Events

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Oct 3 at Noon.

To View on Zoom:  Click Here.

Katie Kirkpatrick is the president and CEO of the 165-year-old Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC). Kirkpatrick is known for her public policy prowess, courageous leadership, and more than seventeen years of purpose-driven impact through her work at MAC.

As president and CEO, she led the adoption of a new framework for the Chamber, focusing on the three strategic imperatives of economy, talent, and community. She also catalyzed the Chamber’s historic ATL Action for Racial Equity initiative – a long-term effort that leverages the power of the region’s business community to advance racial equity. Most recently, she leads the organization’s efforts to reimagine Downtown Atlanta, convening the region’s leaders and stakeholders to rally around a strategy to transform it into neighborhood that supports a world-class entertainment scene, a vibrant living environment, and a bustling business community.

Previously MAC’s chief policy officer, Kirkpatrick served as the link between the metro Atlanta business community and local, state, and national governments. She also galvanized the Public Policy team’s priorities in business climate, talent development and education, infrastructure, and thriving community.

Kirkpatrick joined MAC in 2007 as vice president of environmental affairs, previously serving in numerous roles directly related to environmental policy and water-related issues. Kirkpatrick later served as MAC’s senior vice president for business higher education and before joining MAC, she served as director of environmental engineering for Gold Kist, Inc.

Kirkpatrick currently serves on the GRACE Commission, comprised of public officials, law enforcement, businesses, and nonprofit organizations committed to ending human trafficking in Georgia and the City of Atlanta. She sits on the boards of Atlanta Committee for Progress and Central Atlanta Progress and is an executive committee member of Learn4Life – an initiative working to advance educational outcomes for students in metro Atlanta. Kirkpatrick is also Chair of the Atlanta Track Club Foundation and a current member of the Rotary Club of Atlanta, the Buckhead Coalition, and the International Women’s Forum.

Each year since 2021, Kirkpatrick has been named one of Georgia Trend magazine’s 100 Most Influential Georgians as well as Atlanta Magazine’s Atlanta 500, which ranks the top leaders in the region. In 2024, she joined an advisory group coordinated by Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens to help guide resiliency planning for the City of Atlanta’s water infrastructure.

A proud graduate of Auburn University, Kirkpatrick is a registered professional engineer in several states and a member of the school’s 100+ Women Strong group of successful female engineering alumnae as well as the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council.  Kirkpatrick is an alumna of Leadership Atlanta, a program designed to propel established leaders to further serve their communities. She is also a member of the Momentum Advisory Collective, which is working to expand Café Momentum’s transformative internship program for justice-involved youth.

Kirkpatrick lives in Atlanta with her husband, Dow, and has two sons, one currently a student at the University of Georgia and the youngest at The Lovett School, where she can be found with her camera or working the concession stand at a baseball game.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Oct 17 at Noon.

To View on Zoom:  Click Here.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden - Atlanta's Urban Oasis grows its conservation mission and soon will become the Beltline's Cultural Destination.  Mary Pat Matheson, Garden Ceo, will highlight the Garden's internationally recognized programs and discuss its $150M expansion.

Since 2002, Mary Pat Matheson, the Anna and Hays Mershon President and CEO, has directed all operations for the 30-acre public garden, and under her leadership, the nonprofit organization has actively expanded fund-raising, education, marketing, business administration, horticulture and conservation efforts with a rapidly growing membership base of more than 45,000. Additionally, she is responsible for the development of the Atlanta Botanical Garden, Gainesville, a 185-acre public garden in Gainesville, Georgia.

She also was the driving force behind two $50 million-plus capital campaigns that enabled the Garden to expand, doubling its size to 30 acres with new gardens and facilities. She currently is leading a $150 million campaign – the Garden’s largest ever – for expanding the attraction by nearly 8 acres, making it contiguous to the Atlanta Beltline, where a second entrance will make the Garden the city’s first cultural attraction accessible from the 22-mile loop.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Oct 24 at Noon.

Kiwanis 5^th Tuesday Meeting!

Tuesday, October 29^th from 5:30 til 7:30 PM

Free for Reg/Corp Members - $20 for Assoc/Satellite/Emer/Hon Members  $25 for Guests

~RSVP Deadline Thursday, Aug 24^th~

Sign up on this sheet or online at www.kiwanisatlanta.org

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON.  Registration closes THURSDAY, Oct 31 at Noon.

