Our Leaders
Our leaders at Rotary exemplify all of the qualities that make our members extraordinary: integrity, expertise, and a commitment to service.
Rotary is led by a diverse international team of top executives. Whether developing Rotary policy, providing financial support, managing a global staff, or advancing Rotary’s strategic plan, each member of the team is dedicated to helping our members connect and take action to create sustainable change.
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President
Rotary’s president presides over the Board of Directors and is elected to a one-year term.
Meet our president
Ian H.S. Riseley is a chartered accountant and principal of Ian Riseley and Co., a firm he established in 1976. Prior to starting his own firm, he worked in the audit and management consulting divisions of large accounting firms and corporations. His firm specializes in income tax and management advice for individuals and small businesses. He has a master’s degree in taxation law and graduate diplomas in accounting and income tax.
Read the president's biography.
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Trustee chair
The trustee chair is elected by the Board of Trustees and leads The Rotary Foundation for one year.
Meet our trustee chair
Paul A. Netzel is founder and chair of Netzel Grigsby Associates Inc., a leading management consulting firm specializing in work with nonprofit organizations and institutions throughout the western United States. Netzel has received The Rotary Foundation's Citation for Meritorious Service. Both Paul and his wife, Diane, are charter members of the Arch Klumph Society, Major Donors, and members of the Paul Harris Society and Bequest Society of The Rotary Foundation.
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General secretary
Rotary’s general secretary and executive team oversee a staff of more than 800, who serve Rotary members from our world headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA, and seven international offices. The general secretary is a member of the Rotary International Board of Directors and The Rotary Foundation Board of Trustees.
Meet our general secretary
John Hewko has served as Rotary International’s general secretary since 2011. A charter member of the Rotary Club of Kyiv, Ukraine, Hewko lives out Rotary’s mission, whether inside or outside the office. He’s immunized children against polio in India, represented Rotary at the World Economic Forum, and bicycled 104 miles (167 km) with Rotary members in Arizona, USA, to help raise over $13 million for polio eradication. "It’s an honor to go the extra mile in serving this great organization. I see Rotary as the original social network formed to exchange ideas and resources so we can transform lives. We’re a bold NGO that believed it could end a disease, and we’ve stuck to the cause for over three decades. That thought inspires me every morning."
Executive staff
The executive staff manages operations, including member services and programs, finance, technology, development, communications, strategy, and legal services, at our world headquarters in Evanston and offices in Buenos Aires, New Delhi, Parramatta (Sydney), São Paulo, Seoul, Tokyo, and Zurich.
Read biographies of the executive staff
Meet our senior management team
Meet our international offices management team
Directors
The Board of Directors establishes Rotary International’s policies and provides guidance that helps our clubs thrive. Clubs elect the directors every year at Rotary’s international convention, and each director serves for two years.
Board of Directors meeting dates
Trustees
The Board of Trustees manages the business of The Rotary Foundation, the charitable arm of our organization. The Rotary International president-elect nominates the trustees, and the Board of Directors elects them to four-year terms.
Regional leaders
Regional Rotary Foundation coordinators, Rotary coordinators, Rotary public image coordinators, and endowment/major gifts advisers connect Rotary members with the resources and assistance they need to succeed. Regional leaders are appointed by the Rotary International president-elect or Rotary Foundation trustee chair-elect.