Category: Programs

  • May 7: Dr. Kenith Britt, Senior Vice President and Dean, Fred S. Klipsch Educators College, Marian University

    Join us on Tuesday to hear from Indianapolis Rotarian Dr. Kenith Britt the Vice President and Dean of the Fred S. Klipsch Educators College at Marian University. Dr. Britt has been a visionary in educational circles for nearly two decades. He was named an Impact Academy Fellow for Deans for Impact and received the prestigious Junior Achievement of Central Indiana Indy’s Best and Brightest Award for his work to help transform teacher preparation.

    Dr. Britt is the founding dean of the Fred S. Klipsch Educators College at Marian University – an innovative new program designed to recruit and prepare a more talented, diverse education workforce to drive improvement in schools. Prior to joining Marian University, Dr. Britt served for 10 years as a principal and president of K-12 Catholic Schools. He holds a PhD in leadership from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.

    All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!

  • April 30: Jim McClelland, Executive Director, Next Level Recovery

    April 30: Jim McClelland, Executive Director, Next Level Recovery

    Join us on Tuesday for Guest Day and to hear from Jim McClelland, former Rotary Club President and Executive Director of Next Level Recovery. In January 2017, Governor Eric J. Holcomb appointed Jim to the newly-created position of Executive Director for Drug Prevention, Treatment, and Enforcement for the State of Indiana. He reports directly to the Governor and also chairs the Indiana Commission to Combat Drug Abuse.

    Jim is charged with coordinating, aligning, and focusing the relevant work of a wide array of state agencies that affect substance abuse issues. In addition, he seeks to leverage the state’s resources with those of entities in other sectors – business, higher education, health care, philanthropic, faith-based, and others – to respond as effectively as possible to the current opioid crisis and to substantially reduce the likelihood of a similar crisis arising from the abuse of addictive substances in the future.

    In 2015, Jim concluded a 45-year career with Goodwill Industries, the last 41 of those years as President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana, based in Indianapolis. Jim has served on the boards of numerous not-for-profit organizations at local, national, and international levels and chaired several of them. He currently serves on the Dean’s Council of the Indiana University Kelley School of Business – Indianapolis, the Advisory Board of the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, and the Board of Directors of Building Tomorrow.

    In 2009, Jim was inducted into the Central Indiana Business Hall of Fame; in 2011 he received the Distinguished Entrepreneur Award from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University; and in 2018 he was inducted into the Georgia Tech College of Engineering Hall of Fame.

    A native of Florida, Jim earned a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering degree from Georgia Tech and an MBA from the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University.

    All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!

  • April 23: Emily Mack, Director of the Department of Metropolitan Development

    Join us on Tuesday to hear from Emily Mack, Director of the Department of Metropolitan Development for the City of Indianapolis. She will be speaking on the White River Vision Plan which is a joint effort between the City of Indianapolis and Hamilton County Tourism, Inc. in partnership with Visit Indy’s philanthropic arm, Tourism Tomorrow, Inc. to develop a comprehensive and coordinated regional, community-driven plan to enhance 58 miles of the White River in Marion and Hamilton counties. The goal of the vision plan is to create an accessible, recreational, and cultural environment that encourages a unique sense of place for the community as a whole.

    Prior to her role as Director of DMD, Emily served as the Deputy Director for the City of Indianapolis Department of Code Enforcement (DCE). She was one of three executive team members that helped build DCE from the ground up, including transferring and realigning programs; developing an organizational structure; and re-engineering a fee schedule based on actual cost of services performed.

    Previously, Emily served as a Mayor’s Neighborhood Liaison, where she worked to build strong collaborative partnerships with neighborhoods and businesses, promote city initiatives, and address community-wide concerns. She also served as a Preservation Planner for the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission where she provided guidance to community groups seeking historic designation.

    Emily earned a Master’s of Science in Historic Preservation from Ball State University’s College of Architecture and Planning and a Bachelor’s of Science in History from Bradley University.

