Wednesday Meeting

Featured Speaker for August 2nd Meeting: Angela Katz Executive Director Angela Katz is an Executive Director at LARC, the Lee Association of Remarkable Citizens. Established in 1954, LARC Inc. is a training center for success that provides support services to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. A highly accomplished strategic fundraising and development professional, Katz joined LARC as director of development and communications in 2016. Her responsibilities included fund development, internal and external communications, marketing, and advancing community and business partnerships. Prior to LARC, Katz established her own company, Angela Katz, LLC, specializing in fundraising strategies for non-profits. She was the development director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida for four years. Katz transitioned into non-profit work after retiring from a successful career as a Regional Vice President with PartyLite Gifts. She was responsible for strategic direction and training for a sales leadership team of more than 300 [...]

Featured Speaker for July 26th Meeting: Christopher S. Bernier, Ed.D. Superintendent Dr. Christopher Bernier was sworn in as Superintendent of Schools of the School District of Lee County on May 16, 2022. With nearly 100,000 students and 13,000+ employees, Dr. Bernier will lead the 9th largest school district in Florida and 32nd largest in the U.S. His priority as Superintendent is to lead with a student-centered philosophy and ensure that the district’s strategic plan will meet the academic and social emotional needs of our students. Dr. Bernier also plans to prioritize the district’s budget to ensure that the district is being fiscally responsible and good stewards of taxpayer dollars. The district's core values will guide Dr. Bernier's leadership: Excellence Integrity High Expectations Accountability Belief in Students Professionalism Prior to Lee County, Dr. Bernier served as the Chief of Staff for the Clark County School District (CCSD) in Las Vegas, Nevada, the fifth largest [...]

Featured Speaker for July 19th Meeting: Olena Hall, Olga & Volodymyr Vermiichyk Update on Ukraine Olena Hall was born in Ukraine in 1986 and moved to the U.S. in 2015. She earned her masters degree in Philology (The study of language) from Volyn National University in 2008.  She worked as a school teacher in Ukraine until she moved to the United States.  Since arriving in the U.S. Olena has spent time raising her now 15 year old son and 6 year old daughter as well as working for several years as a Paraprofessional helping children learn the English language. She has also spent time advocating for Ukrainian causes including organizing supply drives to send Aid to Ukraine. She enjoys advocating for Ukrainians and talking about Ukrainian culture and language. Olga & Volodymyr Vermiichyk (Olena's parents) - were both born in Ukraine. They have lived in Ukraine since their birth until the present day.  [...]