The 2018 Lone Star PETS speakers are presented in the order of their presentations.
Click on the speakers name to see their presentation.
 
 
 
President of Rotary International, 2018-2019
 
Barry Rassin earned an MBA in health and hospital administration from the University of Florida, and is the first fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in the Bahamas. He recently retired after 37 years as president of Doctors Hospital Health System and continues as an adviser. He is a lifetime member of the American Hospital Association and has served on several boards, including the Quality Council of the Bahamas, Health Education Council, and Employer’s Confederation.
 
A Rotarian since 1980, Rassin has served Rotary as director and is vice chair of The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees. He was an RI training leader and the aide to 2015-16 RI President K.R. Ravindran. Rassin received Rotary’s highest honor, the Service Above Self Award, as well as other humanitarian awards for his work leading Rotary’s relief efforts in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake there. He and his wife, Esther, are Major Donors and Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation.
 
 
 

Retired Pastor, Boston Avenue United Methodist Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Rev. Dr. Mouzon Biggs, Jr. has been Senior Minister at Boston Avenue United Methodist Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma, since September 1980. A graduate of Centenary College in Louisiana, he earned the Master of Theology degree from Perkins School of Theology in 1965. Biggs subsequently was awarded two honorary degrees: a Doctor of Divinity from Texas Wesleyan University; and a Doctor of Humane Letters from Oklahoma City University. The Dr. Mouzon Biggs, Jr. Endowed Scholarship Fund was established at SMU in 1975 by Mr. and Mrs. Morris Cloninger of Beaumont, Texas. In 2008, the Mouzon Biggs, Jr. Chair of United Methodist Studies was established at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa.

In Biggs’ 33 years at Boston Avenue UMC, the church has received more than 8,500 new members, with endowments growing from $200,000 to more than $26 million. The 11 a.m. worship service, broadcast live on Tulsa’s Channel 8, is the most highly-watched program in its time slot.
Biggs has addressed churches, colleges, conventions, and Chambers of Commerce across a 30-state area and has traveled in 41 countries. He is author of “Moments to Hold Close,” and co-author of the best-selling book “When you Graduate” with Dr. Charles Allen of Houston.

In addition to his responsibilities at the Boston Avenue Church, Biggs’ interfaith and interracial work have resulted in numerous awards and honors, including the Tulsa Interfaith Award; National Conference of Community and Justice Award; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Keeping the Dream Alive Award”; the Tulsa Jewish Community’s “Righteous Gentile” Award; and Tulsa Rotary’s “Spirit of Will Rogers Award.” He is past president of the Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice and past president of Tulsa’s Downtown Rotary Club.

His service to Perkins School of Theology and SMU includes mentoring 20 Perkins students in one-year internships and representing Perkins School of Theology and the Oklahoma Annual Conference on SMU’s “Time to Lead” Capital Campaign Executive Steering Committee for five years. Additionally, Biggs has been elected by the Oklahoma Annual Conference to serve The United Methodist Church as a delegate to General Conference and Jurisdictional Conference every four years for 28 years.

He and his wife, Gayle, have two sons, Trey and Jason, and six young grandchildren.
 
 

President of Rotary International, 2001-2002, Rotary Club of Niles, Fremont, CA

Richard D. King is a past world president of Rotary International, and the senior partner in the California law firm King, King & King. He earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of California at Berkeley where he is a member of the California Club and the Order of the Golden Bear. He taught law at Brigham Young University. He is a distinguished military graduate of the University of California and served as captain in the U.S. Military Intelligence. He received an Honorary Doctorate in Law from Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.

A trial lawyer, Mr. King belongs to several legal associations including the American Association of Trial Lawyers. He is admitted to practice in both Utah and California and before the Supreme Court of the U.S. He served on the board of directors of the Eden Hospital Foundation, the Woodminster Performing Arts, and Oakland Ballet. He is a trustee of the City of Hope, and received the City of Hope “Spirit of Life” Award. He has been knighted by the Republic of Italy and is a holder of the Great Official Order of Merit. He is a recipient of the State of Rio de Janeiro’s highest award, the “Medalha Tiradentes.” He belongs to the Commonwealth Club and Actor’s Equity. He is an elder and officer of the Mormon Church and an active fund-raiser for the Boy Scouts of America. He holds the Chevalier Degree, the Legion of Honor and is a member of the Hall of Fame of the Order of DeMolay. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Citizen Award from the United Portuguese of California and is a recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Brigham Young University Management Society. He has been honored by some 50 associations, by the President of the U.S., and by many countries across the globe for his community and charitable service. He served as the Executive Director of The Wheelchair Foundation.

A Rotarian since 1968, he is a member of the Rotary Club of Niles-Fremont, California USA. He has served as a trustee of The Rotary Foundation, director and as chairman of the executive committee of Rotary International’s board of directors. He has also served Rotary as a club president, district governor, an international assembly instructor and an official representative of the president of R.I. He has chaired and served on many Rotary International committees, task forces and special assignments. Mr. King has received the Rotary Citation for Meritorious Service and the Distinguished Service Award for his support of humanitarian and educational programs of the Rotary Foundation. He is a recipient of the PolioPlus Pioneer Award.

