Guest Speakers

Data from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES; 2022) indicate that bullying and cyberbullying victimization is commonplace for adolescents in the United States today, with approximately 20% experiencing bullying and over 50% cyberbullying during their lifetime. Today’s guest speaker, Professor Alexander T. Vazsonyi, Ph.D., from the University of Kentucky, will lecture on From Hurt to Hope: Can we build bully-free communities in Kentucky and beyond?   An expert on adolescent development with a scholarly record of over 170 peer-reviewed publications, including extensive work on bullying, cyberbullying, and violent behaviors among children and adolescents, Dr. Vazsonyi will spend time (1) defining the ...

Today’s speaker, Renee Shaw, is the Director of Public Affairs and Moderator at KET, currently serving as host of KET’s weeknight public affairs program Kentucky Edition, the signature public policy discussion series Kentucky Tonight, and statewide election specials. Through the years, she has also been the force behind legislative and Kentucky Supreme Court coverage, the weekly interview series Connections, townhall-style forums, and multi-platform initiatives around critical issues facing Kentuckians. As an award-winning journalist, Renee has earned three regional Emmy awards from the Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. And in 2023 the academy inducted Renee into ...

For almost sixty-five years the Lexington Philharmonic (LexPhil) has been at the heart of Lexington’s artistic and cultural heritage. Today Rotarians will hear from two remarkable women charged with keeping LexPhil true to its traditions while being responsive to the rapidly changing environment faced by all of the arts, Artistic Director Mélisse Brunet and Executive Director Brooke Raby. Renowned as a conductor of “uncommon emotional intensity” (Marie-Celine) and a “force at the podium” (Eugene Scene), American conductor Mélisse Brunet is a native of Paris, France with Spanish and Italian roots. In July 2022, she became the fifth Music Director of the ...

“Behold the rain which descends from heaven upon our vineyards; there it enters the roots of the vines, to be changed into wine; a constant proof that God loves us, and loves to see us happy.”  Benjamin Franklin in 1779  Mention Kentucky and many things likely come to mind:  thoroughbred horses, bourbon and basketball.  But not wine.  Today’s speaker, Philip A. DeSimone, MD, might take exception to that and at the very least is trying to change that perception. DeSimone is an owner of Grimes Mill Winery, located on Grimes Mill Road in Fayette County, Kentucky.    The Grimes Mill Winery web ...

MITCH BARNHART WAS UNABLE TO ATTEND DUE TO ILLNESS. THE CLUB WAS FORTUNATE TO HEAR FROM MARC HILL, THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY. Rotary in Review  UK ATHLETICS AND THE CHANGING WORLD OF INTERCOLLEGIATE SPORTS  It is a familiar sight in sports:  the star athlete goes down with an injury and an eager substitute gets thrown into the action on short notice and saves the day.  Such was the case at our Club meeting two weeks ago, as Marc Hill, Deputy Director of Athletics at the University of Kentucky, spoke in place of scheduled speaker UK’s ...

You likely first heard his name when studying the American Revolution back in your earliest school days. It is estimated that thirty-six cities and towns across America are named after him, along with a local high school.  He even visited Lexington two hundred years ago, an event that was recently immortalized via a recently unveiled interpretive sign in Gratz Park. So, who exactly was Gilbert du Motier, better know to us as the Marquis de Lafayette/ To answer that question, Rotarians will today hear from Dale Henley, past President of the Lafayette Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution, in Lexington, and ...

STATE OF THE WORLD: How to Make Sense of our Political and Commerce Situation For over forty years, Lexington Rotarians have had the good fortune to look at the state of the world as seen through the eyes of the experts at the University of Kentucky’s Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce (Patterson School). Returning to the podium to defend his predictions from last year – and to offer new ones - is Dr. Robert Farley, Senior Lecturer at the Patterson School. Dr. Farley has taught security and diplomacy courses at the Patterson School since 2005. He also held an ...

MORE ROTARY! “More Cowbell” is a hilarious comedy sketch that was originally performed on Saturday Night Live in 2000.  The sketch featured Will Ferrell and Christopher Walken in a studio recording the Blue Oyster Cult song “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”  The fictional music producer Walken repeatedly demands “more cowbell,” and Will Farrell responds enthusiastically in an over-the-top style until, rather than setting the beat, the cowbell completely dominates the song and the action in the sketch.  The skit’s popularity and the phrase “more cowbell” has morphed into a popular American catchphrase which is even defined in dictionaries as “an extra quality ...

A YEAR OF BOLD STEPS AND DEEPER ROOTS When I took the gavel last July, I knew leading the Rotary Club of Lexington would be an honor. I didn’t realize how much it would also stretch, inspire, and ground me. This year wasn’t about maintaining momentum — it was about charting a future. We began at a crossroads: a club with a proud legacy but faced with the question every legacy organization must confront — how do we evolve without losing who we are? I’m proud to say we didn’t shy away from that question. We faced it head-on with honest ...

Steve Gardner, PE, SME-RM Mr. Gardner currently serves as President of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical, and Petroleum Engineers (AIME). He was the 2015 President of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Explorations (SME) and recognized as an SME Fellow and Registered Member.He has an MS in Mining Engineering and BS Agricultural Engineering from the University of Kentucky (UK). He has worked on mining projects throughout the US, internationally and early in his career served on a Volunteer mine rescue team. He has served on the advisory Boards of the Kentucky Geological Survey, UK’s Mining Engineering Foundation, Biosystems and Agricultural ...