MURRIETA – Lou Ellen Ficke will take office July 1 as president of the Rotary Club of Murrieta for the 2020-2021 Rotary year, succeeding former president Jacqui Dobens.
A longtime resident of the Temecula Valley, Ficke has been active in community banking since 1973. She recently opened her seventh new community bank, serving as executive vice president and chief financial officer of Lexicon Bank in Las Vegas, Nevada. Before Lexicon, she opened and served 10 years with Commerce Bank of Temecula Valley, which is now Nano Banc.
Active in community service, Ficke has served with the Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce board of directors, Loma Linda Big Hearts for Little Hearts, Temecula Valley Guild, Slow Food of Temecula Valley and Women’s Peer Connection Group, while holding several positions with the Rotary Club of Murrieta. She currently serves as chairperson for Loma Linda University Medical Center Murrieta, and Community Partnership Council as well as chairperson for Murrieta-Wildomar Chamber of Commerce Student of the Month program. Her volunteer participation earned her Murrieta Rotarian of the Year in 2015 and the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce “Visionary” Award in 2016.
Serving with Ficke, Steve Nicholson will be president-elect, while Jacqui Dobens will be the immediate past president.
Al Vollbrecht serves as secretary, and Patsy Orr is treasurer. Amy Fisher is foundation chair, and Dawn Layton as administration chair.
Club directors include vocational services, Cynthia Nordskog; community service, Jim Yanoschik; youth services, John Brown and Jody Lawlor; membership, Liz Jones; international, Doreen Tate, and public relations, Linda Dozier.
The club serves the city of Murrieta and surrounding area and is involved in international projects in cooperation with Rotary International which has as its ongoing theme “Service Above Self.” Chartered April 28, 1992, the Murrieta Rotary Club is known for several signature projects including the Murrieta Field of Honor, which will celebrate its 12th year in November.
Rotary Club is one of the largest international humanitarian service organizations in the world, with 1.2 million members in some 32,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and geographic areas. Rotary Club began in 1905 in Chicago and serves the needs of local communities around the world.
Submitted by Rotary Club of Murrieta.
