Events

It's that time again! Please use the volunteer sign-up link to sign up for a time slot to ring the Salvation Army bell! We will be at the same location as last year: Publix on Orange Avenue and Michigan Street.

Jason Buhi is an assistant professor at Barry University’s Dwayne O. Andreas School of Law where he teaches courses in constitutional law and election law. Prior to that, Jason taught for four years at the Peking University School of Transnational Law in China. He earned his J.D. from Penn State and his Ph.D. from the University of Hong Kong. 

Jason was first introduced to China as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Carroll Creek in Frederick, Maryland, and the Rotary Club of Hong Kong North. He was present in Hong Kong during the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement of 2014 and the challenging events of this summer, both of which he will speak of today. His most recent journal article, “America’s New Covenant with Hong Kong: The Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act of 2019,” will be published later this year.

Guests most welcome, reservation required.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Rotary Club of Orlando Board Meeting

• REMINDER - Parking at McCree is now limited to street parking or the front parking lot. You cannot park on the side of the building near the entrance to the Training Room. This is reserved for the construction workers.
• Our board meetings once per month to approve new members, events, and procedures, and discuss club activities.
• If you are a general member of The Rotary Club of Orlando and would like to present to the board, please send all pertinent documents for discussion to admin@orlandorotary.org no later than one week prior to the board meeting. You will be added to the agenda for discussion. If you are proposing a new member, please use the New Member Application, located on our website homepage. If you are proposing an event, please reach out to Jamie for an Event Proposal Form. 

A recognized expert in the Orlando retail real estate market, Cindy is senior vice president and market leader in SRS’ Orlando office. She leads the Orlando and Tampa markets alongside John Artope. Cindy joined SRS in 2016 with more than 15 years of real estate experience in both the office and retail industries. Previously, she worked with Cushman Wakefield as the director of retail and office brokerage services. Her distinctive skill set benefits her clients, ranging from space utilization and design, to cost saving techniques and value engineering.

She has worked with many notable clients including National Airlines Corporation, Knob Hill Consulting Group, Restaurant Partners Inc., Integrative Medicine Corporation, TW2 Advertising Agency, Old Town Amusement Complex, 4 Rivers Smokehouse Corporation, Romacorp, Inc., Chicken Salad Chick, Skechers Shoes, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Fidelity Bank. In 2008, Cindy founded Cynco Properties, a full-service commercial brokerage organization.

During her tenure as managing partner, she successfully completed more 250,000 square feet of
office space projects including relocation of both local and national corporations. She was also responsible for a 200,000-square-foot mixed-use project requiring repositioning of the current tenant mix, locating new tenants and securing market exposure for the property. Prior to her time in the real estate industry, Cindy spent 10 years in the healthcare industry serving in a variety of roles including project
development, operations management and community relations.

Guests most welcome, reservation required.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

December Foundation Board Meeting

The Rotary Club of Orlando will deck the halls with a festive performance by The Ladies 4.  Under the direction of Mr. Derric Johnson, creator of Disney’s Voices of Liberty, we will be treated to a program that is sure to leave us in the Christmas spirit!  Please join us on December 19th for our Christmas program and the presentation of uplifting Christmas songs by the beautiful voices of The Ladies 4.

Dr. Sanford “Sandy” Shugart has served since 2000 as the fourth president of Valencia College in greater Orlando, Florida.  Community colleges play a crucial role in fostering social mobility for students and developing talent for their communities across the country. As winner of the first Aspen Prize for Excellence, Valencia is one of the most celebrated community colleges in America.  The Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence honors those institutions that strive for and achieve exceptional levels of success for all students, while they are in college and after they graduate or transfer.  Serving some 70,000 students per year, Valencia is known for high rates of graduation, transfer, and job placement and has become something of a national laboratory for best practices in learning-centered education. 

Prior to Valencia, Sandy served as president of North Harris College and as Vice President and Chief Academic Officer of the North Carolina Community College System.  He earned his Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  In addition to his career in education, Dr. Shugart is a published poet and songwriter and author of Leadership in the Crucible of Work: Discovering the Interior Life of an Authentic Leader.

Rotary Club of Orlando Board Meeting

• REMINDER - Parking at McCree is now limited to street parking or the front parking lot. You cannot park on the side of the building near the entrance to the Training Room. This is reserved for the construction workers.
• Our board meetings once per month to approve new members, events, and procedures, and discuss club activities.
• If you are a general member of The Rotary Club of Orlando and would like to present to the board, please send all pertinent documents for discussion to admin@orlandorotary.org no later than one week prior to the board meeting. You will be added to the agenda for discussion. If you are proposing a new member, please use the New Member Application, located on our website homepage. If you are proposing an event, please reach out to Jamie for an Event Proposal Form. 

