The Charleston Rotary Board is closely monitoring the increase in cases of COVID-19 in WV and Kanawha County. The CDCs recommendation is to wear a mask for all indoor activities where cases are high. While masks are not yet required, the Board does recommend wearing a mask when not actively eating or drinking. As a reminder, virtual attendance is still available and you have received an invitation to register for that platform. We will continue to monitor the cases and make appropriate decisions to protect all Rotarians.
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Hybrid Meeting
August 2, 2021
Shannon Huber
Site Leader DOW West Virginia
Introduced by Christy Elliott
Our speaker next week is Shannon Huber, Site Leader for Dow’s West Virginia Operations, who will talk to us about her new role and updates on Down.
Shannon Huber is the West Virginia Operations Site Leader.
Prior to being named the Site Leader for West Virginia Operations, Huber was responsible for EH&S performance and 2025 Sustainability Goals for the Envelope and a member of the Houston Dow Center Site Leadership Team. She started her career with Rohm and Haas in 2004 doing capital projects for North America Coatings sites, followed by assignments as a production engineer in the Charlotte Coatings and Deer Park Monomers sites. She held the Operations Leader role at the Dow Coatings plant in Kankakee, Illinois while also filling in as Supply Planning Leader for the Coatings North America Emulsions network.
She transitioned into an international assignment as Production Leader in New Plymouth, New Zealand where she helped drive EH&S and operations improvements for the Dow AgroSciences business. Huber then relocated back to Texas as the Responsible Care leader for the Beaumont Aniline Plant following the acquisition of the plant in 2016. In the RCL role, Huber led the EH&S and Quality Teams and was the Dow integration lead for implementation of EH&S standards and work processes for the site.
Huber has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame. She is the Vice President of the Michael W. Oglesby Foundation for pancreatic cancer research and awareness and lives in Houston with her husband and two young daughters. Shannon is an active member of Dow ERGs and has worked with Dow Occupational Health to improve resources for nursing mothers.
August 9 th
Jina Belcher
Executive Director New River Gorge Regional Development Authority
Introduced by Mary Cook
Born and raised in Welch, WV, Jina was instilled with an entrepreneurial spirit at a young age. After starting her own business at 16 years old, Jina was the first student to receive the McKelvey Foundation Entrepreneurial Scholarship during their junior year of high school.
After graduating from Concord University in 2009 with a B.S. in Recreation and Tourism Management with an emphasis in Event Planning & Promotions, Jina returned home to assist her family in expanding the only non-profit food pantry in McDowell County. While there, Jina served as Trust Systems Administrator for 7 years at MCNB Bank and Trust Company.
In 2016, Jina followed the urge to leave the finance industry to fulfill her gut and help her community develop to its fullest potential. Working as Chief Business Officer with Coalfield Development, Jina worked closely with WV leaders and entrepreneurs to strengthen the substantiality of social enterprises across Appalachia. While there, Jina’s work in capital access and small business development organically crossed paths with NRGRDA and their great work being done in Southern WV.
In February 2019, Jina officially joined the NRGRDA as Director of Business Development. Combining her previous community development skills with her background in finance and social enterprise will allow her to provide the New River Gorge region with resources and expertise needed to grow the thriving economy of Southern WV.
Reminders:
- Masks are not required but recommended for those who feel more comfortable wearing one.
- Lunch will be served buffet style with plexi-glass guards in place.
- Hand sanitizer will be provided.
- Pay-at-the-door lunches are $11.00 and can be paid via cash, check or card.
Please direct all correspondence that would normally go to Deb Coffman to Mary Cook at rotarycwv@gmail.com.
If you have not done so, please pay your dues. Contact Mary Cook 304-444-2243 to arrange for payment.
