Ron Denham – The Incoming District Governors Conference
Laura introduced our speaker.
Ron Denham has been a Rotarian for sixty years. As a member of the Rotary Club of Toronto Eglinton, he has served as President and during 1993-94 term as District Governor. He is the Chair Emeritus of WASRAG (Water & Sanitation Action Group), Rotary International, a Paul Harris Fellow and is a Benefactor and Major Donor to the Rotary Foundation. In recognition of his outstanding service, he was bestowed Rotary's highest honor, the "Service Above Self" Award.
Ron has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA in Business Administration. Throughout his career, he has held senior roles in such consulting firms as KPMG and A.T. Kearney Ltd. In addition to serving on various Boards, Ron was a Professor at York University's Business School.
Ron is passionate about world water issues and helping people in the developing world improve their lives through the provision of sustainable, safe water and sanitation.
Recently Ron attended Rotary's International Assembly in San Diego. The week-long event prepares District Governors to assume their roles and responsibilities.
Governors are elected by the district clubs two to three years before taking office. Responsibilities as governor-elect include:
- Attending the governors-elect training seminar and International Assembly
- Conduct training for incoming district leaders and club leaders
- Plan the district conference
- Qualify district for Rotary grants and conduct grant management training
- Appoint assistant governors and committee chairs
- Work with the governor and district leaders to create a district plan
- Learn about the district (as nominee)
Rotary's annual training meeting gives incoming district governors the chance to share ideas for strengthening clubs and improving communities with Rotary leaders from around the world. Keynote speakers and informative presentations inspire and prepare new Governors to lead their district successfully. Breakout sessions, roundtable discussions, and workshops introduce new ways of creating positive change. The agenda also includes cultural exchanges and networking opportunities.
In the plenary session, Rotary leaders spoke about their visions. These included:
Growing Rotary
While Rotary is growing in many parts of the work, membership is in decline in the USA. This is not a failure to recruit, but a failure to retain members. There were discussions on how to engage and give greater purpose to members.
Involving Families
Clubs should create more events that include family members in Rotary events.
Younger Rotarians
There should be more connections with Rotaract and Interact Clubs.
Relationship with the UN
Rotary holds the highest consultative status offered to a nongovernmental organization by the UN’s Economic and Social Council, which oversees many specialized UN agencies. The Rotary Representative Network maintains and furthers its relationship with several UN bodies, programs, commissions, and agencies. This network consists of Rotary International representatives to the United Nations and other organizations. The UN celebrates its 70th anniversary in 2020 and Rotary will be part of that event.
There were several breakout groups for sharing and discussing various ideas, and issues that included:
- Eradicate polio and leveraging the legacy
- Improve our ability to achieve and measure impact
- Raising more money
- Innovation in clubs (RAH a good example)
- New kinds of Rotary clubs (e-clubs, passport clubs)
- Connecting with Rotaractors
- How to deal with Polio in Afghanistan
- Attracting and engaging Generations X, Y and Z
This was a great event, and evidence that Rotary is adapting and thriving!
Stephen S thanked Ron for an engaging presentation.