as our newest member. Kimberly brings a spirit of service and leadership, and we’re excited to have her in the Rotary family. 
Our featured speaker, Vyllorya Evans, delivered a powerful presentation on the Rosenwald School Initiative of Monroe County, preserving the legacy of Black education in the Jim Crow South. Her words were both moving and motivating. 
Judy McCary reported on the success of our 8th Annual Wine and Crime Dinner at Casanel Vineyards & Winery. Held on April 26, the event raised essential funds for the LeRoy Collins Memorial Scholarship and the FOP Cops & Kids Holiday Shopping Event. Thank you to all who made this evening a success! 
We closed with an update from Rich McCary, who shared how the Scholarship Committee is continuing its mission to support promising students in our community. 
8th Annual Wine Dinner
April 30, 2025
What a night to remember!
Guests enjoyed a catered Italian dinner and wine
Participated as suspects and detectives in the interactive mystery Who Killed Auntie Agatha?
Bid in a silent auction with nearly 30 incredible items
And celebrated the induction of two new members — Annie and Val!
Special thanks to our event chair Judy McCary and everyone who donated, attended, or volunteered! 
Registration & Sponsorships Now Open for the 8th Annual Wine and Crime Dinner
The Rotary Club of Dulles International Airport is thrilled to announce our upcoming Wine and Crime Dinner on April 26, 2025 from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. at Casanel Vineyards and Winery. We have an exciting new format this year where our club Rotarians and supporters are the cast. You're the detective, working in teams to determine Who Killed Auntie Agatha. A delicious dinner with wine from Casanel will delight your senses as you work to solve the mystery.
Visit our Wine Dinner page for more information or visit our registration site here to buy your tickets or sponsorship.
2024 Cops & Kids
December 7, 2024
On Saturday, members of the club participated in one of our favorite events of the year - Cops & Kids. This event, run annually by the Fraternal Order of Police Loudoun-Dulles Lodge 69, brings a Merry Christmas to needy local families.
Starting with feeding the children breakfast, Santa and Mrs. Claus lead a group of children who are paired up with a law enforcement officer from several local jurisdictions where the children spend the morning Christmas shopping for themselves and/or their loved ones for holiday gifts. More than 175 active and retired volunteers represented Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Leesburg Police Department Middleburg Police Department, Purcellville Police Department, Virginia State Police and several federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Agency and U.S. Customs Bureau take part in the event.
Dulles Rotary Club Meeting
October 18, 2024
What a great meeting this morning. We were honored to have our District Governor, Amelia Stansell give an inspiring talk on the Magic of Rotary and how to make your club irresistible.
We were also inspired by the Westfield High School Interact Club and the election of their new President, Lily Wilson, and two Vice Presidents, Justin Anand and Chris Park. A huge thank you to club member Leanne Grammo for running the Interact Club and bringing them to our meeting.
Finally, congratulations to club member, John McCrea for being recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow!
Dulles Rotary Club Meeting
September 13, 2024
We had an awesome Zoom meeting this morning meeting the leadership team of Westfield High School's DECA Club which is which led by our club member, Leanne Grammo. We're excited by the initiatives the DECA members are planning for the fall, including a shoe drive.
Dulles Rotary Club Meeting
September 6, 2024
What a great morning! We welcomed new member John McCrea, Business Network Director at American Promise to our Rotary Club! We heard from the dynamic leader Katie Pate, Senior Associate Athletics Director of Development at George Mason University Athletics.
Dulles Rotary Club Meeting
July 26, 2024
At this morning's meeting we took the opportunity to celebrate some of the members that contribute so much to the club and our success.
New club member, Jeannette Malin Berdel was awarded her Paul Harris Fellow certificate. Congratulations Jeannette!
She was pinned by her husband and fellow club member, Col. Joerg Dronia.
Club members, Dave Kirby, Kathrin Schroeder, and Col. Joerg Dronia, were awarded Certificates of Excellence by immediate Past President John Ohrnberger for their hard work during his year as Club President.
Finally, President Tony Denk awarded immediate Past President John Ohrnberger with a Certificate of Excellence and a golden gavel plaque for his tremendous efforts during Rotary year 2023-2024.
Dulles Rotary Club Meeting
July 12, 2024
At this morning's meeting we celebrated another of this year's Leroy Collins Memorial Scholarship recipients, Lauren MacDonnell. Congratulations Lauren!
We were also treated to a very engaging and interesting classification talk by club member Laura Poindexter. Laura is an extremely active member of the Northern Virginia community and a terrific club member!
Congratulations to our scholarship winners!!
June 28, 2024
We held our annual Leroy Collins Memorial Scholarship breakfast on Friday, June 28th. At the breakfast we celebrated this year's winners, Lima Naimi, Celeste Silva-Carrillo, Sydney Hawes, and Febronia Farowez.
We were honored to have prior winner and recent College of William and Mary graduate, Melanie Pineda-Flores join us to give an inspiring speech to this year's winners.
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to the Scholarship Committee for the hard work!
