Our Governors

Dr. Earl Ingram, District Governor – 2023-2024

Earl Ingram has been active in Rotary International since 1982, serving as club secretary for the West Point, Georgia Rotary Club, club secretary and president (twice) for the Troy, Alabama Rotary Club, Director of International Youth Exchange, and Assistant Governor at the District level. He has served on local school and municipal airport boards, been active in professional societies, and been honored with recognition and awards from military, professional, and community organizations.

He completed a B.S. degree in Management, a Master of Science degree in Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology at Auburn University.

Prior to his joining Troy University in 1987, he was employed by West Point Pepperell for 12 years in various professional and managerial positions, ending as the corporate director for Human Resources Planning, Research, and Development.

He served students and faculty at Troy University from 1987 to 2019 in various positions including Professor of Management, department chair, assistant dean, dean of Sorrell College of Business, Regional Director for Troy’s European Region. Vice Chancellor of Troy Global Campus, and Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs. Retired in 2019 from full time work with Troy University, he holds the academic rank of Distinguished Professor in Management and Provost Emeritus while teaching in Troy’s international sites in Vietnam and Malaysia. His teaching, research and publication interests have focused on international management, human resources management, business strategy, and ethics.

He served on active duty with the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1971 in numerous operational, training, and staff positions in aviation units, the Field Artillery, Air Defense Artillery, Aviation, and Transportation branches.  While on active duty he served in an Assault Helicopter Company and on a Combat Aviation Battalion operations staff in the Republic of Vietnam, 1968‑1969, and was decorated for valor.  From 1972, when he left active duty with the Army, until 1991, he served in the Alabama Army National Guard in aviation and logistical command and staff positions. He continued serving in the active reserve until retiring at the rank of Colonel in 1995.

Married since 1967 to Rebecca V. Ingram, Ph.D., recently retired professor in Troy’s College of Education, together they have enjoyed the blessings that accompany a life being well-lived with two sons and their families, including five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.

Howard Eddy, District Governor Elect 2023-2024

It’s not surprising that one of Howard’s Rotary mantras is “All In.” Howard Eddy is a District 6880 Leadership Academy graduate; District RLI graduate; District RLI facilitator; Past Disaster Relief Chair 2014-15; past District Conference Co-Chair & past Mid-year Chair; Multiple PHF; charter Polio Society member; past District AG; past District AG Coord.; MS-PETS Facilitator; District DG Selection Committee member 2017-18; past District “Rotarian of the Year” 2017-18; past District RLI Faculty Chair 2019-22; and District Visioning Team member.

Howard holds a bachelor’s degree in management, and has completed additional coursework at the Wharton School of Business, and Stanford University School of Law. He has been certified by the U.S. EPA, F.E.M.A. and State of California in Haz-Mat, Emergency Response/Mitigation, was a Registered Environmental Assessor, as well as he holds a CA Advanced Officer Certificate. He has been granted life member status in both the CA Haz-Mat Investigators Association and the CA Narcotic Officers Association.

Beyond Rotary, Howard has enjoyed serving and working on various professional, civic, church and charitable boards. He has served as past Board officer of the Fairhope Pirate Athletics Booster Club. He was elected to and served as managing trustee for KCERA, a large (over $5B) public retirement fund.

He started in Rotary as a member of Bakersfield East Rotary Club in District 5240, where he was a District 5240 PRLS and Master PRLS graduate. His sons, Jesse and Matt, were both involved as Interact and RYLA leaders. Matt was the charter President of the Rotaract Club of Ole Miss, in Oxford, MS, and also is a PHF. With more than 30 years in law enforcement, Howard has served in various leadership roles as well as being a certified public safety instructor/trainer for several specializations. He has been a board member and/or is a past president of several public safety related associations. Howard enjoys boating and served as Vice-Commodore of the IYFR-Mobile Bay, Compass Rose Fleet.

