Speaker Bios

Mayor

Topic: Overcoming Flint’s Environmental Challenges

Sheldon Neeley is a lifelong resident of Flint. He is a father, small business owner, and a man of God with an enduring commitment to serving his neighbors and his community.

He earned an associate’s degree from Delta Community College and attended Saginaw Valley State University.

Neeley spent 27 years working as a broadcast engineer for WJRT-12 in Flint and was the local union president for the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communication Workers of America until 2020. He also worked as a counselor in Flint Community Schools for 10 years and served as voluntary CEO of the Flint Inner City Junior Golf League, founded by his father.

His commitment to public service started in 2002 when he joined the Flint Civil Service Commission, a board that investigates claims of wrongdoing at City Hall. In 2005, he was elected to the City Council, the first African-American councilperson elected from the 6th Ward, a racially diverse area serving Flint’s central west side. Re-elected in 2009 and 2013, Neeley successfully passed ordinances to curb truancy and establish University Avenue by renaming the main corridor between the University of Michigan-Flint and Kettering University.

In 2014, the residents of Flint elected Neeley to the state House of Representatives serving the city’s 34th District. He went on to win landslide re-election victories in 2016 and 2018. In the state House, Neeley fought on behalf of the residents of Flint during the Flint Water Crisis—helping to bring millions of dollars in aid to the city, and changing state law to require residents be informed whenever harmful elements are present in their drinking water.

On Nov. 5, 2019, the residents of Flint elected him mayor based on his pledge to bring transparency and fiscal responsibility to Flint City Hall. Within just a few months, Mayor Neeley spearheaded an operational audit to ensure City Hall operates better and more efficiently, successfully led the city’s proactive response to limit the spread of COVID-19, launched a major initiative to Fight Blight, and continued his lifelong fight for equity with multiple local reforms. The voters returned Neeley to Flint City Hall for a second mayoral term in November 2022.

Director, Great Lakes Office

Topic: Great Lakes Initiatives

Michael (Mike) Kelly is the Director of The Conservation Fund’s Great Lakes Office in Bay City, Michigan, and has served in that capacity since 2000. Mike is responsible for programs such as the Saginaw Bay Watershed Initiative Network as well as land acquisition and conservation financing around the Great Lakes region through The Conservation Fund’s Great Lakes Revolving Loan Fund program. Mike is also working with partners in Michigan developing a new urban conservation focus largely supported by the C.S. Mott Foundation of Flint, MI. 

In addition to his work at The Conservation Fund, Mike was recently appointed by Governor Whitmer to the State of Michigan’s Environmental Rules Review Committee and was also elected as a school board member for the Bay City Public Schools in 2022. 

Prior to working for The Conservation Fund, Mike served as City Manager for the City of Auburn and Executive Director of the Saginaw Bay Watershed Council. Mike holds a Masters of Business Administration from Saginaw Valley State University and a B.S. in Resource Development from Michigan State University. 

General Manager/CEO

Topic: Alternative Fuel Mass Transit

As General Manager/CEO of the Mass Transportation Authority (MTA), Edgar (Ed) Benning is responsible for a transit system that serves Flint, Genesee County, and five adjoining counties in Michigan, with a budget of over $31 million and an annual ridership of over 5 million passengers. The MTA operates a family of services including primary Fixed Routes, Peak Routes, Regional Routes, Para-Transit Service, and non-emergency medical related transportation service, Rides to Wellness, which includes transportation services for area Veterans.

The Authority has been recognized for its partnerships with area organizations and its dedicated service to the community. Under Benning’s leadership, the MTA has transitioned from a city operation to a county-wide and regional transportation system, converted the MTA vehicle fleet from diesel fuel to alternative fuels, and partnered with state and local entities to develop a systematic approach to provide non-emergency medical transportation.

Benning has forged multiple regional partnerships to provide work-related transportation under Rides to Work and has led efforts resulting in multiple successful local public transportation millage campaigns. Benning’s service to the community extends well beyond his work with the MTA. The list of professional and personal memberships is extensive and his involvement with the community is all embracing.

