Rotary
names Attorney John Hewko as its Top Executive
Experience of seasoned international professional complements
the global humanitarian organization’s mission and philosophy
EVANSTON, Ill. (Jan.
12, 2011) — Rotary International has named John Hewko, an
attorney with extensive international experience in both the private
and public sectors, to be the global humanitarian service organization’s
new top executive, serving as its general secretary.
In this position, Hewko
will manage more than 600 employees of Rotary International and
its charitable arm, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
Headquartered in Evanston, Ill., with regional offices in seven
countries, Rotary’s Secretariat supports the activities of
more than 33,000 Rotary clubs in over 200 countries and geographical
areas, with a combined membership of 1.2 million men and women.
The Rotary Foundation annually distributes over $180 million to
fund a variety of educational programs and humanitarian projects
throughout the world.
Hewko is a former partner
with the international law firm of Baker & McKenzie and was
vice president at the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a US government
agency established in 2004 to deliver US foreign assistance to the
world’s poorest countries. He begins work on July 1 at a key
moment in Rotary’s 106-year history. Hewko will play a lead
role in the implementation of the organization’s newly-revised
strategic plan that envisions Rotary’s expanded engagement
in areas such as maternal and child health, water and sanitation,
disease prevention and treatment, basic education and literacy,
economic and community development and peace studies and conflict
prevention/resolution. His tenure could also see the successful
conclusion of Rotary’s principal humanitarian initiative:
its 25-year campaign to eradicate the crippling disease polio, a
goal that is more than 99 percent complete.
Hewko also will interact
with government and business leaders to enhance Rotary’s global
visibility and forge new strategic partnerships worldwide to achieve
common objectives and maximize the use of resources. He also will
work to expand and strengthen Rotary’s current relationship
with organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation,
the World Health Organization, US Agency for International Development
(USAID) and others.
In announcing Hewko’s
hiring, Rotary International President Ray Klinginsmith hailed his
“visionary leadership” and predicted that under Hewko’s
leadership Rotary will “continue to grow in numbers, stature
and involvement in making the world a better place. Rotary is fortunate
to have attracted a candidate with John Hewko's proven ability and
extensive international experience,” Klinginsmith said. “His
leadership will be an important asset for Rotary in the next few
years.”
During his 15 years
at Baker & McKenzie, Hewko specialized in international corporate
transactions in emerging markets. He participated in the establishment
of the firm’s Moscow office and was the managing partner of
its offices in Kyiv and Prague. While in Ukraine in the early 1990s,
Hewko assisted the working group that prepared the initial draft
of the new Ukrainian post-Soviet constitution and was a charter
member of the first Rotary club in Kyiv. Prior to joining Baker
& McKenzie, he worked for leading Brazilian and Argentine law
firms and later with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Washington and
New York handling Latin American and project finance transactions.
In 2004, Hewko entered
public service with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
As vice president for operations and compact development, Hewko
had primary responsibility for managing MCC’s relationship
with its 26 partner countries in Africa, Asia, South America, the
Middle East and the former Soviet Union. During his tenure he oversaw
the development, negotiation and approval of foreign assistance
agreements with 18 countries totaling $6.3 billion for projects
in infrastructure, agriculture, water, sanitation, health and education.
For the past year, he has been a non-resident senior associate at
the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where his writing
has focused on international development and foreign policy issues.
Hewko is a 1985 graduate
of Harvard Law School, and holds a master’s degree from Oxford
University (where he studied as a Marshall Scholar) and a bachelor’s
degree from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. He speaks six languages.
“I am delighted
to be joining Rotary and honored to be able to participate in the
organization’s mission to promote world peace and understanding
by addressing some of the root causes of conflict, such as poverty,
hunger, disease, illiteracy and the global water and sanitation
crisis,” Hewko said. “Rotary’s global membership
of 1.2 million business and professional leaders -- supported by
a dedicated, professional staff -- is a powerful resource that is
making a meaningful global and grassroots contribution to that goal.
Just look at what Rotary already has accomplished in the area of
polio prevention and eradication.”
Hewko emerged from a
field of 440 potential candidates for Rotary’s top job. The
Rotary search committee worked with Korn/Ferry International, the
world’s largest executive search firm. Hewko replaces Edwin
Futa, who is retiring after 10 years as general secretary.
Hewko and his wife, Margarita, have a daughter, Maria, who graduates
this year from high school in the Washington, D.C. area.
RI News recently sat down with him to talk about his background
and why he took the job.
Within days of the announcement
of your being hired, you met Rotary leaders in Ukraine and addressed
incoming district governors in San Diego at the International Assembly.
What did you tell them?
