Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast

Nominating Committee selects historic slate for 2021-'22

The Nominating Committee released its slate for next year's officers on Oct. 15. The club will vote on the slate on Nov. 19. If elected, the group would take office on July 1.

The slate is historic in two aspects. First, it would mean, for the first time, our club would have a woman as a president for two years in a row. Second, Lori Murawski, daughter of Past President Rex Johnson, in 2022-'23 would be the first second-generation president of our club. Rex served as president in 1984-'85.

Here is the slate:

President- Lisa Blumenstock
President-Elect – Lori Johnson Murawski
Past President – Rusty Worley
Secretary – Scott Rose (second year of two-year term)
Treasurer – Greg Beck (first year of two-year term)
Board Members – Judy Bilyeu, Randall Gammill, Michael Kolstad, Adam Toth, Jim Wilson

Golf-toberfest Winners

Our annual Golf-toberfest fundraiser was another success. Event chairman Past President Bill McNeill reports we netted $2,500 for Don’t Meth With Us and $12,500 for Rotary Club of Springfield Southeast Endowment.

The tournament had 84 golfers and 44 sponsors. Here are winners of the various competitions:

Brett Sheets, Mark Schuster, Rylan Schuster, Nate Angus: First Place, First Flight

Bob Beine, Jim Towery, Ken Stevens, Brent Dunn: Second Place, First Flight

John Horton, David Hamm, Denise Lebolt, Chelsie Bode: First Place, Second Flight

Mark Walker, John Twitty, Gary Garwitz, Greg Beck: Second Place, Second Flight

Kathy King, Dana Ausburn, Tani Banta, Laura Calvert: First Place, Third Flight

Terri Davidson, Becky Hogan, Kathy Grant, Judy Brier: Second Place, Third Flight

Nate Angus: Longest Drive, Men

Kelly Parker: Longest Drive, Women

Photo: Mark Schuster, Facebook

Weekly in-person meetings resume Oct. 29

Springfield Southeast Rotary Club will resume in-person meetings every Thursday, starting Oct. 29. The meetings will also have Zoom participation options for members who are still wary about large gatherings.

President Rusty Worley said the board voted on Wednesday to resume the regular meetings at Ocean Zen. The club meets every Thursday except for some holiday and spring break weeks, and when special events are held in lieu of meetings.

Welcome new member Brennan Pratt

Mike Pruett introduced Brennan on Sept. 17. His co-sponsor is Gordon Elliott.

Brennan has been an attorney for six years in Springfield at Pratt and Grisham, where he works with his father, John Pratt. The firm specializes in family law.

Brennan is an Eagle Scout. In addition to the Boy Scouts of America, Brennan has volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, the Judicare Program of Legal Services of Southern Missouri, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and the Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association.

Brennan grew up in the Springfield area and attended Greenwood Laboratory School and Missouri State University. He has an undergraduate degree from Beloit College in Wisconsin and Saint Louis University Law School. He is engaged to be married to Victoria Marszalik.

Welcome new member Allison Robertson

Nate Dunville introduced Allison on Sept. 3. Her co-sponsor is Nikki Holden.

Allison has lived in the Springfield area for 36 years. She's been the program director since September 2018 for Empower: Abilities, 2864 S. Nettleton Ave., in Springfield. That organization provides services to people with disabilities to help them live independently. She manages several departments, including Independent Living, Access and Technology, Community Outreach, and Transportation.

Allison previously worked for CoxHealth from 2006 to 2018 as manager of Case Management at its hospital in Branson, as a social worker in Adult Psychiatry, and as a social worker at its Center for Addictions. She also worked a side job at Gorman Scharpf Funeral Home for 10 years.

Allison has been active for many years in Junior League of Springfield, where she has chaired projects and served on the board. She is Junior League president-elect and preparing to become president in 2021.

She's been active in about 20 community organizations, including serving on the boards of Freedom's Rest Domestic Violence Shelter and Growing Healthy Families. She's also a member of the National Council for Independent Living, and is a graduate of Springfield Leadership Signature Class 38 and Lakes Area Leadership Academy 2016.

The Springfield Business Journal named Allison one of its 40 Under 40 honorees for 2020. She is a member of the
Community Emergency Response Team and is trained in crisis intervention stress management.

Allison earned a bachelor's and a master's degree in Social Work and a master's degree in Healthcare Administration, all from Missouri State University. She and her husband, Paul, live in Ozark with their two children.

www.dacdb.com

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.