Events

Mike Ohman enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1995 as a Cannon Crew Member in the New Mexico National Guard while attending New Mexico State University and graduating in 1999 receiving a commission as an Armor Officer.  His assignments included Germany with 1st Infantry Division, Ft. Stewart with 3rd Infantry Division, Ft. Bliss with 1st Armored Division, and Ft. Hood with 3d Cavalry Regiment.  His deployments include three tours to Iraq, Kosovo, Qatar, and Egypt.  Career highlights include: (1) Part of the combat landing of M1 Tanks in Northern Iraq in 2003, (2) Company Commander in Sadr City, Iraq in 2005, and (3) Trained Army Strategist,  After retiring from the U.S. Army in 2019, he worked for Northrop Grumman as a Military contractor and since MAR 2020 has worked at U.S. Army Futures Command as a planner in Austin TX as Department of the Army Civilian.

 Army Futures Command (AFC) is the newest 4-Star Army Command becoming fully operational in August, 2019 which is headquartered in downtown Austin, TX.  With over 150,000 Soldiers, Contractors, and Army Civilians amongst 40 subordinate units in 25 U.S. States, AFC’s mission is to develop future concepts, rapidly provide 31 signature Army modernization efforts, and inform the future Army of 2040 design and beyond.  This will allow our Army to maintain overmatch and dominate any near peer enemy in the future in land, sea, air, cyber, and space.  FORGE THE FUTURE is our motto!

Kent Miller was born and raised in the south in a small town in  eastern South Dakota.  When he attended Macalester College in St. Paul, MN he met this attractive, blond Swedish girl and they were married after graduation. That was 61  years ago this past July 8. .  They have three children 6 grandchildren, one great grandchild.

He formerly taught sociology at Chico State University, Chico, CA. He is currently retired from over 50 years in the ministry of the Presbyterian Church, having served in California, in San Antonio, Denton,  Austin. In 1994 he joined a Rotary Club and has been active ever since. 

Kent is a club past-president. He has sponsored five "wheelchair" projects through the Rotary Foundation and traveled to several distribution sites in South America He has been District chairperson for Peace Scholarship program during the last eight years.In the past 5 years he has been engaged with the water crisis in the world, and came to this club with the request to join the Rotary Club of Northwest Austin in a global grant to provide 12 accessible fresh water sites to people in rural Ethiopia.  We joined in that global grant.  Three years ago he chaired another Global Grant for 24 water wells in Ethiopia. 

This second project is nearly complete this month. So today we will hear a final report on our partnership in this project to provide accessible clean water to thousands of people.

Russ Michaels is the Executive Director of Texas Inter-Faith Housing Corporation, a 501(c)3 non-profit development company based in Texas. He is also a real estate attorney and consultant for both for-profit and non-profit companies that build, develop, operate, and manage affordable housing communities for seniors, veterans, families, artists, and children.

Russ was born and raised in the rural Midwest, growing up in Hays, Kansas. His parents did not have a lot of money to support all five children, and they divorced before he was a teenager. Russ has been employed non-stop since he was nine years old, having started with a paper-route to help offset costs. Ultimately, his family would have qualified for affordable housing had the communities and choices been more readily available.

Condensing a very long and roundabout story down to a short story, Russ eventually went to law school in Houston and began a career in affordable housing, specializing in the low income housing tax credit market. He is extremely passionate about providing seniors, veterans, artists, families and children with not just a new apartment to call home, but also providing them with social services that level-up their lives. He currently is a board member for Texas Inter-Faith Management Corporation and a board member for one of the largest resident services providers in the country, Portfolio Resident Services.

This presentation is about the impact he has witnessed in affordable housing, both in the corporate level and in the development of the apartment communities and people.

This is a joint meeting with the RC Austin South and will be held on Wednesday, not Thursday.  Space may be limited.  Please RSVP to your Rotary connection. 

”With the Bark Off”: his new book about the UT Tower shootings, LBJ,Lady Bird,LBJ Library & the Bush Presidents.