    All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!

  • April 16: Paul Lushin, CEO, Lushin, Inc.

    Paul Lushin, a serial entrepreneur, is the Founder and CEO of Lushin, Inc., a sales force development company. Paul works with presidents, CEOs, and business owners, utilizing a professional sales and management philosophy that emphasizes the importance of not only making a living, but also making a difference. Paul helps these visionaries bring clarity to the business development process for their companies while coaching them to foster a culture that drives innovation, personal growth, and increased revenue.

    In addition to Lushin, Inc., Paul has founded numerous businesses and he’ll admit that he’s seen more failures than successes through this journey. He’s embraced these failures and challenges as a learning experience to help him grow and improve that has set him up for the successes that he’s had. Paul will talk on how he’s taken the lessons from these failures to help him move forward and grow in the areas of leadership, have a success mindset, and growing multiple businesses.

    All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!

  • April 9: Bryan Roach, Chief of Police, IMPD

    April 9: Bryan Roach, Chief of Police, IMPD

    Bryan Roach was named Chief of Police of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) on January 11, 2017, prior to that he served as Assistant Chief of Administration. In 2016, he was awarded with the Jake Laird Local Public Safety Hero Award. In 2015, he was presented the Hulman Health Achievement Award for being instrumental in Indiana’s first law enforcement life-saving Naloxone program for opiate overdose victims.

    Chief Roach joined the department in April 1991 and served as a North District patrol officer from 1991- 1994. He became a Narcotics Detective in 1994 and served in that capacity until he was promoted to Sergeant in 1999. Chief Roach served as a supervisor in Narcotics and of the North District Neighborhood Resource Unit until 2002 when he was named the administrative assistant to the Assistant Chief of Operations. In January 2005, Chief Roach was promoted to Lieutenant and served as the administrative assistant to the Chief of Police.

    Chief Roach was appointed Major in January 2006 and served as the Executive Officer to the Chief of Police. In September 2007, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the Executive Division. In June 2008, he received the merit rank of Captain. In May 2010, Chief Roach began serving as a Major within the Operations Division, and in September 2010, became Commander of the Southwest District. In February 2014, he was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Administration.

    Chief Roach is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy. He has been awarded two Medals of Valor and the Medal of Merit.

    All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!

  • April 2: Abdul Hakim-Shabazz, Editor & Publisher, IndyPolitics.org

    Abdul Hakim-Shabazz has been covering and writing about state and local government in Indiana since 2004. Overall, he has more than 20 years of experience in writing and talking about the issues that affect real people. He goes beyond the headlines and tells you not only what’s happening, but why it’s happening.

    He writes for the Indianapolis Star, WIBC.com, NUVO Newsweekly, and TheStatehouseFile.Com. He’s also a frequent panelist and contributor to RTV 6’s Indianapolis This Week and Inside Indiana Business.

    Abdul is also the editor and publisher of IndyPolitics.Org, which has been recognized by the Washington Post two years in a row as one of the best political blogs in the nation.

    Abdul earned his degree in broadcasting and journalism at Northern Illinois University. He has a Master’s Degree in Public Affairs from the University of Illinois and a law degree from St. Louis University. He serves as “Of Counsel” at the Indianapolis law firm of Lewis & Wilkins and serves on the faculty at Ivy Tech Community College and University of Indianapolis.

    All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!

  • March 26: Leonard Hoops, President & CEO, Visit Indy

    Leonard Hoops has served as president & CEO of Visit Indy since 2011. He leads a team of 62 industry professionals charged with growing Central Indiana’s economy by driving the region’s $5.2 billion convention, tourism and event industry.

    During Hoops’ tenure, Visit Indy has generated a 90-to-1 return on investment from its public funding, and Indianapolis has been named the #1 convention city in America by USA Today and a top visitor destination by The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, and Travel + Leisure.

