Executive staff

General Secretary

John Hewko is the general secretary and chief executive officer of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Kyiv in Ukraine.

Read his full biography and follow him on Twitter .

Deputy General Secretary

Peter DeBerge

Peter DeBerge works closely with Rotary International's general secretary to direct the operations of the RI Secretariat. Before assuming this role in 2011, Peter served for more than eight years as assistant general secretary, general manager of financial services, and chief financial officer for Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation.

Peter has more than 40 years of financial, administrative, strategic planning, and business development experience. He has served as a key financial adviser to executive management in both commercial and not-for-profit organizations.

Peter earned a degree in accounting from Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, USA, and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He is a certified public accountant and a member of Financial Executives International, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and the Illinois CPA Society. He also serves on the Advisory and Development Board of St. Vincent de Paul Center in Chicago. Peter is a Paul Harris Fellow.

Chief Financial Officer, General Manager

Lori Carlson oversees all aspects of the financial operations of Rotary International and its charitable arm, The Rotary Foundation, which have combined revenues exceeding US$400 million and almost $1 billion in assets. Her responsibilities include financial management, financial planning and analysis, treasury and investment, corporate reporting, accounting services, insurance, risk management, and procurement.  

Lori has nearly 30 years of combined experience in treasury, financial planning, and financial reporting and control, most of it with the pharmaceutical companies Hospira Inc., where she was corporate vice president and treasurer, and Abbott Laboratories, where she held several positions, including assistant treasurer and treasurer for international operations.  

She graduated from Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, USA, with a degree in business administration, and she earned an MBA-finance degree from Southern Methodist University’s Edwin L. Cox School of Business, in Dallas, Texas.

Chief Communications Officer, General Manager

David Jensen

David Jensen oversees a staff of about 115 professionals in four divisions, representing public relations, Rotary's website, The Rotarian magazine and the Rotary World Magazine Press, visual communication and distribution, broadcast media, editorial services, translation and interpretation services, and other functions.  

Jensen is the former vice president for corporate communications at GE Capital International Services (now Genpact), which he joined in 2001. Before that, he worked for the global public relations firm Ketchum for more than five years, including a stint as general manager of the company's Hong Kong operations. He also held communications positions at Boeing, Raytheon, and Ampex. 

Jensen earned a bachelor's degree in journalism at Arizona State University. He is accredited by the International Association of Business Communicators and is a certified green belt in Six Sigma, the process-improvement methodology.

Chief Information Officer, General Manager of Information Services

Peter Markos leads a global team of more than 130 staffers in Information Systems and Data Processing. In addition, he helped establish RI's Information Technology Development Center in Pune, India.

Peter has more than 17 years of management and IT experience.

He graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in economics, and has an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Peter is a Paul Harris Fellow.

General Manager, RI Member Services

Theresa Nissen manages more than 200 employees, who staff the Rotary Coordinator program, Rotary International's seven international offices, and five divisions: Club and District Support, Membership Development and Research, Leadership Education and Training, RI Programs, and International Meetings.

Theresa began her career at Rotary more than 20 years ago as a scholarships coordinator for The Rotary Foundation. She has held a variety of positions, including managing the Foundation's Humanitarian Grants Program and the reorganization and administration of Rotary's international offices.

Theresa is a Paul Harris Fellow and a member of the Rotary Club of Wilmette Harbor, Wilmette, Illinois, USA.

General Manager, The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International

The Rotary Foundation is one of the largest charitable organizations in the United States for fundraising and international grant making. It's staffed by about 160 dedicated professionals. As general manager of The Rotary Foundation, John Osterlund oversees the operations of four divisions: PolioPlus, Fund Development, Future Vision Pilot Operations, and Foundation Programs. John has been a member of the Rotary staff for approximately 20 years.

He graduated with a degree in political science from the University of South Florida in Gainesville, Florida, USA, and was awarded a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship. John received his master's degree in history education from Florida State University in Tallahassee.

John is a member of the Rotary Club of Evanston Lighthouse, Evanston, Illinois. He is a Paul Harris Fellow and a Benefactor of The Rotary Foundation.

General Counsel/Manager, Legal Services

Steven Routburg

Steven Routburg and his staff counsel the leadership of Rotary International, The Rotary Foundation, and the Secretariat staff on a wide range of issues about law and legal and corporate policy. Legal Services also supports RI's triennial Council on Legislation and manages the grant stewardship function for The Rotary Foundation.

Steven joined Rotary’s staff in 1996 and has been general counsel since 1999.

He graduated from the University of Michigan Law School and received his undergraduate business degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Steven is a Paul Harris Fellow.