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 KRISTA
TILLMAN
Bellsouth
2004 Excellence In Management Award
Recipient
By: Suzanne Bledsoe
The 2004 Excellence in Management Award, sponsored by The Rotary
Club of Charlotte, the Charlotte Business Journal and Wachovia was
presented to Krista Tillman of BellSouth. The second woman to be
recognized with this award in its 18th year, Krista is in good
company with prior recipients including Pete Sloan, Bill Lee, Byron
Bullard, Ed Crutchfield, Jim Woodward, Freda Nicholson, Dr. Billy
Wireman, and Dr. Tony Zeiss, just to mention a few.
Krista compared her management expertise to that of a good baker.
Baking, like chemistry, is all about the ingredients and the process
of mixing them all together to create the desired result. According
to her, the essential ingredients that have contributed to her
success at BellSouth include the ability to embrace change and, at
the same time, preserve its rich heritage. Embracing change requires
an ability and desire to articulate the vision, put the right people
in the right jobs, and be knowledgeable about and participate in
public policy reform. Specific to BellSouth, articulating the vision
means deciding where the company belongs in the wireless and
broadband arenas. For example, with the recent acquisition of ATT
Wireless, BellSouth will be the largest provider of wireless
services in the US. With all the different skill sets required in
the industry, finding ways to blend them between long time
“technophobes” and newer, more technology driven employees creates
an environment where everyone is always learning and working
together to create better ways to do things. Regarding public policy
reform, all employees are expected to be informed on issues
surrounding their industry, the Company and their communities.
Preserving the heritage of a company like BellSouth in an industry
that has seen enormous changes over the years is a challenge that
Krista and her team seem to have a particular affinity for. The
three overriding tenets-excellent customer service, high standards
and ethics, and commitment to community service- are ingrained in
all employees. “A smile and a handshake” is expected behavior for
the customer service team and they are encouraged to own the process
of problem resolution through the use of personal contact, including
business cards for all technicians. Employees know that they are
expected, at all times, to represent the Company with the highest
ethical standards in all dealings, both internally and externally.
Community service and involvement is encouraged and rewarded at all
levels.
Krista concluded her comments by quoting the words of her most
trusted advisor, her husband, Paul Tillman, “Our responsibility is
to leave this world a little bit better.” Krista is obviously on a
path to doing just that. Congratulations, Krista, on well deserved
recognition!
Head Table:
Joel Walters, Henry Cantrell,
Catherine Browning, Paul Grube, Gregg Walker, Jeannie Falknor;
Invocation: Myra Johnston
Visitors and Guests:
Bill Bradley; Health & Happiness: Don
Steger; Song; Richard Early
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| GROUP
STUDY EXCHANGE |
One of the most popular
programs of The Rotary Foundation is Group Study Exchange (GSE).
Since the first exchange between districts in California and
Japan in 1965, the program has provided educational
experiences for more than 44,500 business and professional
men and women who have served on about 9,000 teams. The GSE
program pairs Rotary districts to send and receive study
teams. Since 1965, almost $79.5 million has been allocated
by The Rotary Foundation for GSE grants.
One of the attractive features of GSE is the opportunity for
the visiting team members to meet, talk, and live with
Rotarians and their families in a warm spirit of friendship
and hospitality. In addition to learning about another
country through visits to farms, schools, industrial plants,
professional offices, and governmental establishments, the
GSE team members serve as ambassadors of goodwill. They
interpret their home nation to host Rotarians and others in
the communities they visit. In recent years, teams of a
single vocation or cultural group have been exchanged. Some
GSE teams help create humanitarian projects between their
countries. Many of the personal contacts blossom into
lasting friendships. Truly, the GSE program has provided
Rotarians with a most enjoyable, practical, and meaningful
way to promote world understanding.
Susan Smith, 704-786-4783 or
sjsmith@vnet.net, is the GSE coordinator for
District 7680 and she is looking for committee members.
Plans are underway for an exchange with Puerto Rico in 2005,
with the team from District 7000 (Puerto Rico) arriving in
N.C. on April 1st and the District 7680 (North Carolina)
team departing for Puerto Rico on May 7, 2005. (Note: exact
dates are subject to change)
Hosting team members for 3-4 days include:
housing the 5 or 6 team members in homes of club members;
providing vocational visits of interest to the team members;
arranging activities and providing for “down time”;
arranging transportation to/from other hosting clubs; and
coordinating arrangements with the District GSE Committee.
