Category: Past Speakers

Dr. Adele S. Goodwin, District Governor 2022 – 2023

Dr. Dell Goodwin, Ed.D District Governor Elect Rotary International, District 6880; Dr. Dell Goodwin was born and raised in Camden, Alabama and her family later moved to Dothan, Alabama. Dell received her undergraduate degrees, Masters in Learning Disabilities and Administration and AA Educational Specialist from Troy University. She received her Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Sarasota. Dell retired as Director of Personnel Services for Dothan City Schools and previously served as Personnel Assistant, Director of Elementary Curriculum, Program Specialist and as a Special Education Teacher in her 39 years all with Dothan City Schools. Dell currently is the Executive Director of the Alabama Association of School Personnel Administrators and on the board for the National American Association of School Personnel Administrators. Dell has served on various professional organizations and community boards: American Cancer Society, LifeSouth, United Way, American Heart Association, Dothan Education Foundation Board, Delta Kappa Gamma, and Wiregrass Rehabilitation Center Board She currently serves on several community boards, including the Dothan Houston County Intellectual Disabilities Board and on the Executive Board. <br>Dell joined the Dothan Rotary Club in September 1996, serving in various areas of responsibilities and leadership on the Club, District, and International Level. On the Club Level service projects: White Elephant Sale, Salvation Army Bell Ringers, Senior Citizen Luncheon, Foster Children, Adopt A School, Food Bank, Scholarships, 4-H Watches, Habitat for Humanity, Polio Plus and Rotary Foundation Program. She has served in the following leadership roles: Club Secretary, Vice- President, President Elect, President, and Immediate Past President. She also served on the committee for the construction of the Dothan Rotary Miracle Field and Playground. Dell has written and received several local grants. Dell served on the Dothan Rotary 100th Anniversary Celebration Committee and coordinated activities for Past Rotary International President, John Germ, during his visit as keynote speaker. On the District 6880 level: PETS Training, District mid-year and annual meetings, Local District Grant Selection Committee, District Global Grant Committee, and District Governor Selection Committee for 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. She attended the Martin Stewart Project “kick-off’ building project in Greensboro. She attended the District ceremonial tree planting on the Capitol grounds with other District 6880 Rotarians and Governor Ivey to fulfill the challenge of RI President for every Rotarian to plant a tree. She served as the Rotary District 6880 Mid-Year Conference Event Coordinator for 2018. On the International Level, the Dothan Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Slough, England have had an ongoing “matching club” partnership since 1964. This “Rotary Friendship Exchange” is an international exchange program for Rotary members and their families that builds relationships, which have also led to international projects through the years. Dell has participated, coordinated, hosted Slough Rotarians and as the chairman of the Sister City Visits. She attended Rotary International Conference in Atlanta. Dothan Rotary Club received the Presidential Citation and several Rotary District 6880 Awards the year Dell was President. <br>Dell is a Paul Harris Fellow plus two. Dell was honored to receive the Harry P. Hall Meritorious Award for 2017-2018 for District 6880, the highest individual award. Dell has served as District Secretary. She attended the 2019 Rotary Summit for Zones 30 31 in Fort Wayne, Indiana and participated in the Emerging Leaders Seminar. Dell is excited and honored to serve as the District Governor Nominee for District 6880 for 2021-2022 and will also serve as District Secretary. <br>An important aspect of Dell’s life is family, including her husband of 47 years, Tim, who she met at Troy University, a daughter and son in law, a son, and an adorable granddaughter and 3 grand-doggies. Dell and Tim, are members of Covenant United Methodist Church. When she is not working, she loves reading, traveling, the beach, spending time with family, learning, and Rotary!

Kendra Haskins was named Executive Director of Distinguished Young Women in 2017. Prior to joining the national office, she served as a Distinguished Young Women local chairman for almost 20 years in both San Diego and Charleston, South Carolina. Before moving to Mobile, she owned a design, marketing and branding studio with an emphasis on helping small businesses. She is an award-winning business leader who serves on the steering committee of Mobile’s FOCUS Women’s Conference and formerly helped execute the Charleston Chamber’s Women’s Business Conference and the PubSmart Conference for independent book publishers. And in 2022, she was named one of the Women Who Shape the State by AL.com. Her mission is to see women of all ages be successful in both their personal and professional lives.

