Jason Ryan, President of Jacksonville Scene Sports Leagues and Social Events will be our guest speaker this Thursday, March 11. Jason was the head league manager for the Chicago Sport and Social Club from 1999 to 2004. In 2004 he accepted a position with PRI Productions in Jacksonville, FL, where he helped with the coordination and concepts of events for the city, the Jaguars, the Barracudas and Super Bowl XXXIX. In the Spring of 2005, Jason started Jacksonville Scene. The mission of Jacksonville Scene is to build the community through adult sports leagues, tournaments, social outings and charity events. At the start of 2010, Jacksonville Scene had grown into one of the largest young professional groups in Northeast Florida, with over 5,000 members, 13 different sports leagues and annual events that attract between 400 to 800 guests each. Jason has been named one of the top 40 under 40 by the Jacksonville Business Journal and one of the 50 most influential people by 904 magazine.

After Jason speaks, Nathan Riska will provide our member craft talk.

Anyone is welcome to attend our membership meetings. We look forward to seeing and introducing ourselves to guests. We meet at the Haskell building in Riverside at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

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Lucy Talley, publisher of the Florida Times-Union will be our guest speaker this Thursday, February 25. Lucy was appointed publisher of the Times-Union April 1, 2009. Prior to this appointment, she was the newspaper’s associate publisher. Lucy began work in newspapers in 1979 at The Ledger in Lakeland, Florida, where she worked in multiple advertising roles before rising to advertising director. In 1995, she became the director of advertising for The Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, and was appointed to general manager in 2000. She was named publisher of the Salisbury Post in North Carolina in 2004. She joined Morris Publishing group in 2006 as vice president of newspapers and assumed responsibility of skirt! Magaine and skirt.com in December of 2007. She is married to Mike Stricklin. His son Alex lives with them in St. Johns, Florida.

After Lucy speaks, Elizabeth Minneci will provide our member craft talk.

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Steven Davis, Florida Trail Council member of the East Coast Greenway Alliance will be our guest speaker this Thursday, February 11. Steven is a landscape architect with over twenty-five years of private practice experience. Over the past nine years Steven has been involved with park design and project management for Preservation Project Jacksonville. In 2005, he became involved with multi-use trails and joined the East Coast Greenway Alliance as a Florida Trail Council member in 2008. He is also a member of the First Coast Trails Coalition and the North Florida Bicycle Club. Mr. Davis has ridden the Cross Florida Greenway, The St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop, The Savannah-Northeast Florida Workshop on Wheels, four MS-150 bike events and the Jacksonville Tour de Forts century. For more information about the East Coast Greenway project, visit http://www.greenway.org/

After Steven speaks, David Bravo will provide our member craft talk.

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Gala tickets are now available for sale online. The 2010 Rotaract Black Tie Blue Jeans Gala is themed a Night of the Arts and will be held on May 1, 2010 from 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. downtown at the Southlight Gallery, 100 North Laura Street, Jacksonville, Florida. To purchase tickets or sponsorships please visit our Gala tickets page of jaxrotaract.org.

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Emily Lisska, Executive Director of the Jacksonville Historical Society will be our guest speaker this Thursday, January 14.  Mrs. Lisska is a Jacksonville native and a graduate of the University of Florida and attended Florida State University for graduate studies.

As the director of the society since 1996, she oversees the organization’s projects, including restoration of the 1879 Merrill House and the society’s restored headquarters and million dollar restoration, the National Register Old St. Andrews.  She oversees what she believes is the most important work of the society, its archival repository, as treasure trove of documents and photographs of area history.

Emily has taken an active role in local history publications.  She spearheaded a reprint of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s 1873 book, Palmetto Leaves.  She wrote the grant to provide seed money for the society’s award-winning publication, The Great Fire of 190l, and she is a contributing editor to the book. Among her credits is the acclaimed Jacksonville Family Album which she wrote and edited along with noted author Wayne Wood.

After Emily speaks, Carter Rosenbloom will provide our member craft talk.

Anyone is welcome to attend our membership meetings. We look forward to seeing and introducing ourselves to guests. We meet at the Haskell building in Riverside at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

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Laura Brock, Jean Barnes and Elaine Shott of Morning Star School will be our guest speakers this Thursday, December 10. Laura, the Development Director, Jean, the Principal, and Elaine, the Assistant Principal will give us an overview of Morning Star, our 2010 Rotaract Black Tie, Blue Jeans Gala beneficiary.

Laura Heimerl Brock was born in Rock Island, Illinois, but has lived in Jacksonville, FL since 1988. She graduated from Stanton College Preparatory with the International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2002. A huge Gator fan, she went on to graduate with a BA in English from the University of Florida. Before finding her niche at Morning Star School, Laura worked in both the advertising and healthcare fields. Employed as Development Director at MSS since the summer of 2008, Laura oversees all grant writing and fundraising for the school. Laura is married to Daniel Brock, a Jacksonville CPA; they are expecting their first child in February.