Sponsoring team member responsibilities
include canvassing your own club for potential Team Leader
candidates (candidates must be Rotarians); seeking qualified
candidates for Team Members (Team Members must be 25-40
years of age and cannot be Rotarians or children or spouses
of Rotarians.); and candidates must have held meaningful
employment for the past 2 years and plan to return to their
place of employment. |
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Ray Killian has named wife,
Betty, a Paul Harris
Fellow. Thanks to Pender McElroy
for providing timely and informative facts about The Rotary
Foundation.
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Don
Haack will sign copies of his book Bush-Pilot in
Diamond Country on November 6 at the N.C. Blumenthal
Performing Arts Center, before, during intermission and
after the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s performance.
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NFL Referee
Jeff Triplett will be
enjoying a weekend off.
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Sympathy is extended to
Amy and Edwin Peacock upon
the death of Amy’s Mother, Gail Bennett Rupertus, on October
19, 2004.
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Bert Voswinkel performs an invaluable service to
Rotary each and every week through his photography efforts.
He works the room to capture candid shots of members,
guests, and everything of importance. He makes copies of
every digital picture and places them in photo albums, which
are kept in the Rotary office. And even makes extra prints
that are handed out nearly every week. Next time you see
Bert, thank him for doing a great job and smile for his
camera.
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David Erdman tells the story of Charlotte in his
one-hour presentation, “The Geography of Charlotte.”
Erdman’s lecture and PowerPoint show is presented as part of
the Learning Series sponsored by Historic Charlotte, Inc. In
the lecture, he examines the natural and built geography of
the City of Charlotte through 120 projected images and
informed commentary. The event will be held at 6PM on
Tuesday, November 9th at the Charlotte Chamber, is free and
open to the public.
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November 1st marks the
club’s fifth year to support Crisis Assistance Ministry
through collecting warm clothing for men, women and
children. Committee Chair Jim Adams
has arranged an area just inside the parking deck where you
will be able to pull over and drop off your items. If you
are unable to bring the items to the meeting, you can call
the Rotary office, 704-375-6816, to arrange for home pickup.
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The Board of Regents of the
American College of Surgeons presented
Richard B. Reiling, MD,
FACS, of Charlotte, with the College’s 2004 Distinguished
Service Award during its Annual Meeting of Fellows at the
90th Annual Clinical Congress. The Board recognized Dr.
Reiling with the College’s highest honor for his dedicated
service to the College, his service on College committees,
his contributions to the profession of surgery as a gifted
surgeon, and his distinctive service to the surgical
community as a distinguished professor.
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Thanks to the following
members for volunteering at Classroom Central:
Jay Deyton, Henry Cantrell, Budd Berro,
Jim Adams, Chuck Panoff, Tom Robertson, Rich Campbell,
and John Johnson.
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Invoices for your
POLIO ERADICATION PLEDGE
have been sent from The Rotary Foundation. Please send your
check and pledge form to the Rotary Office for processing,
and if there are any questions, please give Sandy a call. |
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Attendance
Record |
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10/26/04 |
10/28/03 |
| visitors &
guests |
20 |
16 |
| club
members |
183 |
189 |
| total
attendance |
203 |
205 |
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Wedding
Anniversaries |
2 Selena and John Rogers
2 Carolyn and Chase Saunders
2 Amy and Martin Welton
3 Beth and Tony Zeiss
4 Shannon Vaughn and Danny Boggs
4 Celia and Jim Bensman
5 Page and Ed Kizer
7 Pat and Michael Elder
7 Anne and Russell Ranson |
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New Members | Resignations |
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Graz Graziano |
Billy
King
Rufus Robinson
John Granzow
Mary John Dye
Mary Mack
Steve Menaker
Steve Carter
John Shell
Don Esposito |
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| Birthdays and
Birthplaces |
2 Carroll Thomas, Belmont, NC
3 Tom Senger, Danville, IL
3 Bill Meanor, Pittsburgh, PA
7 Rob Thomas, Charlotte, NC
7 Joel Walters, Rockwell, NC
8 Phil Van Hoy, Washington, DC
8 Ron Mikels, Greensboro, NC |
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