Under a club bylaws amendment adopted in April 2011, the Nominating Committee proposes a slate of three candidates for the Board of Directors, but there is also an opportunity for nominations from the floor at the Club Election. The Nominating Committee is chaired by the immediate past Club President and includes two other previous Club Presidents.

The slate of three candidates proposed by the Nominating Committee for the Club Election scheduled on September 29, 2011 consists of Rick Huffstutter, Vincent St. Omer and Mitch Theede. All were elected to the board at the Club Election. Their photographs and brief biographical sketches appear below in alphabetical order:

Rick Huffstutter joined our club on December 16,2010, and has been a Rotarian since 1983. He is Director of Donor Relations for The Food Bank for Central & Northeast Missouri. In his own words:

"I am a retired Orchardist. My father was a Rotarian and in 1963 I stayed with a Rotary family in Germany. I am a past Rotary president and Paul Harris fellow. So is my wife. I serve on a University of Missouri Horticulture and Agroforestry board. I served 20 years on a community bank board and on the Ellis Fischel Hospital board. My interests are architectural, furniture, and landscape design. I find the Egyptian, Greek, and Myan cultures to be fascinating. My undergraduate degree was at Westminster College. I have a Masters of Divinity Degree from Lexington Theological Seminary in Kentucky. Pam and I have been married for 41 years and we have 36 year old twin boys and 3 grandchildren. My passion is alleviating hunger."

Vincent V. E. St. Omer, DVM, Ph.D., joined out club on December 13, 2007, and first jonied Rotary in 1989. He is a retired veterinary pharmacologist, researcher, educator and administrator. In his own words:

"I was born in St. Lucia (West Indies), received my DVM and Ph.D. from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada and came to America in 1968. My 39 professional years of teaching and research were spent at the Bureau of Child Research at the University of Kansas), the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Missouri and the School of Veterinary Medicine at Tuskegee University. I was also the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Tuskegee University and the first Director of the School of Veterinary Medicine, University of the West Indies, in Trinidad. I joined the Rotary Club of St. Augustine, Trinidad, and was a member of the Advisory Committee on the Environment. Current Rotary commitments include serving on the World Community Service Committee, volunteering at the Central Missouri Food Bank and the acquisition of funds for the Nora Stewart Early Learning Center (NSELC). Civic activities outside of Rotary involve working with the Knights of Columbus, the Minority Men's Network, the Early Childhood Subcommittee of First Chance for Children and being a Board member for NSELC. I enjoy walking, cooking and gardening. I am blessed with a great wife of 49 years, 4 children, 4 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild."

Mitch Theede joined our club on February 26, 2009. At the time he was manager of a local Wal-Mart Supercenter. He is now an agent for Shelter Insurance Companies. In his own words:

"I graduated from Kansas State University with a bachelor's degree in business management in 1993. That same year I began an 18-year career with Wal-Mart and worked in cities such as Salina, KS, Liberty, MO, Manhattan, KS, and Wichita, KS before moving to Columbia in 2007 where I worked as the store manager of the Walmart Store on Conley Rd. until April of this year. My lifelong goal was to eventually go into business
for myself and increase my commitment to community involvement. In June of this year my goal became a reality when I became an insurance agent with Shelter Insurance right here in Columbia. I am very excited about this new opportunity where I can help others improve their quality of life. My wife Jennifer and I have two children, Ryan (10) and Erin (8), who both attend Columbia Catholic School. We are parishioners of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Columbia."

Before 2011, club bylaws provided for the nomination of six candidates for the Board of Directors, with the three receiving the most votes being elected. Past nominees since 1998 are listed below (those in bold face were elected):

• 2010 - Anne Deaton, Jerry Murrell, Matt Reaves, Dan Ruether, Mahree Skala, and Mitch Theede.
• 2009 - Susan Bell, Heather Dimitt, Rodger Howell, David Oliver, Melvin Platt, James Preston.
• 2008 - Lex Akers, Rex Campbell, Dick Heimburger, Kent Kirkwood, Heather McCain, Brenda Woods
• 2007 - Lex Akers, David Atkins, Heather Dimitt, Tina Patel, Keith McLaughlin, Louis Van Drie
• 2006 - Lynn Barnett, David Clithero, Rollie Hausman, Thad McCanse, Ruth Tofle, Louis Van Drie
• 2005 - Lex Akers, Jim Elliott, Glen Heggie, Darlene Johnson, Jim Ollar, All Tacker
• 2004 - Trevor McIntyre, John Miles, Jim Ollar, Janice Schuerman, Tony St. Romaine, Judy Wedman
• 2003 - Kitty Dickerson, Darlene Johnson, Rim Massey, Trevor McIntyre, Barb Payne, Paige Scott
• 2002 - Lynn Barnett, Kevin Gibbens, Cecil Moore, Al Tacker, Jim Thompson, Darcy Wells
• 2001 - Doug Callahan*, Janice Harder, Joe Priesmeyer, Dolf Schroeder, Marty Walker, Donna Walz (*elected to fill vacant two-year term)
• 2000 - Andrew Beverly, Andy Bonderer, Rollie Hausman, Mazahir Husain, David Lendt, Gena Scott
• 1999 - Lynn Barnett, Ed Blaine, Harvey Gosser, Jim Hoffman, Dick Rice, Jolene Schulz
• 1998 - Andy Bonderer, Doug Fogg, Bill Markgraf, Jim Schatz, Cindy Sheltmire, Phil Steinhaus