John
Hewko , General Secretary
General Secretary-elect's
Remarks
John Hewko, General Secretary-elect
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
25 May 2011
I can't tell you how
absolutely thrilled I am to be joining the Rotary community next
month as your new general secretary, and I would like to thank the
Board of Directors and the Trustees for your faith and trust in
me.
With the frequent change
in leadership in Rotary, the general secretary represents, in many
ways, the link between administrations and the vehicle for institutional
continuity. This is an enormous responsibility, and I want to assure
you that I will do all that I can to fulfill that role with integrity,
good judgment, and enthusiasm, and with a deep appreciation of our
past, yet coupled with a keen desire to explore and implement new,
bold, and innovative measures to take Rotary into its second century.
I would also like to
thank my wife, Margarita, and my 18-year-old daughter, Maria, for
their steadfast support and enthusiasm as we embark together as
a family on this new and exciting adventure. Margarita — or
Marga, as we affectionately call her at home — will be my
partner on this journey. She is originally from Argentina and brings
to our relationship a broad international perspective, and is very
much looking forward to using the platform of the general secretary's
spouse to make her own unique contribution to this great organization.
And finally, I would
like to recognize my parents, Lu and Natalie Hewko, who are able
to join me on the stage today, and thank them for all they have
done for me. I could not have asked for better and more loving parents.
Although they currently live in Clarkston, Michigan, a small town
north of Detroit, they came to the United States after the Second
World War from Ukraine by way of a displaced persons refugee camp
in Bavaria. The example of their lives, and their ability to overcome
the hardship of that terrible war, the tragedy of losing everything,
and the fear of coming to the United States with nothing —
the values of honesty, decency, and hard work that they instilled
in their three children — these are the gifts they have given
to me and for which I am deeply grateful.
Now, I am particularly
thankful for the opportunity to address you, the members of Rotary.
The number and diversity of Rotarians at this gathering is in itself
a testament to the strength and global reach of one of the world's
great institutions. I am well aware that I have a great deal to
learn, to absorb, and to understand, and I would like to thank Ed
Futa for his assistance in educating me about the many facets of
Rotary and in making the transition as smooth as possible. Ed has
done an absolutely fantastic job over the past 11 years as your
general secretary, and I look forward to building on all that he
has achieved.
During the past several
months, I have received a large number of e-mails and calls from
family, friends, and acquaintances — and also from Rotarians
around the world — with their congratulations. A number of
the messages asked why I would leave the world of law and move to
Evanston to assume this prestigious, yet challenging, opportunity.
Although the reasons were many, there are five that were particularly
meaningful and relevant.
First, the mission of
Rotary and its focus on integrity, and the promotion of goodwill,
peace, and understanding through fellowship. For me, this will not
be so much a job as a passion.
Second, there is not
an organization in the world better positioned to carry out that
mission. The 1.2 million leaders and 34,000 clubs in over 200 geographic
locations create an incredible and unmatched platform to make the
world a better place. What this organization, what you as Rotarians,
have been able to achieve over the past 106 years is simply extraordinary.
Third, Rotary has been
a part of my family for many years. My father has been a committed
Rotarian for almost 30 years, and my mother has been a steadfast
supporter of his life in Rotary. My dad is a past club president
and a four-time Paul Harris Fellow, and was very active in helping
to establish the first Rotary clubs in Ukraine after the fall of
the Soviet Union. It was thanks to him that I became a charter member
of the first club in Kyiv. My mother continues to be active in a
number of community service efforts, both in Clarkston and the Ukrainian
American community, and was also recently named a Paul Harris Fellow.
Thirty years of watching my parents practice Service Above Self
has had a profound impact on me.
By the way, as an interesting
aside, I first found out about the position when my father sent
me a copy of an announcement in The Rotarian magazine that Rotary
was looking for a new general secretary. I think the lesson here
is clear: Very good things happen when you read The Rotarian magazine.
