Recognized as part of the March 2026 San Diego Weekly Standouts Series honoring leaders shaping San Diego, California and the Cali-Baja region.
San Diego Weekly Standouts | March 2026 Honoree
Marge Cole’s impact cannot be captured by one role, one title, or one chapter of service. Her story moves from classrooms to Rotary clubs, from San Diego community life to international service, and from personal perseverance to a lifelong commitment to helping others understand what service can make possible.
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Some lives are shaped by a single teacher who says the right thing at the right time. For Marge Cole, that person was her seventh-grade Social Studies teacher, Mr. Candy Mendoza, who impressed upon his students that going to college could make them more successful. For a child from a large, low-income family without financial resources, that message was more than encouragement. It was a glimpse of possibility.
Marge held onto it.
Through hard work in jobs and in the classroom, she graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, later earned a master’s degree from Syracuse University in New York, and returned to California to teach high school Social Studies and English. Over time, she would serve as a principal, Director of Student Services, Rotary club president, District Governor, Rotary Foundation leader, major gifts advisor, community volunteer, and mentor.
That early lesson never really left her. It became part of the way she teaches, leads, serves, and shares the story of Rotary.
A San Diego Region Shaped by Service
In San Diego, California, service often moves through quiet networks of people who connect schools, civic organizations, cultural institutions, local neighborhoods, international projects, and global causes. Marge Cole’s story belongs firmly within that tradition.
Her work reflects the kind of leadership that helps a regional community think beyond itself. Through Rotary International District 5340, the Rotary Foundation, and decades of service across club, district, and zone leadership, Marge has helped translate Rotary’s mission into education, giving, mentorship, and action.
Her story also connects San Diego to a larger global purpose. Rotary’s work in peace, clean water, education, health, polio eradication, youth service, and international understanding shows how local leadership can help strengthen communities far beyond one city or region.
Marge’s Background:
Name: Marge Cole
Preferred Name: Marge
Professional Title: Rotary Foundation Leader, Retired Educator, Community Volunteer
Current Role: Zone 26 Endowment/Major Gifts Advisor, 2023 to 2026
Organization: Rotary International District 5340
Rotary Club Affiliations: Member of Mission Valley Evening Rotary Club and Advisor for the City Heights Rotaract Club in San Diego
Leadership Focus: Rotary Foundation education, major gifts, endowment support, youth service, community engagement, and global understanding
Community Impact: Supporting Rotarians in San Diego and the Southwest United States while promoting Rotary’s global mission of service, peace, education, clean water, and disease prevention
Where the Journey First Began
Marge Cole is a native Californian from the Los Angeles area, but much of her professional and civic impact has been rooted in the San Diego region.
Before Rotary became such a defining part of her life, education was her foundation.
Marge built a 34-year career in education, including 25 years in San Diego City Schools and nine years in the Grossmont Union High School District. She taught high school Social Studies and English before moving into administrative leadership as a Principal and Director of Student Services.
That background matters because Marge’s leadership still carries the heart of an educator.
She explains.
She encourages.
She helps people understand systems that may otherwise feel distant or complicated.
Whether speaking to Rotarians, community members, students, or Foundation supporters, Marge has spent much of her life helping people see how knowledge, opportunity, and service can change lives.
A Life Guided by Service Above Self
While serving as a principal, Marge joined the Santee/Lakeside Rotary Club in District 5340 in 1996. By 2002 to 2003, she was serving as president of the club.
That decision became one of the defining commitments of her life.
Rotary gave Marge a structure for values she already believed in: education, service, international understanding, peace, and community responsibility. It also gave her a way to help others see how local generosity can become global impact.
At the center of her belief system is Rotary International’s motto: Service Above Self.
For Marge, that phrase is not ceremonial. It is a core belief.
“Service above Self is the motto of Rotary and we live by the Four Way Test,” Marge says.
That test asks four questions.
Is it the Truth?
Is it Fair to all Concerned?
Will it build good will and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Those questions have become more than Rotary principles in Marge’s life. They reflect the way she thinks about leadership, relationships, giving, and the responsibility people have to one another.
As outlined by Rotary International, it is a network of more than 1.2 million neighbors, friends, and community leaders working together to address some of the world’s most persistent challenges. Operating under the principle of Service Above Self, Rotary focuses on areas including peacebuilding, disease prevention, access to clean water, maternal and child health, education, economic development, and environmental sustainability.
Addressing the Challenge of a World Without Enough Peace
When asked what challenge her work addresses, Marge’s answer is direct: lack of world peace.
For her, Rotary’s commitment to world peace and understanding is not a slogan. It is a practical and moral responsibility, especially at a point in history when the world is desperately in need of both.
