Events

Kettering Rotary proudly welcomes Mindy McCarty-Stewart, Superintendent of OUR Kettering City Schools!

With 27 years of experience in public education, Mindy’s experience ranges from her early years as a special education teacher at Upper Arlington Middle School and at Wilmington Middle School, including 17 years in administration there. She also devoted eleven years in administration at Mason High School, six of those as principal.

It has been said of our Guest Speaker: “Mrs. McCarty-Stewart has strong leadership skills, extensive experience in working with diverse populations, and the administrative expertise to lead effective teams for improving student achievement. She is a visionary leader, truly invested in the success of [her] community and [its] students.”

Mindy, Welcome to the Community we love, and to Rotary at Kettering!

Pam brings extraordinary experience and energy to our Community. She serves as Executive Director/CEO for the Montgomery County Convention Facilities Authority, a local government body that owns the Dayton Convention Center. MCCFA's Board of Directors, staff and partners are committed to the transformation of the Center and the downtown core that serve as economic drivers in our Community. The MCCFA is focused on County-wide support and Pam will tell us of her work with "an amazing Board, City and County leadership team."

Pam's deep background includes having served as a senior business leader of venue management and hospitality with 25+ years experience managing multiple operations in Sports & Entertainment, Exposition/Convention Centers, Performing Arts Centers, Casinos, Agricultural and Fairgrounds.

Says Pam, "Strong Community support and an inclusive approach to business are my passion."

Welcome to Rotary at Kettering, Pam! And thanks to Matt Wahrhaftig and Amy Schrimpf for connecting us with Pam.

Irina serves as Civil Engineer for the City of Kettering. 

Thanks Tim McCrate for contacting Irina to visit as our Guest Speaker.

All Rotarians! Please join us. Our STRIVE students, mentors, and counselors all will be there.

Bowling Lunch and Speaker at Woodman Poelking Lanes from 11:00-1:00 pm

Doyle & JoAnn Key are residents of Clearcreek Township. Doyle has lived in Dayton and the surrounding area all of his life and JoAnn came to Dayton from Niles, Ohio for a job after graduating from Miami University. 

They have been involved in feeding the homeless for over 25 years with the casseroles program through St. Vincent DePaul for St. Vincent Hotel. They also managed and worked a community dinner in Franklin at their Church for 7 years.  When their church moved to Springboro, they transitioned the dinner program into a box lunch ministry.

Casseroles of Hope is a community driven ministry that Doyle and JoAnn started in April of 2022 to help feed the homeless in collaboration with Hope House Mission in Middletown, Oh.

The initial goal was to feed both shelters (men’s & women and children’s) once a month for a year.  Casseroles of Hope now delivers 3 days every month and hopes to add day 4 next month.  With the rapid growth to 80 volunteers, Doyle & JoAnn have further committed themselves with the development and launch of a new logo, website (casserolesofhope.org) and marketing materials. With the help of the community, they see no limits on how many people can be served.

Sharon Davies is President and Chief Executive of the Kettering Foundation.

American Inventor Charles F. Kettering established the Foundation in 1927 “to sponsor and carry out scientific research for the benefit of humanity.” Inspired by the open-mindedness and creative philosophy of its innovative founder, the Foundation’s research has gradually shifted to focus on democracy, particularly the role of citizens.

Davies’ career experiences span both academic and non-academic fields. From 2017-2021, Davies was provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Spelman College. She joined Spelman from The Ohio State University, where she was vice provost for diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer. Davies was also a member of OSU’s Moritz College of Law faculty for 22 years, serving as the Gregory H. Williams Chair in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. In addition, Davies directed the university’s Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity, an interdisciplinary engaged research institute known nationally for its work in social justice, equity, and inclusion. She also held an appointment to the Ohio Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Davies was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a Notes and Comments Editor of the Columbia Law Review while in law school at Columbia University. After graduation, she worked for Steptoe and Johnson in Washington, DC and Lord, Day & Lord Barrett Smith in New York City. She served for five years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of New York.

Davies was the recipient of a YWCA Woman of Achievement award from the YWCA Columbus chapter (2015); the Robert M. Duncan Award by the Columbus Chapter of the American Constitution Society (April 2014) in recognition of her contributions to democracy, fostering legal education, ensuring access to justice, and preserving individual rights and the rule of law; and the Liberty Bell Award from the Columbus Bar Association (June 2013).

