Plenary Session I – Friday Lunch

Vicki Puliz

Rotary International Director 2021-2023

Vicki serves as the Rotary International Director for the term 2021-2023, one of 17 directors from around the world. In 2022-2023, Vicki is a member of the Board’s Executive Committee, chair of the RI Participant Experience/Program Committee, and Board liaison to the RI Strategic Planning Committee and Youth Advisory Council. A proud member of the Rotary Club of Sparks, Nevada, Vicki served as club president in 2004-2005, as Governor for District 5190 in 2013-2014, and as a Rotary Public Image Coordinator 2016-2019.

Vicki’s passion for leadership development has led to involvement in many aspects of education and development including District Trainer for District 5190,

International Assembly Training Leader, Governor Elect Training Seminar (GETS) chair, and faculty and Education Chair for Far West President Elect Training (PETS).

Her most impactful experiences in Rotary are those involving youth: Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), co-creation of a leadership program for 12–13-year-olds, Rotary Youth Exchange, and introduction of experiential team building processes to a RYLA camp in Benin, Africa.

Vicki and her husband Tim participated in a National Immunization Day in northern India in 2009. Giving those two precious drops to a 2-year-old child at a train station in Moradabad and other life changing experiences of the NID made polio eradication very personal to them both.

Vicki graduated from the University of Utah with a Marketing degree and Master of Business Administration and went on to own a commercial electrical contracting firm in northern Nevada for 19 years before merging it into a public traded entity.

Vicki and Tim live in Reno, Nevada, at the base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Their blended family includes seven adult children, ten grandchildren, and three Rotary Youth Exchange daughters. Their interests include outdoor activities and general aviation. Vicki and Pilot Tim are members of the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians. They support Our Rotary Foundation as Major Donors and members of the Paul Harris Society, Polio Plus Society, and the Bequest Society.

Plenary Session II - Dinner Friday

John T Blount, DDS

Rotary Club of Sebastopol, California, USA

John T. Blount is recently retired after 42 years as a dentist in a private practice in Sebastopol, California. He has been a member of Sebastopol’s Palm Drive Hospital staff, a director in the local chamber of commerce, a director for the regional Redwood Empire Dental Association, and a trustee for the Sonoma County Community Foundation. He worked as an advisor to the President for the Seoul RI Convention, and, as a member of the 2018 Toronto RI Convention Committee focused on the program design. He recently completed a three year term as the Chairman of the 2019 Hamburg RI Convention committee.

John joined the Rotary Club of Sebastopol in 1977, served as President in 1982-83, and in 1990 became the youngest Governor in the history of District 5130 in Northwestern California.

John served on several world-organization committees for Rotary, many that deal with Rotary’s future, including “New Models of Rotary Clubs”, “Rotary Action Groups Development Committee”, seven RI President nominating committees, and Vice Chair of the 2008 International Institute.

Dr. Blount was a member of the RI Board of Directors in 2009-2011. He was chair of the board’s Executive Committee and the General Secretary Search Committee in 2010. In 2011-2013 he chaired RI’s Communications Committee. In 2015 he was the Moderator and Vice Chair of Rotary’s global training program, the International Assembly. He has just completed a three year assignment on Rotary’s Peace Centers Committee.

He became a teacher, a trainer, and a motivator for Rotary shortly after serving as a club president in 1982, in District Assemblies, conferences, and institutes. He was an RI Training Leader in 1993 and 1994.

He began teaching incoming Governors in 1992 at GETS in the western United States and Canada and was the RI “Zone Trainer” for that region in 1996. From 2003 to 2007 John chaired the instruction and curriculum for that GETS. He led Rotary’s entire western United States Education Division in 2007-2008.

John has instructed club presidents-elect each year at the 9-district Far West PETS since 1986. He was chair of the Instructors and Curriculum from 1995 to 1997 and was the General Chair in 2003.

John and his wife Patti are Paul Harris Fellows, Major Donors, and Bequest Society members. Their daughter and son-in-law, Jennifer and Shannon Thorn, are both physicians and the proud parents of Sofia Katelyn and Spencer John.

Plenary Session III - Breakfast Saturday

Michael Angelo Caruso

Michael Angelo Caruso teaches people how to be better speakers and presenters so they can help more people and amp up their careers.

