Kenya and Global Grants - Dr. Shawn Wooden
Dr. Shawn Woodin began as President/CEO at Southern Scholarship Foundation in July of 2016. Previously, he served as Interim Executive Director at CCID - Community Colleges for International Development, Inc. He has also lived and worked in Kenya for six years, including time as a Peace Corps Volunteer at which time he met his wife, Chero. His previous work also includes social services and urban planning. His Doctorate of Education is from the University of Florida.
He is a Paul Harris Fellow, hosted two Rotary Youth Exchange students, and his daughter went to Brazil with the program. He has served as a bell ringing captain, serves food at the Hope House, and is trained in Naloxone. He serves as the International Services Chair for the Rotary Club of Tallahassee Board. Shawn is author of his bestselling (and only) novel Father, Son, Broken Spirit; In his spare time he facilitates meetings for MenLiving, an organization created to help men connect, heal, and thrive.
News from TCC - Dr. Jim Murdaugh
Dr. Jim Murdaugh, president of Tallahassee Community College since 2010, holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminology and a doctorate in public administration from Florida State University. He is also a graduate of Leadership Florida Executive Class VII and the prestigious Senior Executives in State and Local Government program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. He serves as a board member on the Big Bend Minority Chamber of Commerce, member of the Tallahassee Rotary Club, and honorary board member of the Stubbs Educational Foundation. He is a member of the Board of Directors of United Way of the Big Bend, where he served as chair for the 2021-22 year. He is also a former chair of the Leon County Economic Development Council. Jim also is a sustaining member and director of the Economic Club of Florida, a member of the Advisory Board of the Florida Technology Council, a trustee on the board of the Florida Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
He is a member of the Florida Chamber Board of Governors, and serves on the Leadership Florida Northwest Regional Council. He chaired the Florida College System Council of Presidents in 2019-20, and serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship. His personal vision is to make TCC the college of choice for students, the employer of choice for faculty and staff, and the partner of choice for the community.
Challenger Learning Center- Alan Hanstein
Alan Hanstein is the Executive Director for the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee, the K-12 STEM Outreach Program of the FAMU/FSU College of Engineering. He is responsible for all aspects of center operations, including its IMAX Theatre, Planetarium Theatre, Camp Challenger, educational school programs (field trips), lecture series, public programs and more. He has more than three decades of experience leading successful technology companies.
Active in the community, Alan serves on several non-profit boards, including Making Awesome, Tallahassee’s Makerspace and Moonshot Florida.
He served on the board of Florida State University Schools and is a former Knight Creative Communities Catalyst. He is a Jim Moran Institute Fellow. Alan lives in Tallahassee with his wife, Amy. They have two adult children, both of whom grew up visiting our center frequently!
A Report Card for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - James Harding
Dr. James R. Harding teaches management courses in FSU’s College of Business, with special emphasis on inclusion in education and the workforce for persons with disabilities. He helped to co-author the 2004 National Accessibility Guidelines, the 2006 Volunteer Voting Accessibility Guidelines, the 2008 Outdoor Accessibility Guidelines, the 2014 Refueling Assistance Act, and the 2015 Florida Able Act. He serves as a grant reviewer for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) and the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation.He also serves on several national, state, and community boards including (but is not limited to) Delta Airlines Disability Advisory Board, Florida Network on Disabilities (FND), Evergreen Life Services (ELS), Tony J Mason Foundation, and as the faculty advisor to the FSU University of Choice (UoC) Initiative for students with and without disabilities. As a 2x quadriplegic for nearly 4 decades, he strives to lead by example within the disability community from both personal and professional experience. He and his wife Erika live and work in Tallahassee, Florida.
Cross Country in Tallahassee - Amanda Heidecker
Amanda Heidecker has a mixture of hospitality sales management experience, event planning, and well-respected athletic accomplishments, as she was an NCAA Division-1 athlete in Track and Field / Cross Country at FSU. Through her experiences as a competitor and sales manager, Amanda has been instrumental in leveraging her expertise to secure and run an unprecedented caliber of events across all sports. Beginning in 2013, Amanda was a vital part of the Visit Tallahassee team and was instrumental in developing Apalachee Regional Park and bringing national exposure and prestigious cross-country championships to Tallahassee—along with tens of thousands of visitors annually. In May 2021, she was promoted to become the new Director of County Parks & Recreation, leaving the Leon County Division of Tourism/Visit Tallahassee. In addition, she is the Chair of the Tallahassee Sports Council, an avid runner, and enjoys spending her free time with her three energetic children.