Davies’ articles and other writings have been published in some of the nation’s leading law journals, including the Duke Law Journal, the Southern California Law Review, the Columbia Law Review, the Michigan Law Review, and Law and Contemporary Problems. In 2010, Oxford University Press published Davies’s narrative nonfiction account of a 1921 murder trial in Birmingham, Alabama, titled Rising Road: A True Tale of Love, Race, and Religion in America, for which the Mayor of Birmingham presented her with a “Key to the City.”

Davies holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a law degree from Columbia University School of Law.

Kelly Marie Lehman has been an active member of Rotary Club of Dayton since December 2005, and involved with the Club as a community partner on an educational outreach program (Preserve Planet Earth Expo) since 1994. As a member, Kelly has served on Membership, Education, Marketing, International and Peace committees.

She is chair of the 2022-2023 District 6670 Youth Peace Action initiative and Youth Peace Advocacy, Leadership & Service (YPALS) Day on April 22, 2023.

Kelly’s social enterprise, Global Love Dayton, celebrates our region’s treasures while supporting local charities. Kelly also serves on the Board of Rotary Club of Dayton, the International Peace Museum, and Preservation Dayton. 

Says Kelly, “Involvement with Rotary International has expanded my worldview and the power & fellowship of collective service has enhanced my life beyond measure. I am immensely proud and grateful to serve through Rotary.”

Welcome, Kelly, to Rotary at Kettering!

Our guest Speaker will continue our Kettering Rotary series on "Infrastructure." 

John Sliemers has served as Kettering's Assistant City Engineer for the past seven years.  His primary duty is to run the day-to-day operations of the Engineering Department.  The department is responsible for the provision of transportation and storm water infrastructure.  This is accomplished through Capital Improvement Plan projects totaling $8-9 million each year.

Welcome, John! And thank you, Tim McCrate, for this Infrastructure Series, and arranging John's visit to our Club!

"Every tree was born to live and, at some point, die or fall apart. Often trees that fail cause harm to people and property. Learn what outward signs that trees often provide to give tree owners and managers information about the condition of a tree."

Mark holds nineteen different certifications, qualifications, accreditations, and licensures in the fields of arboriculture and horticulture. Most notably, he is a Registered Consulting Arborist, Board Certified Master Arborist, and a Certified Professional Horticulturist with over forty-five years of experience.

He provides investigations, reports, and testimony in matters related to tree condition, maintenance, removal and agricultural as well as horticultural matters. His expertise includes the management of nursery, arboricultural, agricultural operations, landscaping operations, pesticide use, crop and tree injuries due to biotic and abiotic conditions, appraisals of damaged crops, trees, and plants, tree failures due to biotic and abiotic conditions, and many agricultural, arboricultural, and horticultural issues. Mark is a member of thirty-two industry organizations, including the American Society of Consulting Arborists, Chartered Institute of Horticulture, International Dendrology Society, American Phytopathological Society, and the OSHA Small Business Advocacy Review Panel for Tree Care Industry Rules. He has been a court-qualified expert in his field in Ohio, Michigan, New Jersey, Washington, California, and U.S. Bankruptcy Court.

Mark holds degrees from The Ohio State University. He is a Board-Certified Master Arborist by the International Society of Arboriculture and is a Tree Risk Assessment Qualified Arborist. He designated a Master Nursery Technician by the Ohio Nursery & Landscape Association. He also holds MArborA status by the United Kingdom’s Arboricultural Association. His professional designations and licenses include those issued by multiple states, as well as the American Society of Horticultural Science, and the American Society of Consulting Arborists.

Welcome to Kettering Rotary, Mark! And thanks to Bill and Kathy Lindahl for inviting Mark to join us today.

Megan O’Leary is a communications professional, currently serving as Public Information Officer for Montgomery County Environmental Services. In this role, she establishes and maintains cooperative working relationships with local media, elected officials, and the public, to convey consistent messaging in support of the Board of County Commissioners' mission, goals, and initiatives. Prior to working for the County, Megan was a Web Producer at various news entities across the country, writing online news articles, and regularly ran social media pages of those outlets.

Megan is a graduate of the University of Dayton with her bachelor's in Communication and a Minor in Anthropology.