Dulles Rotary Club Meeting
May 10, 2024
Mr. Dharmendra Joshi visted us from the Rotary Club of Kankaria (Ahmedabad), India. Mr. Joshi gave an interesting and informative talk about his journey in Rotary from starting in Rotaract to his current involvement. He shared the many projects that his club has successfully completed and of their involvement in their community.
Click to learn more about the Rotary Club of Kankaria (Ahmedabad).
Dulles Club President, John Ohrnberger presented Mr. Joshi with a certificate of appreciation and a club banner.
Dulles Rotary Club Meeting
April 26, 2024
The club was treated to a interesting and moving presentation on the "Wheelchair Project: The Gift of Mobility and Hope" by Tang Byrom from the Manassas club.
For more information or to donate, visit -
https://fundraise.wheelchairfoundation.org/campaign/rotary-district-7570-wheelchair-project/c504194
The club also honored new member Polly Murray with a Paul Harris Fellow award and pin. Pictured are President John Ohrnberger, Tim Murray, Polly Murray, and Rotary Foundation Chair Johnny Chapman.
7th Annual Dulles Rotary Club Wine Dinner
April 20, 2024
A great time was had by all at our 7th Annual Wine Dinner. A full house was treated to a delicious dinner, terrific wine, and an entertaining murder mystery live performance of "I shot the Sheriff", presented by the StageCoach Theatre Company.
Proceeds from the event support our annual LeRoy Collins Memorial Scholarships and Loudoun County FOP Cops & Kids Annual Christmas Shopping Event.
A special thank you to all of our sponsors and Casanel Vineyards & Winery!
Dulles Airport Rotary inducts six new members!
What an action packed meeting of the Dulles Rotary Club on Friday, April 5th!!! Music, a terrific speaker, and SIX (6) new members inducted.
Entertainment was provided by Roy Wulf of the American Originals Fife & Drum Corps.
To induct our new club members, we were joined by District Governor Rene Laws, Eileen Curtis, District membership Chair and Shelia Brennan, Past District Governor.
Due to our adoption of the new Family and Strategic Partner Memberships, we now have six new club members:
- Sonia Castillo Smith
- Leanne Grammo
- Jeannette Malin-Berdel
- Karen McCarthy
- Judy McCary
- Polly Murray
Guest speaker, Richard Golinowski, Vice President and Airport Manager of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) shared so much exciting information about Dulles Airport.
The Dulles Rotary Club was treated to a very interesting presentation this morning by Ms. Kirsten Fontenrose on the topic of drones and their potential risks across the globe.
Kirsten Fontenrose is President of Red Six Solutions, an advisory firm providing technical expertise to the US government, partner nations and private sector on defeating drones. Kirsten has over twenty years of experience working with the national security apparatuses of nations in the Middle East and Africa from positions within the US Department of Defense, Department of State, the White House, and private industry. Her most recent government service was as Senior Director for the Middle East at the National Security Council.
If you have interest in topics like this, please consider joining us for a meeting!
Dulles Rotary club members Lou Pack, John Ohrnberger, and Joerg Dronia joined forces with members of the Herndon/Reston club and Great Falls club along with other members of the community in a Rise Against Hunger meal packing event at Aldrin Elementary School. 15,000 meals were packaged for shipment around the world to people in need.
Thank you to all who participated!
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Thank you to club member Robin McGlothin for giving a very interesting and entertaining classification talk! Robin is the Director of Development at The Arc of Loudoun. We are thrilled to have Robin as a member of our club.
Welcome our newest member Jon Gonzalez!
Congratulations to our two newest Paul Harris Fellows, Laura Poindexter and Robin Hogan!
We're delighted to be back with our friends, meeting in person at 7:30 a.m. on the first and third Fridays of the month (the other Fridays are held virtually). Please join us for these in person meetings at the Hilton Dulles Airport, located at 13869 Park Center Rd, Herndon, VA 20171.
We recently enjoyed an in-person Holiday Christmas Breakfast at the Hilton. Happy New Year from our Club to you and your family! Here's to a wonderful 2024.
Save the Date for our annual Wine and Crime Dinner 2024 - "I Shot the Sheriff" - with our friends at Casanel Vineyards and Winery. Join us for a great evening!
We recently had the pleasure of having Colonel Joerg Dronia of the German Armed Forces Command as our guest speaker at our in-person meeting. Colonel Dronia (pictured here with Dulles Rotary President John Ohrnberger) spoke on the New German National Security Strategy.
The Dulles Rotary Club once again supported the annual “Cops and Kids” event, hosted by the Loudoun-Dulles Fraternal Order of Police Lodge (FOP) #69. We were fortunate to make a difference for those less fortunate. More than 100 children, active and retired law enforcement volunteers, German Armed Forces Command and Dulles Rotary Club volunteers participated.
The children enjoyed music and breakfast at the Dulles Wegmans. Then children were paired up with law enforcement officers and other volunteers to enjoy Christmas shopping at Target at Dulles for themselves and their families.
