Dr. Jermaine M. Davis
In Life, School & Work, there are opportunities to live to your fullest potential, succeed beyond your wildest dreams, and make a positive difference in the lives of others. Along the way however, you will experience success and failure, hope and disappointment, and happiness and stress. With sheer determination and grit, a compelling vision, a plan in hand, and with the support of others, Dr. Jermaine M. Davis has successfully navigated some of life’s most tumultuous adversities. Now, he wants to share his winning principles and practices with you.
Dr. Jermaine says, “Information + Application = Transformation.” This is one of the winning formulas he teaches throughout the world. He loves teaching people, in The Bounce-Back Factor: How to Overcome Obstacles to Achieve Success in Life, School & Work, Dr. Jermaine unapologetically and unselfishly provides practical insights and tips on how to thrive and succeed based on his successes and failures as an entrepreneur, sales manager, college professor, filmmaker, author, professional speaker, and leadership coach. Through his entertaining, engaging, and thought-provoking presentations, you will learn how to recharge, refresh, and renew your personal and professional batteries so you can thrive and succeed.
Renowned professional speaker, best-selling author, documentary filmmaker, and award-winning Professor of Communication Studies and Organizational Leadership, Dr. Jermaine M. Davis, is passionate about teaching individuals, teams, and organizations how to: communicate courageously, lead with positive influence, cultivate a culture of respect and inclusion, and sustain motivation in Life, School & Work.
Today, Dr. Jermaine’s engaging and energetic, honest and open, authentic and down-to-earth demeanor makes him one of the country’s most sought-after speakers for Fortune 500 companies, professional associations, K-12 school districts, and colleges and universities. Dr. Jermaine is guaranteed to bring passion, professional fun, and edutainment to your next meeting or event. What is edutainment? It is Dr. Jermaine’s signature style of teaching, speaking, and facilitating, which is a fun combination of education and entertainment.
Leading with an Inclusion Lens begins with a willingness to communicate, behave, and think differently when interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. Organizations and teams have become increasingly multicultural, multiethnic, multilingual, and multifaceted. Unfortunately, most people have never been trained to lead and communicate appropriately and effectively across the various dimensions of diversity.
Julia D. Phelps
Director, Rotary International, 2014 – 2016
Julia joined the Rotary Club of Amesbury, MA in 1997 and served as president of the club in 2001-02, the club’s Foundation Chair (2016 – 2021), and Membership Chair (2021 – present). She was active in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program and hosted several Ambassadorial Scholars. After serving as president, she trained incoming presidents at NE Presidents-elect Training Seminar (PETS). Julia served as a host counselor for a Youth Exchange.
She has served in several positions at the district level. She worked on RYLA, served as Inbound Chair for Ambassadorial Scholars and was District Governor of District 7930 in 2007-2008. She was the District’s Annual Giving Chair and the Chair for NE PETS. Julia became District 7930’s Foundation Chair in July 2009 and led the district through the Future Vision Pilot. She shared Future Vision insights at the New Orleans, Louisiana and Lisbon, Portugal International Conventions.
Julia has served as a Presidents Representative and the Rotary Foundation Alumni Chair (RFAC) for Zone 32. Julia prepared governors-elect on the Foundation’s new grant model at the International Assembly in 2012 and 2013. She served as International Director from 2014 – 2016 and in 2016 – 2017 was a member of the Operations Review Committee. Julia served as a member of RI’s Membership Committee from 2017 – 2019.
In 2017, Julia was appointed as a Trustee of our Rotary Foundation where she served on the Foundation’s Stewardship Committee (Chair in 2019 – 2020) and the Executive Committee (2018 – 2020). For two years, she’s served as the Trustee Liaison to the Leadership Development and Training Committee. Always a supporter of Polio eradication efforts, Julia participated in an NID in January 2017 in Delhi, India. She was the Moderator for the training of regional leaders in 2022. Currently, she’s the Chair for the Basic Education and Literacy Major Gift Initiative Committee.