Megan is married to her husband Derek, and is a mother to two girls, Shannon and Emma. When she has the time, which is rare, she enjoys running and being out in nature. She also has two dogs at home – Carl and Simon.

Welcome Megan to Kettering Rotary! And thank you Tim McCrate for arranging these and other speakers to educate and inform us about our Community's infrastructure.

Dinner Meeting. Celebration and Fellowship. White Elephant Gift Exchange - Gift Wrap Your Forgotten Treasures! -  Surprise Musical Treats - Who Knows What Else?!?!? 

https://www.greatschools.org/ohio/dayton/940-Orchard-Park-Elementary-School/#Teachers_staff

Micki is Principal of the third smallest elementary school in our Kettering City School District.  Orchard Park has been honored as a Blue Ribbon School by the United States Department of Education. An amazing story. Join us and celebrate this at our Christmas Meeting - last meeting of the year.

Micki has served Kettering City Schools for nineteen years. She holds two Master’s degrees, one in Special Education and a second in Educational Leadership. She started as a special education teacher and has taught at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. Including St. Albert the Great, Kettering Middle School, Southdale, John F. Kennedy, and Fairmont .

Micki is happy to serve wherever her skills are needed. This led to roles as special education coordinator for Fairmont and John F. Kennedy, with over 430 special education students, and our district’s compliance with special ed guidelines.  She also served JFK as assistant principal, while continuing as special education coordinator for JFK and Orchard Park Elementary. In addition, she started two new multiple disabilities classrooms at OP.  

In 2016, Micki became principal at Orchard Park, vowing to lead OP to the best elementary school in the district. Staff, parents, and the community all came together. This collaboration led to the school's award as Exemplary High Performing National Blue Ribbon School of 2021 by the United States Department of Education. OP now joins the elite list of great American schools. Fewer than 1% of our nation's schools hold this distinction!

Last month, Micki and two teachers presented at the 23rd Annual Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellent Conference at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. They continue to share educational strategies and knowledge to inspire other districts nationally. 

Micki, welcome to Rotary at Kettering!

We welcome Dr. David Alan Schmidt back to our Kettering Rotary Speaker's Lectern. David brings a lasting passion for the rich history of our region. He grew up right here in Kettering, and has delivered several presentations, including several to the Oakwood Historical Society.

Last year, David brought to life for us Dayton's Great Flood, and revealed several events and aspects of that event which were new to us Rotarians, even those with active interest and long study of the Great Flood.

He earned the Ph.D. from the Department of Geological Sciences at The Ohio State University in 2006. In 1999 and 2001, respectively, he received a B.S. and M.S. from the Department of Geological Sciences at Wright State University. Dr. Schmidt serves WSU as its Director of Undergraduate Programs in Earth and Environmental Sciences at Brehm Lab. His teaching involves classes in Environmental Science and Society, Earth Systems, and Process Geomorphology.

Dr. Schmidt, Welcome to Rotary at Kettering!

Mayor's Party with a Purpose Meeting

David Fierst is a Dayton-based attorney and Author of Hidden Disgrace: Revealing the Distress Signals Covered by North American Indian Myths

https://prairieedge.com/tribe-scribe/hidden-disgrace-revealing-the-distress-signals-covered-by-north-american-indian-myths-/ 

On Amazon Book list: https://tinyurl.com/3adzwu7r  | The Amazon book preview says: 

Through meticulous research, Hidden Disgrace pierces through the veil of descriptions of Indians as either savages or "Noble Savages" and describes them as real people with both strengths and weaknesses. Likewise, it takes a hard look at the notion the conquest of North and South America by Europeans was "inevitable" and was, in reality, the result of deliberate choices.

Books that dive beneath the superficial explanations of Westward Expansion are often criticized as being "revisionist history." Such claims ignore the obvious explanation that aspects of history cannot be "revised" if they were never reported properly in the recording of history.

Among other historically docum'ented myths, Hidden Disgrace explains why the casting of the Wounded Knee Massacre as the result of an attempt to suppress an uprising fueled by the "Ghost Dance" is patently absurd. Important facts surrounding that dark episode in United States history are often ignored, miscast, or misrepresented altogether.

With this work, the author seeks to shed light on the true course of history.

