This Week's Speaker
Sally Bethea, Chattahoochee River Keepers
Join us this Friday at the Embassy Suites to welcome Sally Bethea, the retired founding director of
Chattahoochee Riverkeeper. This environmental advocacy organization was established
in 1994 with a mission is to protect and restore the Chattahoochee River, its
tributaries and watershed.
Sally has an undergraduate degree from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a master’s degree in city and regional
planning from Georgia Tech—as well as more than forty years of experience in
environmental issues and nonprofit management. After retiring in 2014, Sally
taught a graduate course in water resources planning at Georgia Tech for six
years.
Since 2015, she has written a monthly column for Atlanta INtown
paper called "Above the Waterline." She is also the author of an
environmental memoir called Keeping the Chattahoochee, published by the
University of Georgia Press, which has been named a 2024 Book All Georgians
Should Read (GA Center for the Book).
Sally will have copies of
her book, Keeping the Chattahoochee, available for purchase at $25 each.
She accepts cash, checks, or Venmo payments (no credit cards, please).
Getting to Know You
Matthew Johnson: Music, Mountains, Making a Difference
Our president elect, Matthew Johnson, is fresh back from
summer vacation where his family spent a week in New England. The photo
shows Matthew, his wife, Jill, and their daughters, Loren and Abigail, while
hiking in Acadia National Park. He managed to only bill about 2.5 hours to his
law firm that week which is the real sign that he was on vacation.
Matthew started his career as a music teacher for 15 years
when he decided to start law school. He continued teaching full time and
spent the next four years attending Georgia State University College of Law part
time. He has practiced law since 2015, focusing on domestic relations and
family law. Matthew enjoys being a lawyer but misses the annual rhythm of
the school schedule with winter vacations and starting with a new batch of kids
each fall.
Shortly after becoming an attorney, Matthew realized he had
more flexibility in his schedule and wanted to connect more with his local
community. He reached out to his neighborhood's Facebook group and asked
if anyone was familiar with a local Rotary club. He joined our club in
September 2020 during the middle of COVID.
Matthew's favorite club activity has been preparing the
books for Dresden. He wants our club to perform more projects like preparing
books for Dresden or backpacks for Tapestri, enjoyable activities where members
get together, form connections, and complete the entire project.
Editor's Note: Sometimes we get to working so hard, we don't take time to get to know the people we're spending time with; that's why Dave Burr has decided to share more about our members in the bulletin. If you'd like to write a profile, send it to Jackie Cuthbert at cuthbert@mindspring.com
