Sam Cochran is a native Mobilian, who graduated from the McGill Institute and went on to attend the University of South Alabama, where he holds both a Bachelor and Masters Degree in Criminal Justice and Public Administration. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He began his law enforcement career with the Mobile Police Department as a police cadet, where he spent 31 years working his way through the ranks – serving the last 10 years as Chief of Police In 2006, Sam Cochran was elected Sheriff of Mobile County and re-elected to 4-year terms in 2010, 2014 , and most recently in 2018. Sheriff Cochran serves or has served the community on numerous agency boards, including the Penelope House, Drug Education Council, Boy Scouts of America, the Child Advocacy Center and Alabama Safety Institute, Inc. In 2015, Sheriff Cochran was appointed by the Governor to serve as a Commissioner on the Alabama Police Officers Standards and Training Commission. Sheriff Cochran and his wife Sabrina have four children and three grandchildren.
Jan. 17, 2019–Chief Lawrence Battiste / Police Chief, City of Mobile
Lawrence L. Battiste, IV is a long-time native of Mobile, Alabama. He is a graduate of B.C. Rain High School, class of 1981. Upon graduating from high school, he joined the United States Navy where he served five (5) years.
He has an Associate of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Bishop State Community College, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management of Human Resources, and a Master Degree in Justice Administration from Faulkner University. He is also a graduate of the F B I National Academy.
Once he returned to Mobile after his military career, he began his career in law enforcement. He worked for the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office as a narcotic’s investigator assigned to the Drug Enforcement Administration Task Force (DEA). He was later assigned to the Child Advocacy Center as an investigator and took on the responsibility as the department head of the Major Crimes Unit. He was then promoted to the rank of Lieutenant where he served as a member and commander of the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office Special Weapons and Tactics Team, better known as SWAT.
On October 27, 2005, Lawrence L. Battiste, IV ended his career with Mobile County Sheriff’s Office and began a career as the Chief of Police for the City of Prichard, “The City of Champions.” Chief Battiste was a faithful servant to the city of Prichard for four (4) years until his resignation on December 14, 2009. Chief Battiste became the Chief Probation Officer for the Juvenile Court of Mobile County until his appointment as Assistant Chief of Police for the Mobile Police Department on May 29, 2015. On April 15, 2017, Lawrence L. Battiste, IV was appointed as the Chief of Police for the City of Mobile Police Department. Chief Battiste is married and the father of three (3) children. He is a member of the Revelation Missionary Baptist Church, where the Reverend David Frazier Sr. is the pastor. Chief Battiste serves on the Deacons Board.
Jan. 10, 2019–Chief Mark Sealy / Fire Chief, City of Mobile
Mark Sealy
Fire Chief
Chief Mark Sealy has served with the Mobile Fire Department for over 26 years. He began his career as a Firemedic and has progressed steadily through the ranks of the fire department. He has experience in all aspects of fire service including Driver on both suppression and medic units, Captain on both engine and ladder companies, and as a District Chief in both operations and in training. He was promoted to the position of Fire Chief for the City of Mobile on May 14, 2017.
Sealy’s specialty training includes hazmat, urban search and rescue (USAR), as well as being a SCBA specialist (smoke diver), nationally registered paramedic, and fire instructor. He is well respected among firefighters for his professionalism and his ability to motivate others.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Chief Sealy began his professional career as a United States Marine, where he served as Sergeant of a Reconnaissance Unit, earning consistent commendations for devotion to duty. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Fire Science from Columbia Southern University. He is presently enrolled in the Executive Fire Officer Program at the National Fire Academy.
Jan. 3, 2019–NO MEETING – Happy New Year!
Dec. 27, 2018–NO MEETING Merry Christmas!
Dec, 20, 2018–Eliska Morgan – Coastal Restoration in Alabama: Santa Claus really IS coming to town
Biographical Sketch
Eliska Morgan
Executive Director
Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council
In this week’s presentation, Eliska Morgan will provide an exciting update on the status of Coastal Restoration funding in South Alabama. Eliska was appointed to serve as Alabama’s Coastal Restoration Coordinator in 2013, where she is assigned to the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. In this role, she also serves as Executive Director of the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council and is leading the project review, selection, and award process for the Restore Act trust fund, established in response to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
A native of Mobile, Eliska began her career in 1982 as an intern for Congressman Jack Edwards. After three years in Washington, Eliska moved home to Mobile and joined the district staff for newly-elected Congressman Sonny Callahan as a caseworker. She was promoted to and served as District Director from 1997 to 2002, and then served as campaign manager for Jo Bonner. Following Congressman Bonner’s election, Eliska worked with his transition team and then served as Deputy Chief of Staff and District Director until July, 2013.