Milt Hakel (HAW-kuhl) and his wife Lee are joining us from Bowling Green.

Andy Scholes connected us all together. Milt reports that Andy. at age 4, served as ring bearer at Milt and Lee's wedding! Nice work Cupid Andy!

Milt devoted his career to Organizational Psychology, and he loves to study How Things Work! Now that people are travelling again, Milt plans to take us on a tour of some of America's scenic places and cities.

Milt's best advice? Include "Blue Highways" in your car travels this year. They take you off the Interstates to places you would miss otherwise! You will find interesting people and see amazing sites. Milt will show us scenes of many he and Lee visited en route to Cape Cod (2021), New Orleans and St Paul (2022).

Welcome, Milt and Lee to Rotary at Kettering! 

Here's the full Milt Hakel Professional Story! Wow!

Milt is Ohio Eminent Scholar and Professor Emeritus at Bowling Green State University. His Ph.D. is from Minnesota (1966).  He served on faculties at Minnesota, Ohio State, and Houston before moving to BGSU in 1991, retiring in 2009. He received research support from the National Science Foundation, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Army, and the private sector.

During 43 years as a faculty member, Milt advised 79 students through the completion of their doctoral dissertations.  While at BGSU, he created Springboard, a freshman-level personal development course modeled on assessment-as-learning practices from Alverno College and intensive feedback and coaching practices from the Center for Creative Leadership.  This led in turn to R&D work on electronic portfolios as a means for documenting student growth in applying knowledge to solve practical problems. 

He edited Personnel Psychology for a decade, and then was its publisher for 20 years. He served as president of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) in 1983-84, and has just completed 13 years as the President of the SIOP Foundation.

Milt served on many committees for the National Research Council, and also for the Ohio Board of Regents.  He is a fellow of SIOP and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Strive Mentors and students will create works of art. Members are encouraged to attend too. 

Kettering Rotary welcomes our District 6670 Governor, Frank Scott to our Speaker Podium.

Frank, welcome to Rotary at Kettering!

Frank “drank the Rotary Kool-Aid” in 2007 at the Dayton City Club. His sponsor suggested he look at the Club’s org chart. “If he found an area I would like for participation, to choose it and let him know.”  His choice led eventually to his service as Club Foundation Committee Chair.

In his day job as Investment Advisor, Frank has raised funds for charities for many years. In Rotary, he found an organization in our world determined to eradicate polio. His dollars would go so much farther with The Rotary Foundation.

During the 100th Anniversary Year of his Dayton Rotary Club, he served as Club President, one of his most cherished honors. Dayton Rotary celebrated big time, and presented a check for $100,000 to Five Rivers Metro Parks to create a kayak entry point in one of our local parks. Now, you can kayak downtown on the river! That was the first of 4 entry points now in service.

He progressed through Rotary Club leadership progression as Vice President, President Elect, President, Immediate Past President, with each role teaching certain responsibilities. “Finally,” says Frank, “I began to learn about Rotary.”

With his experience in Club leadership, Rotary asked Frank to serve as an Assistant Governor, where he got to know other clubs in our District as well as the District 6670 Leadership.  In 2016, our District asked Frank to serve as District Rotary Foundation Chair “for 3 years.” This further extended his warm fellowship with Rotarians throughout the District. He agreed to renew another 3 years until 2022. On July 1, 2022, Frank our District inaugurated Frank as our Governor for District 6670.

Frank has attended numerous Rotary International Conventions and Rotary Zone Summits. His progression in his service and celebration of “all things Rotary” includes this journey:

• Club Foundation Chair 2007
• Past Club President 2012 2013
• Assistant District Governor 2013 to 2016
• District Rotary Foundation Chair 2016 2019
• Rotary Leadership Institute Graduate October 2017
• Assistant District Governor 2017 2020
• District Rotary Foundation Chair 2019 2022
• District Membership Committee Member 2018-2020
• District Grant Sub-Committee Member 2019 2022
• District Peace Scholarship Chair 2019 2020
• District Governor Nominee Designate 2020
• District Governor Nominee 2020 2021
• District Governor Elect 2021 2022
• District Governor 2022 2023

Degree: B.S. Accounting, University of Colorado, Boulder, Boulder. Colorado

M.S. Logistics Management, AFIT, Dayton, Ohio Business Information

Classification: Financial Services, Banking & Investments.

