Peter Buehler is stepping into his late wife’s shoes as the new president of the Rotary Club of Montecito. Buehler is the widower of Kati Zeller Buehler, who served as the club’s president in 2020.
Zeller, who was born and raised in Quito, Ecuador, loved Rotary’s international aspects, and that’s a part of the group Buehler also appreciates, the Rotary Club said.
Buehler served as a Presbyterian minister for 40 years, pastoring congregations in Santa Cruz, Sacramento and Santa Barbara.
He received his master’s degree from Union Theological Seminary in 1978, and went back to school to get his doctorate of ministry in preaching from McCormick Theological Seminary in 2011.
He retired from First Presbyterian Church, Santa Barbara in 2018.
“I loved the diverse aspects of parish ministry,” Buehler said. “The relationships with parishioners through life’s joys and sorrows, the discipline of faith exploration through study and preaching and helping church leaders discern their congregation’s future path.”
The Rotary Club of Montecito is a service-based social organization with more than 1.2 million members and hundreds of branches worldwide. Members gather every other week to have lunch, say hello to each other, and learn more about their communities.
They also have service projects to support critical causes.
During the Pacific Palisades and Eaton fires in January 2025, the Montecito Rotary chapter coordinated with other Rotary groups in the region to gather and deliver supplies to people who lost their homes and businesses.
The Montecito chapter is part of Rotary District 5240, which includes nearly 3,000 members and covers clubs in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura and Kern counties.
The Montecito chapter works closely with Santa Barbara City College, where the club provides scholarships to students in the Career and Technical Education programs.
“In a world so divided by prejudice and partisanship, Rotary’s commitment to service above self is a critically important way ordinary people can make a difference for good,” Buehler said.
As the club approaches its 75th anniversary in 2028, Buehler said he wants to expand service efforts and the club’s online presence to welcome all visitors and guests and find new ways to work within the Montecito community.
Rotary Club of Montecito meets at noon the first and third Tuesdays of the month at the Music Academy of the West. For more information, or to join the club for lunch, email Tony Morris, community service director, at tonymorrisca@gmail.com.