2021-2022 Board of Directors:
Christy Elliott, President
Justin Southern, President- Elect, Program Committee Chair
Michelle Foster, Secretary, Community Investment Committee Chair
Harold Holstein, Treasurer
Melissa Pemberton, Club Director, Young Professionals Membership
JB Akers, Club Director
Allison Francis, Club Director, Program Committee Secretary
Craig Glover, Club Director, Diversity and Inclusion Chair
Bill Scharf, Club Director
DF Mock, Club Director, Membership Chair
Bob Welty, Immediate Past President
Mary Cook, Interim Club Administrator
CELEBRATION STATION UPDATE-Under the leadership of Michelle Foster, chair of the Community Investment Committee, Rotary has been a key community player in the upgrade of this critical community park. We are working with the City of Charleston, Kanawha County Schools, Piedmont Elementary and their PTO, Childhood Language Center and the local community to make this dream a reality. We have raised $85,480 of our $100,000 goal and we need all Rotarians to help us get there. The West Virginia American Water Company Foundation recently donated $20,000 to this project. We were selected second out of nine projects submitted from a multi-state area. We have received generous donations from banks and other corporations involved with Rotary. We don’t have far to go. We hope you will agree to help us get there. All donations help! Click here to contribute!
HOLD THE DATE: Rotary Club is hosting a hike in Kanawha State Forest on August 10th at 5:30 PM, followed by dinner at a local spot. Melissa Pemberton and Brian Sloan are organizing this as a way to encourage Young Professionals to join our club. All members are welcome and encouraged to join. More information to follow!
MLK MURAL PROJECT Mike Fidler, chair of the Fellowship Committee, is planning a workshop day for Rotarians and their families to come together with the City’s Director of Public Art, Jeff Pierson, to make portraits for the mural project.
Our Rotary club is participating in a significant community project, under the direction of the City of Charleston Department of Public Art, to create a mural honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This mural will be fixed to an exterior wall of the Martin Luther King Center in Charleston. Our contribution will be the addition of individual self-portraits surrounding the main portrait of Dr. King. The portraits require no artistic talent but are instead fanciful, cartoonish, or as representative as your skills permit. The project should be fun and an opportunity for fellowship.
A workshop for the creation of these portraits will be scheduled in the coming weeks. Look for more details and make plans to participate along with spouse and family.
For more information, contact Mike Fidler, Fellowship Chair at: mofidler@suddenlink.net
Vaccines are encouraged! The Board of Directors is in full support of the Governor’s, as well as the Health Department’s, efforts to vaccinate the citizens of our great State and County. We encourage all members to support this effort and get vaccinated. If you are still in need of a vaccine, please go to www.vaccinefinder.org and locate a vaccine site near you. You can even make an appointment there. If you do not use the internet, you can also call the WV COVID Vaccine Hotline at 1-833-734-0965 and they will help you schedule an appointment.
LOCAL ROTARY CLUB MAKE-UP LOCATIONS
MONDAY
The Program Committee will resume weekly meetings at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center when in person meetings commence, directly after the regular scheduled meeting. Parking is free just let the parking attendant know you are with the Rotary Club of Charleston.
TUESDAY
Putnam Rotary Club Meeting begins at 12:00 noon at Area 34
7013, 971 WV-34 in Hurricane.
WEDNESDAY
Vandalia Club meets at Edgewood Country Club Wednesdays from 7:30am – 8:30am. The last Wednesday of month is a social or service project.
THURSDAY
St. Albans Rotary Club meets every Thursday at 12:00 noon in their new meeting location at City National Bank 560 4th Street, Saint Albans, WV 25177.
South Charleston Rotary Club meets on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 12:00 noon. Meetings are located at Little Creek Country Club, South Charleston, WV.
Other Ways to Make-up a Meeting:
1. The board unanimously approved another avenue to get additional credit for attendance. In addition to attending a committee meeting, doing an online make-up, or visiting another Rotary Club you can now get one meeting credit for every new member prospect/guest you bring to a regular Monday meeting. The credit will apply during the same quarter in which you bring the potential member/guest. This is a great way to both make up attendance and recruit new members into our club. Contact Paul White with questions.
2. To attend a make-up meeting on-line, click the link below: Rotary Club Online make-up location: http://www.rotaryeclubone.org/ The on-line system is set up to provide a written confirmation of the make-up to the person who actually did it. The member is then responsible for providing confirmation to their Rotary Club Administrator. Please forward a copy of your confirmation letter to rotarycwv@gmail.com to receive proper credit.