Women Lead Rotary, Kiwanis Clubs of Birmingham Simultaneously for First time in History
Kiwanis Club of Birmingham President Leigh Davis, Rotary Club of Birmingham President Brenda Hackney and Rotaract Club of Birmingham Cameron Shevlin
Davis, Hackney and Shevlin greet Sec. Elaine Chao following the March 23rd joint meeting of the Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs.
For the first time in history, women are simultaneously serving as presidents of three of Birmingham’s largest and most prestigious civic organizations: the Rotary Club of Birmingham, the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham and the Rotaract Club of Birmingham.
In honor of Women’s History Month, the three female presidents were recognized during a joint meeting of the Rotary Club of Birmingham (RCB) and the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, by RCB Past President Eric Jack, Dean of the UAB Collat School of Business. The Honorable Elaine Chao, former U. S. Secretary of Transportation and U. S. Secretary of Labor, attended in person to give the keynote address.
Brenda Hackney is the Rotary Club of Birmingham’s fourth female President and President of The Hackney Foundation. Leigh Davis is the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham’s fourth female President and Vice President of Economic and Community Development at Alabama Power Co. Cameron Shevlin is the Rotaract Club of Birmingham’s seventh female president and Director of Annual Campaign for United Way of Central Alabama.
The Rotary Club of Birmingham, founded in 1913, is one of the largest Rotary clubs in the world. It brings together civic leaders in our community to learn, exchange ideas, and take action to solve critical community problems in Birmingham and beyond, improving the community through service, education and fellowship under the Rotary motto: Service Above Self. RCB has played a leading role in eliminating Polio worldwide, expanding access to Pre-K in Birmingham, and enhancing cancer treatment and prevention in Sri Lanka. RCB’s centennial gift to Birmingham, the Rotary Trail, is a signature attraction downtown.
"It is an honor to serve as the fourth female president in the history of the Rotary Club of Birmingham,” said Hackney. “I am truly in great company, as Sheila Blair, Kate Nielsen and Betsy Holloway also served in this role before me. The Rotary motto 'Service Above Self' has always resonated with me. Getting to know and work with our great members as we share this commitment with our community has meant the world to me."
The Kiwanis Club of Birmingham is the world’s largest Kiwanis club with more than 560 business and non-profit leaders. Founded in 1917, its mission is to build by serving children. Each year, Kiwanians devote hundreds of hours of service to the city’s youth and invests more than a million dollars into the city through initiatives, like the Kiwanis Reads preschool literacy program, Youth of the Year Academic Scholarships, and the sponsorship of Key Clubs and Circle K Clubs throughout the area. The club recently completed the Birmingham Kiwanis Trail and upgraded Vulcan’s lighting at the Vulcan Park & Museum.
“We are excited to celebrate Women’s History Month and our Kiwanian women who build by serving,” said Davis. “Women became eligible to join the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham 35 years ago. Since then, almost 25% of the membership is female. I am proud to follow in the footsteps of all of the former Kiwanian women in leadership roles over the years who have positively influenced our club. They have paved the way to building a strong female presence to help inspire and serve in the Birmingham area.”
The Rotaract Club of Birmingham was founded in 2004 with a mission to mobilize its members to foster responsible citizenship and catalyze positive change by offering unparalleled opportunities to learn from diverse leaders, bond with committed young professionals, and serve the Birmingham community and beyond. The Rotaract Club of Birmingham is proud of its Signature Service projects: Ready2Read and Ready2Succeed working with Birmingham City Schools students.
“I have been a member of the Rotaract Club of Birmingham since 2015 and have thoroughly enjoyed every minute and enjoyed every role that I have served,” Shevlin said. “Rotaract has been a wonderful opportunity to connect and learn from other young professionals and leaders in the community and also a way to give back to our Birmingham community and beyond. I have learned so much from this club and our members—and it has been an honor to serve the club as President.”
In October, the three clubs teamed up to collect nonperishable food items for a joint food drive to help the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama fill holiday boxes. The three clubs meet regularly at The Harbert Center, where RCB and Kiwanis have offices. The leaders of all three clubs regularly collaborate and support one another on projects and initiatives throughout the year.
“For the first time in history, women are simultaneously at the helm of three of our city’s great civic clubs: Rotary, Kiwanis, and Rotaract,” said Jack. “These women stand as a testament to the importance of diversity in leadership. We thank each of them for their service and for providing inspiration to women in our community and beyond."
The three leaders were featured in local news stories:
Rotary, Rotaract + Kiwanis Clubs all have female presidents for the first time in Birmingham history
Three Local Civic Organizations Make History with Female Leaders -WBRC.com - 3.23.22
Three Local Civic Organizations Make History with Female Leaders - WBRC FOX 6 News - 3.23.22