Marge sees Rotary’s work around peace as connected to everything else it does. Disease prevention, clean water, education, youth service, major gifts, endowments, and global partnerships all become part of a broader effort to create understanding and reduce suffering.
Her message is especially relevant because Rotary’s work shows that peace is not only negotiated in formal settings. It is also built through relationships, service projects, educational opportunities, public health efforts, and people who choose to support communities they may never personally meet.
Learn more about Rotary at: https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary
The Rotary Foundation as a Force for Good
Marge’s work today centers heavily on helping people understand the impact of the Rotary Foundation.
She shares information about the Foundation’s work around the world, including efforts connected to eradicating polio, providing clean water, and supporting education for low-income children.
Her audience can be anyone who wants to learn more about the Rotary Foundation, but current Rotarians remain a prime audience.
Her purpose is clear. She wants people to understand Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation. She wants them to become involved in Rotary programs and projects. She wants more people to support the Foundation so its work can continue reaching communities around the world.
Marge measures impact in practical terms. She points to the major gifts and donations reports generated every month by the Rotary Foundation. Zone 26, which she serves, is one of the leaders in donations in the Rotary world.
That kind of result does not happen by accident. It happens through trust, consistency, education, and the ability to help people understand why their giving matters.
Leadership Across District 5340 and Zone 26
Marge’s Rotary service spans decades and includes leadership at the club, district, and zone levels.
In spring 2002, she led a Group Study Exchange Team to Central Mexico.
At the district level, she has served as GSE Team Leader and Chair, District Rotary Foundation Chair from 2004 to 2007 and again from 2019 to 2022, Ambassadorial Scholar Sponsor, District Governor from 2009 to 2010, Council on Legislation Representative in 2013, Youth Service Chair, and Rotary Grants Committee Chair for the District Rotary Foundation Committee from 2010 to 2016.
As Rotary District 5340 Governor in 2009 to 2010, Marge spoke to all 60 Rotary clubs in the district.
Following that year of service, she continued leading through major Foundation roles, including District Rotary Foundation Chair, Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator, and Endowment/Major Gifts Advisor for the Rotary Foundation.
At the zone level, Marge served as Chair of Southwest PETS in 2011. She was selected to serve as Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Zone 26 from 2016 to 2019. She is currently serving as the Zone 26 Endowment/Major Gifts Advisor from 2023 to 2026.
Each role reflects a larger pattern.
Marge does not simply participate. She helps build capacity. She helps Rotary leaders understand the Foundation. She helps strengthen the culture of giving that allows service projects to move from good intentions into real outcomes.
Serving Rotarians, Strengthening Communities
Marge mainly serves Rotarians in the San Diego and Southwest United States area, but her message is broad enough for anyone who wants to understand Rotary’s impact.
Her presentations are built around helping people see what the Rotary Foundation makes possible. For current Rotarians, that message can deepen commitment. For newer members, it can explain the larger purpose behind the organization. For community members, it can open a doorway into service.
Marge is also available to share information about the Rotary Foundation and the programs of Rotary. Her work is an offering of knowledge, experience, enthusiasm, and credibility in service of something larger than herself.
Her goal is to help people walk away wanting to know more about Rotary International and become involved with Rotary’s programs and projects.
A Commitment That Rubs Off on Others
Marge describes part of what makes her unique as her passion and commitment to Rotary and the Rotary Foundation.
She believes that enthusiasm has “rubbed off” on many people because she shares it wherever possible.
That phrase says something important about her leadership style.
Marge is reflective and personal, but she also brings positive energy to the programs and people she is involved with. She understands that institutions are strengthened by people who can keep explaining why the work matters.
In her case, the work matters because it connects service to peace, generosity to impact, and local leadership to global responsibility.
Recognition Earned Through Service
Marge’s Rotary record includes several meaningful honors, commitments, and forms of recognition.
She is a Major Donor, a member of the Legacy Society, the Paul Harris Society, the PolioPlus Society, and the Arch Klumph Society. She has received the Certificate for Meritorious Service and the Service Above Self Award.
These recognitions reflect years of dedication to Rotary’s mission and the Rotary Foundation’s long-term impact.
But Marge’s story is not only about titles, offices, or awards. It is about a person who has chosen to stay engaged long after retirement, continuing to teach, advocate, organize, and encourage others to see service as part of their own lives.
Still Serving San Diego Through Community and Culture
Marge’s civic life extends beyond Rotary.
She serves as Special Events Chair of the Kensington-Talmadge Community Association and is a docent for the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. She is also involved with the La Jolla Playhouse and Lamb’s Players Theater.