I expressed to them
how honored and delighted I am to have been chosen as Rotary's next
general secretary. I also explained my motivation and interest in
the position and assured them that my top priority will be to make
sure that the Secretariat remains an effective and useful resource
for the clubs, so that they are able to grow and are better able
to carry out the mission of Rotary. I was particularly moved by
the fact that the first Rotarians I addressed after the announcement
were in Ukraine, where I had been a member of the Kyiv club in the
early 1990s.
When did you first hear
about Rotary?
My father has been an
active Rotarian for almost 30 years in Clarkston, Michigan, a small
town north of Detroit. Seeing my father's enthusiasm for Rotary
and the impact that his club's service projects had on the local
community made me appreciate the beauty of Rotary – grassroots
people pulling together on their own initiative, trying to do good
in their communities. When I would visit my parents while living
abroad, my dad would occasionally invite me to speak at his club.
I was always impressed by the quality of the members and their passion
and dedication to the organization and its principles.
Tell us about your experience
with Rotary in Kyiv.
When I was working in
Ukraine in the early 1990s, my father's club was one of the sponsors
of the first Rotary club in Kyiv. My dad came to the United States
from Ukraine after the Second World War and had a strong interest
in seeing Rotary develop in his former homeland. Through his involvement
in helping the Kyiv club get up and running, I became interested
in the effort and was fortunate enough to become a charter member
of the club.
Why were you interested
in the job of RI general secretary?
As I mentioned during
my address to the International Assembly, first and foremost, the
Rotary mottoes of Service Above Self and Doing Good in the World,
The Four-Way Test, the focus on integrity, and the promotion of
goodwill, peace, and understanding through the fellowship of business,
professional, and community leaders – these are all ideas
and concepts that I believe in and strongly support. For me, this
will not be so much a job as a passion. Second, there is no organization
in the world that is better positioned to carry out that mission.
Of course, my dad's involvement in Rotary sparked a keen interest.
This is also an exciting time to be joining the Rotary family, as
the organization tries to move to the next level through the implementation
of RI's Strategic Plan and The Rotary Foundation's Future Vision
Plan. Finally, the fact that Rotary is a truly international organization
dovetails with my own professional and personal background and experience.
What professional experiences
helped prepare you for your new role?
There were several.
I was an international partner in Baker & McKenzie (B&M),
the largest law firm in the world, with over 3,000 lawyers in more
than 60 offices around the world. B&M is a very diverse and
international organization, where a majority of the attorneys are
non-Americans. Just as Rotary, it has to strike a balance between
maintaining global standards and procedures, while at the same time
allowing for enough autonomy at the local level. My time with B&M
was spent almost exclusively outside the United States – in
Russia, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. So it was excellent training
in terms of understanding how large, multinational, multicultural
organizations operate, as well as understanding the challenges they
face.
The other experience was at the Millennium Challenge Corporation
(MCC), a U.S. government agency created in 2004 under President
George W. Bush to provide development assistance to the world's
poorest countries. I managed the largest department at MCC, and
during my tenure I oversaw the development and negotiation of foreign
assistance agreements totaling $6.3 billion with 18 countries for
transportation, water and sanitation, rural development, microfinance,
health, education, and other development projects. I've also spent
time in think tanks and written on international development issues.
These experiences, I believe, have given me a perspective on the
world that will allow me to better serve Rotary, its mission, and
most important, its diverse membership.
How does Rotary's work
fit in with the international development world from your perspective?
There is currently a
spirited global debate in the development community on how best
to deliver assistance to the world's poor. I would like to see Rotary
at the discussion table, taking a leading role and making a meaningful
contribution to this debate. I'd like to see Rotary partner more
effectively with other foundations and strategic partners in order
to better leverage our resources. In my opinion, one of the principal
goals of government and nongovernmental organizations' development
activities should be to create the conditions for sustainable, private-sector-led
economic growth. If you add up all of the official development assistance
in the world, it pales in comparison to the resources available
in the private sector. This is where Rotary, with its enormous network
of private-sector leaders, can play a very important role.
What is the greatest
lesson you learned from your international development experience
that might be applied at Rotary International?
The biggest challenge
is sustainability. The world is littered with humanitarian and development
projects that ultimately failed because they were not sustainable.
Putting a water pump in a village is only half the battle. Equally
important is providing the village with the training and the financial
means to operate, repair, and maintain the pump once the donor has
left. If a project is not sustainable, if it can't survive on its
own without ongoing outside financial or technical support, then
you may want to reevaluate its design. I would urge Rotarians to
look at a potential project through two important lenses: Will it
lead to economic growth? And, is it sustainable?
What are Rotary's greatest strengths?
I think the greatest
strength of the organization is its membership. You have 1.2 million
professionals and businesspeople around the world, all with influence,
all with connections, and all with a deep grassroots presence in
their communities. There are very few nongovernmental organizations
in the world with that kind of global reach and global presence.
Source: Rotary International
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