Most of Howard’s club level experience began with a 100-150 member club in District 5240, and now in a slightly smaller club in D6880. However, as an AG and MS-PETS trainer, he has also helped

much smaller clubs and recognizes the challenges they face. When asked how he first got started in Rotary, he said, “I began my Rotary experience when I was invited to join Rotary in D5240 (CA) to represent the classification ‘Law Enforcement Management’ in a +/- 150 member club. Almost immediately after joining, I was included on the club’s major fundraiser committee as well as our outreach committee to local elementary schools’ reading program. I was later sponsored by the club to attend PRLS (a multi-month long ‘Potential Rotary Leadership Seminar’ – similar to our RLI) and I ultimately graduated as a ‘Master PRLS.’ An interesting footnote is that D5240 PDG Wade Nomura (who has since served as the RI President’s representative) was one of our lead faculty, and became a friend and mentor. My original club was also involved in helping with planning the RI convention in Los Angeles. An amazing aspect of Rotary is the local and worldwide friendships you gain and the opportunity to ‘Do Good in the World’ through Rotary.”

His parents had lived in Fairhope and he was a frequent visitor. When he retired and moved to Alabama in 2007, he was invited to join the Rotary Club of Fairhope by his banker, He quickly became involved on the club’s major fundraiser committee and was later elected Club President for 2013-14. The year following Howard’s Fairhope Club presidency, he was invited by PDG Linda Mong to serve as D6880’s first Disaster Relief Chair and has served in some type of district leadership position every year since. His presidential year corresponded with the term of PDG Bob Callahan and he chaired the Midyear and District Conferences that year, and Midyear the following year for PDG Michael Chambers. He has served directly or indirectly under every PDG since 2013. Howard is quick to point out that “Each of

them has mentored and encouraged me in unique ways. I believe I’ve gained immensely as a person and Rotarian from the personal tutelage of our PDGs.” I still have a lot to learn, but hope to make good use of their support and what they poured into me.”

Professionally, Howard began his career in college. He will tell you that first summer he worked “trucking” potatoes from the sheds to rail cars and decided that working the sheds in 110 degree summers wasn’t for him. A couple of early professors pointed him toward a public safety career in Juvenile Probation. After college, he became crime scene investigator, a Deputy Sheriff, and later moved up the ranks to a Sergeant-level Investigator. His assignments have included: Joint agency (federal/state/local) task force commander; Homicide, white-collar crime, gangs & major narcotics cases as case supervisor where his collateral assignments included serving as an aircraft FLIR operator and conducting air surveillance and wire taps. Another assignment was to I.A./Professional Standards where he served as an officer involved critical incident response team leader directing the investigations into agencies across the more than 8,000 sq. miles of his office’s jurisdiction.

Upon retirement, Howard was hired to serve with the State of Alabama that included serving with Baldwin County’s Community Corrections, as its first Executive Director, and later with the State of Alabama’s 28th Judicial District as the District’s Administrative Chief, responsible for helping coordinate office operations along with the prosecutor’s support staff. Howard can’t quite seem to fully retire, and more recently he has worked at the federal level with the D.O.J. U.S. Marshal’s Service – Southern District of Alabama and a stint as a Special Investigator with a “top secret” clearance as a U.S. State Department contractor assigned out of Miami Region, Field Investigations.

Howard’s gracious wife, Kathy works for the Mobile County Commission in IT. They both are quick to thankfully point out that their boys have good jobs and outstanding wives who are a joy to have around. They will have been married for just shy of 45 years, love living on the Alabama Gulf Coast and plan to enjoy their kids and future grand-kids adjacent to the beautiful Mobile Bay and Gulf Coast region for many more years.

Robert (Bob) Cochran, District Governor Nominee 2023-2024

     I have been a Rotarian since May, 1997.  I first joined the Auburn Rotary Club where I served on several committees and participated in club projects.  During 2010-2011 Rotary Year I served as Club Secretary to be followed the next year by President Elect followed by President.  However, in June of 2011 due to a schedule change of our club meeting times which conflicted with my job schedule I had to resign from the Auburn Rotary Club.  Not wanting to leave Rotary, I immediately joined the Lee County Sunrise Rotary Club which had a meeting time which never conflicts with my job.

      While serving as President Elect of the Lee County Sunrise Rotary Club for 2013-2014 I unexpectedly became the President in January of 2014 when our previous President was transferred away as part of his job.  I finished out his term, attended PETS in Nashville in 2014 and served a full term as President for the 2014-2015 Rotary Year.

      Upon assuming the President’s position, I became aware that not only did we not have a Strategic Plan, we had no plan at all, except getting through the year without getting in trouble.  I at least developed a plan for my year, beginning with the Goals I entered on the Rotary website.  I worked with the incoming President to see if we could improve those goals and the plan.  It’s been an uphill battle, but we at least have the beginnings of a Strategic Plan now.

