June and July Club Meetings Feature "The New Normal" Series Speakers
The Rotary Club of Springfield will host a new virtual program series as part of their weekly club meetings on Monday nights in June and July. This series of free, virtual meetings will be open to the public and feature a stellar lineup of experts who will discuss “The New Normal.” The series will envision the post pandemic world from the perspectives of leaders of key organizations representing various segments of our economy and society including public policy, higher education, agriculture, the health care system, and more. All program sessions will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m. Advance registration for each virtual session is required for club members and nonmembers alike. The links for the registration forms are provided below for each session. Please join us from the comfort of your own home to contemplate the future.
July speakers will be announced soon. Here is the schedule of the initial group of speakers in June:
Monday, June 1:
Kenneth A. Kriz, Ph.D., University Distinguished Professor of Public Administration, University of Illinois at Springfield: The Illinois Economy in 2020: Difficult Challenges, No Easy Answers
Dr. Kriz will review the difficult path that the economy has taken over the last 3 months. He will trace the rapid economic decline caused by the coronavirus and describe and assess our current situation and proposed pathways forward. Finally, Dr. Kriz will discuss some of the potential long-run impacts from the virus and a heightened awareness of risks to the economy and our livelihoods.
Dr. Kriz has consulted with several public and nonprofit organizations on financial and economic matters, including the cities of New York City, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Omaha, and Wichita and the states of Nebraska and Kansas. Dr. Kriz served as Vice-Chairperson of the City of Omaha, Nebraska Civilian Employees Retirement System from 2006 to 2011 and on the Board of Trustees of the Wichita, Kansas Police & Fire Retirement System and on the Joint Investment Committee for the city’s pension funds from 2014 to 2018.
Monday, June 8:
Mary Starmann-Harrison, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hospital Sisters Health System, and Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives: Post Pandemic Impacts on our Health Care Delivery System
In her role at HSHS, Starmann-Harrison leads a not-for-profit system with nine hospitals in Illinois — including HSHS St. John's in Springfield, HSHS St. Mary's in Decatur, HSHS St. Francis in Litchfield and HSHS Good Shepherd in Shelbyville — and six hospitals in Wisconsin. The system employs 14,344 people and posts total annual revenues of $2.4 billion. Her presentation will discuss the short and intermediate term impact of the crisis on hospitals and health care delivery.
Before joining Hospital Sisters Health System in 2011, Ms. Starmann-Harrison served as the regional president and CEO, SSM Health Care of Wisconsin, Madison, from 1998 to 2011, and as CEO, Western Region, Tenet Physician Services, Phoenix, from 1997 to 1998. She received a master’s degree in health service administration and a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from Arizona State University.
Monday, June 15:
Karl Barnhart, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Brandt Co.: The New Normal of Agriculture
Covid-19 has disrupted our daily lives in ways unimaginable. But throughout and ongoing, people have to eat. Let’s explore what’s already changed about production agriculture and how it is sure to evolve in the future. None of us has a crystal ball, but we already see an industry in transformation.
As EVP and CMO, Mr. Barnhart leads the company’s corporate marketing efforts across the organization’s three global operating divisions. Prior to joining Brandt, he held leadership positions in a number of strategic branding agencies, serving as partner and president of CoreBrand for the last several years. At CoreBrand, Karl was responsible for the company’s direction, client relationships and marketing while managing clients such as Cisco Systems, AT&T, Delphi Automotive, Ranger Boats, NASCAR, Ciba Specialty Chemicals, and MasterCard.
Monday, June 22:
Susan Koch, Chancellor of the Springfield campus of the University of Illinois: Higher Education in a Post Pandemic World
Susan J. Koch is Chancellor of the Springfield campus of the University of Illinois, one of three campuses that collectively constitute Illinois’s leading and most comprehensive university system. Chancellor Koch will discuss the potential impact of the Covid 19 crisis upon admissions, curriculum, student life and other aspects of higher education.
As UIS Chancellor, Dr. Koch is the chief executive officer of the Springfield campus, one of the top-ranked regional public campuses in the Midwest. Koch also serves as a Vice President of the University of Illinois and is a member of the UI President’s Cabinet – assisting the President and Board of Trustees in guiding the overall operations of the University of Illinois system whose academic community includes more than 80,000 students and almost 25,000 employees.
