Guest Speakers

J Batt, announced as CEO of Champions Blue LLC and UK Athletics Director photographed on June 14, 2026. Photos by Mark Cornelison | UKphoto LET’S GET READY FOR A BIG BLUE THURSDAY! We are pleased to welcome a very special guest to our August 6 meeting - J Batt, the University of Kentucky’s new athletics director. Thanks to the efforts of Rotarian Jim Host,the Rotary Club of Lexington will be among the first organizations to publicly welcome JBatt to Lexington and his new position. Batt comes to UK from Michigan State University, where he serves as Vice President and ...

Lights, Camera, Lexington! FilmLEX: Putting Central Kentucky in the Spotlight  FilmLEX is VisitLEX's film and television initiative, dedicated to serving and supporting the production community while promoting the Kentucky Entertainment Incentive Program to attract film and television projects to the Commonwealth. Through the leadership of our speakers today, since 2024 FilmLEX has positioned Lexington and Central Kentucky as a popular production destination, driving new investment, creating jobs, and showcasing the region's talent, locations, and communities to audiences around the world.  Mary Quinn Ramer is President of VisitLEX, where she oversees the organization's marketing, convention sales, and administrative operations while leading efforts to promote Lexington for tourism, meetings, and special events. A tourism industry veteran with ...

I got involved in Rotary in the early 1990s because my father-in-law had been a member for many years and regularly encouraged me to join. He told me it would be a rewarding life experience. Bill McCord was a dedicated Rotarian with more than 50 years of perfect attendance, and he was right. I became involved early, serving on the board and helping establish our early endowment fund. Like so many things in life, we get more out of it when we put more into it. One of the greatest things about Rotary is that we are surrounded by strong, intelligent, ...

When we accept responsibility for the care, protection, and enhancement of an organization as renowned as Rotary, it may seem a daunting task, unless you look at the privilege you have been afforded. When I was invited by you to be President of our club it was indeed an honor. Even though there were things I did not know, I did know that the club was about success, and it would succeed in spite of anything I did. Leadership is a sort of paradox: you lead by listening.Sure, you have your ideas and protocols, but if you listen to those before you, add your ...

For Will Stein, the roots in Kroger Field soil run deep. A native Kentuckian, Stein is the son of UK alumni – father Matt played football at UK and mother Debbie is an avid fan – and he inherited their passion as he grew up watching the Wildcats in the then-Commonwealth Stadium, section 128, row 13 to be exact.  He later competed in the stadium as a collegiate quarterback and assistant coach. On Dec. 2, 2025, the family’s journey came full circle as Stein was named head coach of Kentucky football. “Will Stein brings an outstanding track record of developing elite quarterbacks and leading some of the most dynamic and successful offenses in college football,” Barnhart said. “His deep connection to Kentucky, having grown up attending games in ...

How safe are we in Lexington?  Today this “top of mind” issue will be addressed by two experts, one from the public sector, one from the private sector. Lexington’s Chief Lawrence B. Weathers is a native of Lexington Kentucky. He joined the Lexington Division of Police in 1989. He has a Masters of Science Degree in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University and graduated from the University of Kentucky with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration. Chief Lawrence Weathers He began his police career as a patrol officer and has worked as a supervisor in every Bureau of the ...

The Rotary podium will be taken over by Scott Neal on behalf of the Scholarship Committee, as we continue our tradition of recognizing the best and the brightest of our Central Kentucky high schoolers and educators.  This year’s challenge to the committee was to identify three outstanding students to each receive $5,000 awards, with one of them to also be named as the Milward Cup recipient, recognizing achievement in following the Rotary motto of Service Above Self.  Each applicant was asked to provide essays, one addressing why the applicant deserves the award and one addressing the financial impact this award would have ...

Each year, our Club sets aside a lunch meeting to honor the legacy of one of our own, Tommy Bell, and to present the Tommy Bell Award. More on Mr. Bell below. Assisting with today’s program is a name familiar to many of us: Doug Flynn. Doug is a former Bryan Station High School three-sport star. He played baseball professionally for eleven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Montreal Expos and Detroit Tigers. Flynn won two World Series titles with the Reds and a Gold Glove while with the Mets. He earned the moniker of “the glue” ...

Mention Rotary and its good works and it is likely that the PolioPlus campaign will be the first thing to come to mind. The PolioPlus campaign was initiated by Rotary International back in 1985, before many of our current members were born. Because it largely involves activities geographically removed from us, it would be easy to lose sight of the program’s continued importance and needs. Today’s speaker, Leon Hirsh, is here to ensure that doesn’t happen. Past District Governor Hirsh was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. He is a graduate of the Kentucky Military Institute and Transylvania University. Leon has lived in Pensacola, Florida since 1980. He remains a practicing financial advisor and has spent the lion's share of his ...

As April slowly meanders into Spring, we find ourselves in what is arguably the high season in Kentucky. The charm and gentility of the Keeneland Spring meet morphs into the pomp and circumstance of the Kentucky Derby and the Kentucky Oaks. Both are instrumental to Kentucky’s claim of being the “horse capital of the world. Today Rotarians are privileged to hear about both, from two individuals who, as they say, should know: Gabby Gaudet, Keeneland’s, Director of Communications, and respected broadcaster Tom Leach. A respected voice in Thoroughbred racing with more than a decade of national media experience, Gaudet, who joined Keeneland in 2025, oversees Keeneland’s strategic communications efforts. In ...