Events

Club Project - Prepare sandwiches for Nery's Promise kids program on Tuesday evening

The Rotary Operations Board meeting is scheduled for 5:30pm to 7:00pm at Duf Drozd Law at 210 Main St, Richmond, TX 77469,

At our luncheon we will recognize our 2025-26 Scholarship Awards to 5 Wharton County Junior College recipients and welcome their parents, family and friends. Join us to congratulate these young people on their achievements.

Save the Date

TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2026 • 12:00–1:00 PM

CLUB ASSEMBLY — ALL MEMBERS

Club Assemblies are essential opportunities for every member to stay informed and to provide meaningful feedback that guides our club’s direction. During the June 2nd meeting, Club Officers will:

• Review key financial and organizational matters

• Discuss conducting a Visioning process to shape our club’s future goals and objectives

• Discuss member participation, expectations, and engagement

• Provide updates on Club Administration, including recent system upgrades and new technology tools

Your attendance and participation are vital to this process. Please confirm your attendance by completing the attached registration form.

Rotary Club of Richmond will conduct a community service project to serve popcorn to attedees at the City of Richmond's Movie Night at Wessendorff  on the evening of Friday, June 5th. The Dinsey Movie "Luca" will start about 8:30pm.

Club member volunteers are asked to contact Michelle Moore or Steve Onstad. Volunteers and guest will assemble at Unwine'd around 6:00PM for social time and will gatehr at Wessendorff Park at 7:45PM to begin popcorn preparation.

Lacie Chambers serves as Executive Director of the Development Corporation of Richmond (DCR), where she leads the City’s efforts to foster economic growth, attract investment, and strengthen Richmond’s role as a collaborative community partner. She brings more than 30 years of experience spanning business development, project management, fundraising, healthcare innovation, and political strategy.
A graduate of Texas A&M University, Chambers has built a career defined by strategic vision and relationship-driven leadership. In 2022, she returned to project-centered consulting and founded Impact Opportunities, partnering with public entities, businesses, and nonprofit organizations to design and execute comprehensive strategies for growth and community impact. Her work emphasized project management, fundraising, marketing, and stakeholder engagement—aligning established and emerging relationships to deliver measurable outcomes.
Her professional journey includes co-founding and managing multiple healthcare and biotechnology ventures, including Meridian Health Institute, the Texas Center for Regenerative Medicine, and Meridian Diagnostics (Dx). For nearly two decades, she served as Managing Partner and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing operations, budgets, and growth strategies while advancing innovative technologies such as stem cell therapy and salivary diagnostics.
Drawing on her background in public policy and fundraising, Chambers brings a beneficial perspective to economic development—bridging government, business, and community priorities. She spent 16 years in Washington, D.C., raising millions of dollars for political and nonprofit organizations while working closely with corporate leaders, major donors, and policymakers. Her previous roles include Finance Director for the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell (R-GA), District Director for U.S. Congresswoman Kay Granger (R-TX) as well as senior positions with the Republican National Committee (RNC) and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).
Ms. Chambers is widely respected for her commitment to excellence and integrity while forging trusted partnerships and delivering positive outcomes for the organizations and communities she serves.

Our regular lunch service activity to make sandwiches for Nery's Promise kids has been cancelled and replaced by our club's 2026-27 Officer Installation and a celebration of our club's 90th anniversary of our first meeting on April 23, 1936. See our calendar for additional information.

Club installation of 2026-27 officers will conducted. Please join us to celebrate the success of 2025-26 President Jeff Craig and Club officers! AND, celebrate the installation of President-Elect 2026-26 Wagas Kurjee and our incoming Club Officers beginning July 1st, 2026. 

RSVP below!

The first meeting of  the Rotary Club of Richmond Texas was held on Tuesday, April 23, 1936. In recognition of this achievement the Club will host a 90 yeras Anniversary celebration to salute and commemorate the founding members, welcome past members,  current members and guests  to Tina's Mexican Grill and Cantina for fellowship with stories and rememberances of past and present members. Please join us for this special occasion.

Please RSVP below!

Joe Freudenberger is the Chief Executive Officer of OakBend Medical Center, a $1 billion, three hospital, independent, non-profit, community hospital system serving Fort Bend County and surrounding areas.  After completing his M.B.A. in finance at the A. B. Freeman School of Business, Tulane University, Joe began his career in healthcare, spending 10 years with Deloitte Consulting working with major healthcare systems around the country to improve their business operations, 11 years as CFO for two different hospitals and the last 17 years as CEO for OakBend.

By shifting OakBend’s strategy to focus on service excellence, new services, community engagement, targeted marketing, physician engagement, unique partner models and financial prudence, Joe and his team have transformed OakBend Medical Center into a growing, quality local choice for healthcare in Fort Bend County and surrounding areas. Joe is a recipient of the 2018 Houston Business Journal’s Most Admired Nonprofit CEO and the winner of the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® for the Gulf Coast Region in Healthcare in 2017. 

Joe will discuss the State of Health Care on a local, state, and national level. He will also discuss what the Federal government departments and agencies are doing to reduce spending.

District Governor Camille Hamilton (RT 2026-27) installation event will be conducted at Northgate Country Club on June 26, 2026 from 6PM to 9PM. Tickets are $125/member or $1500 for a table of 12. Contact President Jeff Craig for more information and to register for a seat.

The June 2nd Club Assembly addressed many organizational issues, specifically increasing Member's annual dues from $395 to $450 per year, effective July 1, 2026. Discussion about our 2026 - 2027 clubs financial and community giving plans and objectives, lead to a consenus of members present to continue our discussion and action plans by conducting another Club Assembly on June 30, 2026. Members supported have additional discussions and the establishment of the following working Committees: 

• Bylaws Review Committee
• Club Visioning Committee

This Club Assembly meeting will continue discussions to address:

1) Fundraising activities: Turkey Leg Booth at the Fair, the Pecan Harvest Festival and other fundraising opportunities.

2)  Membership participation club meetings, service and fundraising activities, committees to support club goals and objectives.

Central Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce will be highlighting the Rotary Club of Richmond Texas at the July 7th Breakfast in the Bend event at Black Hawk Country Club , 12610 FM 1464, Richmond, TX77407 from 8:30AM to 10:00AM. 

The CFBCC's Breakfast in the Bend monthly events invite Chamber members to gather at a member hosted location in fellowship and highlight an area nonprofit. The Rotary Club of Richmond is proud to be selected for July and Club President Wagas Kurjee will lead a small group of Richmond Rotarians who are eager to share Rotary's history, purpose and its support provided to our community since its founding in 1936, now celebrating its 90th Anniversary. 

Please contact President Wagas at 832-404-9307, if you are interested to participate.