The meeting is held in the Renaissance Room located on the 2nd floor. Rotary 14 meets in a hybrid format. Join us at The Cornhusker or on Zoom. https://bit.ly/rotary14zoom
Topic: Don't Panic - 16 Years of Building What's Next in Lincoln
Brian Zimmer is Co-Owner and Chief Strategy Officer at Don’t Panic Labs, a software innovation firm in Lincoln, Nebraska, where the team partners with everyone from entrepreneurs to publicly traded companies. For 15 years, he has worked with hundreds of founders, corporate innovators, and leadership teams to turn uncertain ideas into real products.
Drawing on a foundation in software engineering, design thinking, and innovation processes, his practice centers on co-creation, the structured collaboration between teams and their customers. He makes the case that innovation, AI adoption, and corporate transformation are leadership challenges, and that the work of designing what comes next belongs to leaders at every level of every company.
Brian has testified before the Nebraska Legislature in support of state innovation policy, serves on the Tech Nebraska Advisory Board, and participates in the Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development. He also participates in the Nebraska Angels and has performed investment diligence for the Nebraska Global venture fund. As an educator, he teaches at Nebraska Methodist College and has served as both faculty and coach at the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s Jeffrey S. Raikes School Design Studio. He received the 2026 Startup Executive Award from the University of Nebraska Entrepreneur Awards. Brian holds an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with minors in Computer Science and Psychology, both from UNL.
This Tuesday, during our weekly meeting, we're celebrating our Rotarians with October birthdays. Join us at the birthday table up front and enjoy a piece of cake. Happy birthday, Rotarians!
Update your birthday in your ClubRunner profile to make sure that you are celebrated during your birthday month!
Salute to Business 2026 Celebrate Clark & Enersen as the Rotary Clubs of Lincoln's 2026 Salute to Business honoree! Tuesday, October 27, 11:30 am - 1 pm
Salute to Business, an event of the four Rotary Clubs in Lincoln, honors a local business that is growing employment and furthers the Rotary motto of “Service Before Self.”
Agenda: 11:30am - Doors open; 12:00pm - Program begins and lunch is served; 1:00pm - Event ends
Rotary Reserved is back! Are you new to Rotary 14 and want to get to know other members over good food and interesting conversation? Maybe you are a long-time member who hasn't had a chance to connect with the many new Rotarians who have joined our club in the last few years.
Strengthening our connection with other members of Rotary 14 is an important part of keeping our club strong. And a dinner party can create an intimate, intentional space to combat modern isolation and foster genuine human connection. Our Connections Committee members are ready to host small dinners in the coming month as an opportunity for members to get to know one another over a meal.
The Dictionary Project is a long-standing Rotary tradition and a collaboration between three Lincoln Rotary clubs to provide a dictionary to every third grade student in the city of Lincoln (both public & private schools).
Dictionary Delivery Between October 1 and 31, we need volunteers to deliver dictionaries to third-grade classrooms. There is not a specific date for delivery, but a time frame during which volunteers contact the school and set up a date and time. The schools on the sign-up are the ones that Rotary 14 is assigned. Other schools are assigned to the other Rotary clubs.
Note: Lincoln Public Schools will begin a dictionary unit for their third graders in November, so our goal is to have all dictionaries delivered in time for that.
Here are some exciting volunteer opportunities at Everett School. Please take a moment to check out the links below to sign up and get involved. Your support truly makes a difference in the lives of the students and the community.
As many of you know, ten years ago, Rotary 14's board decided to focus our efforts on Everett. Our first big project was funding the new playground equipment, which the students really enjoy. To celebrate this special 10-year partnership, we're happy to introduce a new way for Rotary 14 to help out — by supporting Everett's monthly Food Market Program. We’re looking for 25 volunteers each month to lend a hand and help distribute food to the students. It would be wonderful to have you join us.
Thanks so much for your ongoing dedication and kindness. Together, we can continue to make a positive impact in Everett. Please review the attached links and consider volunteering
At our September 15 meeting, Ryan and Molly Wieber were recognized by the Rotary 14 Foundation for their support of the 5/25 Campaign. Our 5/25 Campaign set a vision to build the endowment to a goal of $5 million. To find out more about the 5/25 and how you can contribute to the Foundation, visit: https://rotary14foundation.org/donate/.