Steve Hogan is the Chief Executive Officer for Florida Citrus Sports, a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Citrus Bowl, Camping World Bowl, Camping World Kickoff, Florida Blue Florida Classic, Orlando Citrus Parade and others.

In addition to his work on Florida Citrus Sports’ signature events, Hogan is also widely regarded as the “quarterback” who brought together leaders from the public and private sector to convince the NFL to move the Pro Bowl from Honolulu to “The City Beautiful” in 2016.

He also worked for nearly a decade alongside other community leaders to secure approval for nearly $200 million for the 2014 reconstruction of Camping World Stadium, and in 2018, Hogan helped secure an additional $60 million in Tourist Development Tax funds to complete the job started in 2014.

Away from the gridiron, Hogan was part of a group of community leaders responsible for creating LIFT Orlando, a 501(c)(3) aimed at breaking the cycle of poverty in Orlando's West Lakes communities — partnering with residents to achieve shared goals of mixed-income housing, a cradle-to-career educational pipeline, community wellness and long-term economic viability.

Hogan also serves nationally as a Past Chairman of the Football Bowl Association and has served locally as chair of Leadership Orlando. Other board service in addition to his involvement with LIFT Orlando includes Orlando Inc., the Buoniconti Fund to Cure Paralysis, the Community Health Impact Council and the Economic Development Commission.

Hogan has also managed several NFL preseason, college football regular-season and international soccer neutral-site games, and has negotiated television, title sponsorship and conference partnership agreements that have elevated Florida Citrus Sports to the top of its industry.

Guests most welcome, reservation required.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

‘I’m Just Being Logical’ And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves In Business (And In Life)

Cris Gladly is a consultant, advisor, and speaker with a passion for positive human relationships. 

She helps forward-thinking companies (and people leaders) increase social and emotional intelligence, humanize their interactions, and communicate and connect better.

For more than 20 years, Cris has shared powerful, perspective-shifting insights and smart, actionable solutions with organizations, leaders, and teams in the tech, manufacturing, nonprofit, and higher education sectors.

She also helps purpose-driven professionals speak up, stand out, and share their bright ideas with the world.

Volunteer to help at our book fair event at Ivey Lane Elementary School! Our club has raised money to provide each student with a book to purchase for their very own! We need 1-2 volunteers per class. Feel free to bring friends and family members! You are not required to register with Orange County.

Click the "Volunteer" button to sign up!

Jerry Demings, Mayor of Orange County, assumed office in December 2018, becoming the first African-American to do so.   As mayor he chairs the county commission and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the county government, overseeing over 7,000 employees with an annual budget of over $3 billion. It is the most powerful elected office in Central Florida.

Jerry previously served as Sheriff of Orange County, Florida, from 2009 to December 2018. As sheriff of Orange County, Demings targeted high crime areas with the establishment of new substations in both residential and tourist areas. He was an innovator in 21st Century policing and started programs like Tourist Oriented Policing and Problem Oriented Policing units centered on proactive policing throughout Orange County.

After retiring from the City of Orlando with 21 years of service, including six years (1998-2004) as Chief of Police, he was appointed as Deputy County Administrator and Public Safety Director. He played a pivotal leadership role in the response to the 2004 and 2005 hurricanes. In addition, he served as Interim Orange County Jail Director for seven months. He was part of the mayor’s senior leadership team responsible for managing all county operations until January 2008. He was instrumental in the $100 million plus jail expansion, served on the Jail Oversight Commission, oversaw the opening of new fire stations and implementation of the countywide Integrated Criminal Justice Information System.

Guests most welcome, reservation required.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

During his 35 year naval career, Vice Admiral Brewer served as Commander, Military Sealift Command, leading a fleet of 120 ships.  He also commanded Amphibious Group Three, a combat group of 17 ships.  On the path to flag officer, he commanded two ships, the USS Bristol County (LST 1189) and the USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20).  During these two command tours, his ships won numerous awards for combat efficiency and community service.  During his career, he earned numerous prestigious military awards.