      After serving my term as President I became the Treasurer of the Lee County Rotary Club for the next year, 2015-2016 and served in the position continuously until the end of the 2020-2021 Rotary Year.  When I took over as Treasurer our club was barely solvent.  I reworked our procedures to the point where we are in a very healthy financial position today.  One of my biggest accomplishments was eliminating the backlog of members who were six months or more behind in their dues and obligations.  We currently have no members who are more than three months behind in their club balance.

      When I became involved in my club leadership I became aware that our finances were suffering not only because of delinquent accounts, but also because we had a completely haphazard way of handling charitable contributions.  We had no plan, no framework, no goals, and no procedures to follow in our charitable efforts.  Although we were always a generous club our charitable efforts often resulted from “that was a good presentation; let’s give them some money.”  Often whoever was at the meeting would vote yes, then pass a pad around for members to sign up to contribute, or worse, the Treasurer would say we had X number of dollars available and we would vote to give it away.  The result was that no worthy charitable organization could count on our support, and in fact, our club did not have any real good idea of the organizations which most needed our support.  I led the effort to systematize our charitable efforts.  We have tripled the amount of money contributed, and we have identified four main charitable organizations to support.  We have a budget which allows for this improved support but also provides a cushion to allow us to quickly step in and provide support during natural disasters.  We were able to support a couple of hurricane relief efforts plus the Lee County tornado disaster efforts, where previously we would not have had the resources for such support.

      Perhaps my biggest contribution to our club and its charity efforts was that I established the Lee County Rotary Sunrise Foundation, Inc. non profit foundation in May of 2016 to allow for all contributions to our charitable efforts to be contributed on a tax deductible basis.  Our foundation is one of the biggest reasons we have substantially increased our charitable giving.  It also allows us to separate our operational and charitable finances, simplifying focusing management of these assets.  I have served as Secretary-Treasurer of the Foundation since its inception.

      At the same time I ensured we continued to support the Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus with our financial contributions.  While President I insisted that we have both a presentation and a fundraising drive for each.  I have ensured that each President after me has done the same.  Also, we have applied and received District Grant funds each year since I was President to multiply our charitable efforts.

      I believe in the Rotary Foundation!  I became a Paul Harris Fellow in 2002-2003, and am now a Paul Harris Fellow + 5.  This past June I signed up as a Paul Harris Society member and contribute monthly.  A couple of years ago I convinced my wife Karen to become a Rotarian and she makes monthly contributions to our club which are forward to the Rotary Foundation twice a year.  She is also a Paul Harris Fellow and is well on her way to Paul Harris Fellow + 1.  I think a lot of Rotarians don’t contribute simply because $1,000 for Paul Harris recognition appears out of reach for them.  I try to show them that a small monthly contribution which is well within their reach will allow them to become a Paul Harris Fellow without the pain a one-time $1,000 contribution might cause. 

      Last year I volunteered to serve as Assistant Governor for my area.  I am looking forward to Assistant Governor training at PETS this year.  I believe in supporting my area Presidents and representing our District to my area clubs.  I enjoyed my work with our District while I was President of my club, but my work obligations prevented me from continuing that once my term as President was complete.  However, my work situation has changed to the extent that I can devote more time to our District now and I am delighted to be more involved.  I plan to retire in two and a half years where I can devote even more time to Rotary.

      This year I have also agreed to be the District Youth Protection Officer.  We have had a pause in youth activities due to the pandemic, so we are having to get back up to speed and qualified to conduct youth activities.  I am in the process of completing my qualifications.

      I believe my whole working life has helped prepare me to be successful as District Governor.  Upon graduation from Auburn University I became a Navy pilot and served in the Navy for 20 years.  I retired as a Commander, U.S. Navy in 1994.  I received a Masters degree in Management in 1980, I graduated from the Air Command and Staff College at the Air War College in 1985, and I served two years on the faculty of the Army War College from 1992 to 1994.  I also served as the Executive Officer/Commanding Officer of U.S. Naval Facility Brawdy, Wales from 1988 to 1990, leading 350 officers and sailors and being responsible for the welfare of over 400 Navy dependents. 

