President John’s Message
In less than two weeks, Roswell Rotary and the City of Roswell will
present the 24th Roswell Remembers Memorial Day
Ceremony. This ceremony is one of the best attended Memorial Day
observances in the Southeast and takes a huge effort by our club to host.
This year we need more volunteers for setup, day of the event tasks,
and take down than in years past. For years we benefited from people who
had to perform community service to help with both setup and take down, but for
some reason, they are not available to us this year.
Want to volunteer - Please let one of our Memorial Day committee
members know including Dave Young (Chair), Elwyn Gaissert,
or Ron Cowan.
Program This Week
John King - Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
John F. King was sworn in as Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire
Commissioner by Governor Brian Kemp on July 1, 2019, becoming the first
Hispanic statewide official in state history. He was elected to a full
four-year term on November 8, 2022.
Before becoming Commissioner, King spent his career in law enforcement,
beginning as an Atlanta police officer in 1985 and culminating as Chief of
Police for the City of Doraville. While at the Atlanta Police Department, he
worked various assignments including Red Dog, Organized Crime/Intelligence, and
received the Chief’s Blue Star in 1987 for being injured in the line of duty as
a result of a criminal attack with a firearm. His career also includes
assignments to both FBI and DEA as a Task Force Agent.
A native of Mexico, King made a meaningful impact by building bridges
among Doraville’s diverse populations and implementing youth education and
crime-prevention programs in his role as Chief of Police. Recognizing the
international composition of Doraville’s community, King made it a priority to
hire bilingual police officers, place multiple languages on police cars, and
ensure effective translators and public defenders were employed at the City
Courthouse. Commissioner King’s initiatives include Anti-Gang education
programs for elementary school students and parents. He worked with the
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to establish an education program for prospective
small business entrepreneurs and worked with state, county, and local leaders
to implement a safety and speed reduction program targeted to Buford Highway to
reduce the number of pedestrian fatalities. Commissioner King is also a member
of Leadership DeKalb.
In addition to his former roles in the Atlanta and Doraville Police
Departments, King retired as a Major General in the U.S. Army following his
final assignment to NORAD and U.S. Northern Command. King was the former
Commander of the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team and has deployed to
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa. He served as the Military
Advisor to the Deputy Minister of Interior for Security for Afghanistan, who
oversaw an agency of over 96,000 police officers.
While serving on Active Duty and the National Guard, King earned
numerous awards for his achievements. King received the Combat Action Badge for
his service in Iraq and the Combat Infantry Badge for service in Afghanistan.
Other awards and decorations include Legion of Merit, Bronze Star (2) Award,
Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Afghanistan Campaign
Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, El Salvador Gold Medal for Achievement, and the
Afghanistan Barial
2nd Degree Medal.
King received his Bachelor’s of Arts degree in criminal justice and
public administration from Brenau University and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the U.S.
Army War College. He graduated from Harvard University Senior Executives in
National Security and Syracuse University National Security Decision Making
Course. Commissioner King was a graduate of class #229 in the FBI National
Academy in Quantico, VA, and also a graduate of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange
program to Israel (GILEE).
Commissioner
King is also fluent in Spanish.
Past President Moment
Past President Becky Stone 2018-2019
In President Becky Stone’s Rotary year 2018-19 Rotary’s theme was “Be
The Inspiration”. Roswell Rotary was inspired to continue supporting
Youth in our community through many programs and events including the Roswell
High School Construction Program. We won a competitive grant from
District 6900 which funded over $10,000 worth of construction tools for this
RHS program. And to top it off, we hosted our RI President Barry Rassin
and his wife from the Bahamas in maybe the largest Roswell Rotary meeting
ever.
Come hear
more about what we accomplished in Becky’s year 2018-19.
May 18
Alive in Roswell
Food & Beverages will be provided by Roswell Rotary. These events are so much fun and Roswell Rotary's tent is THE PLACE to be. See you there!!!!
Hal Coleman to Speak to RRAH
Next meeting is tonight!
Join us tonight at The Artillery Room at Gate City tonight 6:30 as we welcome Rotarian Hal Coleman as our guest speaker! Hal is a coach, speaker, sales trainer and entertainer who will speak on leadership and entrepreneurship for young professionals. Lets pack the house for what's sure to be an insightful and fun meeting!
And don't forget, if you need a headshot, our favorite photographer Ian will be present!
Additionally, all Rotarians please bring in Plastic Grocery Bags for After Hours Club. They provide them to Chattahoochee Nature Center!
Tuesday, May 16, 6:00pm / New Location
Who's Looking for New Clients? Attend Business Networking for District 6900
For you, or someone on your staff, grow your business by doing business
with Rotarians in an environment that supports “Service Above Self”
Bonus: This is also an opportunity for someone you are interested
in recruiting to Roswell Rotary. Tuesday, May 16 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.
NEW Location: Mutation Brewing Company, 5825 Roswell Rd NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328
For more information, contact Ken Carter 404-386-3214 ken.carter@floorcoveringsinternational.com or
Hal Schlenger 770-335-0077 HSchlenger@GreatSouthBenefits.com
Save the Date for Comedy for a Cause!
June, 22 at 7 p.m.
Save the date for the biggest event of the summer! Roswell Rotary After Hours' signature event is coming on June 22nd!
Grab your family and friends for burgers, brews and belly laughs at the 1st Annual Comedy For a Cause, presented by Roswell Rotary After Hours. Get ready to chuckle, howl and giggle at this special fundraiser benefiting the Roswell community. The event is $30 and will feature several knee-slapping local comedians. What are you waiting for? Save your spot today and we will see you on June 22 on the lawn of Lucky's Burger & Brew Roswell. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. Food and beverages will be available for purchase.
Buy tickets here.