Julia is an active member of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Rotary Action Group. She serves on the Operation Team of WASH, the WASH Rotary Action Group Foundation, and has chaired the World Water Summit from 2017 – present. In January 2019, Julia participated in handing over toilet blocks and handwashing stations to a school of 1200 students in Nashik, India. The Rotary Club of Amesbury, MA financially supported this project along with other clubs in the USA, Australia, and India.
Julia is the recipient of the Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award. She and her husband, Steve McKenzie, who’s also a Rotarian are major donors and charter members of the bequest society. She is a Paul Harris Society member. Julia is lead the Million Dollar Journey for the Rotary Foundation in District 7930 where they raised over $1.8 million dollars.
She’s retired from the Massachusetts Department of Education where she served as the Associate Commissioner for Curriculum and Instruction. Steve McKenzie, her husband, and Julia live in Greenland, New Hampshire, USA. Steve and Julia have two children, Melissa and Stephen. They are the grandparents to Peyton, Zeth, River, Finn and Nate. All their family members are Paul Harris Fellows.
Harold Osmundson
Harold’s leadership journey began as a teenager in the U.S. Navy. Serving in the military during those critical years taught him discipline, dedication, and responsibility. It was a foundational experience he’s still grateful for today.
Professionally, Harold has worked as a software engineer for the last 20 years. He owns a software consulting business and remains a practitioner. Harold studied Information Systems and Computer Science at the University of Minnesota.
Harold has also been an enthusiastic member and leader in Toastmasters International. He led one of the largest Toastmasters districts in 2017-2018. Most recently, Harold served as International Director on Toastmasters International’s Board of Directors from 2020 to 2022. Serving and leading during the pandemic was a great honor and opportunity to contribute during challenging times.
In his spare time, Harold enjoys reading and learning. He has learned to struggle through home-improvement projects, and he has recently started in cycling and cooking.
Lonny Stormo
In the past six years, Lonny has developed a passion for Doing Good in the World through Rotary International. Lonny is a member of the Stillwater Sunrise Club, where he currently serves as Foundation leader and President-elect. Lonny has also served on the district Foundation team and as a Foundation coach for District 5960.
Lonny and his wife, Janet, live in the Stillwater area and have one daughter, Chandler. In addition to Rotary, Lonny is active on the regional American Diabetes Association board. He holds a BSEE degree from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology and an MBA from Arizona State University.
Mike Kaiser
Mike graduated from Osseo High School in 1982, Winona State University in 1986 with B.S. in Business. He manages a Branch of Raymond James Financial, which was just named to the Forbes Best in State Wealth Management Teams list. He’s been a financial advisor for 35 years, and the last 20 with Raymond James.
He spent many years coaching youth and High School sports, namely baseball and football. Is on the Forest Lake Youth Football League Board and gets to announce the games at Ranger Stadium.
A member of the Forest Lake Rotary, and is on the Service Committee.
In his spare time, he runs marathons (67 so far, in 11 states and 2 countries), fix up rental properties, and old cars. His true passion, however, is creating a ripple effect of random acts of kindness.
The Forest Lake Area Good Samaritans were formed 5 years ago with the mission of spreading random acts of kindness around the world. This is our story on how we are making it happen!
Alex Johnson
Johnson is the recipient of many Rotary awards, including Membership Society, Outstanding Club President, Rotarian of the Year, Club of the Year, Rotary Citation, Major Donor, and #1 in Rotary Foundation per capita giving. Plano West Rotary was the Fastest Growing Club in North America, written about twice in the Rotary Magazine, and highlighted at the 2022 Houston Convention by John Hewko, Rotary General Counsel & CEO. It tripled its membership to majority women, people of color, and under 50 years in age by implementing the Rotary Action Plan with 6 service projects a month.
Alex will share how clubs can grow through community service and supporting The Rotary Foundation.
