Service Above Self Award Recipients for 2015

 

 

 

Student of the Year

Mountain View High School Senior

 

Bryann Valdez has always loved animals, even as a small child. She was heartbroken when she found out that she had to wait to turn 17 to volunteer at an animal rehabilitation center. Now, she is finally able to devote some of her time at a center for wild animals.

A senior at Mountain View, Bryann is currently getting certified as a veterinary assistant through the JTED program. She then plans to pursue her dream job of becoming a veterinarian.

Throughout her life Bryann has struggled with many medical issues caused by Valley Fever, which she contracted as an infant. Even though she has endured those hardships, she still gets up every day and does what she has to do to reach her goals. Bryann says “I’m very excited for the next stage of my life and grateful for the opportunity Rotary has bestowed upon me. No matter what tries to get in my way, I promise that I will continue to fight and overcome those challenges to get to the place I want to be.”

 

 

 

MUSD Employee of the Year

Tortolita Middle School Teacher

 

Kathleen Neighbors has been with MUSD for nine years, and for the first eight years taught at-risk 7^th and 8^th graders Math and Language Arts through her Cougar’s Den program. A key component of this program was a Service Learning Class, to engage these youth in community service. For this reason, she became involved with Youth in Philanthropy, teaching her students to write grants resulting in a $1500 matched award to Casa de los Ninos. When Kathleen presented this project to the Casas Adobes Rotary club, it led to a serendipitous connection to the Rotary Club of Marana. She started an Interact Club (for high school and middle school students) which was officially chartered with Rotary International in the fall of 2010.

Kathleen’s passion for service, the environment, and healthy food has driven her to find ways to empower youth and to help them believe they too will be able to make the world a better place.

 

Woman of the Year

Trico Electric (retired)

 

Marsha Johnson was hoping to raise her children in a rural environment similar to her own upbringing on a farm in Indiana when she and her family moved to the Marana area in 1974. It didn’t take long for Marana to make a lasting impression on the Johnsons. MUSD and the Marana Health and Dental Clinic provided the education, care, and affordability that every family needs. Throughout her career with the Trico Electric Cooperative, Marsha interacted with people who found it difficult to pay their electric bill. She made it her mission to develop programs and services to assist those in need.

Marsha is a member of the Marana Community Food Bank Advisory Board and the Board of the Marana Chamber of Commerce, and she is a citizen volunteer for the Town of Marana and Northwest Fire Dept. She doesn’t think of her volunteerism as work, but as a rewarding opportunity to help Marana be a better place for our families.

 

Man of the Year

Marana Chief of Police

 

Chief Rozema is a 28-year veteran of the law enforcement profession, with a majority of that being spent with the Tucson Police Dept. During nearly 24 years with TPD, he rose through the ranks to Assistant Chief of Police in charge of the Support Service Bureau (where he oversaw SWAT, Hostage, Air Support, K-9, Communications, Traffic, Special Events, Emergency Management and Homeland Security). Throughout his career with TPD Terry gained extensive experience in uniform patrol, criminal investigations, undercover operations, internal affairs, traffic, & community relations.

In Jan 2011 Terry took the helm as Marana Chief of Police. Their mission of providing “unparalleled service and unwavering protection” to the citizens of Marana is rooted in the philosophy that we are servants above all else.

Terry was born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and received a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Senior Management Institute  for Police conducted by Harvard Univ. He is an Executive Board Member of both the Counter Narcotics Alliance and the AZ Assn of Chiefs of Police, and is a Steering Committee member of the Southern AZ Law Enforcement Training Academy. He and his wife Kathy have five children.