Vice President of Sales and Marketing, AIM Institute
TOPIC: Shonna Dorsey is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for AIM Institute. AIM is a non-profit dedicated to building a connected community for tech talent in Greater Omaha. AIM creates career opportunities, youth training programs, workforce development and educator resources that help build confident, cutting-edge, high demand individuals, prepared for versatile, innovative technology careers. Today’s speaker will also touch on the topics of opportunities in tech, women in tech, empowerment and leadership.
BIO: Shonna Dorsey is the Vice President of Sales and Marketing for AIM Institute. Shonna graduated from Omaha North High School in 1997 and she is an alumnus of the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO) where she earned both Bachelor’s (2003) and Master’s of Science (2010) degrees in Management Information Systems (MIS). Her career includes training facilitation, project management and web development. She has earned the PMP and PMI-ACP certifications through the Project Management Institute.
Shonna serves on several boards/community councils. She is an Omaha Girls Rock Board Member, a Defy Ventures Nebraska Board Member, Business Ethics Alliance Trustee, Fund for Omaha Committee Member, Heartland 2050 Metropolitan Area Planning Agency Executive Committee Member, the Chairperson of the Heartland Workforce Solutions Youth Council, and a Nebraska Department of Education's Department of Postsecondary Career Schools Community Council Member.
In 2018, Shonna was selected by Governor Pete Ricketts to join the Nebraska Information Technology Council. In 2016, Shonna was nominated for and accepted a Women in Technology Award from InformationWeek. She is one of five Omahans selected for the 2016 Changemaker award (Greater Omaha Young Professionals), one of ten Omahans selected for the 2015 TOYO award (Omaha Jaycees), the 2015 recipient of the Tech Community Builder of the Year Award (AIM), a Leadership Omaha graduate, and a 2014 recipient of the 40 Under 40 Award (Midlands Business Journal).
Merica Whitehall is Executive Director of Fontenelle Forest, a nonprofit nature center and 2,000 acre forested greenspace bordering the Missouri River and located in the Omaha metro area. She grew up in a Nebraskan family that honored its connection to nature and where daily life incorporated art and creativity. Merica believes that strong, healthy communities are at the core of a just and sustainable society.
She has have over 20 years of nonprofit leadership experience including 9 years as a nationally touring artist and arts manager.Merica earned an Executive Master’s Degree in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University where she also spent eight years as a faculty member in the Institute for Public Service in the College of Arts and Sciences. As a consultant and trainer she has advised numerous nonprofit organizations seeking to create capacity and achieve organizational goals.
Merica has served as the Executive Director at Fontenelle Forest since June of 2016. Fontenelle Forest includes Raptor Recovery, with a state-wide volunteer network to transport injured birds to the rehabilitation center in Elmwood, Nebraska; the Raptor Woodland Refuge, an exhibit of 12 raptor species native to Nebraska; conservation programs to preserve valuable ecosystems within the Fontenelle Forest properties; and an environmental education program that serves more than 40,000 metro-area students each year.
Last week, Past President Rich Secor presided the meeting. Gene Klein gave the Invocation. Susan Thomas and Pat Knowles served as Greeters, while Bonnie Gill was Cashier. Deb Neary was Chair of the Day and she introduced our speakers Chad Wegener and John Carroll. Chad and John are owners of the Willow Valley farms in Gretna, home of the critically endangered breed San Clemente goats. They spoke about their noble cause of saving the San Clemente goats from extinction. You can find more information about these goats and the Willow Valley farm here. Chad and John invite those interested to enjoy farm ambience with the goats by staying in the Tiny House B&B.
L to R: John Carroll, Deb Neary, Rich Secor, Matt McKeever, and Chad Wegener
Brett Wawers greeted by Pat Knowles and Susan Thomas
Dick Sturgeon, Senior Vice President, Premier Bank
Past President, Rotary Club of Omaha West
Last week, Engagement Committee Chair John Philo awarded Dick Sturgeon with a 24-karat gold number tab 27 for his sterling record of 27 years of perfect Rotary attendance. Congratulations, Dick!
Last week, The Rotary Foundation Chair Bonnie Gill, awarded Mike Shrier as Paul Harris Fellow + 4 and Rodge Bickerstaff as Paul Harris Fellow + 2. Congratulations and thank you Mike and Rodge for your generosity!
