❆ December 2021 Newsletter ❆

❆ Greetings from your NLF Chair, Howard Shotwell ❆

This marks my final column as chairman of Northeast Leadership Forum. It’s been my privilege to serve in 2021, as we have developed a platform to survive and thrive with the pandemic.

We will all remember 2021 for several reasons.

These include:

I’ve been impressed as I’ve seen our businesses and nonprofits lean on each other and be resources to benefit our community.

To each of you and your loved ones, my wife Sandy and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy holiday season!

❆ Incoming Chairman: Shelby Bruhn ❆

Shelby Bruhn grew up in Sulphur Springs, where he played on the high school football team. He attended East Texas State University (now Texas A&M Commerce), where he continued playing football. Shelby transferred to the University of Texas at Dallas, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Shelby has more than 20 years of banking experience and moved to North Texas in 2007 as a Senior Underwriter/Portfolio Manager for Capital One Bank in downtown Dallas. Then, he saw the light and moved to Tarrant County.

 We first met Shelby through NLF when he joined Randy McCauley’s team at Providence Bank of Texas in Southlake, where he served as Executive Vice President/Chief Lending Officer.

Shelby joined Valliance Bank (VBank) in Fort Worth in 2016 as President of the downtown Fort Worth location, was promoted to the Texas President of VBank, and now serves as Chief Lending Officer for the entire corporation.

Shelby has been a member of the Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate for three years, where he was named Top Rookie for raising the most money to benefit scholarships. As one of the top producers annually, he has the honor of riding in the grand entry parade of the Fort Worth Rodeo each year.

He’s also a member of the Pro Players Foundation Advisory Board in Southlake, and he serves his industry as a member of the Government Relations Council of Texas Bankers Association.

Shelby lives in Keller with his wife Katie and their three daughters.

Shelby’s primary focus for NLF will be “Influence” – how Northeast Leadership attracts influential leaders, grows the influence of its members, and uses that influence for good.

❆ Board welcomes new officers, chooses committee chairs,

approves new member ❆

We look forward to our new leadership team for 2022:

❆ Incoming Chairman, Shelby Bruhn,

announced the following committee chairs ❆ : 

Committee chairs will be:

❆ Renowned Economist Dr. Ray Perryman to

Keynote 29^th Annual Award Luncheon ❆

Dr. Ray Perryman – known by Texas Monthly as “the most quoted man in Texas” – will keynote our annual award luncheon on April 1.

The Dallas Morning News also calls him “The state’s pre-eminent economist and a barbecue connoisseur.”

Since Dr. Perryman combines humor into his presentation, the choice of April Fool’s Day is only appropriate.

He is President/CEO of The Perryman Group, an economic research and analysis firm based in Waco. His accomplishments include:

Dr. Perryman holds a BS in Mathematics from Baylor University and a PhD in Economics from Rice University.

His honors include:

Please contact John Fletcher at 817-205-2334 for sponsorships and table purchases.

❆ Nominations Due for NLF Distinguished Leadership Award ❆

Please devote some time to think about nominating the most deserving recipient for the NLF Distinguished Leadership Award, our highest honor. The award recognizes that person who has given many years of service to the Northeast Tarrant County area.

We require two nominators for each candidate. Each nomination may also include up to three letters of support. For a list of previous honorees as well as the nomination information and form, please click here. 

❆ Year-End Giving ❆:

As you consider year-end giving, please consider the NLF Foundation, where we continue to award scholarships.

This past year under Howard Shotwell’s Leadership, the Foundation awarded over $10,000 in scholarships to students who are now attending Tarrant County College and Culinary Institute of America. Each scholarship that we award to a TCC student is matched by the TCC Foundation.

Speaking of which, we appreciate the donation this past week of a $2,500 scholarship from Michael Moore and his company, M3 Networks. The scholarship funds will be matched by TCC to generate $5,000 in total benefits, and will help students studying Information Technology and Cybersecurity, which is the field where M3 Networks is a market leader.

❆ NLF Foundation Scholarship Program has Broad Reach ❆

In the five years of the NLF Foundation scholarship program, 126 students have received a total of $173,000 to help fund their dreams of attending a community college, four-year university, or a trade school.

These students have attended 52 different universities, ranging from TCU, Texas Wesleyan University, and U.T. Arlington in the Fort Worth area, Stanford University and the University of Southern California on the west coast and New York University on the east coast. Trade-focused students have attended Tarrant County College, the Culinary Institute of America, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical.

❆ Mark Your Calendar ❆

Location: TBD

Keynote speaker:

8:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Location: TBD

Major concerns are developing over holiday Covid-19 transmission as families and friends gather. For the most current information, please consult the Tarrant County Public Health site.