The Global Alumni Service to Humanity Award is intended to celebrate Rotary Foundation alumni whose extraordinary service activities and professional achievements exemplify the Rotary ideal of Service Above Self. Every year, each regional Rotary Foundation coordinator is eligible to nominate an outstanding Foundation alumnus or alumna representing his/her area for the award. The Foundation Trustees then select the global winner from among the zone winners.
2011-12 Award Winners
Global Winner (Zone 8)
John Skerritt
(District 9810) Rotarian Skerritt is a research scientist, professor of agriculture, and deputy secretary of the Department of Primary Industries in Victoria, managing Australia’s largest agricultural output. He has provided assistance to India, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries in the areas of medical science, biotechnology, agriculture, and public administration. A member of the Rotary Club of Hampton, he was a Rotaractor and Interactor, and a 1983-84 Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Zone 3
Yuki Sunami
(District 2690) is an opera vocalist and voice instructor who won first prize at an international competition in Italy. After Japan was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, she assisted in a US$100,000 Matching Grant project between Rotary clubs in District 2100 (Italy) and District 2520 (Japan). She continues to support the relief efforts through charity concerts and service activities. She was a 2007-08 Ambassadorial Scholar at Conservatorio di musica San Pietro a Majella in Naples, Italy.
Zone 7A
Evelyn Langga-Gay
(District 3860) is a paralegal and consultant in Georgia, USA, and serves as an advocate for the poor, elderly, and disabled. She is a senior paralegal for Georgia Legal Services working with low-income citizens and co-founded their Elder Rights Project. She has received much recognition from the government for her work as well as the Rotary Service Above Self Award. A former Rotarian, she was a 1975-76 Ambassadorial Scholar to Georgia Southern College in Statesboro, Georgia, USA, 1988-89 Group Study Exchange team member to India, and 1997-98 GSE team leader to the Philippines.
Zone 10B
Chin Hsien Lee
(District 3490), a physician in Taiwan, has provided medical services in India and Cambodia, and assisted in numerous Matching Grants projects, including providing disaster relief, water wells, and medical equipment. He has received numerous awards within the medical profession and Rotary. A member of the Rotary Club of Panchiao North, he served as governor of District 3490 in 2009-10 and was a 2008-09 Rotary Volunteer to Cambodia.
Zone 20A South
David Coltart
(District 9210) is a senator, attorney and human rights activist in Zimbabwe. Throughout his legal and political career, he has strived to improve conditions in his country, for which he has received local and international recognition. Coltart is considered an expert on the political situation in Zimbabwe and on legal defense of human rights and support for education. He was a 1985-86 Group Study Exchange team member to the United States.
Zone 22B
Elizabeth Araujo Cunha
(District 4550) works for the Department of Agriculture in the state of Bahia, Brazil. A member of the Rotary Club of Salvador-Pituba, she is a dedicated leader and supporter of her community. She has participated in various service projects, such as building a laundry facility in a residence for underprivileged senior citizens. She was a 1993-94 Group Study Exchange team leader to Mexico.
Zone 22B & C
Alberto Musto
(District 4890) is an assistant professor in Neurosurgery and Neuroscience at the Louisiana State University Health Science Center in Louisiana, USA. He is a neurologist, radiologist, doctor of philosophy, and teacher, and is studying cellular and molecular mechanisms as a cure for epilepsy. He has provided gratis assistance to thousands of patients with neurological disorders in poor communities in his hometown of Buenos Aires and mentored several medical students. A member of the Rotary Club of New Orleans, Musto is a Paul Harris Fellow and was a 1998-99 Group Study Exchange team member to USA.
