Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast

Community grants, spring 2021

The Community Grants Committee awarded five $1,000 grants in the spring cycle. This was the second round of grants in this Rotary program year; the first round also awarded a total of $5,000.

The programs that received grants in spring 2021 are:

Boys & Girls Club, to support hands-on learning opportunities
Council of Churches of the Ozarks' Ambassadors for Children, to support its Kid's Closet program
Girls on the Run, to support seven girls so they can participate in its life-skills program
Good Samaritan Boys Ranch, to remodel the shower hourse at its summer camp near Walnut Grove
On Angels Winds, in support of its Recipient Family Video Testimonials Project

The funds for Community Grants are part of the club's annual budget from members' dues. Steve Brooks is the chair of the Community Grants Committee.

Volunteer of the Year

Congratulations to Mark Walker, Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast's 2021 Volunteer of the Year. Tammy Mast (above right), chair of the Rotary Volunteers Committee, presented the award on April 22.

"One of the greatest moments is after we have selected the recipient and we just reflect on the impact that person has had in our community," Tammy said. "Comments that were made about this year’s recipient are:

'I just want to be like him.'

'He always has the right thing to say for that exact moment.'

'He is smart, caring, humble.'

'He steps up and will do anything that needs to be done and he does it with no fanfare.'

'He naturally creates a giving culture for all of those around him and you just want to be a part of that.'

'He is a natural mentor. Sometimes you don’t even know you are being mentored, but you just want to absorb all of the knowledge you can.'

Mark has served on numerous boards at local, state and national levels, advocating for social justice, education and professional development. He has brought key stakeholders together to address opportunity gaps and the needs of some of the most underserved to create sustainable change. He has provided a visionary perspective to create strategic shifts for nonprofit organizations at a time they needed it most.

He has served or is currently on the boards of directors for the national CASA organization, Care to Learn, Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, United Way, Missouri Trucking Association and several organizations in Silicon Valley. He also is on the Drury University Board of Trustees.

Mark is a visionary, a leader, and a mentor. Yet, when asked about his most rewarding volunteer experience, it was time spent in a Mark Twain Elementary School classroom.

It is my pleasure to award the 2021 Southeast Rotary Volunteer of the Year Award to Mark Walker."

Members of Mark's family were at the meeting to see him honored. Volunteer of the Year is our club's highest honor.

(Photos are by Dan Emrie.)

Mark Walker's family celebrated his honor with him. From left to right, they are Catherine (daughter), Mary (wife), Mark, Anna (mom) and Andrew (son). He has another son, Patrick, who lives in Atlanta.

Welcome new and former member Anna Beth Morgan

Dan Emrie introduced Anna Beth on April 22. Her co-sponsor is Barbara Lucks.

Anna Beth is executive director of Mayo Clinic Libraries. She oversees 16 library sites in several states, the Mayo Clinic archives, and the clinic’s Heritage Days. She’s been in her current job for five years.

Anna Beth was associate vice president of Academic Resources and director of the library at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., from 2009 – 2016. She was the Technical Services Librarian at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin from 2007 – 2009. In Springfield, she was the founding director of Medical Library Services at St. John’s (now Mercy Springfield) Health System from 1985 – 2006.

Anna Beth (Crabtree) moved to Springfield at age 9 in 1971. She was a member of Springfield Southeast from 1992 – 2006. She returned to the Ozarks in September 2020 from Rochester, Minn., headquarters of the Mayo Clinic.

Anna Beth has a Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science and History from Oklahoma Baptist University, a Master of Library Science from Texas Woman’s University, and a Master of Science in Health Services from Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar.

Anna Beth and her husband, Robert, live in Nixa. They have two children.

Welcome new member Brandi Bailey

Ashley Walden introduced Brandi on April 15. Her co-sponsor is Kelly Parker.

Brandi is vice president of Strategic Development and Marketing for Snyder Construction Group in Ozark, where she's worked for a year. She previously worked for three years at Lamar Johnson Collaborative (formerly Bates and Bates Forum) before its office in Springfield closed because of the pandemic. She practiced commercial interior design for 15 years before moving into the construction business in 2020.

Brandi volunteers for Gathering Friends, which helps homeless people; is on the Junior Board of Lost and Found Grief Center; and is on the Fundraising and Grants Committee and the board of Women in Need of the Ozarks (WIN). She also imports handcrafted baskets from a poverty-stricken community in Africa to sell locally, giving back proceeds to a church in that community.

Brandi is a member of NCIDO (Council for Interior Design) and the Springfield Contractors Association. She also owns an AirB&B condo at Table Rock Lake.

Brandi is a native of Kansas but moved to Springfield 26 years ago during middle school. She attended Kickapoo High School and then earned a degree in Interior Design at Missouri State University.

Brandi and her husband, Jay, live in Springfield and have a 5-year-old son, Benson. They love to entertain family and friends, have standing Friday night family date nights, and love the Greenway trails.

Welcome new member Angela Delahoussaye

Ken Williams introduced her on April 1. Her cosponsor is Lori Barnes Miller.

Angela is a native of Lafayette, La. She moved here in July 2020 after marrying Ken.

She has been a banker for more than 27 years, working at banks in Lafayette; Hattiesburg, Miss.; and Alexandria, La. She is a Retail Banking Group manager at Guaranty Bank, where she oversees five banking centers. Her office is in Farmers Park on East Republic Road.

Angela has been a Rotarian for more than 17 years, and met her husband at a Rotary meeting. She was in the Lafayette Rotary Club and the Alexandria Rotary Club, of which she is a past president. She also is a Paul Harris Fellow.

She has been an active volunteer with other groups, including as president of the River Oaks Square Arts Center in Alexandria and a member of the Resource Development Cabinet of United Way of Central Louisiana.

Angela has a bachelor’s degree from University of Louisiana at Lafayette, making her a Ragin Cajun. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, and is an avid runner.

Welcome new and former member Cliff Davis

Jim Towery introduced Cliff on March 25. His co-sponsor is Bob Beine.

Cliff is president of Ozarks Technical Community College's Richwood Valley Campus and OTC system vice chancellor. He has been an administrator for OTC since 2004. He previously was president of the OTC Table Rock Campus and vice chancellor for Advancement, Student Affairs, and Strategic Planning, while also serving as Executive Director of the OTC Foundation.

Before OTC, Cliff was assistant to the president and assistant to the vice president for Student Affairs at Missouri State University. He has taught undergraduate classes in communication and marketing at both MSU and Drury University and masters- and doctoral-level courses in higher education administration for Lindenwood University.

In 2014 – 2015, Cliff was chair of the Presidents and Chancellors Council for the Missouri Community College Association. He was appointed by the Commissioner of the Missouri Department of Higher Education to assist in developing the new coordinated plan for higher education in Missouri.

Cliff is on the CoxHealth System Advisory Board and previously was on the Branson Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau Board of Directors. He also worked with the Taney County Economic Development Partnership. He now helps Show-Me Christian County Economic Development.

He has a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from Lindenwood University. His dissertation research is on the changing community college presidency. He also has a Master of Arts in Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Communication from Southwest Missouri State University (now MSU).

Cliff was a member of Springfield Southeast Rotary Club for about 10 years before he was president of the Table Rock Campus. He's a native of Richland and lives in south Springfield.

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What "Rotary" Really Means

Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast 2017-'18 President Lori Barnes and 2018-'19 President Bill Squires discuss what people should know about Rotary and why it matters.

District 6080