President

Topic: Autonomous Vehicles

Dr. McMahan became the seventh President of Kettering University in August 2011. Kettering, formerly known as GMI, is one of the nation’s premier engineering, science, and business universities and is dedicated to offering a curriculum that deeply integrates classroom learning with experiential and co-operative educational opportunities for all students. Kettering is a national leader in preparing STEM and business entrepreneurs and innovators. U.S. News & World Report ranks Kettering among the nation’s finest specialty schools. The Wall Street Journal ranked Kettering first in the country in career preparation; The Economist noted that Kettering “produces the fourth-highest share of inventors” among selective colleges and universities, surpassing universities such as Stanford, Harvard, and Carnegie Mellon.

Dr. McMahan was one of four presidents highlighted in the book Governance Reconsidered, by Susan Pierce in Chapter 8 under “Exemplary Tales: Successful Presidents.”

Prior to joining Kettering, Dr. McMahan was the Founding Dean of and Professor of Engineering in the Western Carolina University College of Engineering and Technology, a role he was asked to take by the Chancellor and UNC system leadership. In this role he was charged with the creation of an innovative, but replicable, college of engineering model for regional universities centered around the development of a set of project-based, regionally-engaged engineering and technology programs.

Prior to that, while simultaneously holding the position of Research Professor of Physics and Astronomy at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (a position he held from 1989-2010), Dr. McMahan was Senior Advisor to the Governor of North Carolina for Science and Technology, and the Executive Director of the North Carolina Office of Science and Technology. In that role, he also acted as a Senior Advisor to the Secretary of Commerce, the General Assembly, and the Economic Development Board. He was responsible for developing and implementing the state’s technology and university-based economic development programs as well as acting as a primary liaison between the Governor’s administration and the 16-campus UNC and 58-campus NC Community College systems.

Prior to his work with the Governor, he was a Senior Technology Strategist and Venture Capitalist for In-Q-Tel, a private venture capital organization funded by the Central Intelligence Agency, where he was responsible for developing a technology investment strategy for the intelligence community, and then deriving, molding, and structuring individual investments and technologies within the portfolio in response to it.

Before joining In-Q-Tel, he was Executive Vice President of Engineering and R&D for GretagMacbeth, LLC, where he was responsible for the company’s worldwide research, engineering, and product development activities and for the creation and operation of the company’s Advanced Technology Laboratories in the Research Triangle Park. He joined GretagMacbeth after its acquisition in 2000 of MRL, the advanced technologies company he founded in Cambridge, MA, and later expanded to the Research Triangle Park of North Carolina. He has been involved in the creation of a number of technology startups, and he has co-led multiple significant equity and LBO capital raises.

In addition to the above activities, Dr. McMahan has also been a visiting fellow at both Oxford University and the University of Durham. While at the University of North Carolina he led active NSF and PPARC funded research programs in astrophysics while also serving as the sole science advisor to the university’s advanced 4-meter telescope project (SOAR) in Chile. He has also held a number of other academic appointments, including Adjunct Professor at the North Carolina State University and Visiting Assistant Professor at Dartmouth.

He received dual Bachelors’ Degrees in Physics and in the History of Art from Duke University, a Ph.D. in Physics from Dartmouth, and completed postdoctoral studies at the Harvard University – Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory Center for Astrophysics under the mentorship of MacArthur Fellow Margaret Geller, where he also held an appointment as an Astrophysicist at the Smithsonian Institution. He has completed executive leadership programs at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Dr. McMahan has extensive national and international speaking, consulting, and management experience in organizations and initiatives related to technology and product development, research policy, investment capital, entrepreneurship and innovation-based economic development. He has spoken and consulted with national and international organizations interested in innovation policy, investment capital, technology based economic development, university research, and the university’s role in economic development at the invitation of organizations including the National Academies, the U.S. Congress, and the Federal Reserve as well as a number of international governments.

Dr. McMahan participated in research that led to the cosmological discoveries of the “Great Attractor,” as well as the “bubble and void” structure of the universe and the “Great Wall,” the latter of which at the time of discovery was the largest known structure in the universe. These are now foundational elements of modern dark matter theory. He has published over fifty papers in scientific and engineering journals, sits on a number of corporate boards and state and national commissions, and holds multiple domestic and international patents.

