At this year’s Marine Corps Benefit Dinner, the Rotary Club of San Dimas will recognize Captain Ryan A. Vienna as a Paul Harris Fellow in honor of his distinguished career in law enforcement, his leadership as an elected official, and his sustained commitment to the people and organizations that strengthen the San Dimas community.
Named for Rotary’s founder, the Paul Harris Fellow recognition is one of Rotary’s most meaningful honors. It is presented to individuals whose actions reflect the organization’s guiding principle of “Service Above Self” through humanitarian service, civic leadership, philanthropy, and a dedication to improving the lives of others. USMC Dinner Scrip 2025 Vienna’s record of public service exemplifies those ideals.
A resident of San Dimas since 1984, Vienna has devoted much of his adult life to public safety and community service. He was elected to the San Dimas City Council in 2017 and reelected in 2022. Before joining the City Council, he served on the San Dimas Public Safety Commission from 2015 to 2017, gaining valuable experience addressing issues affecting the safety and quality of life of local residents.
As a councilmember, Vienna has represented San Dimas in numerous regional organizations whose decisions extend well beyond the city’s boundaries. He represents or has represented the city through the League of California Cities, the California Contract Cities Association, and the San Gabriel Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District. He has also served as an alternate representative to the Southern California Association of Governments, the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, and the Foothill Transit Governing Board.
Within San Dimas, Vienna has served as the City Council liaison to the Public Safety Commission and Equestrian Commission, as well as an alternate liaison to the Parks and Recreation Commission. His assignments have also included service on the City’s Finance Committee, which helps oversee municipal finances and financial audits. Through an ad hoc committee with the Bonita Unified School District, he has worked collaboratively on issues of mutual concern to the city, its schools, and local families.
Vienna’s commitment to public safety extends far beyond his elected responsibilities. Since 2005, he has served as a sworn peace officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, where he has earned numerous awards and commendations and currently holds the rank of Captain. He is also a graduate of the 291st session of the FBI National Academy, a highly respected professional development program for accomplished law enforcement leaders.
His academic record reflects the same dedication to preparation and lifelong learning. Vienna earned three associate degrees from Citrus College—in Administration of Justice, Biological and Physical Sciences and Mathematics, and Fine and Performing Arts—graduating with honors. He later graduated cum laude from the University of La Verne with a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management. He holds a master’s degree in Leadership from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and a Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice Education from the University of Virginia. He is continuing his studies at the University of Virginia, pursuing a master’s degree in Public Safety.
While these professional and civic accomplishments are substantial, the Rotary Club of San Dimas is also recognizing Vienna for the personal commitment he brings to community service. He has been a steadfast supporter of Feeding Military Families, an effort dedicated to stocking food pantries serving junior enlisted personnel and their families.
Vienna has repeatedly answered the Secretary’s Challenge, which asks participants to donate their own body weight in food to military family food drives. Meeting that challenge requires much more than signing a check or appearing at an event. It represents a significant personal contribution and a willingness to translate concern into direct action. Vienna has consistently done exactly that, helping ensure that military households facing food insecurity receive practical assistance, dignity, and the knowledge that their surrounding communities have not forgotten them.
His support of Feeding Military Families reflects the larger pattern of his life: identify a need, accept responsibility, and become personally involved in meeting it. Whether serving in law enforcement, making decisions as a councilmember, working through regional agencies, supporting local organizations, or contributing food for military families, Vienna has demonstrated that community leadership is measured not merely by the offices a person holds, but by the work that person is willing to perform.
Ryan and his wife, Nicole—an accomplished forensic neurophysiologist and San Dimas small-business owner—share a love of travel, dining, scuba diving, and community service. Together, they remain actively connected to the city they call home.
Through his professional accomplishments, elected service, volunteer involvement, and continuing support of military families, Captain Ryan A. Vienna has built an exceptional record of service. The Rotary Club of San Dimas is proud to recognize him as a Paul Harris Fellow and to honor a community leader whose career and character embody Rotary’s enduring ideal of Service Above Self.