Eliska is currently a member of the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program’s Executive Committee, Finance Committee and Business Resources Committee. In addition, she serves on the Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation Board of Trustees; the Board of the Alabama School of Mathematics and Science Foundation; the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce Government Affairs Committee; the Alabama Water Resources Commission; and the Coastal Resources Advisory Committee.
A graduate of the University of South Alabama with a B.S. degree in marketing, Eliska and her husband, Scott, have three children, William, 25, Taylor, 23, and Michael, 11. The Morgan’s make their home in Mobile, Alabama.
Oct. 11, 2018
Minutes of the October 11, 2018, Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Ernest Ladd IV at 12:15 PM. Ken Niemeyer offered the invocation and Tommy Blankenship led the group in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer. Jeff Zoghby welcomed visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
Announcements:
• Ernest Ladd, reminded members that the annual Rotary Gala is scheduled for Wednesday, November 7th at Cotton Hall on Dauphin Street. There will not be a luncheon meeting on November 8.
Student Guest: Jeff Luther introduced Dominque Taylor, a senior at Blount High School who discussed her experiences of service. She plans on majoring in Criminal Justice.
Program: James E. Jewell -FBI
Claire McCarron introduced James Jewell, Special Agent in Charge of the Mobile Division of the FBI.
After some difficulties with the hotel’s equipment, Special Agent Jewell presented a power point program and discussed the history of the agency from G-Men and cross state kidnappings in 1934 to terrorist threats in the age of 9/11.
He explained that the agency’s goal is to identify a threat and prevent a crime before it actually takes place. The agency must identify a wide array of threats in an ever changing world of new technology. One of the most important areas is protecting large gatherings such as football games and beach festivals, from becoming the target of terrorists – home grown or from abroad.
He also discussed the importance of battling public corruption and white collar crimes. Jewell explained that if Americans cannot trust their elected officials to be honest the entire system of our government is at risk. The agency also battles foreign spies who seek to obtain trade secrets – a great potential risk in cities like Mobile with its aviation and ship building as well as Huntsville.
After answering a number of questions, Ernest Ladd thanked Special Agent Jewell for speaking and presented him with a certificate noting that a donation in his honor has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
The meeting adjourned at 1:10 PM.
Tom McGehee
Oct. 4, 2018
10/4/18 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd.
Richard Franklin gave the invocation, followed by Larry Sindel, who led us in song and the Pledge.
Introduction of Guests & Visitors: Jeff Zoghby introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Student Guest: Jeff Luther introduced Brandi Trenier from B. C. Rain High School as our Student of the Week.
Announcements: Rotary Gala will be Wednesday, Nov. 7th @ Cotton Hall.
Mobile West Rotary is hosting an “End Polio” event on Tues., Oct 9th @ Bonefish Grill.
Rotary Club of Mobile made a donation to the Wilmington, NC club for Hurricane Florence.
Program: Casi Callaway introduced our speaker, Craig Perciavalle, President of Austal, USA.
Mr. Perciavalle began the program with a video about the Mobile operation, which began in 1999. They manufactured ferrys in the beginning.
Austal USA has invested more than $418 million in the Mobile operations. The State of Alabama, Mobile County and the City of Mobile combined to help our community win the facility. Now the facility concentrates on building Navy ships including the Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) and the Expeditionary Fast Transport Ships (EPF). At this moment Austal has six LCS and 2 EPF ships in various stages of construction, with orders stretching out for several years into the future.
Austal will also be building a more lethal version of Frigates for the U. S. Navy. In the future, they hope to build Medical Ships, Command and Control Ships, Autonomous Ships, and Mother Ships designed to retrieve the Autonomous models.
Mr. Perciavalle said Austal USA is bidding on twenty more ships in 2020. Austal uses suppliers from 47 states, 700 from the State of Alabama, and 550 from the Mobile/Baldwin county area. They are recognized as the 5th largest shipbuilder in the United States.
The Navy is committed to growing the U. S. fleet from around 275 ships to 355 ships.
During the question & answer period, Mr. Perciavalle mentioned that the useful life of an LCS is about 25 years. Because they are made of aluminum, they required much lower maintenance. Another interesting tidbit…their ships are powered by “jet-ski” technology rather than propellers.
