Dean Rohrs: RI Vice President
Dean Rohrs, currently serving a two year term as a Rotary International Director (2016-18), has also been appointed to serve as Rotary International Vice President for 2017-18.
Dean's term will follow that of her good friend and Rotary International Director, Jennifer Jones (2016-17). Dean will be Rotary International's fourth female Vice President - the first being Anne Matthews (2013-14) followed by Celia Giay (2014-15). That's four of the five most recent Vice Presidents.
Rotary’s Manual of Procedure describes the role of the Rotary International Vice President as follows:
The Vice President is selected by the incoming President at the RI Board’s first meeting each year from among the members of the RI Board serving the second year of their terms. The Vice President serves for a one-year term beginning on 1 July. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President succeeds to the office of President and selects a new Vice President from among the remaining members of the Board. The Vice President performs such assignments as may be requested by the President.
Dean's Biography
Dean, her husband Rhino, and their 3 children emigrated to Canada from South Africa 26 years ago. Dean grew up in Zambia and after marrying Rhino lived in Malawi, Namibia, and South Africa. Dean joined Rotary in South Africa in 1989.
On arriving in Vancouver both Dean and Rhino joined the Rotary Club of West Vancouver and at present are members of the Rotary Club of Langley Central.
Dean has had a varied career from the early days of being an Operating Room Nurse on Professor Christiaan Barnard’s first heart transplant team to running a Nursery School in Malawi. Together with Rhino they own and manage a company that is involved in soil stabilization during road construction.
Dean has served on District and Zone committees; which have included: 17 years of Youth Exchange in both District 9300 and 5040 District 5040 Group Study Exchange Chair Group Study Exchange Team Leader to New Zealand District Governor 2007/2008 Regional Rotary International Membership Coordinator Rotary Coordinator Zone 24 West Pacific Northwest PETS Chair 2013 Co-Chair for the 2011 Zone 24/32 Institute Rotary Foundation Alumni Coordinator for Zone 24 West 2012/2013 Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator 2014. She has been a panelist at the last 6 International Conventions.
Whew!
Her best Rotary experience is leading teams of Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors to South Africa and seeing how this volunteer experience changes their lives.