Director, Centre for New Nuclear & Net Zero Partnerships

Topic: Alternative Energy Sources

Raised in Chesley, Ontario, Chad has been a long-time advocate for Bruce, Grey and Huron. With nearly eight years of experience on Parliament Hill with the Member of Parliament for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, combined with time at Queen’s Park with the Associate Minister of Energy and MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, Chad has built his career around advocating for local communities in the Bruce, Grey and Huron region.

Chad began working with the NII in October of 2020 and is the former Director of the Clean Energy Frontier program and now serves as the Director of the Bruce Power Centre for New Nuclear & Net Zero Partnerships.

Through this work Chad seeks opportunities to for the nuclear industry to collaborate with communities, governments, and other sectors on projects to decarbonize our economy and reach net zero by 2050. The Centre manages the Carbon Offset Coalition – an initiative developed by Bruce Power that encourages interested stakeholders to submit ideas for partnerships that would result in the reduction or elimination of carbon. Additionally, the Centre:

• Raises awareness of the fundamental role of nuclear energy in a decarbonized future.
• Leads original research to support the case for new nuclear builds from small modular reactors to large-scale facilities.
• Forges ties between nuclear and other clean energy sectors, from hydrogen to renewables and fusion energy.

Executive Director

Topic: Environmental Monitoring and Cleanup in the Flint River and Lake Huron (co-presented with Melissa De Young)

As Executive Director of the Flint River Watershed Coalition (FRWC), Jennifer Raymond manages day-to-day operations for organization – known for its paddle, education and water monitoring programs. She also leads fundraising, strategic partnerships and community engagement initiatives, including the FRWC’s response to the Lockhart Chemical spill that began on June 15, 2022.

Raymond brings over a decade of non-profit experience to the role, including administrative roles in domestic violence crisis shelter services and USDA Commodity Food programming. As a life-long resident of the Great Lakes bioregion, she has been a passionate participant in many projects promoting water quality, including the Chippewa River Water Festival.

Raymond holds a B.S. from Ferris State University, and in 2016 received a Leadership Institute Certification from the Michigan Community Action Association. When she’s not at work, she enjoys kayaking, vegetable gardening (especially hot peppers), and 80s horror movies.

Director, Policy and Programs

Topic: Environmental Monitoring and Cleanup in the Flint River and Lake Huron (co-presented with Jennifer Raymond)

Melissa also represents Pollution Probe on the Annex 3 Chemicals of Mutual Concern Executive Sub-Committee for the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. Melissa is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) and holds a Master of Environmental Studies degree from York University and an Honours Bachelor degree in Political Science from the University of Toronto.

Member and Chairperson of Aquabox Committee

Topic: Aquabox – A Simple, Low-Cost Water Filtration System

Walt Bathe has been a proud member of the Stratford Rotary Club at two different periods in his long life – from 1978 to 1985 and from 2008 until today. That’s 20 years of service above self!

Before retirement, he owned and managed a steel fabrication plant for over 30 years. He has been actively involved with Rotary as Chairperson of the Aquabox committee for the last 10 years. Walt is also a member of the Paul Harris Committee for the past 8 years and has received a Paul Harris Award. He served as a member of the Arts and Crafts Committee for the past 12 years and the Golf Committee for 8 years.

Walt celebrated his 89 birthday this year and is still going strong in life and Rotary.

Founder/CEO

Topic: Great Lakes Rotary Presidents Elect Training Seminar

Jim is the Founder and CEO of Leadership Transition Services, specializing in interim leadership of non-profits.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Ohio University in 1975. After a 40 year career in insurance, Jim sold his business and earned an Executive Certificate in Non Profit Leadership and Management from the Mendoza College of Business at The University of Notre Dame in 2016. He served most recently as Executive Director for VINA Community Dental Center, a non-profit dental services provider located in Brighton, MI.

