Our first political candidate will join our Virtual Rotary meeting Monday, October 12th.
Sheriff Tony Thompson took office January 1, 2009(Article),was re-elected in November of 2012 with nearly 70% of the vote, and again in November of 2016 with 98.8% of the vote. His law enforcement career started much earlier however... He joined the US Army as a military police officer in 1988. He retired from the Iowa Army National Guard in 2009, with 21 years of service. His career with the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office began in March of 1994 and he has worked in the Jail, Special Services, Patrol, and now Administrative Divisions. His prior assignments include: Drug Education Officer, Community Services Coordinator, Computer Crimes Investigator, Patrol Officer, Public Information Officer, and SWAT Team leader prior to taking command of the Black Hawk County Sheriff's Office.
Meeting ID: 985 7618 4918 Password: 061645
Sheriff Thompson's Biography:
Graduated: Winterset High School, University of Northern Iowa: BA- Communication Studies, Liberty University: MS- Criminal Justice/Public Administration
Currently serves on the governor's Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning-Public Safety Advisory Board.
Currently serves on the State of Iowa'sCriminal and Juvenile Justice Planning Advisory Council.
Currently serves on the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services- Complex Mental Health Needs Subcommittee.
Currently serves on the Black Hawk County 9-1-1 Service Board (board vice-chair), the Consolidated Communications Board (board chair), and the Criminal Justice Information System Service Board (board vice-chair).
Currently serves on the Black Hawk County Emergency Management Commission (commission chair).
Currently serves on the Tri-County Narcotics Task Force Board (board chair).
Currently serves on the Hawkeye Community College Criminal Justice Advisory Board.
Currently serves on the Upper Iowa University, Waterloo Campus, Advisory Board.
Member of the Alpha Phi Sigma- National Criminal Justice Honor Society (Theta Sigma Chapter)
Member of the Black Hawk County Chapter of the NAACP
Currently Teaches: Sheriff Thompson is an adjunct professor and currently instructs criminology, sociology, and public administration courses for the following colleges and universities:
Awarded the 300 Point Club Award for physical fitness excellence from the Iowa Law Enforcement Basic Academy (140th Basic Class)-1994
Awarded Deputy of the Year honors for the year 1999
Awarded the Department of Public Safety, Commissioner’s Special Award for Traffic Safety - 2001
Awarded the Drug Enforcement Administration'sEnrique Camarena"Certificate of Appreciation” for drug enforcement efforts in Black Hawk County-2003.
Awarded the Iowa Community Betterment Leadership Award from the Governor of the State of Iowa- 2003
Graduate of the 98th Session of the National Sheriff's Institute, National Sheriff's Association and National Institute of Corrections, Longmont, Colorado.- 2010
Military Service:
US Army- Military Police 1988-2009
Retired from Iowa Army National Guard
Senior Non-Commissioned Officer/ Operations NCO for Officer Candidate School- Iowa
Taught Basic and Advanced Non-Commissioned Officer Courses, Army Instructor Courses, Installation Security/Physical Security Courses, and Officer Candidate School
Notable Military Awards:
Awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (2 Awards), Army Commendation Medal (4 Awards), Army Achievement Medal (3 Awards), Armed Forces Reserve Medal (with "M" and hourglass devices), National Defense Service Medal (w/ Bronze Star), Iowa Meritorious Service Medal (2 Awards), Iowa Commendation Medal (4 Awards), Iowa Leadership Ribbon w/ Torch, Army Humanitarian Service Medal, Iowa State Service Ribbon (5 Awards), and Iowa Humanitarian Service Medal
Facebook Events will be created for each forum, and available as Facebook Live.
The public will have an opportunity to submit questions on-line.
For more information, please contact Jean Seeland, 319-493-2015.
Established in 1920, the League of Women Voters is a national, grassroots, non-partisan political organization. Its members--men and women--work to increase understanding of major public policy issues and influence public policy through education and advocacy. They register people to vote but don't tell you who to vote for.
The U.S. lost a remarkable leader on Sept. 18, 2020, when Ruth Bader Ginsburg died at age 87 after a years-long battle with recurrent pancreatic cancer. Famously nicknamed “The Notorious RBG,” Ginsburg’s career focused on ending gender-based workplace inequities for men and women.
No matter your political affiliations, it’s tough not to notice the similarities between Ginsburg’s impactful career and the evolution of Rotary over the past few decades:
In the 1950s, she was one of just a handful of women admitted to Harvard Law School. It wasn’t until the 1980s that women were allowed to join Rotary.
In the 1990s, RBG made famous her “dissent” standings, in which she went against popular opinion to mainstream “gender blind” law, for equal rights for men and women in work and education. In Rotary, women became district governors for the first time in the mid-1990s.
As of this year, RBG is one of just four women to have served as Supreme Court Justices. The first female Rotary International presidential nominee was appointed in 2020 for the 2022-2023 election.
We’ve come a long way in Rotary and in society for raising the bar for equality standards among men and women. RBG’s work made a lasting impact that parallels our Four-Way Test: truth, fairness, goodwill, and mutual benefit.
The Environment: A New Rotary Focus Area
This summer, the Rotary Foundation announced that environmental advocacy is officially a new focus area for club projects and recruitment efforts. As a global organization, Rotarians can make a difference around the world and close to home.
Here in District 5970, Rotarians are teaming up to join an Environment and Sustainability Committee led by Decorah Rotarian Tina Hall, past DG for District 6220. Tina is available to speak with clubs via Zoom about a range of environmental topics, from generating project ideas to specifics, such as starting a pollinator garden or planting trees in derecho-ravaged Eastern Iowa.
If you are interested in hosting an environmentally-focused district-wide or club project, reach out to Tina at dgtina2017@yahoo.com. Watch the District website and District 5970 Facebook page for details as we solidify plans for this new initiative.
