Speakers

DRC Sponsor: Kim Bonnet

Luther College President Dr. Brad Chamberlain will visit our club to speak to the current state of affairs at Luther College and share his experiences since assuming the office at the start of the Spring 2025 semester.

Dr. Chamberlain is the former Luther College Provost and was named the 12th president of the college in November 2024. As Provost, he brokered new academic programs and expanded the Office of Student Success with the addition of Advising, the Career Center, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching and the Writing Center to create an integrated student success model, the first of its kind at Luther. Prior to those duties, he was Vice President for Mission and Communication from 2019 until 2022. He led the implementation of Luther’s first integrated brand strategy, developed the college’s first strategic internal communications plan, and co-led the COVID Response Team. Joining the college in the fall of 2001 as a visiting professor, Dr. Chamberlain earned tenure in 2007 and became a full professor in 2014, serving as Chairman of the Chemistry Department from 2014 to 2018.

Graduating magna cum laude with his bachelor’s in Chemistry from Gustavus Adolphus College, Dr. Chamberlain earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. Before joining the Luther faculty, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Cornell University. He has continued his education with professional certifications in fundraising management from Indiana University’s Lilly Family School of Philanthropy; in diversity, equity and inclusion from Cornell University’s online campus; and in strategy from the Harvard Business School.

Dr. Chamberlain is married to Luther alumnus Julie Torkelson Chamberlain ('96), they are the proud parents of Decorah High School products and Luther students Drew (’26) and Liam (’29).

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: John Anderson

Jerita Burreson will visit our club to share her many experiences over several years living as an expatriate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Jerita and her husband Matt Burreson are both graduates of Decorah High School. Jerita is co-owner of the Perfect Edge Custom Framing located on Water Street in Decorah. Jerita hold a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Art from the University of Iowa and a Master of Arts Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from The University of Houston. She taught elementary art in the Houston, Texas area before moving to Abu Dhabi, UAE, where she and her family lived for seven years as part of Matt’s job as a geophysicist for an energy company. Jerita, Matt and their daughters Ava and Emma returned home to Decorah a few years ago.

Jerita will highlight her experiences living in the Middle East, including her thoughts on the schools, food, housing, travel, and the transition back home to Decorah.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Kim Bonnet

Lycia Jens, co-owner and operator of the new West Side Whisk Bakery, will visit our club to speak about the new business, what it means to be a 'cottage bakery' and other fun things associated with this unique, ground-breaking endeavor.

West Side Whisk Bakery officially launched as a business in February 2026 and held their formal grand opening on May 23. The bakery specializes in long-fermented sourdough breads, cookies, cinnamon rolls and artisan fruit scones. They are part of a growing movement of cottage food entrepreneurs heavily dependent on social media and word-of-mouth endorsements that are reshaping how communities think about local food. The bakery's limited-production model has been quite popular and weekend pop-up sales events sell out on a regular basis.

Jens is a graduate of Decorah High School and attended Northeast Iowa Community College. She and her spouse Izac have three children (four if you count Jens' sourdough starter "Lenny," which she feeds every day and considers as almost another child).

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Kim Bonnet

Dr. Erik Brink is a board-certified general surgeon who provides full-time surgical and clinical care at WinnMed in Decorah. He will presenting information on the new da Vinci Surgical System® capabilities at the hospital.

da Vinci robotic surgery is a specific type of robot-assisted surgery. It enhances the dexterity and range of motion of the surgeon’s hands and adds precision in hard-to-reach areas. Three or four robotic arms hold surgical instruments and an endoscopic camera allows the surgeon to see inside your body. The instruments fit through a small incision, which eliminates the need for larger incisions like the ones in traditional “open” surgeries. In most cases, this results in fewer postoperative wound complications and a quicker recovery time. The arms only move when the surgeon is controlling them. At no point does the robot operate on its own.

The da Vinci Surgical System® got its name from Leonardo da Vinci’s study of human anatomy. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration cleared the da Vinci robot for surgical use in July 2000. It is one of the leading surgical robotic systems used in healthcare today.

Dr. Brink received his undergraduate degree from Warner Pacific College in Portland, OR and his osteopathic medicine degree from A.T. Still University of Health Sciences in Kirksville, MO. He completed his general surgery internship and residency through Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine in York, PA. As a Commander in the United States Navy Reserve and member of the Medical Corps, Dr. Brink provided surgical care and leadership in multiple locations throughout the world for over 16 years. He began full-time surgical and clinical care at WinnMed in June 2025. He and his spouse Kari have three adult sons.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email. 

DRC Sponsor: Kim Bonnet

Luther College Professor Emeritus, Decorah resident, and frequent Decorah Rotary raconteur Ed Epperly will speak to our club on the topic "World War II Through the Eyes of a Child." (Additional details TBA)

Decorah Rotarians may recall Dr. Epperly's four-part presentation to the club in September 2024 on his book Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912 and his authoritative investigation over 60 years into one of America's greatest unsolved mysteries. He has written dozens of articles and blog entries, and appeared on CourtTV and other radio and television programs. He is a popular guest speaker at colleges, universities, historical societies, museums, libraries, and book stores.

Fiend Incarnate is a companion to the award-winning documentary feature film Villisca: Living With a Mystery.

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**Please complete your noon meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email.

DRC Sponsor: Jim Morrow

Richard Kyte is Director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He is an Endowed Professor of Ethics at Viterbo and a member of the Downtown Rotary Club of La Crosse. He has published and lectured widely on topics related to justice, forgiveness, virtue, and the meaning of life. His recently released book Finding Your Third Place looks at the essential gathering spaces in our society where friendships are formed, relationships are nurtured, and the tapestry of community is woven. Dr. Kyte recently presented a well-received talk at the Iowa Falls District Conference and will be speaking to our members about his book and the importance of community and local connection.

In his book, Dr. Kyte combines storytelling, social science, and philosophy to explore what it is that makes a third place; factors that create and support vibrant communities, the role of hospitality in creating belonging and social connection, how "third places" foster friendships and bind us to others in our community, and what it takes to find and create a third place of your own.

After growing up in Frazee, a small town in northwestern Minnesota, Dr. Kyte attended Hamline University where he earned a B.A. in philosophy. He then went on to graduate school, obtaining a Ph.D. in philosophy from The Johns Hopkins University in 1994. Since then he has taught at several colleges and universities including Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Christian Brothers University in Memphis, Tennessee. He serves on numerous boards, including the Editorial Board of the La Crosse Tribune, the La Crosse Community Foundation, and the Coulee Region Chapter of Trout Unlimited.

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**Please complete your meal sign-up prior to the meeting, preferably not later than close of business Monday. Our face-to-face meeting will be hosted at the VFW. The meal sign-up, meeting announcement, and any other logistical information will be distributed in advance to all members by email.