 

DYW:

Founded in 1958 in Mobile, Distinguished Young Women has the mission to help young women reach their full individual potential. They do this by offering a free program with life skills workshops to prepare for success after high school, a positive peer network, and by providing over $1 billion in college scholarship opportunities.

Overview:

The Downtown Mobile Rotary panel will include a discussion about economic development, real estate and the state of Downtown. Panelists include John Peebles, Principal with CRE Mobile, and Matt LeMond, entrepreneur and developer of O’Daly’s Irish Pub, Dauphin Street Blues Company, Draft Picks Tap Room, POST Crafted Cocktails & Wine Bar and Cedar Street Social Club, to be moderated by Fred Rendfrey of the Downtown Mobile Alliance.

 

Bios:

John is a Mobile native and a graduate of the University of the South. He has been licensed and active in area real estate markets since 1975. His practice has encompassed the sale and leasing of industrial facilities, warehousing and distribution, office as well as brokerage of the land upon which such facilities have been developed. John is also active in the area of urban infill development and redevelopment, and has participated in numerous development projects utilizing Historic Tax Credits financing.

 

Matt is a New Orleans native and a Spring Hill College graduate. Since opening O’Daly’s Irish Pub in 2010, the entrepreneur and developer he has added Dauphin Street Blues Company, Draft Picks Tap Room, POST Crafted Cocktails & Wine Bar, Cedar Street Social Club, and as of June, 2022, The Insider Collective Eatery and The Outsider Sports Lounge

 

Fred Rendfrey is the director of economic development for the Downtown Mobile Alliance and has been in this role since 2007. A native of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Fred graduated from Millsaps College with a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in economic development from the University of Southern Mississippi.  He began working in economic development for the Harrison County Development Commission in Gulfport, MS before serving as the executive director of The Pearl Chamber of Commerce in Pearl, MS.

Mayor Stimpson Bio
The City of Mobile’s 108th mayor, Sandy Stimpson has a bold mission to create One Mobile – a safer,
more business and family friendly city.
Driven by a desire to affect positive change in the life of each citizen, Mayor Stimpson has proven that
the greatest level of success is achieved when everyone has a seat at the table. Stimpson’s four decades
of experience in the private sector and extensive community service provide a solid foundation for the
type of practical change he has generated in just eight years in office. Mayor Stimpson has ushered in a
new culture at City Hall, emphasizing a commitment to transparency, effectiveness and efficiency.
Since assuming office in 2013, Mayor Stimpson’s tenure has been marked by major achievements that
stand to make a lasting impact for all citizens. Stimpson and his team have executed such transformative
initiatives as Map for Mobile, an unprecedented increase in the delivery of infrastructure improvements,
and the city’s first supplier diversity program.
Mayor Stimpson’s leadership has led to unparalleled reform of city finances. Stimpson and his team built
upon responsible fiscal stewardship to put the city on sound financial footing, reducing bonded
indebtedness by nearly $100 million, and unfunded liabilities for pension and benefits by $200 million,
leading to credit rating increases from both Moody’s and S&P. During the same period, he has built and
maintained a two-month rainy day reserve fund and awarded six raises for city employees.
Successfully campaigning for a third term under the slogan, “Not Done yet”, Mayor Stimpson was reelected in August 2021. He and his team will focus on projects which will ultimately bring generational
transformation to the City of Mobile.
A graduate from the University of Alabama in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering,
Stimpson began a nearly 40-year career in his family’s lumber manufacturing business. Starting at an
early age, he worked his way up through virtually every position in the family business including serving
as its CFO and ultimately it’s Executive Vice President.
Mayor Stimpson and his wife Jean have been married since 1975 and have four grown, married children
and 14 grandchildren. They are longtime, active members of Ashland Place United Methodist Church.

Dr. Lasseigne serves as Executive Director Bellingrath Gardens and Home, a position he started in September 2020.  He joins a team of board members and professional staff working to bring forward the legacy of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath at their renowned estate and gardens located on the Fowl River south of Mobile.