A special thanks to Colonel Joerg Dronia, Commander of the @German Armed Forces Command (GAFC) (who is also a member of our Club), for the generous donation.
Pictured here are AG Pat Williams pinning a 3rd Ruby Paul Harris award on Tim Murray and two new members, Robin Hogan and Robin McGlothin, being inducted as new club members, and of course Frau Kathrin Schroeder, our special guest speaker, with President John Orhnberger!
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Thank you to all who joined us on Monday, September 18, 2023 for a very successful 27th annual Opportunities Open! It was a gorgeous day and we enjoyed great golf, delicious food, and one lucky winner even received a deluxe bourbon basket.
We hope to see you again next year for the 28th annual golf tournament. All proceeds benefit those less fortunate in our community.
Please join us on Friday, August 18th for a very special presentation:
Topic: Protecting Ronald Reagan National Airport and America's Regional Airports.
Bio: Scott K. York is the Executive Director of the Committee for Dulles and President of The Coalition To Protect America's Regional Airports. Scott joined the Committee for Dulles in 2019 and became a member of its Board of Directors. He was appointed as Interim Executive Director in March of 2020, then appointed Executive Director in September 2020. Prior to January 2016, he had dedicated the last twenty-four years to public service, serving on the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors for twenty years, the last sixteen those years as its Chairman. He also served for four years as the Sterling District Planning Commissioner. Under his leadership as Chairman, Loudoun County transformed into a premier location to live and work, become one of America’s economic development success stories. Scott was recognized for his years of service from the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government by awarding him with the 2015 Elizabeth & David Scull Metropolitan Service Award.
Reserve Your Space for the 27th Opportunities Open HERE.
27th Opportunities Open Tickets Are Live! Don’t miss out on the Early Bird Special for the 27th annual Opportunities Open!
The event will take place Monday, September 18th at Raspberry Falls Golf and Hunt Club in Leesburg. All proceeds benefit local individuals and organizations which are less advantaged. We are anticipating another sold out tournament. You can find more information at www.opportunitiesopen.org. Most importantly, don’t miss out!
On Friday morning June 2nd, our Club held our annual scholarship award breakfast for the LeRoy Collins Memorial Scholarship Program. We were excited to host our 6 scholarship awardees and their families. LeRoy Collins was a Dulles International Rotary Club member who passed away years ago. The annual LeRoy Collins Memorial Scholarship lives on to remind us of LeRoy as a great man, a gentle giant, and a true
Rotarian.
Scholarship candidates had to be a graduating senior in 2023 from a Loudoun County school, a Virginia resident, and attending a college or university within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Applicants had to submit a rigorous application that included their financial need, their academic record, their extracurricular activities, community service activities, two essays (one addressing how the applicant exemplifies the 4-Way test of Rotary), and 2 letters of recommendation. The Club Scholarship Committee also conducted interviews of each of the applicants.
Congratulations to our scholarship awardees and their families.
A special thanks to our Club members Georgia Graves and Rich McCary who co-chaired the Scholarship Committee this year.
On Friday morning April 21th we had the pleasure of hosting Mr. Jeff Huber. Jeff is an attorney with the Walton & Adams law firm in Reston and gave a presentation on the legal proceedings for White’s Ferry. Jeff is also a former member of our Club. Mr.
Huber’s practice focuses on land and business-related civil litigation, administrative land use and real estate-related matters, and general business advice. He maintains a particularly active practice in the field of eminent domain. He has represented local
governments and land owners in land use litigation, including state and federal actions resulting from the denial of rezoning and commission permit applications, challenges to
comprehensive plan and zoning ordinance amendments, and challenges to determinations by zoning officials. Jeff is recognized by his peers as one of the Commonwealth’s outstanding attorneys in real estate litigation and transactional matters.
Jeff and his firm have been involved in the White’s Ferry legal proceedings for quite some time. During his presentation about the legal proceedings, he provided quite a bit of background on the history of the case. This included a history of White’s Ferry going back the late 1700’s with land deed, survey data, and some maps going back to before and during the Civil War.
On Friday morning April 7th we had the pleasure of hosting Ms. Karen Joseph. Karen is the founder of Food for Neighbors. Food for Neighbors’ mission is to end child student hunger in the Northern Virginia area by raising awareness and community involvement. Through awareness comes a desire to help. Currently, more than 5,000 students are receiving food support at 41 area middle and high schools with this organization.
Through their Red Bag Program, they provide a platform for middle and high schools to engage volunteers from their local community to work together to collect and distribute food every week. The program began in Herndon, Virginia, and has since expanded throughout Northern Virginia. Food For Neighbors is an organization operated and supported by local donors, volunteers and businesses who care about the students in their community.
Are you interested in becoming a Rotary member? We welcome you to join us for breakfast on Friday morning. Check our Meeting & Speaker Topics or Calendar to ensure we are meeting this week. For membership questions, please send an email via the contact form on the Contact Us page or email a Club Leader listed on the left side of the webpage.
To learn more about our club, click here.
Rotary Club of Dulles International Airport
P.O. Box 554
Herndon, VA 20172
