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February 2025

Volume 25 Issue 2

An enjoyable time was had by all during the new member social at NES Cornhole Lounge - Welcome New Members!

Click HERE to review the Rotary of Richmond Grant Procedures and Criteria. The Rotary Club of Richmond seeks to support local non-profit organizations in our community who are making a difference in the critical needs of the citizens of the City of Richmond, VA, and surrounding areas.

SERVICE ABOVE SELF

Project Warm

We have lots of wood ready to be split at the wood lot to prepare when the weather turns really cold weather and we deliver wood to individuals who depend on wood only for their heat source.

Join us Saturday mornings at 9am for splitting and delivery. The woodlot is located at a city-owned maintenance lot behind John Marshall High School off Chamberlayne & North Avenues, 608 Forest Lawn Drive. 

Contact Joe Kelleher via email with questions!

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 Laurie Menzel, Major Gifts Officer, Zone 33

Mid-Atlantic - The Rotary Foundation Update

Laurie Menzel is a Major Gifts Officer for The Rotary Foundation, Zone 33. Laurie has over 15 years’ experience in the Nonprofit sector working for a variety of nonprofits. She earned a master’s degree in Non-Profit Management from Regis University and the Certified Fund-Raising Executive (CFRE) certification.

Through challenging nonprofit leadership positions and business ownership, she gained a solid background in financial oversight, strategic planning, volunteer management, and fund development. She has led successful large scale fundraising events and trained boards in the importance of a culture of philanthropy, however individual giving is her passion. These experiences give her a strong focus on volunteer and team-based approaches to working with donors, all with the objective of meeting the donors’ philanthropic goals.

Currently, she serves on several nonprofit boards, USA Girls Scouts Overseas, Chi Omega Alumnae of Northern Virginia, and as the Treasurer of her Rotary Club. She was a Jazzercise Franchise owner for over 13 years, operating multiple locations both in the US and abroad. She has a genuine love of fitness, especially teaching youth the benefits of exercise and healthy eating. Laurie’s Rotary Foundation area of responsibility includes five Districts which cover Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Delaware, and part of Tennessee.

Laurie works from her home office in Alexandria, Virginia, and travels throughout the area to meet individual donors. She is a Rotarian (Rotary E-Club of Global Peacebuilders in District 7610). She and her husband, Ralph, also a Rotarian, live in Alexandria VA, after spending 18 years in various overseas locations.

Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Bill Street, President & CEO James River Association

"The State of the James"

Bill Street is President and CEO of the James River Association (JRA). Prior to serving as CEO of the James River Association, Bill worked for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, as well as an environmental consulting firm, Malcolm Pirnie, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Duke University Wetland Center, and the Institute for Environmental Negotiation at the University of Virginia. He holds degrees in Commerce and Urban and Environmental Planning from Virginia and Environmental Management from Duke.

Established in 1976, the JRA plays a critical role in ensuring the health of the James River. With a team of over 50 dedicated staff and a network of more than 10,000 members, they’ve made remarkable strides in improving the river’s condition.

Under Street’s leadership, the JRA concentrates on several key areas. Habitat restoration involves planting trees, removing invasive species, creating wetlands to support fish and wildlife. The living shorelines program has restored over 320 acres and planted over 100,000 trees in the last five years.

Research through comprehensive studies help the team understand the river’s ecology, its threats, and formulate effective conservation strategies. Their advocacy for clean water standards and collaboration with governmental and industrial bodies to reduce pollution has resulted in the allocation of over $2.7 billion to clean water programs.

JRA has developed an environmental education program that has reached nearly 50,000 students over the last five years. Their “Game Changer” campaign aims to strengthen existing programs, initiate restoration projects, and establish new educational facilities.

Due to JRA efforts, the James River now boasts healthier wildlife populations, improved water quality, and is steadily transforming into a vibrant resource for future generations. 

Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Dr. Ron Havers, President & CEO. The American Civil War Museum – Tredegar

"Women of Civil War Richmond"

Dr. Rob Havers serves as President and CEO of the American Civil War Museum.

The American Civil War Museum is a multi-site museum in the Greater Richmond Region of central Virginia, dedicated to the history of the American Civil War. The museum operates three sites: The White House of the Confederacy, the American Civil War Museum at Historic Tredegar in Richmond, and the American Civil War Museum at Appomattox. It maintains a comprehensive collection of artifacts, manuscripts, Confederate books and pamphlets, and photographs.

In November 2013, the Museum of the Confederacy and the American Civil War Center at Tredegar merged, creating the American Civil War Museum. Its current name was announced in January 2014.

Prior to coming to the Museum, Dr. Havers served as President/CEO of the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, President/CEO of the George C. Marshall Foundation, Director of the National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri, and as a Senior Lecturer in War Studies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Havers graduated from Queen Mary University of London with a bachelor’s degree in history and politics; London School of Economics and Political Science with a master’s degree in later modern British history and Pembroke College, Cambridge with a Ph.D. He is a published author with several books and articles to his credit and is a widely respected lecturer on military history.

Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Tom Barkin, President & CEO. Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond

"Update & Views on our U.S. Economy"

Tom Barkin became the eighth president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond on January 1, 2018.

He worked at global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company for 30 years in increasingly senior positions, including as global chief financial officer (CFO) and chief risk officer, with oversight of finance, legal and information technology functions, among others. He also served on the executive committee of the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, as an Emory University Board of Trustees member, and former board member and chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Tom currently serves as a voting member of the Fed’s chief monetary policy body, the Federal Open Market Committee, and is also responsible for the Richmond Fed’s bank supervision and the Federal Reserve’s technology organization. He is “on the ground” continually in the Fed’s Fifth District, which covers South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, D.C., West Virginia and Maryland. His engagement in the region has brought real attention to areas facing economic challenges.

Barkin was born and raised in Tampa, Florida. He earned his bachelor’s, MBA and law degrees from Harvard University.

Thanks to Joel Horning, Vice President, Co Star Group, Inc., for addressing the Rotary Club of Richmond.

Thanks to Jay Brown, CEO, Commonwealth Catholic Charities, for speaking to The Rotary Club of Richmond.

Our appreciation to Dr.Tracey Gendron, Virginia Commonwealth University Gerontology, for addressing The Rotary Club of Richmond.

Whether you are relatively new to the club or a long-serving member, the Rotary Club of Richmond has been serving Richmond for more than a century; do you have your copy of this history? Copies are now available; $20 soft copies; $30 hard copies.

Let's wish our fellow Rotarians Happy Birthday and congratulations on their Rotary Anniversary!