      After my Navy career I attended law school at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham.  I was admitted to the Bar of Alabama in September of 1997, and began my law career in Auburn, Alabama where I practiced law from 1998 until 2008.  I began teaching Business Law and Aviation Law at Auburn in 2005, and became a fulltime Instructor teaching those subjects in 2008.  I am now a Senior Lecturer in the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University.

     I served as President of the local chapter of the Military Officers Association of America for four years and have been a member since 1997.  In the City of Auburn I have volunteered as a member of the Board of Zoning Adjustment for seven years, and have served as a member of the City of Auburn Parks and Recreation Board since 2017.  My family and I have been members of First Presbyterian Church of Auburn since 1997 where I have served as an Elder, Trustee, Finance Committee member, Insurance Committee chair and Sunday School Teacher.

Dr. Adele S. Goodwin, iPast District Governor – College of Governors President 2023 – 2024

Dr. Dell Goodwin, Ed.D District immediate past Governor Rotary International, District 6880; Dr. Dell Goodwin was born and raised in Camden, Alabama and her family later moved to Dothan, Alabama. Dell received her undergraduate degrees, Masters in Learning Disabilities and Administration and AA Educational Specialist from Troy University. She received her Doctorate degree in Educational Leadership from the University of Sarasota. Dell retired as Director of Personnel Services for Dothan City Schools and previously served as Personnel Assistant, Director of Elementary Curriculum, Program Specialist and as a Special Education Teacher in her 39 years all with Dothan City Schools. Dell currently is the Executive Director of the Alabama Association of School Personnel Administrators and on the board for the National American Association of School Personnel Administrators. Dell has served on various professional organizations and community boards: American Cancer Society, LifeSouth, United Way, American Heart Association, Dothan Education Foundation Board, Delta Kappa Gamma, and Wiregrass Rehabilitation Center Board She currently serves on several community boards, including the Dothan Houston County Intellectual Disabilities Board and on the Executive Board. <br>Dell joined the Dothan Rotary Club in September 1996, serving in various areas of responsibilities and leadership on the Club, District, and International Level. On the Club Level service projects: White Elephant Sale, Salvation Army Bell Ringers, Senior Citizen Luncheon, Foster Children, Adopt A School, Food Bank, Scholarships, 4-H Watches, Habitat for Humanity, Polio Plus and Rotary Foundation Program. She has served in the following leadership roles: Club Secretary, Vice- President, President Elect, President, and Immediate Past President. She also served on the committee for the construction of the Dothan Rotary Miracle Field and Playground. Dell has written and received several local grants. Dell served on the Dothan Rotary 100th Anniversary Celebration Committee and coordinated activities for Past Rotary International President, John Germ, during his visit as keynote speaker. On the District 6880 level: PETS Training, District mid-year and annual meetings, Local District Grant Selection Committee, District Global Grant Committee, and District Governor Selection Committee for 2016-2017 and 2017-2018. She attended the Martin Stewart Project “kick-off’ building project in Greensboro. She attended the District ceremonial tree planting on the Capitol grounds with other District 6880 Rotarians and Governor Ivey to fulfill the challenge of RI President for every Rotarian to plant a tree. She served as the Rotary District 6880 Mid-Year Conference Event Coordinator for 2018. On the International Level, the Dothan Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Slough, England have had an ongoing “matching club” partnership since 1964. This “Rotary Friendship Exchange” is an international exchange program for Rotary members and their families that builds relationships, which have also led to international projects through the years. Dell has participated, coordinated, hosted Slough Rotarians and as the chairman of the Sister City Visits. She attended Rotary International Conference in Atlanta. Dothan Rotary Club received the Presidential Citation and several Rotary District 6880 Awards the year Dell was President. <br>Dell is a Paul Harris Fellow plus two. Dell was honored to receive the Harry P. Hall Meritorious Award for 2017-2018 for District 6880, the highest individual award. Dell has served as District Secretary. She attended the 2019 Rotary Summit for Zones 30 31 in Fort Wayne, Indiana and participated in the Emerging Leaders Seminar. Dell is excited and honored to serve as the District Governor Nominee for District 6880 for 2021-2022 and will also serve as District Secretary. <br>An important aspect of Dell’s life is family, including her husband of 47 years, Tim, who she met at Troy University, a daughter and son in law, a son, and an adorable granddaughter and 3 grand-doggies. Dell and Tim, are members of Covenant United Methodist Church. When she is not working, she loves reading, traveling, the beach, spending time with family, learning, and Rotary!