Events

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/LJmcaKCVwsI.

During Robert Roncska 's impressive twenty-eight-year career in the navy, he commanded a nuclear-powered submarine, led the largest submarine squadron in the US fleet, and even carried the nuclear football for President George W. Bush, who affectionately named him "Navy Bob."

Recording of meeting here - https://youtu.be/Uu5QNYI8fP0.

Recording of meeting HERE - https://youtu.be/73BirYldWbM.

Andy is a native of Tampa, Florida and graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in Marketing. He began his career in commercial real estate with the Florida Commercial Development Association and then joined Grubb & Ellis of Florida as a commercial real estate salesman in the downtown Tampa market. In 1992, he joined the Tampa Downtown Partnership as its Director of Marketing and Business Development.

Andy served Shreveport, Louisiana’s Downtown Development Authority for six years as its Executive Director and while there was instrumental in relocating City Hall back to downtown, created a new public parking management program and authored the downtown strategic plan. Andy was Chairman of the United Way of NW Louisiana in 2001. Andy was also the President of Downtown Shreveport Unlimited and the Downtown Shreveport Development Corporation.

Andy joined Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. (Texas) as President in 2003. DFWI is Fort Worth’s downtown advocacy organization and it manages the downtown planning process, two Public Improvement Districts, the downtown Tax Increment Finance District, two city parks, the MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival and Parade of Lights. DFWI developed the JFK Tribute in Fort Worth and is currently leading the $30M Heritage Park development effort. Andy is a past Chairman of the International Downtown Association, Past President of the Rotary Club of Fort Worth and served on the Board of the National Civic League.

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/r0JVH6yFPqs.

Sponsored By Casa Manana!

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/J9bexnboKQQ.

Recording of Program (including Fernando Costa's tribute) - https://youtu.be/PQgcnXorVxo.

Current President of the Food Division for Ben E. Keith Company. Serves on the board for Ben E. Keith Company, IFDA (International Foodservice Distributors Association), and Markon Cooperative. A part of the IFDA Executive Committee. Began career with Ben E. Keith Company in May 1999. Over the years, he has held positions in sales, purchasing, and operations. Other current community endeavors includes membership in the Salesmanship Club of Dallas; Board of Directors of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association, Board of Directors of Applied Science at The University of Mississippi; member of the Touchdown Club benefiting The Rise School of Dallas; member of Young Presidents Organization (YPO); and actively involved with Folds of Honor.

Recording of meeting HERE - https://youtu.be/5oveodIqPrM.

"Navigating Chambers of Commerce in a Virtual Business World"

Guest Speakers:

Anette Landeros, President & CEO- Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Michelle Green Ford, President & CEO - Fort Worth Black Chamber of Commerce

Steve Montgomery, President & CEO - Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce

Moderator - Past President J.R. Labbe

Recording of program here - https://youtu.be/c1JgAagarWk.

Captain Beau Hufstetler is a native of Canton, Ohio. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2001 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He also holds a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island. 

After earning his Naval Aviator wings at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in 2003, he joined the “Fighting Tigers” of VP-8 at NAS Brunswick, ME from 2003-2007, where he served as P-3 Mission Commander and Instructor Pilot and led Combat Aircrew One on multiple deployments and detachments around the globe.  Following that tour, Hufstetler was selected for Instructor Pilot duty with the “Wise Owls” of VT-31 based at NAS Corpus Christi, TX. While there, he qualified in all 13 phases of instruction for the diverse multi-service, multinational student cadre while performing duties as Pilot Training and Standardization Officer. In December 2009, he joined the “Lonestar Express” of VR-59 at NAS JRB Fort Worth, TX where he flew the C-40A executing intra-theater airlift support for naval units around the world. 

His staff assignments included tours as the C-40A Fleet NATOPS Evaluator Pilot with the Fleet Logistics Support Wing from 2013-2014, Operations Program Manager with Commander, Naval Air Force Reserve from 2015-2018, and most recently the PERS-46 Senior Aviation Detailer with Navy Personnel Command in Millington, TN from 2021-2023.

Captain Hufstetler served as Executive Officer and Commanding Officer of the “Globemasters” of Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 56 at NAS Oceana, VA from 2018-2021. He assumed duties as Commanding Officer of NAS Fort Worth JRB, TX in November 2023. 

