It’s always a special day at the Rotary Club of Farragut (RCF) when new members are inducted. Yesterday was very special at the Farragut Community Center. We began November welcoming four new Rotarians – Craig Donnachie, Patrick Finn, Eddie Jett and Jennifer Walker – to our Family of Rotary.
These inductions increase the club membership to 89.
Craig Donnachie recently concluded a 30-year law enforcement/military career, spanning 26 years as an FBI special agent and four as a U.S. Army officer. He started his FBI career with New York’s Joint Terrorism Task Force between 1997-2005. His last FBI role was as senior executive leader for strategic oversight and administration of the agency’s aviation, surveillance and drone programs. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1992 and an MBA from Xavier’s EMBA program in 2017. He is married and has three college-age daughters. His Rotary sponsor is Bill Nichols.
Patrick Finn, a Scouts BSA executive, was sponsored by RCF vice president Scott Bertini. Finn, 38, has worked in a few industries including fitness, senior care and now nonprofit. He is a fitness buff, participating in CrossFit 5-6 times per week and he’s completed three marathons. He is the Mount Le Conte district director with the Great Smoky Mountain Council. He recruits scouts and leaders, plus recruiting volunteers and fundraising. The Mount Le Conte District serves West Knox and Anderson County. Finn is an Eagle Scout, a Bearden High graduate and has a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a master’s in public health, both from the University of Tennessee. He and his wife, Ali, have a 15-year-old stepson at Farragut High School and a soon-to-be 3-year-old. He loves sports, music and movies, especially watching them with the family.
Eddie Jett is a Blount County native, and he and wife Heather are the parents of four. He’s 50 and CEO of MBI Companies Inc., founded by Michael Brady. He attended Pellissippi State, transferred to the University of Tennessee and graduated in 1997 with a bachelor’s in civil engineering. He became licensed as a professional engineer in 2002 and a licensed structural engineer in 2006. After graduating from UT, he worked at ASTEC Industries in Chattanooga, then after a year, moved back to Knoxville to work at MBI. He became department head of Structural Engineering in 2007 and board chair in 2012. When the company founder retired in 2014, he became CEO. “Working with people and projects has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever experienced,” he says.
Jennifer Walker, 43, was sponsored by husband Scott Walker. They have two “almost kids” – Riley, 22, and Adilynn, 18. She is a Southern California native who received her bachelor’s degree in communications from California State University San Bernardino. Jennifer worked as a claims supervisor for Farmers Insurance until leaving to raise her family. She started her martial arts journey as a hobby. After receiving her black belt, she became an instructor and competitor, winning several world championships and earning a 5th Degree black belt. Jennifer taught TaeKwonDo for over 15 years and co-owned an academy for five years before moving to Knoxville. Jennifer is a personal consultant with Arbonne.
Val Privett inducted these new members and welcomed each to the club. “We were excited to induct these four outstanding Rotarians today. Our club lost members as a result of Covid and we are finally increasing our membership again,” she said. “I’m confident they will help impact our community in a positive way. I’m extremely excited about today.”
Tom King is a career journalist and a past president of the Rotary Club of Farragut, which meets each Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. at the Farragut Community Center, 239 Jamestown Blvd. If you want more information about Rotary or are interested in attending a meeting or joining, please email Tom or text him at 865-659-3562.