Member Spotlight

After years on the corporate side of TV & Radio sales & marketing, and 20 years as head of my own boutique advertising agency, I’ve learned the importance of being a “life learner.” Because of this desire to learn, I found myself attracted to the high-quality level of the speakers at the meetings of the Carlsbad Rotary.

As a child I remember watching my mother get prepared to go out for the evening. In her jewelry drawer she always had a dozen white envelopes into which she’d slip a few dollars each for donation to a variety of charities. And each week, without fail, she’d give these envelopes out to help those in our community who were in need. 

Having lived on both coasts, Brian’s spent decades in the insurance and precious metals industries, coming at the business world from a wide variety of directions. Walking through our doors almost two years ago with both an MBA AND a law degree, Brian joined us looking to extend a career that’s helped a lot of people. Originally from Carlsbad, he, his wife Lorrie, and children Kyle, Matthew and Allison are longtime members of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Carlsbad.

Like most of us, Brian originally joined Rotary because he was looking for an opportunity to have an impact in the local community and to work with others with a similar set of values. “I was a Rotary Youth Leadership Award winner as a high school student and had a lot of respect for the organization,” he says. Becoming a part of our international service group thus became a natural step and the perfect way for him to give back within…and beyond…Carlsbad’s borders.

Like so many southern Californians, Dan Sweeney said “Adios” to the cold weather of Chicago and Cincinnati, choosing in 2002 to make Carlsbad his permanent home.  And BOY are we glad he did!

Having shepherded three kids through the Carlsbad school system, Dan has had innumerable opportunities over the years to get integrated into the fabric of our community. That’s why he’s worked so hard since 2013 actively supporting Carlsbad Fill-a-Belly, which operates with the simple belief that we can all make a difference in our community, one meal at a time.

At the urging of Carlsbad Rotarian Ray Pearson, Dan joined our intrepid troupe this past January. “I saw Rotary as the perfect opportunity to leverage my contacts, resources and sales and marketing experience. My goal at every turn is to always support the larger community’s philanthropic demands to help those around me most in need.”