After retiring from the Navy, Vice Admiral Brewer was named as the 46th Superintendent of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), where he served from November 2006 to December 2008.  LAUSD is the second largest school district in the US, with over 700,000 students, 100,000 full and part-time employees and over 800 schools.  Under his leadership, the District had its highest academic gains in over five years, increasing the graduation rate while reducing the dropout rate by 17% 

He is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University where he was a member of the first graduating class of the first Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps unit established by the U.S. Navy at a historically black university.  Raised in Orlando, he is a distinguished graduate of Jones High School. 

Vice Admiral Brewer is also the recipient of the Onyx Magazine state of Florida’s 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award.

He is married to Dr. Richardene “Deanie” Brewer, a distinguished educator of over 30 years. They have a daughter, Stacey, who is an attorney.

Guests most welcome, reservation required.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Rotary Club of Orlando Board Meeting

• REMINDER - Parking at McCree is now limited to street parking or the front parking lot. You cannot park on the side of the building near the entrance to the Training Room. This is reserved for the construction workers.
• Our board meetings once per month to approve new members, events, and procedures, and discuss club activities.
• If you are a general member of The Rotary Club of Orlando and would like to present to the board, please send all pertinent documents for discussion to admin@orlandorotary.org no later than one week prior to the board meeting. You will be added to the agenda for discussion. If you are proposing a new member, please use the New Member Application, located on our website homepage. If you are proposing an event, please reach out to Jamie for an Event Proposal Form. 

It is our pleasure to welcome back Derric Johnson and The Ladies Four.  The Ladies 4 are an amazing singing group with extraordinary talent. We are privileged to have them return for this Valentines luncheon.

Many of you will remember that Mr. Derric Johnson is the creator of Disney’s Voices of Liberty, a nationally recognized group which has performed at Disney for decades. All of the ladies have performed in groups related to Voices of Liberty. 

Guests most welcome, reservation required.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

February Foundation Board Meeting

As a native Floridian, Chad Crawford has always loved his home state, and he’s made it his mission to share it with the world. He’s often called Florida’s Ambassador for this very reason. Emmy award-winning how to Do florida with Chad Crawford began as a way to combine Chad’s passions – filmmaking, Florida, and literally anything outdoors – but has evolved into a passion project. Chad uses his platforms to create fans of Florida, but more importantly, he’s interested in creating advocates for Florida. Watch Chad in action by visiting his website  www.howtodoflorida.com .

Guests most welcome, reservation required.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Born in Cuba and raised in South Florida, George Diaz became inspired to be a journalist while working for the school newspaper at Coral Gables High School. He is a graduate of the University of Florida’s School of Journalism in 1978, Diaz has worked at The Miami Herald and Cincinnati Post before joining The Orlando Sentinel sports department in 1989.  He joined the Sentinel Editorial Board in July of 2006 before returning to the Sentinel sports department as a columnist in the spring of 2009. He recently took a severance package after 29 years at the paper and now is a freelance journalist.

His job has taken him to faraway places like Japan to cover the Olympics, to Don King's kitchen, where he shared Popeye's fried chicken with Mike Tyson. He once interviewed Muhammad Ali in the back of an SUV, and helped Doc Rivers win a title after he was fired by the Magic when they were teammates on a flag football team.

But he is most proud of sharing some highly-personal stories _ a return to Cuba in 1991, the death of his mother to Alzheimer’s in 2009, and the journey of becoming a foster parent and saying goodbye to a little one he considered to be his son in 2011.

George and his wife Theresa live in Longwood and were foster parents for nearly a decade. George is also involved with the Walk to End Alzheimer’s, serving as honorary chairman for the signature fund-raising event for two years.

Dave Benson is an accomplished security professional with over 40 years of Public and Private Sector expertise in the areas of Security Management, Protective Operations, Contingency Planning and Vulnerability/Risk Assessment & Mitigation.  He specializes in partnering with clients to develop Strategic Solutions to support individual, group or organizational goals.

Dave founded DJ Benson & Associates (DJBA) after an acclaimed career with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS) as a Senior Special Agent. Prior to his government service, Dave served in various management positions for Walt Disney World Security, in Orlando, Florida.  In his last position with the Department of State, Dave served as Director of the Diplomatic Security Training Center in Washington DC where he was responsible for the all Security, Engineering, and Law Enforcement training with the Bureau.  Dave’s other career highlights include: Protective Security for numerous Secretaries of State & Foreign Dignitaries: overseas assignments in Egypt, Sri Lanka, Finland, and Bangladesh; and oversight of the DS planning and coordination for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.