He utilizes his unique background in the technology sector and a separate career in the entertainment business to deliver keynote speeches that feel like a combination of your best teacher and your favorite comedian.

Michael delivers about 70 presentations and keynote speeches a year. He has spoken on five continents and in 49 of the 50 states.

Michael is known for getting extremely fast results with his clients. He can make anyone a better communicator and regularly demonstrates his effective communication strategies by helping audience members improve during his presentation.

Caruso is founder and President of Edison House, an international consulting firm specializing in corporate and personal improvement. Edison House clients include Hallmark, Bank of America, Verizon Wireless, Rayovac, Citgo, Nissan and the United States Navy.

Michael has authored Work Hacks and the audiobook, Dear Michael Angelo -- A Father's Life Letters to His Son. He also has a highly rated online speaker coaching masterclass titled, Present Like a Pro.

A lifetime Rotarian, Michael loves giving back. He enjoys exercise, movies, non-fiction books and travel.

Plenary Session IV - Lunch Saturday

Mary Beth Growney Selene

Mary Beth Growney Selene has been a member of the Rotary Club of Madison West Towne-Middleton since 1987 and she served her club as President in 1993-1994.

In District 6250 she served as Governor in 2000-2001 and subsequently as District Membership Chair and District Rotary Foundation Chair.

Mary Beth served as a member of the Rotary International Board of Directors in 2013-2015 and as a Rotary Foundation Trustee in 2016-2019. While a Trustee, she was a member of the Finance, Programs and, Stewardship Committees of The Rotary Foundation; the RI-USAID Partnership Steering Committee and; the US PolioPlus Advocacy Committee. She continues to serve on the Rotary-USAID Partnership Steering Committee. Mary Beth is currently a member of the Rotary Operations Review Committee. She is also a member of the WASH Rotary Action Group (formerly WASRAG) Board of Directors.

Mary Beth and her husband Alan Selene are Major Donors and Bequest Society members to The Rotary Foundation’s Endowment Fund and they are both Paul Harris Society members to the Annual Fund.

She is a recipient of the Rotary International Service Above Self award and The Rotary Foundation’s Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Awards.

She is committed to helping others understand the value of their personal contributions to The Rotary Foundation. The unique model of OUR Rotary Foundation enables our donors to become actively involved in transforming lives through our District and Global Grant initiatives.

Banquet Plenary Session V – Saturday Dinner

Gordon R. McInally

A member of the Rotary Club of South Queensferry, Lothian, Scotland, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2023-24. He will be declared the president-nominee on 1 October if no challenging candidates have been suggested.

McInally lauded Rotary' s ability to adapt technologically during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the approach should continue and be combined with the best of our past practices as Rotary seeks to grow and increase engagement.

"We have learned there is a willingness within communities to care for one another," he says, "and we must ensure that we encourage people who have recently embraced the concept of volunteering to join us to allow them to continue giving service."

McInally says that senior leaders' ability to communicate directly with club members online will be one positive legacy of the changes Rotary has had to make. But, he adds, "face-to-face meetings remain important, as they encourage greater interaction."

The best way to increase membership is engagement, according to Mclnally. To better support clubs, he says, Rotary International, regional leaders, and district teams all need to engage with them. Engagement through social media will reinforce Rotary's brand and showcase the opportunities that come with it. And, he says, engagement with governments, corporations, and other organizations will lead to meaningful partnerships.

With better engagement, McInally says, "We will grow Rotary both by way of membership and in our ability to provide meaningful service."

He adds, "Membership is the lifeblood of our organization. I would encourage the use of the flexibility now available to establish new-style clubs that would appeal to a different demographic."

McInally, a graduate of dental surgery at the University of Dundee, owned and operated his own dental practice in Edinburgh. He was the chair of the East of Scotland branch of the British Paedodontic Society and has held various academic positions. He has also served as a Presbytery elder, chair of Queensferry Parish Congregational Board, and commissioner to the church's general assembly.

A Rotary member since 1984, McInally has been president and vice president of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland. He has also served Rotary International as a director and as member or chair of several committees. He was the adviser to the recent 2022 Houston Convention Committee and chair of the Operations Review Committee.

McInally and his wife, Heather, are Major Donors and Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation. They are also members of the Bequest Society.