Colonel Chats
Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels Headquarters
Virtual Video Conference Call
You are cordially invited to join your fellow Colonels for a virtual Colonel Chat. The Colonel Chats are designed to allow Colonels from around the world to gather and learn about a specific topic from a Colonel expert. Colonels will also have the opportunity to meet and network with other Colonels during the Colonel Chats.
August Colonel Chat with
Colonel Susan Dyer
President of the Friends of the Holt Home
Thursday, August 26
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EDT
“The Power of Volunteering and Saving a National Treasure”
This Colonel Chat will share the journey of one woman’s efforts to save the Holt Home. Joseph Holt was President Abraham Lincoln’s lawyer, and he later chose Holt to be the Judge Advocate General (tJAG) of the Army during the Civil War. Judge Holt developed what is now the modern-day United States Army JAG Corps and was the longest serving tJAG in history. The Holt Home, with the passion of the Friends of Holt Home and non-stop leadership of Susan Dyer, has been restored through the work of volunteers for others to share in a part of our nation’s history.
In 1997, Susan Dyer and her husband drove by the Joseph Holt Home in Breckinridge County and saw a historic mansion that was in major disrepair and falling apart. This trip resulted in Susan’s dedication to restore the pre-Civil War home of Joseph Holt, the prosecutor of those involved in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. She has authored two best-selling books about Judge Joseph Holt and the Holt Home and is a frequent speaker at civic and community organizational events, including a lecturer at the U.S. Army’s Judge Advocate General Legal Center and School.
To RSVP for this virtual Colonel Chat, please click here. Space is limited.
September Colonel Chat with
Colonel Tanya Torp
Executive Director of Step by Step and a Consultant for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility
Thursday, September 23
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST
“Colonel Stories”
Join your fellow Kentucky Colonels as we share stories about the attributes that make Kentucky so endearing while getting to know each other. This interactive, fast-paced, and entertaining Colonel Chat is sure to leave you smiling and enriched by our own stories.
Tanya Torp is the Executive Director of Step by Step, a nonprofit that empowers young single mothers to improve their lives, their families, and communities. In addition, Tanya engages with community-based organizations and is an agent for social change. She is a convener, speaker, trainer, writer, and consultant.
To RSVP for this virtual Colonel Chat, please click here. Space is limited.
October Colonel Chat with
Colonel Natalie Harris
Executive Director of the Coalition for the Homeless
Thursday, October 28
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST
“We Get the Future We Create – Housing Policy and Homelessness”
Homeless numbers across the country began to rise again in 2019 for the first time in over a decade. Over half of those sleeping outdoors are located in 10 cities, mostly on the coasts, but the increase is being seen nation-wide. This chat will cover how an unaddressed housing crisis is catching up with us, as well as how COVID is effecting those without housing and those at risk of losing their housing after the moratorium is lifted.
Natalie Harris joined The Coalition for the Homeless, a nonprofit organization committed to advocacy, education, and collaboration on the issue of homelessness in April of 2010. The Coalition is a member agency of over 30 homeless shelters and service providers serving Louisville, Kentucky. Natalie was responsible for working to create Rx: Housing/Louisville, an effort to end veteran, young adult, and chronic homelessness in Louisville. She also served as the Executive Director of Miami Valley Housing Opportunities, a nonprofit supportive housing provider in Dayton, Ohio, and as the director of the Specialized Housing Resources Department at Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC), the state housing finance agency.
To RSVP for this virtual Colonel Chat, please click here. Space is limited.
November Colonel Chat with
Colonel Jeremy Harrell
Founder & CEO of the Veteran’s Club
Thursday, November 18
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST
“Best Practices on Meeting the Needs of Veterans”
This Colonel Chat will be a discussion about the current needs and challenges within the Veteran community and how we can best serve their needs. We’ll discuss PTSD, TBI, Veteran Homelessness, VA Healthcare Community Partnership, VA Benefits, and more.
Jeremey Harrell is a U.S. Army Combat Veteran of Iraqi Freedom. He served honorably for nine years and was a Non-Commissioned Officer until 2008. In 2018, Colonel Harrell founded the nonprofit Veteran’s Club Inc in Kentucky. Veteran’s Club Inc has assisted thousands of Veterans in a multitude of ways, such as the nationally recognized Equine Therapy Program, Career Transition for Vets needing employment, and its Family Outreach Program, and it is currently developing the Camp Restoration Community to house and heal homeless veterans.
To RSVP for this virtual Colonel Chat, please click here. Space is limited.
December Colonel Chat with
Colonel Derwin Mak
Founder Toronto Command
Thursday, December 16
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. EST
“The Curse of the Colonel (A Christmas Baseball Story)”
There is a legend that the ghost of Colonel Sanders has cursed the Hanshin Tigers, a Japanese baseball team that can’t win their national championships. This curse involves two great Japanese traditions: baseball and eating fried chicken at Christmas.
Derwin Mak was commissioned as a Kentucky Colonel in 1995. He founded the Toronto Encampment, an annual dinner of Kentucky Colonels in Toronto. Derwin is an accountant, science fiction author, and curator of the St. John Ambulance Museum being planned in Toronto.
To RSVP for this virtual Colonel Chat, please click here. Space is limited.
