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Florence Tandy prepared to address challenges at hand as new president of Covington Rotary Club


By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter

For 13 years Florence W. Tandy served as Executive Director for the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission in the Greater Cincinnati area (2005-2018).

Today, the University of Kentucky graduate is President of the Covington Rotary Club.

A Rotarian for more than 20 years – first in Richmond – and 16 years with the Covington Rotary Club, she realizes the challenges Rotary faces.

Florence Tandy

“Civic engagement has changed since COVID,” she told the Northern Kentucky Tribune, “People just don’t seem to engage together.”

So, Tandy has taken the challenge of not only increasing membership, but members – head-on.

“I’m planning different kinds of meetings,” she said, “meetings with a more diverse membership.”

Rotary International, since the beginning of time, has always met once-a-week, says Tandy. “That’s been our model for over 100 years.”

Schedules for people are changing, Tandy says and we should also have the opportunity to change our schedule to meet the needs of the community.

“My plan is to meet in person every other week,” she said, “and we’ll have no meetings at all on the fourth week of the month.”

She adds if there is a fifth week, she plans on a social activity for the club.

“This change, I believe, should bring much better relations with each member,” she said.

But how can you attract new members?

Tandy was quick to respond.

“First,” she said, “as a Club we have to get the word out to the community at-large. And, of course let them know the work that we do.”

Rotary is an international service organization whose stated purpose is to bring together business and professional leaders in order to provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world.

Membership in a Rotary club is by invitation only.

Next, she said the Covington Rotary Club must engage parents of children to get involved.

And finally, she said inviting those people we know – and of course, inviting those who know us to meetings.

“It’s obvious,” she said, “we won’t grow just because we’re the oldest club in the region. We must give people a role and a purpose to join.”

Tandy is no stranger to business – and serving on the boards or advisory councils. She’s been on more than a dozen not-for-profit organizations, a for-profit advisory council, and one trust.

In fact, Florence Tandy is the founder and CEO of Leadership Bridges, a boutique consultancy with particular expertise in leadership development, governance, capacity building, and strategic planning.

“Florence Tandy taught me what a leader is supposed to do,” said Brandon Releford, the Executive Director of the Zembrodt Education Center (ZEC) at The Point/Arc.

Releford worked with Tandy as Director of the Senior Employment Program at the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission during Tandy’s reign.

“She was my biggest mentor,” he said.


Tandy says in order to grow, “We must make the Rotary experience worthwhile, socially, professionally, intellectually and professionally.”

She has a master’s degree in Organizational Leadership from Gonzaga University – and she’s putting it to good use.


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