Speakers

Please join us on Tuesday, April 30 at noon for Club business and some dedicated time to network and plan with our Club's 42 committees. This is an excellent opportunity for new and established members to help shape the committee planning as we head into our 2024-2025 Rotary year. It's encouraged that EVERY ROTARIAN serve on a minimum of two committees. If you haven't joined any committees, now is your chance! 

If you're a committee chair/co-chair for the 2023-2024 or 2024-2025, please plan to attend. 

Dr. Rodney D. Bennett is the 21st chancellor of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Nebraska’s flagship, Land-Grant and Big Ten institution. He is a 30-year veteran of higher education with a track record of growing research, increasing student success and building impactful partnerships.

Chancellor Bennett came to Nebraska after nine years of successful leadership at the University of Southern Mississippi. During his tenure as president, USM was reclassified from a Carnegie R2 to an R1 university, signaling growth in research prestige and funding. Dr. Bennett also invested in programs to support student recruitment, retention and outcomes, including for the 30 percent of USM students who were first-generation. His efforts led to an improvement in the university’s six-year graduation rate. He also held roles at the University of Georgia for more than a decade, Winthrop University in South Carolina, and Middle Tennessee State University. 

Chancellor Bennett values community leadership and service. He has served on numerous boards, including the Mississippi Aquarium, Northeast Georgia Girl Scouts of America, Catholic Health East (Philadelphia), and St. Mary’s Health Care System in Athens, Georgia. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and Past Sire Archon for Sigma Pi Phi fraternity, The Boulé.

Dr. Bennett earned a bachelor’s degree in mass communication, a master’s degree in educational administration, and an education specialist degree from Middle Tennessee State. He earned his Doctor of Education degree from Tennessee State University.

He and his wife, Temple, are the parents of two adult daughters, Colby and Logan.

Rotary 14 will be joined by Shannon Harner, Executive Director of Nebraska Investment Authority (NIFA), and Charlie Wesche, Interim Chief Executive Director of NeighborWorks Lincoln, for an informative presentation on Affordable Housing Developments in Lincoln from a government and non-government perspective. 

Shane Farritor, Ph.D., M.S., is co-founder and chief technology officer for Virtual Incision. He holds a doctorate and master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and is currently a faculty member at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Prior to his work at the university, Shane studied at the Kennedy Space Center, Goddard Space Flight Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Shane holds over 170 patents and has published over 140 peer-reviewed articles in the field of robotics.

More info to come. 

More info to come. 

Tom Kerfoot joined Children's Nebraska in January of 2016 as a Director of Development for Philanthropy. Tom attended Bellevue University for Marketing Management and has thirteen years of experience in healthcare fundraising, working previously for the CHI Health Foundation. Tom has a long record of successfully working with private donors, foundations and corporate sponsors to secure funding for projects and programs. He has extensive experience in event planning and management, and collaborated with a team to develop the planned giving program at CHI Health Foundation.

Tom completed the Certificate in Fundraising Management through the University of Nebraska at Omaha. He is currently the Vice President – Marketing & Sponsorships for the Charitable Gift Planners of Nebraska and is a member of the Omaha Estate Planning Council. Tom earned the designation of Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy in 2016 through a year-long program with The American College of Financial Services and the Omaha Community Foundation.

Tom has received numerous awards and recognition for his volunteer work in the community. He was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year in 2007, 2013 and 2014 for the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce. He received the highest honor of Chamber Excellence Award in 2016 for the Sarpy County Chamber of Commerce. He was honored as the Volunteer of the Year in 2009 for the La Vista Chamber of Commerce. He was recognized as the Friend of La Vista in 2011 for his work with the foundation and volunteer work in the community.