Professional Position: Vice Pres/Senior Investment Advisor Company: PNC Wealth Management

Website: PNC.Com

  Jane serves as the Community Relations and Engagement Manager for Bridgid's Path, Kettering Rotary's designated beneficiary at this year's Mayor's Party With a Purpose. She likes the title Brigid’s Path gave her, Chief Officer of Happiness.

  After losing a sister to the disease of addiction, she knows that hope is the most important gift we can offer one another. Jane joined Brigid’s Path before the building was even renovated, sharing the call to give back to families like hers. Providing personalized care to help families achieve healthy outcomes requires a great deal of coordination with community partners to fund our work. Jane uses her creative flair to produce fun and engaging events in celebration of the mission while also building relationships with our supporters and donors. Her passion has brought Brigid’s Path to life within the community since day one.

  Jane has lived in the Dayton area for over twenty years and calls it home. Having graduated from Bowling Green, Jane taught school for several years in Atlanta, before entering the corporate world in performance improvement in St. Louis which allowed her to see the world. She considers herself fortunate to work at a place where she has a passion for Brigid’s Path and is able to make a difference.

Jane, welcome back to Rotary at Kettering!

Ron Hollenbeck is a native Delawarean, and a graduate of the University of Delaware.  He spent most of his working career in the Pharmaceutical industry.  Ron’s focus was in the areas of Operations, Production Planning, and Supply Chain/Logistics.  He was a member of numerous project teams focused on Re-Engineering activities, and the implementation of Business Enterprise software.

Ron has been a BOD member of the Centerville Rotary for ten (10) years, including his year as club President during the 2016-2017 Rotary year.  Ron is in his fourth year as an Assistant Governor for District 6670.  He is a Paul Harris Society member and a Major Donor.  Ron also sits on the Board of Zoning Appeals for Washington Township.

After jobs moves which took him from Delaware to California, Maryland, England, and Pennsylvania, Ron moved to Ohio so his wife Lori could be close to her family.  They have one son and two granddaughters who live in the San Francisco area.

Ron is a terrific, consistent friend of our Rotary Club.

Ron, welcome back to Rotary at Kettering!

Ted serves as Kettering Rotary Club President for the 2022-2023 year. He is a practicing attorney, author, and teacher.

Last summer, Ohio State University and OSU Law asked Ted to design and pioneer a coursel the faculty named "Difficult Conversations in Polarized Times.". University leaders had become concerned with the low levels of tolerance on campus as students returned to in-person education and all related activities of student life.

Ted will tell us about that experience and share some of the content developed and used in that Fall 2022 course that included students from Law, Engineering, Business and other fields of study.

Why does it seem increasingly tough to talk about "difficult" things? Is this the worst it's ever been in America? Will "Uncle Rufus" ever again be welcome at Thanksgiving Dinner? What hope lies ahead for improved, productive conversation and coexistence throughout our Amerian Republic, once globally considered the leading democracy in the world?

Hon. Kimberly A. Melnick

Judge Melnick came to the Bench, in March 2022 after serving most of her 28-year career prosecuting criminal cases.

She began her career in the Prosecutor’s Office in January 1994.  In 1998, she entered private practice before returning to the Prosecutor’s Office in 2000.  From 2002 to 2006, Judge Melnick served as a Deputy District Attorney in Jefferson County, Colorado, returning to Dayton and the Prosecutor’s Office in November 2006.

At the Prosecutor’s Office, her duties included Supervising Attorney of the Grand Jury/Intake Division, Supervising Attorney for the Adult Protection Unit, as a Trial Supervisor, training and managing trial attorneys and most recently with the Violent Crimes Bureau, prosecuting only homicide cases.

Judge Melnick graduated Wright State University 1990, with a B.S. in Marketing, and earned a Juris Doctor in 1993 from the U.D. School of Law.

She is a member of the Dayton Bar Association and the Carl D. Kessler Inn of Court.  She serves on the Common Pleas Court’s Information Technology and Security Committees.

Her courtroom is Number 10, on the fourth floor, the second courtroom on the left hand side of the hallway. Hope you get the chance to visit Judge Melnick's Courtroom; just hope you are there in civliian clothes!

Judge Melnick, Welcome to Rotary at Kettering!