The multi-club meal packaging project chaired by our very own Brett Wawers was a huge success! Omaha West Rotary, together with Suburban, Millard and Southwest, packaged a total of 30,600 highly nutritious meals for distribution to our local food pantries and to feeding programs and orphanages around the world. Thank you to all those who volunteered last Saturday. Pictures have been posted on our Facebook Page here.
Buy the Big Wheel is an annual networking event organized by the Omaha Rotary Clubs and open to all Rotarians in Dist. 5650. It's a great opportunity to network with Omaha business professionals showcasing their products and services on March 8th, Thursday, 4:30 PM - 7:00 PM at Champions Run.
We still have openings for Exhibitors at $99. Exhibiting is limited to Rotarians only. Please call or text Yolanda at (402) 577-0091.
Heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served and there is no cost to Rotarians and their guests. Bring your friends and prospective Rotarians. Mark your calendars.
Announcement: We are meeting at QLI on March 23rd. Mark your calendars as this is one of a kind meeting.
On March 23rd we have decided to support our fellow Rotarian and immediate past president, Kent Templien by holding our Friday Rotary lunch at Quality Living Inc., 6404 N 70th Plaza, Omaha, NE 68104. Kent is a resident at QLI and loves the idea of us bringing Rotary to him. The guest speaker will be Jon Pearson, director at QLI.
QLI is providing lunch at their cost. In return, we will ask for voluntary contributions to QLI, certainly not mandatory. But we do need to have everyone sign up in advance so that we know how many to plan for. Please register here.
The 2018 Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) Seminar will be held April 6-8, 2018 at Camp Kitaki near Louisville NE. High school juniors are eligible to apply. RYLA camp is an intensive 3-day training program for High School Juniors that helps participants think critically about important issues and share ideas with talented peers, earn how to coordinate and lead community service projects, discuss the importance of good governance and civil society to the world, and finally, learn to think globally and explore issues that transcend national borders.
The camp, in its 6th year, focuses on youth leadership development. Students learn about how to make a positive impact as emerging leaders in their communities as well as internationally. One of the running themes of the camp is the “Country Challenge”. This unique group activity allows teams of students to conceive and develop model global humanitarian initiatives. The teams discuss how to work cross culturally to develop sustainable projects. They do research on assigned countries to determine needs and then design projects collaboratively with an international partner.
Our RYLA Committee will be releasing more details soon to help facilitate in nominating high school juniors for RYLA.
We are now offering 10 punch lunch tickets ($160) and 10 punch meeting-only tickets ($70) for sale at the meetings. Get one and don't worry about having cash or getting out your credit card! For sale at check-in.
MONDAY BELLEVUE 12:00 PM (DJ's Dugout, 10308 S. 23rd St.) NORTH 12:00 PM (Omaha Eppley Airport Conference Room) MILLARD 12:00 PM (German American Society, 3717 South 120th Street) - NO MEETING on Oct 9
TUESDAY MORNING 7:00 AM (Happy Hollow Country Club, 1701 S. 105th St.)
NORTHWEST 12:00 PM ( Effective August 15th Northwest Rotary will meet Tuesday's at noon at Jerico's, 11732 W Dodge Rd, Omaha, NE 68154.)
SOUTHWEST NIGHT 5:15 PM (DJ's Dugout at 17666 Welch Plaza, northeast corner of 180th & Q streets)
WEDNESDAY COUNCIL BLUFFS CENTENNIAL 1st Wed 7:00 AM; 3rd Wed floating event; no meeting other weeks (Hy-Vee in Mall of the Bluffs, I-80 Exit 5) DOWNTOWN 12:00 PM (Field Club, 3615 Woolworth Ave.)
THURSDAY COUNCIL BLUFFS NOON 12:00 PM (The Center, 714 S. Main St.)
SUBURBAN 12:00 PM (Anthony's, 7220 F St.)
WESTERN DOUGLAS COUNTY 7:00 AM (Elkhorn Common Ground Community Center, 1701 Veteran's Drive)
FRIDAY WEST 12:00 PM (Champions Run, 13800 Eagle Run Drive)