Fourth, this, quite
frankly, is a very exciting time to be coming to Rotary. The goal
of eradicating polio is close at hand. Rotary International has
just launched a new strategic plan, and The Rotary Foundation is
rolling out the Future Vision Plan. There is a saying that "timing
is everything," and for me, the timing for joining Rotary could
not be better.
And finally, the internationality
of Rotary dovetails with my own professional and personal background
and experience. My many years as a partner with Baker & McKenzie,
a global law firm; studying and working in the UK, Ecuador, Mexico,
Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic; serving
as a senior official in a U.S. government agency charged with delivering
development assistance funding to the world's poorest countries;
writing extensively on international issues — these experiences
give me a perspective on the world that will allow me to better
serve Rotary and its tremendously diverse membership.
Now, as I have gotten
to know Rotary more intimately in the last four months, I am struck
by how little many Rotarians know about the function and work of
the Secretariat, and its talented professional staff in Evanston
and in the seven regional Rotary offices outside the United States.
My team — the Rotary professional staff — is vital to
the success of this organization. I want to assure you that one
of my top priorities will be to better connect Rotarians with the
Secretariat, to increase awareness as to what the Secretariat can
offer, and to make sure the Secretariat is an effective, efficient,
and useful resource for the clubs, so that clubs are able to grow
and carry out the mission of Rotary.
I look forward to supporting
President-elect Kalyan Banerjee and Trustee Chair-elect Bill Boyd
in their service to Rotary. The new strategic plan and Future Vision
Plan strike the right balance between maintaining continuity with
the past while outlining a unified, coherent, and ambitious roadmap
for measured change, and I look forward to working with all of you
to implement these plans.
The future for Rotary
is bright indeed. We will rid the world of the terrible scourge
of polio — we will rid the world of this terrible disease
— and then we will be bold and aggressive and identify and
conquer the next big global challenge. We will redouble our public
relations efforts to enhance our brand and image so that the world
better appreciates and understands the great works of Rotary and
the value of connecting through fellowship. During this second Rotary
century, we will successfully use the power and passion of Rotarians
to bring water, sanitation, and basic education to millions, to
reduce child mortality, to prevent disease around the world, and
to promote peace and sustainable economic development.
More and more, we will
partner with others in order to better leverage our resources. We
will make a meaningful contribution to the current ongoing global
debate on how best to address the needs of those less fortunate.
We will promote the ideas of community service and volunteerism
among our youth and bring the world closer together through our
scholarship and exchange programs. New technologies will strengthen
our image among the world's next generation of leaders. We will
work hard to strengthen clubs and increase Rotary membership around
the world, with a particular focus on attracting a younger and more
diverse membership. And we will do all of this in the spirit of
friendship, goodwill, and fellowship that has been the hallmark
of Rotary.
So again, thank you
for the opportunity to be here. Marga and I have been privileged
to meet so many of you this week and have been deeply moved by the
warm welcome that you have extended to us. As I look out from this
stage and see the faces of thousands of Rotarians, united by the
call to service and good works, I feel a sense of wonder and amazement
at who you are and what you have accomplished. And today I pledge
to you that, as your new general secretary, I will invest every
ounce of my energy to ensure the Rotary flame burns ever brighter
so that, working together, we can continue to make the world a better
place — for our families and friends, for our communities
and countries, and for future generations to come. Thank you
When John Hewko takes office on 1 July,
he will be the 12th person to serve as Rotary's general secretary.
The first was Chesley Reynolds Perry, a Spanish-American
War veteran and former Chicago Public Library employee.
In August 1910, the newly formed National
Association of Rotary Clubs unanimously selected Perry for the role,
then known as secretary. He accepted the part-time position at $100
per month, with an agreement that the amount of time he would devote
would remain unspecified.
By 1912, the job had evolved into a full-time
executive role, and the Board of Directors agreed to increase Perry’s
salary.
His office on LaSalle Street in Chicago served
as the first headquarters of the National Association. In 1911,
Rotary established an office in the First National Bank Building
at Dearborn and Monroe streets. The headquarters would move five
more times during Perry’s term -- always into rented facilities.