To View on Zoom:  Click Here.

Scholar in Residence, Center for Middle Georgia Studies, Middle Georgia State University

INVOCATION: 

David Simmons serves as Governor of the Georgia District of Kiwanis.  His Kiwanis journey began when he joined the Cordele Kiwanis Club on April 5, 1990. He has served on the club's Board of Directors, President and as club secretary since 2011. He served the Georgia District as Lt. Governor and has been a district trainer since 2001. He also served as the following District Committee chair: Club Administration, International Convention, and Training Chair. He served on the Georgia District Foundation, serving as the President, and currently serves on the District Finance Committee. He served as the Vice-Governor in 2022-23 and Governor-Elect in 2023-24.  David also is a Charter Member of the Kiwanis Club of Warner Robins, serving as President, and was instrumental in building the Kiwanis Club of Dooly County, which was chartered on February 1, 2024.

David was awarded the Governor’s Leadership Medallion in 1999. He is the recipient of the George F. Hixson Fellowship, the Henry C. Heinz Award, the Kiwanis International Centennial Award and the Walter Zeller Fellowship.

Professionally, David retired at the end of 2021 as a U.S. Probation Officer with the Federal Court system in the Middle District of Georgia for over 20 years. Prior to that he was employed with the Georgia Department of Corrections, working as a probation officer, fugitive investigator, and an instructor at the Georgia Public Safety Training Center. Besides full-time employment, he has also worked as a contract employee covering high school football games for a television station, WSST in Cordele, Georgia. David has commentated on close to 300 high school football games in South Georgia. David also works with a radio station, WKTF, in Cordele covering local high school sporting events as well as hosting a weekly radio show.

David has been very active with the youth in Crisp County. He coached baseball with both the Little League and Recreation Department and was a soccer coach. He served on the Cordele Little League’s Board of Directors for nine years and was League President. Besides coaching, David has also previously helped as a baseball umpire, football referee, and he served on the Recreation Board of Directors for a two-year period. He is a member of Cordele First United Methodist Church, having served as a Sunday school teacher, a member of the Administrative Board, and presently sings in the Chancel Choir. He is a Master Mason with Cordelia Masonic Lodge #296 and has served in various officer positions within the Lodge and is presently the Lodge’s Secretary. David is a 32 degree KCCH Scottish Rite Mason and a York Rite Mason. David is a member of the Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce and is a shareholder for the Green Bay Packers with the National Football League.

Born in Biloxi, David’s father served in the U.S. Air Force and the family traveled often before moving to Warner Robins, Georgia.  He graduated with a BS in Criminal Justice from Georgia Southern, and a Master’s in Education from Georgia Southwestern State.  He and his wife Monica have two sons; T.J. and Rob, and five fur babies. Monica is the Executive Director of the Cordele-Crisp Chamber of Commerce.

INTRODUCTION: Karen Sheldon

As Executive Director of Future Borders Coalition, Laura Dawson works with a binational coalition of government and industry leaders in order to build better borders for travel and trade. In recognition of this work, she was listed as one of Canada’s Top 50 Foreign Policy Influencers of 2024 by the Hill Times in recognition of her work to advance Canada-U.S. economic relations.

The Future Borders Coalition (FBC) is dedicated to building a better Canada-U.S. border for travel and trade. A bi-national organization, FBC promotes a cohesive vision of the U.S.-Canada border based on the principles of efficiency, safety, and security. Members include travel and trade industry leaders from across all modes of transportation, as well as academic researchers and think tanks. FBC brings practical expertise and research to generate evidence-based recommendations vetted by industry leaders. This combination is a powerful tool for constructive engagement with key decision-makers on the most pressing issues affecting the border.

Prior to her appointment to FBC, Dr. Dawson led the North America office of the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Institute, facilitating public sector digital transformation. Other posts include director of the Canada Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., founder of Dawson Strategic, and senior economic advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Canada. Dawson serves on the teaching faculty at the Master of Public Policy program at McGill University in Montreal and is a board member of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. In addition, Dawson was jury co-chair for the Government of Canada’s 2022 New Frontiers in Research Fund and was named 2021 Person of Distinction by the Public Affairs Association of Canada. Dr. Dawson holds a PhD in Political Science from Carleton University. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

INTRODUCTION: Jill Thornton

INTRODUCTION: Karen Sheldon