One of Rotary’s most popular speakers, Mr. King has addressed Rotary International Conventions, Assemblies, Institutes, Seminars, Conferences and Rotary Clubs in every state in the USA and some 100 countries. As President, he led Rotary International to its greatest one-year growth record in its 100-year history, with 75,000 New Members Net, a global membership of 1,243,431 and 1,158 New Rotary Clubs in 2001-2002, more than one new club every 8 hours. In the same year, Rotarians contributed the highest amount of money ever raised for the Annual Fund of the Rotary Foundation.

Mr. King is married to Cherie Kay King. They have two grown sons and reside in the Mission San Jose area of the San Francisco, California Bay Area.
 
 

Rotary International Vice President, 2016-2017

Jennifer is the President and CEO of Media Street Productions Inc., an award winning television production company in Windsor, ON. She is proud member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland and is a Past District Governor of
District 6400.

In Rotary, she has served as the Chair of the Strengthening Rotary’s Advisory Group, Moderator of the 2013 RC/RPIC Institute, Vice Chair of the RI Communication Committee, North American RPIC Coordinator, the Advisory Board for Rotary Canada and the RI Promotions Committee’s for Lisbon and New Orleans. She served three terms as Seminar Leader at the International Assembly and has been a featured speaker at this event on four occasions.

One of Rotary International’s most recognized communicators, Jennifer has presented keynote addresses and training workshops at more than 100 conferences across North America and most recently in St Petersburg – Russia, Panama City, Bangkok, Lisbon, Finland, India, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Australia and Germany.

Jennifer also contributes much of her energy to local organizations. She is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Governors at the University of Windsor and the past Chair of the Board of Directors at the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce.

She has been recognized with many awards and recognitions including Rotary’s Service above Self Award and the Citation for Meritorious Service, the YMCA Peace Medallion, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and Wayne State University’s Peacemaker of the Year Award – a first for a Canadian.

Jennifer is happily married to Nick Krayacich a local family physician. They share a love for many things including travel, cycling, golf and relaxing at their family cottage. They share a thirst for adventure and reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa in January 2009.

As champions of The Rotary Foundation, they are members of the Arch C. Klumph Society, the Paul Harris Society and are charter members of the Bequest Society.
 

Past Rotary International, Vice President

Greg is a C.P.A. (Certified Public Accountant) and a P.F.S. (Personal Financial Specialist) having operated his own practice since June 1979. During his professional tenure, he has written four professional continuing education courses and has been a keynote speaker at five national conferences. Greg has taught many courses as a guest professor at Arizona State University in the Master of Taxation program and has made presentations to over 20,000 Certified Public Accountants and Chartered Accountants from the United States and foreign countries. He was also the President and owner of a very large metal fabrication firm for the telecommunication industry and an international healthcare software development firm.

Greg became a Rotarian in May 1982 and is a member of the Evergreen Rotary Club. He is currently serving a six-year term as a member of the Rotary International Investment Committee and a three-year term as the Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator for Zone 27. He served a three-year term as a member of the Rotary International Finance Committee and as a Regional Rotary International Membership Coordinator where he chaired the Rotary International Presidential Membership Conference in Phoenix, Arizona – January 2009. Greg also chaired the Zone 21b & 27 Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico – September 2010. He has also served as a Rotary International Training Leader at the International Assembly in San Diego – January 2010 and 2011 (where Pam and Greg served as the Hospitality Host) and as a Rotary Foundation Future Vision Training Leader – January 2013. Greg and Pam also served as the Assistant Chief Sergeant at Arms at the International Assembly – January 2012.

Greg has also served as a Rotary Foundation Major Gifts Advisor where he established his District’s Million Dollar Dinner raising over $3,100,000 for the Rotary Foundation in one night. He was the Group Study Exchange Leader to District 3790 – Philippines in February 2006. Greg has served as the President’s Representative for Rotary International for many years and was his District’s representative to the Rotary International Council on Legislation – 2007. Greg is an International Rotary Leadership Institute Vice-Chair of America West and established the “Rocky Mountain Division” and the “Lone Star Division” training seminar for all Rotarians in the western part of the United States.

Greg is the recipient of the “Service Above Self Award” and The Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service Award. Greg and his wife Pam have been married for 38 years, and have three beautiful children; Kyle, Melanie and Bryan and three very special grandchildren; Carter, Madison and Payton. All members of the family are Paul Harris Fellows with Greg and Pam being Multi Paul Harris Fellows, Paul Harris Society Members, Rotary Foundation Sustaining Member, Bequest Society Members, and Major Donors. In addition both Greg and Pam are Arch C. Klumph Society Members.
 
 
President of Rotary Internatonal, 2013-2014
 
Ron Burton retired as president of the University of Oklahoma Foundation Inc. in 2007. He is a member of the Cleveland County, Oklahoma, and American Bar Associations and is admitted to practice in Oklahoma and before the U.S. Supreme Court. He is a founder and past president of the Norman Public School Foundation and founder and past board member of the Norman Community Foundation.
 
Burton has been a Rotarian since 1979 and has served as RI president; RI director; Foundation trustee and vice chair; RI Board Executive Committee member; RI president’s aide; committee vice chair and chair; task force member; International Assembly group discussion leader, assistant moderator, and moderator; and district governor.
 
A recipient of RI’s Service Above Self Award, Burton also has received The Rotary Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award and International Service Award for a Polio-Free World. He and his wife, Jetta, are Paul Harris Fellows, Benefactors, and members of the Arch Klumph Society and Bequest Society of The Rotary Foundation.
 
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