Perry served in the position longer than any
of his successors. He also served as editor and business manager
of The Rotarian from 1911 to 1928, and he opened Rotary’s
first international office, in Zurich, in February 1925. During
his final year in office in 1941-42, the position’s title
was changed to general secretary.
In 1940, when Perry announced his plans to
retire, he agreed to remain in his post while the organization trained
his replacement, Philip C. Lovejoy. A number of clubs sought to
nominate Perry for RI president in 1942-43, but he declined, saying,
“I am gratefully conscious of the high compliment thereby
being paid to me.”
After retiring, Perry remained a member of
the Rotary Club of Chicago, and served as its president in 1944-45.
In 1954, Rotary offered him the title “secretary emeritus”
to honor his years of service, but he again declined, preferring
the role of ordinary Rotarian.
Perry died on 21 February 1960 at the age
of 87.
June 2011 - Rotary International
General Secretary Ed Futa's End of Term remarks:
While serving as your general secretary over
the past decade, I've watched Rotary International and The Rotary
Foundation grow considerably in terms of size, effectiveness, public
prominence, and financial assets. During that time, we also experienced
some very challenging financial situations, most recently the economic
crisis of 2008. As I write to you in the final quarter of fiscal
year 2011, I'm happy to report that both RI and our Foundation are
now on solid financial ground.
Due to strong performance of the financial
markets during the past two years, Rotary International has more
than recovered its investment losses of fiscal 2008 and 2009. With
investment returns of 22 percent for the first nine months in fiscal
2011, our reserves now stand at US$134 million. The Rotary Foundation
is also experiencing healthy investment returns this fiscal year
and has recovered about 80 percent of its fiscal 2008 and 2009 losses.
RI and Foundation investment performance has exceeded market performance
during the nine months ended 31 March 2011.
As a result of actions taken last June by
the RI Board and the Foundation Trustees, RI's General Fund and
the Foundation's Annual Programs Fund have been restructured to
mitigate the impact of large losses in the financial markets and
to provide protection against inflation.
The generosity of Rotarians also helps ensure
our financial stability. Through 31 March, contributions totaled
$69 million to the Annual Programs Fund and $11 million to the Permanent
Fund, increases of $6 million and $3 million, respectively, over
the previous year.
These figures are especially heartening when
you consider that Rotarians have also been providing tremendous
support to Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge. Since its inception,
contributions to the challenge have totaled $166 million through
31 March, illustrating Rotarians' unwavering commitment to achieving
a polio-free world. Equally encouraging is the significant progress
being made in our fight to eradicate polio in the four endemic countries,
particularly India and Nigeria.
The Foundation's improved financial outlook
ensures that Rotarians will have substantial resources to help support
their vital work. Having previously restored the current year's
Matching Grants budget, the Foundation Trustees recently approved
a comparable budget for 2011-12. In addition, the budget for the
Future Vision pilot will enable pilot districts to adequately test
the new grant model before it launches for all districts on 1 July
2013.
A crucial piece of any financial picture is
spending. The Secretariat staff is constantly considering how we
can keep costs down while meeting Rotarians' wide-ranging expectations
for service. By aligning our resources more closely to the strategic
plan, taking full advantage of available technology, and closely
monitoring our budgets, we have consistently kept expenses at or
under budget.
More information about Rotary's financial
position is available online at www.rotary.org/financials. And on
23 May, the RI treasurer's report to the convention will be posted
as part of our 2011 RI Convention coverage.
As you may know, I am retiring as general
secretary on 30 June. Thanks to the vigorous efforts of the volunteer
leadership and the Secretariat staff, I will be leaving Rotary in
a strong financial position. My successor, John Hewko, brings a
wealth of experience to the job. With the help of our senior leaders
and our staff, he will continue to provide the level of careful
financial stewardship that Rotarians so rightly expect.
I leave wishing you all the best as you continue
in Rotary service.
Sincerely,
Ed Futa
General Secretary
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