Committee Reports
Jessica Pedigo presided over her last meeting as president. President Elect Cecilia Arango presented her with a Rotary tiara and Immediate Past President Bret Bell relinquished the infamous cat portrait.
Jessica provided a club attendance update, reporting that it stands at 53% and increases to 59% if members who are leaving the club are removed from the calculation. She reminded members they can gain attendance credits by:
- Attending an eClub Meeting
- Attending a meeting of another Rotary Club
- Donating to our service partners Bike Walk Savannah or Urban Hope
- Participating in a service project
- Attending a Munch or social
There is another opportunity to participate in the June service project, the second of two street audit sessions in the Edgemere-Sackville neighborhood. It will take place on Saturday, June 26 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. Prior to the session volunteers will receive information about the process and instructions on how to download the mobile application, and the group will meet at the beginning of the audit session to answer any questions and receive their assignments. The signup link is now available.
Jessica reminded members that we will resume entering the J.E.A. through the front door beginning at the June 29 meeting.
Guests
Derek Goldfarb was the guest of Cecilia Arango
Maryann Brickey was the guest of Jamie Smith Arkins
John Rodman (New Member Program)
Destiny Mojica-Taylor (New Member Program)
Meagen Burrows (New Member Program)
Chelsea Sawyer (New Member Program)
New Member Program Profile: Chelsea Sawyer
Chelsea Sawyer earned graduate and undergraduate degrees from Virginia Tech, and met her husband Seth there. They worked together at the American Red Cross and now work together at the Chatham Emergency Management Agency, where she serves as outreach/public information coordinator. She started at CEMA just three weeks before Hurricane Matthew hit Savannah in October 2016.
Chelsea’s daughter was born in December 2019 and she described the challenges of having a “pandemic baby.” She also revealed that she was the subject of a TV documentary when she was 15.
New Member Program Profile: John Rodman
John Rodman is a senior partner at Cox, Rodman & Middleton, Attorneys at Law. He said he’s wanted to join Rotary since 2013. He grew up in Albany, joined the Army, and became a scout/sniper. He was deployed several times and thought about staying in Washington, where he was stationed, but came back to Georgia and decided to make Savannah his home.He earned degrees from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Georgia Southern University, and Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law. He and his wife Anne, who is also an attorney, have two children.
Featured Speaker: Leigh Ryan
Leigh talked about her work as vice president of World Trade Center Savannah, where she oversees strategy and development. She said WTCS serves area businesses that are active in international trade and its primary mission is job creation and investment in the region. The center hosts global education programs and events, and as everyone who participates is involved in international trade, there are a lot of opportunities for networking. She hosts inbound delegations and outbound trade missions may begin soon as the rest of the world begins to open up again. The center also offers the Global Trade Helpdesk, a market research tool developed by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Leigh said WTCS is ranked as one of the top five World Trade Centers.