PDG Raj Bhatia

Raj has been an active member of the Northern Valley Rotary club since 1994 and served as its President in 2003-2004. During this period the club received the Presidential citation from Rotary International. He was actively involved with many fundraisers for financial contributions to such causes as "Gift of Life" and aid to victims of Katrina relief effort. Also, as chairperson of the international committee of his club he helped in establishing a dental clinic in Delhi for underprivileged children and worked on a World Community Service Project for the installation of water storage tanks in Jaipur, India.

At the District level, Raj has served as a Senior Assistant Governor, as a member of the Rotary Foundation Scholarship selection committee and the Ambassadorial Scholars and World Peace Scholars Committee. He is a trustee of the Walter D. Head Foundation and the Gift of Life Foundation.

Raj received his B.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Aligarh University (India) in 1965, where he was elected Vice President of the Engineering College Association and awarded the Dean's Gold Medal for the "Best All Rounder" in his final year. After a short stint working for the ESCORTS Ltd., he received a scholarship to study Industrial Engineering at the University of Florida.

Upon graduation in 1968 with an M.E., he joined IBM Corp. in New York, where he held senior management positions for next quarter century in both IBM US and IBM Latin America headquarters. He also presented frequently at telecommunication conferences worldwide IBM's telecom initiatives and on industry-wide regulatory policies and practices. While working for IBM he also received an MBA in International Business from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1976.

In 1993, Raj left IBM and founded Technology Consultant Service International (TCSI) an information technology consulting firm, where he continues to serve as its president. TCSI's clients regularly include Fortune 500 companies and governmental entities on both the federal and local level.

In addition to his professional activities, Raj is also involved in many civic and humanitarian endeavors. In 1987, he served as President of the Norwood Soccer League. In 1988, he was elected to the Norwood Board of Education for two three-year terms. Through his participation on the school board, Raj was nominated to serve on the Northern Valley Educational Foundation for a two-year term.

Raj is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and has been honored with a Walter D. Head award. He is also a member of the Rotary International Bequests Society. He has two adult sons who are also Paul Harris Fellows. Raj's other outside interests include tennis and painting.