 

Prior to coming to Bellingrath, Todd was President and CEO of Tulsa Botanic Garden (Tulsa, Oklahoma), an institution he led for over nine years, working to build it from the ground up with over $20 million raised and invested during his tenure.  Dr. Lasseigne also served as the founding Executive Director of Paul J. Ciener Botanical Garden (Kernersville, North Carolina) from 2005 through early 2011, and as Assistant Director of the JC Raulston Arboretum (Raleigh, North Carolina) for 5 years.

 

Todd is a highly respected plantsman, horticulturist, and public garden leader.  He is widely recognized as a leading horticulture expert among nursery professionals and in the public garden world.  He has delivered invited lectures across the U.S., in Japan, South Korea, and Mexico.  Todd has visited over 450 gardens around the world during his career.  He lives with his wife (Heather) and five cats in Grand Bay, Alabama.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
of
Karlos F. Finley, Esq.
Karlos Finley is a solo practitioner at the law firm of K. Fitzgerald Finley, P.C. His family’s roots in the city
date back to the late 1860’s. His parents were both educators. His father would eventually become a
pharmacist and open the first chain of drug stores in the state of Alabama owned by an African-American.
His parents, alongwith other progressive thinkers, led the Civil Rights movement of the late 1960’s and early
1970’s in Mobile with the goal of bringing about a more unified community, and equality for all of the city’s
citizens. Upon graduation from high school, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. He was decorated
with the a Meritorious Unit Commendation Medal for relief efforts during several Gulf Coast Hurricanes
and the Good Conduct Medal, then Honorably discharged. Finley earned his Bachelors of Science Degree
from the University of Mobile, Cum Laude and his Juris Doctorate from Miles School of Law in Fairfield,
AL, where he was chosen as class valedictorian. His first job as a lawyer was as an Assistant District
Attorney in the Mobile County District Attorney’s Office. He is a member of the Alabama Lawyers
Association and a past President of the Vernon Z. Crawford, Bay Area Bar Association. He is a member of
the Mobile and Alabama State Bar Associations. He serves as President of the Dora Franklin FinleyAfricanAmerican Heritage Trail and of the Paul W. Brock, Mobile Inn of Court. He is Vice-President of the Mobile
Bar Foundation. He’s a Fellow with the Alabama State Bar Foundation and a member of the Alabama
Lawyers Association. Karlos is married to Mrs. Kelly Finley, they have three wonderful children and five
dogs. He is a lifelong member of Most Pure Heart of Mary church and is an alumni of the 121 year old Most
Pure Heart of Mary Catholic School.

Biography:

Leavie D. King, III, M.S., B.A., C.P.S., C.S.P.

 

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of COACHEDUP, a professional development consultancy established in 2014 and located in Mobile Alabama. He has held positions of training manager with FedEx providing executive leadership and training throughout the southeast region. He also has held several high and mid-level management positions, such as Compass Bank-Branch Banking Officer, Consumer Money Management-District Manager, and DRC-Vice President – Training and Development.

Currently, Leavie humbly serves as the Chairman for the Mobile Area Black Chamber of Commerce, Chairman Hope Boxing Academy, Board member Alabama Special Care Facilities Financing Authority, Vice Chair Africatown Heritage Preservation Foundation, Advisory Board Member Ignite! Alabama, and Development Council member Victory Health Partners. He also has established philanthropic mentoring projects and is designated as a Partner in Education with both Ella Grant Elementary and Maryvale Elementary Schools and is the founder of the COACHEDUP Boys 2 Men Conference.

Having the humble pleasure, Leavie has served the Mobile community on boards of numerous organizations and held several leadership positions within local groups, he served as former District Chairman-Boy Scouts of America Mobile Chapter, former Board Member -Center for Fair Housing, former Board Member -Feeding the Gulf Coast, Former President -Downtown Toastmasters and Former President -Urban Financial Services Coalition. Leavie is a proud United States Marine and a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

He holds several certifications; Certified Public Speaker, Certified Speaking Professional, Certified Trainer, Association for Training and Development – Gold Certified, and has won over 25 oratorical competitions nationwide. Leavie holds a Master’s degree in Science Management and a Bachelor in Business Administration from Faulkner University.