She currently serves as Advisor for the City Heights Rotaract Club in San Diego and is a member of the Mission Valley Evening Rotary Club.
Her interests include golf, travel, plays, and, in her own words, all things Rotary.
That blend of interests says something about the way Marge approaches life. She is not only committed to formal service roles. She is engaged in community life, cultural life, civic life, and the relationships that keep people connected to one another.
Marge’s work has not been built around self-promotion. It has been built around showing up, serving consistently, and helping others understand the mission!
What Impact Looks Like
For Marge, impact can be seen in people, projects, giving, and education.
It can be seen in the monthly major gifts and donations reports generated by the Rotary Foundation.
It can be seen in Zone 26’s position as one of the leaders in donations in the Rotary world.
It can be seen in decades of Rotary leadership, from club president to District Governor, from Foundation chair roles to regional and zone-level responsibilities.
It can also be seen in the quieter moments: a Rotarian understanding the Foundation more clearly, a donor recognizing what their gift can support, a young leader in Rotaract receiving guidance, or a community member deciding to become more involved.
“Service above Self is the motto of Rotary and we live by the Four Way Test.”
— Marge Cole
The Educator Behind the Rotarian
The most human part of Marge Cole’s story may be the distance between where she began and the leadership life she built.
She came from a low-income, large family without financial resources. College was not guaranteed. A professional career was not automatic. Leadership was not something handed to her.
But one teacher helped her see possibility.
Marge turned that possibility into education, then into a career, then into decades of service.
In many ways, she has spent her life passing that same gift forward.
When she speaks about the Rotary Foundation, she is not simply asking people to give. She is helping them understand what their giving can do. When she talks about Rotary, she is not simply promoting an organization. She is inviting people into a framework of service that can reach children, families, communities, and countries far beyond the room they are sitting in.
A Global Mission Grounded in Local Leadership
Rotary International’s reach is global, but Marge’s story reminds readers that global impact often depends on local leaders who are willing to carry the message.
In San Diego and across the Southwest United States, Marge mainly serves Rotarians. She helps them understand the Foundation, strengthen their commitment to giving, and see how their participation connects to something larger.
That connection matters.
Rotary’s commitment to world peace and understanding is not only an international ideal. It is also a local practice. It begins when clubs gather, when members learn, when donors give, when leaders mentor, and when people decide that service should be part of the way they live.
For Marge, that has been the work.
To keep explaining the mission. To keep inviting people in. To keep reminding others that service is not only about what happens nearby, but also about what becomes possible when people organize across communities, districts, zones, and countries.
Looking Toward the Future
Marge’s focus moving forward remains clear.
She is working toward involving more people in Rotary and encouraging more giving to the Rotary Foundation.
She is available to share information about the Rotary Foundation and the programs of Rotary. Her hope is that readers will want to know more about Rotary International and become involved in its programs and projects.
That invitation is simple, but meaningful.
Learn more.
Ask questions.
Get involved.
Support the work.
For Marge, service is not limited to one stage of life, one profession, one club, or one role. It is a lifelong commitment that continues to evolve.
Why Their Story Matters Now
Marge Cole’s story matters now because San Diego, California, the Cali-Baja region, and communities far beyond this region need leaders who still believe in the disciplined work of service, peace, education, and understanding.
Her life reflects the influence of one teacher, the power of public education, the strength of Rotary’s global network, and the importance of people who can inspire others to give, serve, and lead.
At a time when the world is facing division, uncertainty, and a lack of peace, Marge’s work reminds us that service is not abstract.
It is taught.
It is practiced.
It is shared.
And when carried forward with consistency, it can shape communities and reach across the world.
This recognition is part of the San Diego Weekly Standouts Series honoring leaders helping shape San Diego, California and the Cali-Baja region.
San Diego Weekly Standouts | March 2026 Honoree
About the San Diego Standouts Series
The San Diego Standouts Series from San Diego Weekly highlights individuals whose leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and service are helping shape the future of San Diego, California, the Cali-Baja region, and communities connected to the region around the world.
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Profiles featured in the San Diego Standouts Series are selected by the San Diego Weekly editorial team to highlight individuals whose leadership and service are helping shape San Diego and the Cali-Baja region. The Editor’s Choice is for individuals whose impact on San Diego and the broader region is undeniable: the founders redefining industries, the advocates transforming communities, and the visionaries building what comes next. Past and current considerations include civic leaders, nonprofit founders, tech entrepreneurs, educators, creatives, and cultural icons across the San Diego and Cali-Baja region. These editorial recognitions are independent features and honors, there is no fee required to be selected.
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