Captain Hufstetler has accumulated more than 4,000 flight hours in numerous aircraft. His personal awards include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy Achievement Medal and various unit and campaign awards.

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/xXhDRAqaXl8.

Dan Berce is the President and CEO of GM Financial, the captive lending arm of General Motors, which offers retail financing and lease programs alongside commercial lending products with more than seven million retail contracts outstanding, and 15,000 dealers served worldwide. GM Financial’s more than 8,500 team members help fulfill dreams of mobility for our customers and deliver strategic and financial value to the General Motors enterprise.

Recording of program - https://youtu.be/vlTdW6lOlk8.

Andy Eads has been a Rotarian for over twenty years. He is the past President of the Flower Mound Rotary Club and the Charter President of the Cross Timbers Rotary Club. He is a strong advocate for creating club cultures that are welcoming where fellowship and service join to make positive change here locally and around the world. Andy has been instrumental in starting several Rotary clubs in District 5790. Andy and his wife, Ginger, live in Flower Mound with their three children, Everett, Addison, and Caroline. Andy and Ginger enjoy Rotary together. Ginger is the past President of the Cross Timbers Rotary Club and currently serves on the Rotary International Finance Committee and Investment Committee, and she is the Treasurer of the Rotary Action Group for Rotary Family Health Days in Africa.

Recording of meeting  - https://youtu.be/L655luDAgiU.

The Right to Read :A Documentary

An Overview

Learn the stories of an activist, a teacher, and two American families who fight to provide our youngest  generation with the most foundational indicator of life-long success: the ability to read. 

Fed up with the bleak reading scores in his own community, activist Kareem Weaver files an NAACP petition  demanding change in Oakland schools' reading curricula. Working with Ms. Causey, a first-grade teacher in the  lowest-performing school, the two go against district mandates to bring in evidence-based literacy tools to see  if they can turn reading scores around. 

Speaker: Caroline James 

 Caroline James, MAT, MEd is a mom of three boys in Fort Worth.  Caroline was a classroom teacher, school administrator and faculty in TCU's school of education.  Caroline is also passionate about the Fort Worth community. She has served as a volunteer at Tarrant Area Foodbank, Trinity Episcopal Church, JLFW additionally Caroline and her husband Mark were foster parents for four years.  Caroline has expertise in curriculum, teacher training and development, department formation and management, annual giving, major gifts, and capital campaigns.  

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/FJHb7UpPy9c.

 Joseph M. Martin did assumed duties as the former 37th Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, July 26, 2019. Martin graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1986 and commissioned as an armor officer. He has served in a variety of troop assignments. From 1987 to 1990, he served as a tank platoon leader, scout platoon leader, and company executive officer in the 1st Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division. Upon graduation from the Armor Officer Advanced Course, Martin was assigned to 4th Battalion, 37th Armor Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, where he commanded Company B during Operation Desert Storm and at Fort Riley, Kansas. He then commanded the 1st Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, during Operation Iraqi Freedom in Ba’Qubah, Iraq and at Fort Hood, Texas. Martin commanded the 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division from Fort Riley, Kansas, and deployed with that command to serve in northwest Baghdad, Iraq. Following brigade command, he became the chief of staff of III Corps in Fort Hood, Texas. From June 2012 to April 2013, Martin commanded the U.S. Army Operational Test Command. Martin served as deputy commanding general (Maneuver) for 1st Cavalry Division, commanding general of National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California, and commanding general of 1st Infantry Division, where he deployed and commanded the Combined Joint Force Land Component Command in Operation Inherent Resolve. His most recent assignment was the director of the Army Staff.

Martin’s key staff assignments have included observer controller, Fort Irwin, California, instructor/writer and aide to the commanding general at the U.S. Armor Center at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He also served as a battalion operations officer, aide to the III Corps commanding general and brigade operations Officer at Fort Hood, Texas. Additionally, Martin served as the armor branch chief and chief of the Maneuver, Fires and Effects Division, at the U.S. Army Human Resources Command in Alexandria, Virginia. He also served as the Initiatives Group director for the commander, U.S. Forces Iraq and U.S. Joint Forces Command. Martin holds a master’s in education from the University of Louisville. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and the United States Army War College. Martin’s awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with “V” device, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal with “V” device. He also earned the Combat Action Badge and the Parachutist Badge. Martin is married and has two children, including one that is currently serving as an infantryman in the U.S. Army.

