Incoming governors connect in California

Mark Daniel Maloney, Rotary International president-elect, unveiled the 2019-20 presidential theme, Rotary Connects the World, to incoming district governors at the International Assembly in San Diego in January. The annual training event featured speakers and workshops on topics including membership initiatives, strategic priorities, financial responsibilities, and doing good in the world with help from The Rotary Foundation.

Henrietta Fore, executive director of UNICEF, spoke to governors-elect about the shared impact of our organizations on polio eradication and other global issues. The International Assembly also included programming for governors’ partners and, for the first time, a group of Rotaractors invited by Maloney. Rotary “allows us to connect with each other, in deep and meaningful ways, across our differences,” Maloney said in announcing the theme.

“It connects us to people we would never otherwise have met, who are more like us than we ever could have known. It connects us to our communities, to professional opportunities, and to the people who need our help.”