April 7th Meeting: Town of Farragut Candidates Dot LaMarche (Ward 2) and Ron Honken (Ward 1)

Please join us at the April 7th meeting to hear from Town of Farragut Candidates Dot LaMarche and Ron Honken.

Mary Dorothy (Dot) LaMarche Bio

Mrs. LaMarche is a retired registered nurse, ending her 35-year career as the patient care coordinator in the emergency room of Rex Hospital in Raleigh, N.C.

Dot was born and educated in Nashville, Tenn., and has been married to Lou for 50 years. Lou is a retired southeast regional sales manager/chemical engineer with 42 years experience in the paper industry and a retired colonel from the U.S. Army Reserves. Lou served on the Town's Visual Resources Review Board for six years and is currently serving on the Board of Zoning Appeals. Lou is a volunteer with the Knox County Sheriff's Office Senior Citizens Awareness Network (SCAN) program and the Farragut Folklife Museum, where he serves on the advisory committee. Dot and Lou have three daughters: Michelle, who lives and works in Atlanta for The Conference Board as director, associate service for the southeastern United States; Therese, a benefits analyst for Cigna Insurance who resides in North Carolina with her husband, Lane, and two sons, Casey and Alex; and Denise, who is employed as the principal applications scientist for Roche Diagnostics and also lives in Atlanta with her husband, Brian, and three children Bennett, Katie, Matthew and Cammie.

Dot is a true Tennessee volunteer, giving her time to the following organizations over the years: counselor for the Hope Resource Center; information desk volunteer at St. Mary's Hospital and its Pastoral Care Department; local and state board member of Tennessee Right to Life; board member and past secretary of the board of the Senior Citizens Home Assistance Services; member of the Knoxville Christian Women's Club; and first Vice-President of the Welcome Wagon Club of Knoxville. In 2004, Dot was selected as the First Lady of Knoxville by the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and has been inducted into the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority in Atlanta. In 2010, Dot received the Melvin Jones Fellow Award from the Lions Club International Foundation for dedicated humanitarian services.

Moving to Farragut 16 years ago, Dot has been on the Sugarwood Homeowners Association board for four years, served as president for two years and now serves as a block captain. Dot is also a graduate of the Knox County Sheriff Department's Citizen Academy and the University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service in the Local Government Leadership Program. She served on the Board of Zoning Appeals from 2001 until her election as alderman of Ward II in April 2003. Dot was re-elected alderman for a second term (unopposed) in 2007, elected to serve as board representative on the Municipal Planning Commission and serves as Vice Mayor.

Dot is active in the district and state levels of the Tennessee Municipal League serving as secretary for District 2 and currently as director at large for the state. In 2009, Lou received the "Stand by your Spouse" Award from the Tennessee Municipal League. Dot has achieved the Silver Level in the National League of Cities (NLC) Leadership Training Institute. She has also served on the NLC Program and Human Development committees for the past four years and is a director for the Women in Municipal Government (WIMG). Dot also serves on the NLC Steering Committee for Small Cities.

Ronald O. Honken Bio

Ronald O. Honken – Executive Vice President, Great West Casualty Company.

Ron received his Associates Degree in Banking and Finance from the University of Minnesota in 1986, and his Bachelor of Science in Organizational Behavior and Management from University of Sioux Falls in 1993. He started with Great West as an Underwriter in October 1990, and currently holds the position of Executive Vice President. Ron has received the following designations: Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, Associate in Underwriting, Associate in Management, Associate in Risk Management, and Associate in Reinsurance. He also has his certificate in General Insurance, and has completed the Supervisory Management Program of the Insurance Institute of America. He has attended Leadership development courses at the Center for Creative Leadership, Penn State University, University of Chicago, Harvard, MIT, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and the University of Minnesota.

Extra Curricular:

Community

2011 Advisory Board Member, ITT Technical Institute

2010 December Graduation Commencement Speaker for ITT Technical Institute

2010 – present President –Hardin Valley Academy Athletic Council

2008-present IVOX – (see www.IVOXdata.com) Advisory Board Member

2008-2010 President Elect – Hardin Valley Academy Athletic Council

2006 Community Leader involved with Re-accreditation of Farragut Middle School with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

2006 - present Farragut Municipal Planning Commission

2006 Member of Farragut Rotary Club

2006 - 2008 Stewardship Board Member for Grace Lutheran Church

2006 - 2008 Member of “Vision Team” for Grace Lutheran Church

2005 Leader for Dave Ramsey’s course titled “Financial Peace University”.

2005 Secretary for Town of Farragut Committee to Review Development Process.

2002 Participant in Introduction to Knoxville.

1999 - 2006 Personnel Committee, Town of Farragut, TN. Chairman 2004 - 2006.

1995 - 1997 I-69 Committee for Bloomington, Indiana.

1993 Vice Chairman, South Sioux City Housing Authority.

1992 South Sioux City Housing Authority.

1990 Luverne Community Economic Development Corp.

1990 Luverne Community Study Committee.

1989 - 1990 Secretary, Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Luverne, MN

1989 - 1990 Chairman of Community Energy Council, Luverne, MN

1989 Attended Blandin Community Leadership Seminar

1987 - 1988 Secretary, Luverne Jaycees

Professional

2010 BLOG on “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership”.

2007 – 2008 Management Training presenter for “Leadership and Developing Relationships”.

2005 - 2006 New Employee Orientation Instructor for “Intro to Insurance” and “Intro to Trucking”.

2005 - 2006 Negotiation Skills Trainer for Great West Casualty Company

1995 - 2003 Tennessee Trucking Association, Board of Directors

1993 INS 21 Instructor at Great West Casualty Company

1989 - 1990 Vice President, South Dakota Underwriters Association

1988 - 1989 President, South Dakota Underwriters Association