Recording of program - https://youtu.be/uCsjfsGEofI.

Sedrick Huckaby's art metaphorically express universal themes of the Christian faith, family, his local community and the Black American experience. He is known for large scale paintings of quilts and portraits with a pictorial aggression that approaches relief sculpture. After earning a BFA at Boston University in 1997 and an MFA from Yale University in 1999, he participated in a Provincetown Fine Arts Work Center residency and traveled the U.S. and Europe studying old master paintings. When he returned to the U.S. Huckaby settled into his home town of Fort Worth, Texas.  Since returning home he has been invited to participate in a number of residencies and fellowships including a Davison Family Fellowship with the Amon Carter Museum of American Art, a Guggenheim Fellowship and, more recently, a Fulbright Fellowship. Huckaby’s work has entered the permanent collections of prestigious national and international institutions including the American Embassy in Namibia; Art Institute of Chicago; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven; The Yunus Centre in Bangladesh; the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the National Portrait Gallery. Huckaby is also the founder and board president of Kinfolk House, a collaborative, non-profit art space in Fort Worth. D-Magazine recently named Kinfolk House as the Best Art Space in the Dallas / Fort Worth Area for 2024. Sedrick is married to artist Letitia Huckaby and is the father of three children, Rising Sun 18, Halle Lujah-16, and Rhema Rain Huckaby-8. Although his work is exhibited broadly, he is represented by the Tally Dunn Gallery in Dallas.

President of Fort Worth Stockyards, Inc (FWSI) Jan 2024 - present. FWSI is modeled after Downtown Fort Worth, Inc (DFWI) and Near Southside, INC (NSI). FWSI is a membership funded 501(C)(6) non-profit organization representing the property and business owners of the Fort Worth Stockyards for fostering, promoting, maintaining, and encouraging the civic, social, and general welfare of the Stockyards, as a whole, through the encouragement and promotion of a wonderful visitor experience, improved business conditions, and the promotion of economic interests in and around the Stockyards.

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/H1GUcdnVBdY.

Recording of program - https://youtu.be/yGF89rL29hY.

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/EyYs5b2CnjU.

Cameron Kovach is the current Vice President, Ticket Sales and Service with Professional Bull Riders. Cameron joins PBR most recently from the United Football League/Arlington Renegades where he was the Director of Ticket Sales and Service. He has more than ten years’ experience in the sports and entertainment industry with stops at University of Texas, University of Delaware, UTSA, the AAF, Ticketmaster, XFL/UFL and now PBR. 

Kovach has his Master of Science degree in Sport Administration from Mississippi State University and is a graduate of Niagara University with a Bachelor of Science in Sport Management.

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/_C0aFB0xryk.

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/mt_SSbmi34Q.

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/hkuhfqmGURg.

Recording of meeting - https://youtu.be/T-gxG4IgX-8.

Joel Schwitzer has worked in Jewish nonprofit management and fundraising for nearly 30 years. He joined AJC in 2015 and leads the Dallas Regional Office, which covers North and Central Texas as well as Oklahoma. In that capacity, Joel guides the advocacy, leadership development and fundraising efforts for AJC throughout the region. He has provided testimony on family separation to the Texas Mexican American Legislative Caucus, worked to build several diverse coalitions including the Community of Conscience, Jewish/Latino Alliance and DFW Muslim-Jewish Advisory Council. He is a prolific op ed writer, with columns published in The Dallas Morning News, Austin American Statesman, Fort Worth Star Telegram and Texas Jewish Post.

Prior to joining AJC, Joel spent time providing professional leadership to numerous Jewish organizations, including Hillel, the Jewish Federations of Dallas and Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the Anti-Defamation League. He holds B.A. in psychology from the University of Arizona. Joel serves on the Texas Advisory Committee of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition; is part of the Texas Holocaust and Antisemitism Advisory Commission speakers bureau and He serves on the Board of the DFW Airport Interfaith Advisory Council and on the Interfaith Task Force of Texas Representative Salman Bhojani. Previously, he served as Chair of the Leadership and Communications Subcommittee of the City of Dallas Task Force on Welcoming Communities and Immigrant  Affairs. In 2009, Joel was named one of Champaign-Urbana’s 40 under 40 by Central Illinois Business magazine. He is married to Beri, Executive Director of the Dallas Jewish Historical Society. They are parents of identical twins Chana and Miryam.