Jim is a Past President of the Brighton Rotary Club (2001-02) and was the Charter President of the Livingston Sunrise Rotary Club (2004-05). He has served in numerous positions in Rotary over his 27 years as a member, including Vice Governor, Assistant Governor, District Membership Chair, and District Governor (2013-2014). Jim’s passion is membership and he has helped form 10 new Rotary clubs within the District, which includes SE Michigan and SW Ontario, Canada.

Jim currently serves as the Rotary International Council on Legislation as well as General Chair for Great Lakes Rotary President Elect Training Seminars.

He has served as a speaker at Rotary meetings, seminars and conferences throughout Southeast Michigan and Southwest Ontario on issues involving the values of Rotary and Rotary Membership

He has been an active member of the Brighton and Howell Chambers of Commerce over the past 30 years.

Past President, Rotary Club of London South

Topic: Social Media and Technology for Your Rotary Club

A highly committed Rotarian whose life exemplifies “Service Above Self,” Lorna Gunning-Fratschko has been active in District 6330 since 1994 when she joined the Rotary Club of London South, serving as committee chair numerous times, working on many fundraisers, and taking on the role of president for the 2017 – 2018 year. She moved to the Rotary Club of London Hyde Park in 2000.

Lorna is a highly successful business professional with extensive experience and a proven track record in sales and business development. Rotary has benefited from this experience through her organization of and contacts for fundraisers and programs enhancing the visibility of the organization throughout the community. This expertise is also applied to membership development.

Now Lorna brings her social media and marketing skills to our District Conference! Join Lorna for a special Social Media Marketing breakout session where she will introduce appropriate and strategic social media approaches and marketing for Rotary Clubs. Whether you would like to promote your club, a fundraiser, or start a membership drive, Lorna will share the means to help your club achieve its goals.

Rotary District Representatives

Topic: ShelterBox – Providing Emergency Shelters to Families Affected By Disaster Around the World

Information Technology Lead

Topics: Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG)–Operation Pollination and ESRAG–Plant-Rich Diet

Scott Nelson was educated at Eastern Michigan University in Aquatic Biology and Computer Science and has worked as the Information Technology Lead at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Great Lakes Science Center in Ann Arbor, MI, for the past 38 years. He is Past President of the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor North where he has been a member for 30 years and manages the club’s butterfly garden located in Gallup Park.

Scott has belonged to the Ann Arbor Seventh-day Adventist Church since 1990, where he installed solar panels and a rain garden. The Church is a community of practice for plant-rich diets. Scott also serves on the Steering Committee of the Washtenaw Optimal Wellness – another community of practice promoting the Blues Zones Lifestyle in our county. He is Co-chair of the Plant-Rich Diet Task Force with Rotary International’s Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group.

Founder

Topic: Sustainable Transformation–Renewed Energy & Innovative Thinking to Create Lasting Global Impact

Nurdan Tokoz is a human performance consultant, reinvention and behaviour change expert. She has degrees in Industrial Engineering (B.Eng.) and Adult Education (B.Ed.).

Nurdan develops programs and systems to solve human performance issues within organizations. She partners with organizations to identify the barriers that deflate motivation and limit performance. She passionately believes that building a Reinvention Mindset & Culture is essential for an organization to become immune to continuous change and disruption. Transforming organizations into “Reinvention Ready Systems” is one of her ultimate goals.

Her processes are grounded in Human Performance Improvement (HPI) and Reinvention methodologies, industrial engineering principles, cognitive learning practices, instructional design experience, and innovative habit-building tools. This diverse foundation enables her to develop effective performance solutions, change management strategies, and demonstrate their impact on day-to-day business results. She is a certified Human Performance Consultant, Certified Reinvention Practitioner (CRP), EQ-I 2.0 EQ 360 practitioner, and Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) Developer and Facilitator.

She is a member of the faculty at the Reinvention Academy and the program director of the Certified Reinvention Practitioner (CRP) program. She is also a proud member of the International Society of Performance Improvement (ISPI) and a member of theBoard of Directors for the Montreal Chapter, the Global Alliance of Reinvention Practitioners (GARP), the Diversity Development Network of Canada (DDNC) and member of the Board of Directors, the Association for Talent Development (ATD), and Rotary of London, Hyde Park D6330