Zone 24E
Julie Hard
(District 7070) is a physiotherapist and human rights advocate in Ontario, Canada. She serves as the country director for Haiti for CBM International, a Christian development organization. She has used her skills to help the disadvantaged in Canada, Kenya, Haiti and other countries, with a focus on caring for those with HIV/AIDS. Hard was a 2004-05 Group Study Exchange team member to Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Zone 24W
Yashar Keramati
(District 5050) Yashar Taheri-Keramati is a student and the founder and executive director of Peace and Love International, an aid, development, and education organization. The organization has supported initiatives in various countries, but primarily operates in South Africa, where Keramati currently studies. He has served extensively as a volunteer and remains highly involved in Rotary. He was a 2009-10 Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa.
Zone 25
J. Kim Bauriedel
(District 5130) a member of the Rotary Club of Eureka, California, USA, is a retired urologist. As a result of his 2000-01 experience as a Group Study Exchange team leader in Russia’s Siberian region, he has participated widely in humanitarian work in the region, including assisting with numerous Matching Grant projects, helping to charter new Rotary clubs, and leading friendship exchanges.
Zone 26
C. Ray Carlson
(District 5300) is an advocate for entrepreneurial development and job creation for youth in southern California, USA. He collaborated with World Links, a World Bank agency, and founded the Entrepreneurial Media Consortium, both aimed at eradicating poverty by creating jobs. Carlson has received recognition from the World Bank and been featured in The Rotarian for his work. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Altadena, California, and was a Discovery Grant recipient to Poland.
Zone 27
Wes McCoy
(District 5710) is the owner of an insurance sales business in Kansas, USA. Through Rotary, he has provided extensive humanitarian service to Central America, particularly Guatemala. He was named 2011 Guatemala Peace Ambassador for his work. A member of the Rotary Club of Olathe, he is a past district governor and was a 2005-06 Rotary Volunteer to Panama.
Zone 27 & 21B
Joanna Nichols
(District 5840) is an epidemiologist in Texas, USA. She has worked on numerous projects addressing literacy, hunger, homelessness, particularly among underprivileged children. She has also helped implement projects along the US-Mexico border to reduce the incidence of infectious diseases. A member of the Rotary Club of San Antonio Evening, she was a 2005-06 Ambassadorial Scholar at Kobenhavns Universitet in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Zone 28
David Mulford
(District 6420) is vice chairman international for Credit Suisse, based in London and New York. A former US Ambassador to India, he also served as under secretary and assistant secretary of the US Treasury for International Affairs. Mulford has been internationally recognized for his public and private sector work. He was a 1959-60 Ambassadorial Scholar at the University of Cape Town in Cape Town, South Africa.
Zone 29
William Cadwallader
(District 7170) is a retired veterinarian in New York, USA. Through Rotary, he has undertaken numerous service projects, mainly in Central and South America, and received many awards for his work. A member of the Rotary Club of Cortland, he is a past RI director and was a 2008-09 Rotary Volunteer to Venezuela.
Zone 31
Lee Losey
(District 6510) is a public health specialist currently working as a real estate manager in Chicago, Illinois, USA. As program director of Mercy Corps in Pakistan, he provided support for Afghan refugees in the areas of health care, water, and sanitation. Losey has been a polio consultant for the World Health Organization in Sudan, worked on many health projects for Catholic Relief Services in Angola, and created a health information system for CARE in Angola. He was a 1987-88 Ambassadorial Scholar at St Andrews University in Scotland.
Zone 33
Geetha Jayaram
(District 7620) is a psychiatrist on the faculty at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Maryland, USA, and an associate professor in the department of psychiatry USA. She has worked in mental health projects in southern India. A member of the Rotary Club of Columbia, Maryland, she is a former Rotaractor and a 2005-06 University Teacher at St. John's Medical College in Bangalore, India.
Zone 34
Patricia Sinclair-McCalla
(District 7020) is CEO of the Public Sector Transformation Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister, charged with improving the efficiencies of state agencies. A career public servant, she created numerous programs that have helped stabilize social sectors in Jamaica. She was a 1981-82 Ambassadorial Scholar at Burwood College in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.