Lifelong Coronado resident Dr. Natalie Bailey has been selected to serve as the next president for the Rotary Club of Coronado until July 1, 2026. Bailey is a general dentist on the island and works alongside her mother, Dr. Suzanne Popp, who was the first female president of the Rotary Club of Coronado in 1999.
Bailey’s family connection to the club runs deep – Popp has been a Rotarian since before Bailey was born. “Growing up seeing the impact of Rotary as a kid helped create the person that I am,” says Bailey. “Seeing how generous Rotary was to the community made me a better person.”
Popp joined Rotary after moving to Coronado in the early 90s to get involved in the community. “Seeing her do that when I was young really made an impact on me. I felt like I could be a leader and step up,” says Bailey.
Bailey, 32, recalls in middle school she became involved in Rotary youth programs, known as Interact clubs, which bring young people together to develop leadership skills. She later participated in international Rotary Youth Exchanges, traveling to Germany and Turkey and living with host families for a couple weeks at a time.
Bailey reflects on her friend Marina, who she met in Germany during one of those experiences. “We are actually still best friends and we travel together almost every year… That was a really fun connection, and opened my eyes to the organization.”
Now as president, Bailey hopes to revitalize the networking component of Rotary. “Over the years, we’ve kind of gone away from the business networking side of things,” she says. “I do want to bring a little more of [that] to the club.”
In addition to the business elements, she wants to focus on philanthropic and community endeavors such as a house-building project in Tijuana. She also plans to strengthen the Limbs of Freedom project, which provides prosthetics for those in need in Baja California.
Bailey’s presidency comes at a milestone – 2025 is the 100th-year anniversary of the Rotary Club of Coronado – and she says she’s excited about connecting with the community. “I want it to be remembered by my members as a really fun year of celebrating and giving back.”