Susan Elaine Shott was born in Jacksonville, Florida.  She graduated from Flagler College with a BA in Business Administration and obtained a Certification in Education from the State of Florida from the University of North Florida.  Elaine joined the Morning Star staff as a Junior High teacher in 1997, teaching American History and Literature for 10 years.  In 2007 she was promoted to the Assistant Principal’s position.  Elaine is in the processing of acquiring her master’s degree in Educational Leadership.

After our guests speak, Laura Wharen will provide our member craft talk.

Anyone is welcome to attend our membership meetings. We look forward to seeing and introducing ourselves to guests. We meet at the Haskell building in Riverside at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

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Rotaract will be working with Rotary Club of South Jacksonville and Rotary Club of North Jacksonville this year to present the 2009 Ginger Bread House Extravaganza.

Gingerbread creations build by chefs, bakers, architects, engineers, home builders and other professionals will be on display at the historic St. Andrew’s Church.

Admission is $5.00 for adults (17+) and $3.00 for children (3-16). Children under two are admitted free.

St. Andrews Church is located at 317 A Philip Randolph Blvd. Jacksonville, FL 32202.

View photos from last year’s Gingerbread House Extravaganza.

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Greg Cole, Senior Development Officer will be our guest speaker this Thursday, October 22. Greg  joined Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville (HabiJax) in August 2009. Greg moved from Newport, Rhode Island to Jacksonville in December of 2008.  He brings with him a background in church ministry, having served as an Episcopal priest for sixteen years.   He received a Master of Divinity from Harvard and has completed his course work for a doctorate at the Virginia Theological Seminary.  Greg has a record of success in raising funds for capital, annual, and planned giving support. Greg has a strong interest in issues of global poverty, including engagement with the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals.  He is thrilled to work for an organization that combines a local focus with a global reach.

After Greg speaks, Freida Speicher will provide our member craft talk.

Anyone is welcome to attend our membership meetings. We look forward to seeing and introducing ourselves to guests. We meet at the Haskell building in Riverside at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

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Dave Faraldo, Rotary District Governor of District 6970 will be our guest speaker this Thursday, September 24. Dave has been a member of the Rotary Club of Orange Park since July 23, 1991. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, a member of the Paul Harris Society, and a Foundation Benefactor.  He has served as District Trainer, District Conference Committee chairman, Membership Development chairman and the Rotary – Jacksonville Jaguars Committee chairman.  Dave served on the Board of Directors for his club for nine years and was honored to be the club president during Rotary’s Centennial Year, 2004-2005.  That year, the Rotary Club of Orange Park was named the “Best Large Club” in District 6970.  He credits the enthusiasm, dedication and hard work of his fellow Rotarians for this achievement.

In addition to Rotary, Dave has been active in numerous other community service organizations.  He served on the Board of Directors for Northeast Florida Junior Achievement, as District Chairman of the Black Creek District of the Boy Scouts of America, and on the Northeast Florida Consumer Council.  He was named the NEFCC Consumer Advocate of the Year for 2003.  He was also selected by his Rotary Club as the Clay County Citizen of the Year for 2000 – 2001.  In 2008, he was selected as the “12 Points Award” honoree by the Black Creek Council of the BSA.   He is a member of the Orange Park United Methodist Church.

Dave is a graduate of Northwestern State University and earned his MA degree in Management and Leadership from Central Michigan University.  He is also a graduate of the German Command and General Staff College in Hamburg, Germany.  He served in the United States Navy for twenty-five years and accumulated over 4,000 pilot hours in a variety of military aircraft.  He retired as a Navy Captain in 1993.  Dave is currently serving as the Jacksonville Director of the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Sandy is Dave’s wife and partner in life.  Sandy is the president and CEO of Faraldo Consulting Inc.  The Faraldo’s have two children and a granddaughter.   Their daughter, Donna, is the Vice President for Corporate Compliance with T. Rowe Price.  Donna, her husband David, and granddaughter Alena live in Baltimore, MD.  Their son David is a Site Reliability Engineer for Google, Inc.  He and his wife, Annette, live in Freemont, CA.  Sandy, Donna, David, Alena, David, and Annette are all Paul Harris Fellows.

Anyone is welcome to attend our membership meetings. We look forward to seeing and introducing ourselves to guests. We meet at the Haskell building in Riverside at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

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Michael O’Leary, President and COO of The Grimes Companies, will be our guest speaker this Thursday, September 10. Michael will talk to us about the history of his family-owned company, the recent growth produced and the future he sees for The Grimes Companies, JaxPort and Jacksonville as centers for logistics success. To learn more about The Grimes Companies, check out The Jacksonville Business Journal.

After Michael speaks, Toni Duguid will provide our member craft talk.

Anyone is welcome to attend our membership meetings. We look forward to seeing and introducing ourselves to guests. We meet at the Haskell building in Riverside at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.

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