Artificial Intelligence in the Movies - Tom Mikota
Tom Mikota is an artist, innovator, leader and educator with a passion for making movies. As an artist he specialized in lighting, texturing and shading, and as a supervisor he specializes in creating incredibly efficient production workflows. He spent the first decade of his career working on award winning films like King Kong, Happy Feet, and Avatar at major studios all over the world.
Since 2009 he develops technology for automating film and animation workflows: building out production pipelines as a supervisor on Avatar, working in a tech startup, consulting studios worldwide, or building and running a Virtual Production Stage and research lab at Florida State University's top ranked film program.
District Governor - Kerry Anne Schultz
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Kerry Anne Schultz is the managing attorney at Schultz Law Group, P.L.L.C. and the owner of Pure Title, LLC. She graduated Summa Cum Laude as Valedictorian with a Bachelor’s of both History and Political Science from Oklahoma City University in 1998. Kerry Anne also earned her Juris Doctorate with honors from Western Michigan University-Thomas M. Cooley School of Law in 2000. Kerry Anne is currently a member of the Florida Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and an Instructor with the Florida Division of Real Estate. She serves on the Board of Governors of the Pensacola State College Foundation and is the Vice President of First Judicial Circuit Court Nominating Commission. Kerry Anne has been a member of the Gulf Breeze Rotary Club since 2006 where she served in several officer or director positions, including, President in 2013-2014, 2019-2020 Rotary District 6940 Treasurer, and 2018 6940 District Conference Chair.
Kerry Anne was awarded Gulf Breeze Rotary’s 2018 “Citizen of the Year” and the University of West Florida and Combined Rotary Clubs of Pensacola 2020 “Ethics in Business Award.” Kerry Anne is a Polio Plus Society Member, a Bequest Society Member and a Major Donor Level Two. Kerry Anne frequently participates in International Service projects in Kenya, Africa assisting several schools and orphanages and a county hospital. Kerry Anne is married to Paul Battle, a civil engineer, and they have a daughter, Ellanor Rosemary Battle.
Artificial Intelligence in the Movies - Tom Mikota
Tom Mikota is an artist, innovator, leader and educator with a passion for making movies. As an artist he specialized in lighting, texturing and shading, and as a supervisor he specializes in creating incredibly efficient production workflows. He spent the first decade of his career working on award winning films like King Kong, Happy Feet, and Avatar at major studios all over the world.
Since 2009 he develops technology for automating film and animation workflows: building out production pipelines as a supervisor on Avatar, working in a tech startup, consulting studios worldwide, or building and running a Virtual Production Stage and research lab at Florida State University's top ranked film program.
Amazon’s New Tallahassee Hub - Karen Valentin
Karen Valentin has a background in recruiting and Human Resources and will celebrate 5 years with Amazon this month! She covers the Jacksonville market and also supports new Amazon facility launches in Tallahassee and Savannah. She plays a vital role in staffing over 18 Amazon buildings with Tier1 associates in her current role as Senior Staffing Coordinator. She also is heavily involved in the community with high school and college students, military veterans and people with disabilities holding information sessions that bring awareness of the limitless opportunities at Amazon.
In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, catering and spending time with family.
Storm Vulnerability in Leon County - Mark Horner
Storm events come in all shapes and sizes and Tallahassee has seen its share. Whether a hard freeze leading to exploding pipes, 10-inch rain events, drying out structures after hurricanes and tropical storms, or cleaning up homes impacted by falling trees, Mark and his team strive to make it ‘ never even happened ’. He has been a member of our club since 1983.
Cross Country in Tallahassee - Amanda Heidecker
Beginning in 2013, Amanda was a vital part of the Visit Tallahassee team and was instrumental in developing Apalachee Regional Park and bringing national exposure and prestigious cross-country championships to Tallahassee—along with tens of thousands of visitors annually.
Legislative Recap 2023 - Allison Tant
Representative Allison Tant currently serves as the Representative of District 9 in the Florida House of Representatives. She along with State Senator Corey Simon, will provide a Legislative Recap for 2023.
Queen of the Clouds - Taylor Phillips
Taylor Phillips presenting his award-winning “Queen of the Clouds” book recounting Jerri Mock’s solo around the world flight, the first by a woman. A harrowing trip to say the least…long before modern navigation aids like GPS. “Queen of the Clouds” is based on Taylor’s personal interviews with Jerri, a long-time Quincy resident.
Taylor Phillips serves as Chaplain at Westminster Oaks Retirement Community, where he collects the life stories of residents.
State of the Club - President Kelley Phillips
This week our new 2023-2024 President, Kelley Phillips will provide a “State of the Club” address.
President Kelley will be giving an “eyewitness report" on the 2023 Rotary International convention in Melbourne AU along with a look at what’s coming in year 101 for The Rotary Club of Tallahassee.