DJBA & “The Center for Personal Protection & Safety" (CPPS)--such as Workplace Violence Prevention, Self Defense, Executive Protection, Threat Assessment and Management Team training--Dave spends an increasing amount of his time managing the DJBA Security Threat Assessment, Management & Mitigation program as well as the CPPS Threat Management Advisory Team (TMAT), Workplace Violence Prevention Program Review and other High Level Consulting Programs.

Dave is an Adjunct Professor at Valencia College, School of Public Safety, a member in good standing of The Association of Threat Assessment Professionals (ATAP), currently serving as the Vice President of the Florida ATAP Board of Directors.

Born in Orlando, Florida, Conner McWhirter graduated from Winter Park High School and the Rollins College Community School of Music.  Presently, Conner is a senior at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, with a major in  vocal performance.  Conner also plays the piano and has been a piano student for 16 years.

Recently, Conner sang in the Mozarthaus in Vienna, Austria and the opera house in Urbino, Italy. Last spring, he performed in Eastman Opera’s production of L’enfant et les Sortiliges by Ravel. Last month, Conner performed with the Rochester Philharmonic in the Opera, Mother of Us All and in May will perform  with Eastman opera in Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi.   

Jacqueline Compton will accompany Conner in their 11th public collaboritive performance.  Ms. Compton is a graduate of Eastman School of Music with a double major  in music education  and applied music in vocal performance,  Ms. Compton is an accomplished pianist and she serves as staff pianist for Rollins College,  Stetson University and Bethune Cookman College, and as a pianist for the Orlando Ballet.

Hello Rotarians,

I hope you are all well and getting used to social distancing. With that in mind, tomorrow's Board Meeting will be VIRTUAL and is scheduled on Zoom. 

You will need to download the ZOOM ap on your device to access the meeting. You can do this through your ap store or begin at www.zoom.us

Once you have the ap, you will be able to access the meeting with the following link:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/794099000

Meeting ID: 794 099 000

Please let me know if you would like to try the ZOOM ap before the meeting and I can schedule a test. Just email me at admin@orlandorotary.org

Stay safe,

Tammy Wacker

Our first Virtual Conference meeting to connect with our entire membership.  Hope you will join us.

Hello Rotarians,

Here is the link for the ZOOM Board Meeting:

Time: Apr 14, 2020 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/776941797?pwd=Vno1cVJBU0JEWGVyMzA4MGVwUFF4QT09

Meeting ID: 776 941 797
Password: 2cRweVo)

Dial by your location
        +1 253 215 8782 US
        +1 301 715 8592 US
       
Meeting ID: 776 941 797
Password: 591832

It is best to access the meeting with a desktop computer. With the stronger wifi conncetion, there is less lag in participation. Please let me know if you are still having any difficulty accessing ZOOM.

Here is the link for the meeting documents:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/14YGgYobl_NtCALn1WzlkeweK3k4Nicx2?usp=sharing

Stay safe,

Tammy Wacker

Jessica Daly currently serves as the Consumer Health Librarian for Orlando Health Hospital System in Orlando, Florida.  Each day she connects the importance of patient and caregiver health literacy to over-all health outcomes and quality of life for those within her community. 

Her passions include health literacy education, medical research, communication, and patient experience.  Jessica’s professional strengths include leadership, online learning, outreach development, and relationship building.

She received a Bachelor of Science in Education as well as a Master of Library Science both from East Carolina University.  Jessica is a published author, columnist and public speaker.  She possesses the ability to inspire and encourage people through innovative and creative methods of instruction.

With over 22 years’ experience as a professional educator and research librarian, Jessica brings to presentations innate warmth pared with research based knowledge.

Lania Crouch is a fellow Rotarian from the Rotary Club of Winter Park for the last 4-years. Her main passion is Rotary International’s initiative “Rotary Youth Exchange”

Lania is currently the chair of Rotary Youth Exchange. She has hosted over 12 students from around the world and has made incredible Rotarian friends around the world as well.

In addition to her Rotary life, Lania has been married for 34 years and has four children, and two grandchildren. She currently runs a massage business in Winter Springs with her husband.

She has a degree in business and spent most of her working career in County Governments.

Both of her sons have gone on exchange with the summer and year-long program. Paul has gone to Italy and spent a year in Brazil.  Seth went to Italy and France for the summer and spent a year in Japan.

Lance Walker, Jr. is President and partner of Walker & Company, Inc. As the second generation leader of Walker & Company, Lance grew up working for the company and has worked in almost every position at the firm.

