Dublin-Worthington News Stories
Membership Spotlight: David Kittredge
By Paul J. CynkarSunday, November 28, 2021
Advancing the Leadership Mindset
Finding Success in the Success of Others
Paul Cynkar, February, 2021
This is another in a series of member profiles based on discovery interviews that were designed to help me fulfill the requirements of the Dublin Worthington Rotary Red Badge Program for new Rotarians and get an up close view of the traits and strengths of some of the members who provide leadership to this organization.
Finding Success in the Success of Others
Paul Cynkar, February, 2021
This is another in a series of member profiles based on discovery interviews that were designed to help me fulfill the requirements of the Dublin Worthington Rotary Red Badge Program for new Rotarians and get an up close view of the traits and strengths of some of the members who provide leadership to this organization.
Membership Spotlight:
David Kittredge
Introverted Influencer and Adventurer
David Kittredge
Introverted Influencer and Adventurer
Tell us about yourself. Give us three facts that include information about your family, your career and your pastimesMy family roots take me back to New England and Cape Cod. It was there, with the guidance of my great grandfather that my love of boats and sailing began. I met my wife, Debbie, in a mental hospital…we both worked there! I’ve been in Worthington for 34 years. My kids went to school here and are now adults with careers of their own. I have two grandchildren ages 6 and 8. I graduated with an MSW from The Ohio State University and I’ve worked in the Community Health field ever since. I’ve been blessed to have been in a career that gave me the opportunity to do what I do best.
How long have you belonged to Rotary? What’s the best thing about membership?
I joined Rotary in 1991. I got the bug, along with a number of other colleagues, to work to make things better for others. Rotary is about finding the right people to use their strengths to serve. One particular area of interest has been the international program in the Dominican Republic. There is so much need in the DR and our Rotary members, in partnership with a DR Rotary Club, have been influential in improving their health care, water purification, economic stability and overall quality of life. We still have a ways to go.
As you look back on your life and your career, where and when did you have the biggest impact on others? Who was impacted and how?
One of the skills that I have practiced for 40 years and have developed into a strength is to identify a need, commit to making things better, then develop a plan to do so. Overtime I have applied this to individual, organizational and personal situations.
As you look back, which of the opportunities you’ve had has been the most fulfilling to you personally? Why?
I feel like I have always been engaged and fulfilled in my work and volunteerism. Perhaps the most fulfilling was the consolidation of several divergent mental health organizations and services under one umbrella, the North Community Counseling Center. I served as CEO of that group from 1989 to 2015. I guess I was the right person at the right time.
Describe the most challenging project you’ve ever worked on. What was your role? What was the result?
Consolidating the various agencies into one significant organization was a big challenge. That said, watching it grow, watching it work with our local schools and witnessing the impact we made, were all very rewarding.
What are some things you are passionate about? What really excites you? What gets your adrenalin flowing? What makes your heart sing?
Actually, I am a very even-keeled person without a lot of emotional highs or lows. I did cry at my son’s wedding and at the birth of my first grandchild.
What are you especially skilled at? What is something that others often tell you that they think makes you stand out?
I prefer working with groups more than individuals. Recently I took the time to study for, and earn, a Coast Guard Captain’s license. I love to restore boats and I’ve gotten pretty good at it. A few years ago, Debbie and I did the Great Loop. The Great Loop is a continuous waterway that recreational mariners can travel that includes part of the Atlantic, Gulf Intracoastal Waterways, the Great Lakes, Canadian Heritage Canals, and the inland rivers of America's heartland. Anyone who completes the journey is then named an official “Looper.”
When you have a moment to sit back and think (dream) about your future, what do you think about?
I do not want to just sit back and relax. At my funeral I want people to say, “He made a difference!”
If you could choose anyone (alive or deceased) to have lunch with, who would it be? Why?
There are lots of people I’d want to have lunch with but the one person who stands out is Barack Obama. I believe he is decent, intelligent, motivated and value driven. The world looked at him in a positive way and, in turn, looked at the United States in a positive way.