    Prior to Visit Indy, Hoops was executive vice president and chief customer officer of San Francisco Travel, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau, senior vice president of marketing for the San Jose Convention & Visitors Bureau, and a corporate communications manager for a Fortune 120 company.

    Hoops has been named an “Indiana Living Legend” by the Indiana Historical Society, one of the “25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry” by Successful Meetings magazine, and one of the “Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Hospitality & Travel Sales & Marketing” by HSMAI. He has also received the Sloan-Kettering Award in Business from Delta Upsilon Fraternity and the Kurt Vonnegut Humor Award.

    Hoops currently serves on the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) Board of Directors and Destinations International Foundation’s Board of Trustees. In Indy, Hoops serves on the Capital Improvement Board of Marion County as well as the Boards of the Indy Chamber, Downtown Indy, and the Indiana Sports Corp.

    Hoops earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from San Jose State University and an MBA from Santa Clara University. He and his wife, Dorene (an Indianapolis Public Schools commissioner), have a son and a daughter

    All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!

  • March 19: Bryan Hannon, Director of Indiana Government Relations, American Cancer Society

    March 19: Bryan Hannon, Director of Indiana Government Relations, American Cancer Society

    Bryan Hannon is the Director of Indiana Government Relations for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). Working with public officials at the local, state and federal level, Hannon directs policy campaigns to make cancer prevention, detection and research a priority in Indiana. He also serves as the Chair of Tobacco Free Indiana and Raise it for Health, a statewide campaign to raise Indiana’s cigarette tax.

    Previously Hannon led ACS CAN’s grassroots advocacy efforts in Indiana where he helped volunteer advocates connect with their elected officials on various policy priorities including tobacco control, access to care and research funding priorities like the 21st Century Cures Act.

    Prior to joining ACS CAN Hannon worked in the Indiana state legislature and served in various capacities for political campaigns and non-profit organizations in Indiana.

    All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!

  • March 12: Marlin Jackson, Founder & CEO, Fight for Life Foundation

    Marlin Jackson is a graduate of the University of Michigan, an entrepreneur and a life-long-learner. He sees every experience and encounter as an opportunity for learning. As a former collegiate and professional athlete, Marlin Jackson was groomed and developed within a structured, organized, and challenging environment. This experience of learning, in the classroom and in the arena of collegiate and professional football, caused Mr. Jackson to develop a unique perspective and skill set that is embedded in structure, organization, time-management, leadership, creativity, and passion.

    Over the years, Mr. Jackson has proven himself to be a goal-oriented, disciplined, and driven person who is able to do whatever is needed to help himself and others succeed. He has displayed these qualities throughout his life as a captain on the University of Michigan football team, in the National Football League with the Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles, as sports analyst and sports radio show co-host, and now, as Founder and President of Fight for Life Foundation, Inc.

    All are welcome at Rotary programs. The lunch buffet opens at Ivy Tech Culinary and Conference Center at 11:45 a.m. and the program runs 12:15 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. See you there!

  • March 5: 2019 Hubs and Spokes, Presentation of Candidates

    March 5: 2019 Hubs and Spokes, Presentation of Candidates

    Back in November, a Nominating Committee made up of almost 20 tenured & engaged Rotarians met to discuss who they think would make good board members. From this list of possible board members, individuals were contacted and asked if they wanted to run for the board- 14 members said yes, eight will be elected to represent Rotary on the Board of Directors.

    Those 14 people running for the Board of Directors have been divided up into two teams- the “Hubs” and “Spokes.” (A play on the Rotary gear that is our logo.)  Each team will present for 15 minutes on Tuesday, March 5 to showcase candidates. For more information about candidates, please click here.

    Any Rotarian who is current on their dues can vote for up to 8 board members on March 12.  Absentee (email) ballots will be available beginning on March 5 as well. (instructions forthcoming on that- watch your email inboxes.) You DO NOT have to vote strictly along “Hubs” and “Spokes” lines- you can pick and choose any eight individuals from the list of 14.