Lance has been instrumental in building and carrying on the company’s philosophy for providing quality construction services, a high level of professionalism and conducting business with integrity. With more than 30 years of construction experience, Lance is committed to delivering a successful project experience from the earliest stages of their clients’ vision through the completion and occupancy of an exceptional building.
Lance is active in the community having served on the Board of numerous civic non profits and industry associations including the Winter Park Library, The Winter Park Chamber of Commerce, Heart of Florida United Way, Boy Scouts of America, Elevate Orlando, and the Central Florida Associated Builders and Contractors.

As a lifelong Floridian and avid outdoorsman, Lance has a great appreciation for the aesthetic beauty of the Florida landscape. As a result, Lance has developed a passion for Florida art and has acquired a significant collection of Backus and Highwaymen paintings. He has spent a lot of time researching the history of The Florida Highwaymen, one the most significant 20th century self taught art movements in US history. This has made him one of the most knowledgeable and respected art historians in Central Florida.

Chaunté Lowe is an American athlete who competes in the high jump. A four-time Olympian (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016), she is also the 2008 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2005 World Championship silver medalist and the 2012 World Indoor gold medalist. Chaunté has broken American Records, made Olympic Teams, and won medals all while being a mother of three.

She travels throughout the US as a motivational speaker encouraging people to understand that, no matter the odds stacked against us, success is possible. Originally from California, Chaunté has chosen Florida as her home and currently lives with her family in the Orlando area. 

May 12, 1920 was the date of our first club meeting.

Eddie Selover has over 30 years of experience in brand and marketing communications, helping corporations and individual leaders express their stories in ways that are more relevant, credible, and impactful.

During his career, Eddie has held a variety of executive positions in corporate and marketing communications with Fortune 500 firms and other leading brands in New York City, Los Angeles, and Orlando. In his current position as Vice President, Communications at CapAcuity, he is responsible for creating and managing this financial services firm’s brand identity, including sales and marketing communications, executive communications, M&A, advertising, and public relations.

As a speechwriter and public speaker, Eddie is a two-time winner of the Cicero Speechwriting Award, and his TED talk “How PechaKucha Changed My Life” has been viewed over 80,000 times. Since 2010, he has been the organizer and host of PechaKucha Orlando, a popular public-speaking event which has won international recognition as well as several awards for its contribution to Orlando’s arts community. For his work with PechaKucha, Orlando Magazine recognized him as “One of the 50 Most Powerful People in Orlando” last year.

Sean Snaith, Ph.D., is the director of the University of Central Florida’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness and a nationally recognized economist in the field of business and economic forecasting.

An award-winning forecaster, researcher and professor, Snaith applies academic expertise to solve real-world problems. He has served as a consultant for local governments and multi-national corporations, such as Compaq, Dell and IBM. Before joining UCF’s College of Business Administration, he held teaching positions at Pennsylvania State University, American University in Cairo, the University of North Dakota and the University of the Pacific.

Snaith frequently is interviewed in national and regional media and is a sought-after speaker. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, The Economist and CNNMoney.com and has appeared on CNBC, Fox Business Network and Business News Network, based in Toronto.

Known for his engaging presentations, Snaith earned praise from one business editor for making economics not only understandable but interesting.”

Snaith is a member of several economic organizations and national economic forecasting panels, including The Wall Street Journal's Economic Forecasting Survey, the Associated Press’ Economy Survey, CNNMoney.com’s Survey of Leading Economists, USA Today's Survey of Top Economists, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia's Survey of Professional Forecasters, Bloomberg and Reuters.

Snaith was named by Bloomberg News as one of the nation's most accurate forecasters in 2008. In 2007, he was named California’s most accurate forecaster by the Western Blue Chip Consensus Forecast.

Snaith holds a B.S. in Economics from Allegheny College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Pennsylvania State University.

Snaith is also the host of “Money Clips With Sean Snaith,” a weekly segment produced by UCF TV, which aims to break down complex issues into digestible news about subjects ranging from the job market and housing to the cost of food.

Former Senior Intelligence Officer with the CIA with over 20 years’ experience in breaching the security of organizations overseas. Peter is founder of the Orlando based Counterintelligence Institute, LLC.  He is passionate about using his expertise in helping city, state and federal government entities, non-profits, academic institutes, private companies and individuals safeguarding their sensitive proprietary and/or personal data.  Peter is a Certified Protection Professional (CPP) and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE)

Peter is an author of numerous publications on social engineering and the manipulation of insiders and he can contribute his expertise: Identity Theft, Security Breaches, Social Engineering, Privacy versus Security, Social Media Profiling, Cyber Security, Espionage