Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast

2026 Volunteer of the Year nominations are open

The Rotary Volunteer of the Year Award is our local club’s highest honor. This year’s award will be presented at our April 16 lunch meeting. The award recognizes outstanding and long-term community service that is performed outside of Rotary – that is, service other than Rotary service.

Nomination forms are available below and hard copies will be available at the House Table at meetings at Ocean Zen. The form includes a list of previous honorees, for your reference. Nominations may be made by a fellow Rotarian, a family member, or an organization that has benefited from the nominee’s service. It is also perfectly acceptable to self-nominate.

Please feel free to contact one of the Rotary Volunteer Committee Co-Chairs -- Barbara Lucks or Cindy Howell -- if you have questions or need additional information. Completed nomination forms can be sent to them or to the Club Secretary.

Nominations will be accepted through March 31, 2026.

Download "volunteerofyear Nomination Flyer.2026.pdf"

Hands-on Service at Ozarks Food Harvest

Six members of Springfield Southeast Rotary surrendered their Saturday morning leisure on March 14, 2026, to join the assembly line at Ozarks Food Harvest. Julie Jones, Bill Saddler, Rex Johnson, Lori Johnson Murawski, Sal Agosta, and Sal's wife, Christy, formed an efficient volunteer team. By noon, their collective effort had transformed into 623 packed boxes-- nearly 19,000 pounds of provisions -- that would soon become more than 15,000 meals for hungry families. This is the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self" at work again!

Welcome new member Jessica Kolde

Ron Bogart introduced Jessica on March 12. Her cosponsor is Logan Aguirre.

Jessica has worked remotely for an Atlanta-based company, CRH, since 2022 in its Americas Building Products organization. She now serves as vice president of Supply Chain for the fence, deck, and rail division. If you’d like to talk about tariffs or trucking, Jessica’s your person.

Jessica grew up in Kansas and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering at Kansas State University. She then worked for Nestlé for 11 years, during which she lived in St. Joseph, Mo., Atlanta, Iowa twice, and St. Louis. After Nestlé, Jessica joined a startup food company in Mankato, Minn.

When Jessica was offered a position near Springfield, she declined as she and her family were trying to get out of the Midwest and explore a bit, though they did like the idea of being closer to family. When the opportunity came around again eight years ago, they gave Springfield a chance and quickly fell in love with the community. Jessica became active in the community through the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce and The eFactory. In 2020, she earned a Master of Business Administration from University of Arkansas.

Jessica and her husband, Chad, have two daughters, ages 12 and 14, who attend Central High School, one in the International Baccalaureate program and the other in Scholars. The family stays busy with Scouts BSA, where Jessica is a leader, and martial arts, in which Jessica earned a black belt to keep up with her daughters. The family attends Christ Episcopal Church.

The family enjoys spending time at Table Rock Lake, hiking and camping in the Ozarks, snow skiing, and watching Kansas State football, including several losing-effort bowl games and a game in Ireland in the summer of 2025. She says she loves to play golf despite being terrible at it. She claims to make the best margarita you’ve ever had, and says she can assemble a charcuterie board at a moment’s notice.

Hands-on Service: Springfield Southeast Rotarians volunteer for Good Dads!

Members of Springfield Southeast Rotary Club transformed the Pittman Elementary School gymnasium into a hub of activity on Friday, March 6, for the Good Dads program. The volunteers arranged tables, laid out craft supplies, and set up refreshment stations with donuts, coffee, and juice.

As fathers and their children arrived, they received welcome stickers and raffle tickets from the greeting team. Rotarian Kyle John led the day's featured activity: a paper airplane workshop in which dads and kids designed, built, and launched their creations together.

[L. to R.] Jim Bureman, Will Cox, Chuck Dow, Mike Cosgrove, Kyle John, and Dan Emrie (not shown) all contributed their time to make this service project a success. [Photo by Dan Emrie]

Welcome new member James Bureman

Dan Emrie introduced Jim on March 6. His cosponsor is Steve Rice.

Jim retired from his optometry practice in 2016 but volunteers at the Veterans Administration clinic in Springfield. He established Missouri Eye Institute, a joint practice with other optometrists at which he was the managing partner, in 1988. Dr. Bureman was honored as Missouri Optometrist of the year and an American Top Optometrist by the Consumer Research Council. He also served as chairman of the Missouri State Board of Optometry.

Jim is originally from the North County area of St. Louis, where he was the Senior Class president of Hazelwood High School. He attended Central Methodist University in Fayette on scholastic and football scholarships and earned a degree in Biology. He then studied at Illinois College of Optometry on an Army Health Scholarship. He entered the Army Medical Service Corps in 1980 as a captain. He served three years in Germany and one year at Ft. Riley, Kan., receiving two Army Commendation Medals. Jim completed his military service in the Missouri Army National Guard as a lieutenant colonel in 2000.

Jim met his future wife, Sherry, at Ft. Riley and they moved to Springfield in 1985 to begin his optometry practice. They have two adult children: Chase is a Marine pilot flying the Osprey Tilt Rotor Aircraft and Kirsten is a Rotarian in the San Francisco Bay area and was the first president of Springfield Rotaract Club. Jim was a former member of Springfield Southeast Rotary and is a Paul Harris Fellow.

www.dacdb.com

Welcome new member Jami Wightman

Jason Hynson introduced Jami on Jan. 22. Her cosponsor is Margo Spilde.

Jami is in charge of business development for Mouery’s Flooring on West Battlefield Road in Springfield, tasked with increasing revenue as well as developing and implementing long-term growth strategies. She took that job in the fall of 2025 after working as a senior account executive for 417 Magazine for 11 years.

Jami was born and raised in Lockwood. She earned a degree in marketing at Southwest Missouri State University (now MSU) and worked in both the Missouri State Capitol and the U.S. Capitol while she was in college. She lived in St. Louis for 12 years before moving back to southwest Missouri.

Jami’s community service includes serving on the boards of Victory Mission and Redeemer Lutheran Church, and on the advisory board of Least of These. Her faith is central to who she is and how she lives. At her core, she believes success is measured by how many people you help along the way. She finds her greatest fulfillment in serving others, building relationships, and giving back — which makes Rotary feel a lot like home.

Jami loves to eat breaded cashew chicken and enjoys having coffee with just about anyone, but would really enjoy a face-to-face conversation with Jesus. She lives in Nixa with her husband, John, and their two children, Molly and Logan, who are students at Liberty University. Her family loves boating, tubing and hanging out with friends on Table Rock Lake. She also likes shopping, running and decorating.

District 6080