After a question and answer session, Ernest Ladd thanked Mr. Perciavalle for his presentation and presented a certificate to him, noting that a donation in his honor had been made to the Rotary International Foundation.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.
Sept. 20, 2018
Minutes of the September 20, 2018 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd at 12:15 PM. Rebecca Byrne offered the invocation. Larry Sindel led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Bill Oppenheimer accompanied on the piano. Jeff Zoghby welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements:
• Ernest announced that the Board meeting is to be held today in the Ashland Suite
• Ernest reminded everyone of the Rotary Gala to be held on Wednesday November 7th at Cotton Hall.
• Garrett Williamson thanked everyone for coming to the after-hours gathering at Five. He also said more outings are being planned.
Program: Judith Adams, VP of Marketing, Ala. State Port Authority
Casi Callaway introduced the speaker
The Port of Mobile is a full service port and is the 10th largest in the nation. The port handles approximately 58million tons of cargo annually. The port has invested over $1billion in infrastructure since 2002. Currently there is a $50million expansion of the container terminal underway and a new $60million automobile terminal to be completed in 2019/2020/. As the economy is doing well, the port is seeing record growth, including 20% growth in containerized cargo in 2017 alone. We are now ranked as the number 2 steel port and the 3rd largest export coal terminal in the US. The port generates $22billion in total economic value.
At the request of Casi Callaway, the speaker centered parts of her presentation on the environmental stewardship at the Port. The Port is known as a Green Marine facility which is the largest voluntary environmental certification program in North America. They received their certification in May 2018. It is designed as a framework for the maritime industry to reduce its environmental footprint. Its guiding principals include corporate leadership, minimal environmental impact, develops and promotes voluntary environmental protection measures, integrates sustainable practices and collaborates with government/public on progressive program implementation. The port has met or exceeded requirements in all four environmental indicators including spill prevention, dry bulk storage and handling, environmental leadership and waste management. Additional initiatives include commuting/ride share, conversion to LED lighting, Three Mile Creek/shoreline trash removal and invasive species removal.
The speaker also discussed consideration of widening and deepening the ship channel in Mobile Bay. If approved, the project would deepen the channel to 50/52 feet, add a three mile long passing lane, ease a ben in the channel and improve the turning basin. Benefits include improved vessel safety and efficiency, as well as, provides economies of scale to shippers. A decision is expected in 2019 with construction to begin in 2020. Will take a minimum of three years to build and cost an estimated $387million. The State of Alabama would pay $143million.
Ernest Ladd thanked the speaker for her informative update on the Port and noted that in her honor a donation has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 1:05 PM.
Rob Diehl
Sept. 13, 2018
Minutes of the September 13, 2018, Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Ernest Ladd IV at 12:15 PM. Jessica Little offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the group in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer. Jeff Zoghby welcomed visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
Announcements:
• Douglas Kearley standing in for Garrett Williamson, reminded members that Rotary Happy Hour will take place Tuesday, September 18 at “Five” at 609 Dauphin Street beginning at 5PM.
• Ernest Ladd announced that there will be a board meeting following next week’s meeting on September 20. He also said that Rory Ridgeway who runs the shoe shine station for the Battle House had an accident and broke his hand. If you would like to contribute to assist him while he recovers, please let Peggy know.
Program: Conservation and the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo
Casi Calloway introduced Justin Thompson and Vann Simms of the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo. Vann announced that he is the incoming president and then introduced current president Justin Thompson who gave some background on the world’s largest fishing rodeo.
The event dates to 1929 and was founded by a group led by L. G. Adams. At that time the cost was $5 per participant for the weekend event and included housing on Dauphin Island in former army barracks and all meals. The organization came under the authority of the Mobile Jaycees in 1948.
According to Thompson, one of the most popular features of the weekend is the fish box where children of all ages can learn about the various species of fish in the Gulf. A Young Anglers’ Tournament is also held to encourage children aged 15 and under to learn about deep sea fishing.
A second and very important aspect of the Rodeo said Thompson, was the addition of a number of Catch and Release categories of fish ranging from tarpons to sharks. The Rodeo works closely with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab and the USA Department of Marine Sciences to tag these migratory species of fish with tracking devices. He also said that many are surprised sharks are released but explained that they are the most over-fished species of fish in the world.
Thompson told his audience to mark their calendars for the 2019 Rodeo: July 19-21. After answering a number of questions, Ernest Ladd thanked the speakers and presented each with a certificate noting that a donation to the Rotary Children’s Foundation has been made in their names.
The meeting adjourned at 12:50 PM.
Tom McGehee