Gary Huang

Past President, 2014-15, Rotary International

Gary C.K. Huang was born in southern China and grew up in Taiwan. He is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, U.S.A. and holds an MBA from the College of Insurance (New York).

He is currently Honorary Chairman of Taiwan Sok Shinkong Security Co., Ltd. He is a past president of the Malayan Overseas Insurance Co.

Gary has been awarded the National Civic Service Award by the Federation of Non-Profit Associations and the Outstanding Community Service Award by the Ministry of Interior, R.O.C. In 2001, he was named “Honorary Mayor” by the City of San Antonio during Rotary’s convention.

A Rotarian since 1976, Gary is a member of the Rotary Club of Taipei, Taiwan. He has served RI as district governor, director and vice-president, Trustee of The Rotary Foundation, and as chairman and member of numerous international committees and task forces.

He has been instrumental in the area of membership development throughout Asia. As a Rotary Foundation Trustee, he set the goal of recruiting 100 new Foundation Major Donors in Taiwan to help celebrate Rotary’s centennial, which resulted in 106 Major Donors in 2005 and another 103 Major Donors in 2006 contributing more than US$2 million to the Foundation’s Annual Programs Fund.

Gary has recounted his experience in business and his life within Rotary in a 2004 book entitled Finding Solutions, Not Excuses.

He is a recipient of the RI Presidential Citation and the Service Above Self Award, Rotary’s highest honor. He also received the Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award. Gary and his wife Corinna have one son and two daughters. They are all major donors to The Rotary Foundation.

Dr Yum Keung IP

Director – SHE Aqua Technology Co. Ltd. (Hong Kong)

The strong passion to develop water treatment technology to combat water scarcity and improve drinking water quality approaching the WHO health-based-targets with our core Catalytic Advanced Treatment CAT technology.

CAT can also treat wastewater from different domestic, industrial, and agricultural sources more cost-effectively to the leachate from the landfills source. CAT can degradate the most resistant organic compounds and plastics when integrated with other conventional technologies.

I am supporting our Chief Scientist, Gheorghe Duta’s dream to help the ground water arsenic intoxicated sufferers. He has been to Thailand, Bangladesh, and Vietnam to look at their arsenic issue and developed the most cost-effective treatment plant and a plan to roll out from community to countries and globally.

Kaloy Manlupig

Volunteer CEO Safe Water for Every Child, Philippines

Charlito “Kaloy” Manlupig is the volunteer CEO of Safe Water for Every Child – Philippines (SWFEC-Ph). It is an independent, non-profit organisation registered in the Philippines committed to the mission of providing reliable access to safe drinking water for children and communities across the country.

It focuses on deploying sustainable water-filtration technologies—such as the SkyHydrant™ ultrafiltration systems and solutions to schools, barangays, and vulnerable communities affected by natural disasters. The objective is to have immediate impact to improve health, reduce water-borne diseases, and support overall community well-being. The organization works closely with local civic groups like Rotary Clubs, and partners such as the SkyJuice Foundationand Disaster Aid Australia to install and maintain water systems, conduct community training, and respond to water emergencies in underserved regions.

Kaloy is a peacebuilder, and a development and humanitarian worker. Prior to SWFEC-Ph, he was involved in community-based work including as founder, president and CEO of Balay Mindanaw, and has served in government positions. As volunteer CEO, he guides the organisation’s strategic direction, partnerships, and on-the-ground initiatives to make safe water a reality for children and families who lack basic water access.

Together, SWFEC-Ph and Kaloy champion the belief that safe water is a fundamental right for every person, translating that vision into impactful projects from communities and classrooms in Cagayan de Oro to remote villages throughout Mindanao and beyond.

Steve Bender

ESRAG

Steve Bender is a global sustainability leader and strategic advisor with decades of experience building partnerships, launching environmental initiatives, and helping organizations grow in ways that are both responsible and resilient.

He is the CEO of Sea 2 Sky Solutions, an international consulting firm focused on sustainable innovation and collaboration; the head of Newport Homes, where he leads work in green building, affordable housing, and sustainable building design—including new product lines made from recycled materials and food waste; and the CEO of The 7 Seas Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans.

Through Sea 2 Sky Solutions, Steve works with organizations across six continents to develop sustainability strategies, partnerships, and growth plans. The firm operates with partners and offices in Newport Beach, Dallas, Mexico City, Finland, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, and Panama, supporting projects in climate action, ocean conservation, green infrastructure, and community development. His work includes initiatives such as EarthX, Sustainable and Traceable Seafood Initiatives, Oceans Week Mexico, the 7 Seas Initiative, and the founding of The Rotary Reef Project, which focuses on ocean restoration and resilience for island nations and coastal communities.

Steve created the Environmental Xperience at EarthX , a bold new global sustainability event designed to capture the energy and spirit of EarthX while standing confidently on its own. Launching alongside the 15th anniversary of EarthX—one of the world’s leading sustainability conferences—the Environmental Xperience introduced an immersive format focused on real-world, practical solutions. The event was designed to foster meaningful connections among businesses, innovators, nonprofits, educators, and the public from around the world.

Steve also serves as Chairman of the Board of the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce, helping guide its national and international growth. As a founding director of both the U.S. Green Chamber and the California Green Chamber, he is widely recognized for bringing business, government, and nonprofit leaders together around shared sustainability goals—always with a focus on making sustainability work for business.

His conservation and civic leadership include, serving as President of the Rotary Club of Newport Beach (The Rotary Global Service Club), as well as Director of the Environmental and Sustainability Rotary Action Group (ESRAG) for Western North America, supporting environmental projects across more than 1,700 Rotary clubs. He also serves on the Rotary Climate Action Team and is a former President of the Newport Bay Conservancy, where he helped protect and restore one of Southern California’s most important coastal ecosystems.

Steve is the founder of Rebuild Ukraine Green, an initiative working with international partners to support post-conflict recovery in Ukraine. In collaboration with Rotary, Steve also focuses on funding landmine removal from agricultural regions and supporting a prosthetic hand program to help civilians injured by the conflict regain mobility and independence.

A certified Master Diver with a lifelong love of the ocean, Steve brings both professional expertise and personal passion to marine conservation. He is a frequent speaker and works closely with businesses, governments, NGOs, and international organizations to turn sustainability goals into practical, measurable, and lasting impact.

Brian Ashworth

Honorary CEO Disaster Aid Australia

I am a retired Chartered Civil Engineer with 40 years’ experience with all aspects of the water industry in design, construction, operations, and maintenance in the UK and Australia.

My experience includes numerous papers to Engineering Institutions and public bodies.

Since 2017 I have been providing water engineering expertise, and digital marketing, to Disaster Aid Australia.

I was asked by the board to take on my existing position of Honorary Chief Executive in June 2019.

Over the past nine years DAA have been involved in disaster responses, and ‘Safe Water For Every Child’ installations in many developing countries in the Asia Pacific Region.

We work with overseas partners to ensure effective consultation and efficient delivery which has resulted in over 400 water filters being provided.

Our largest project during this time has been Bhutan 2020: Providing safe water to 120 major schools (over 80,000 children) This continued with minimal disruption through the COVID Pandemic.

Iryna Odyntsova

Past President of Rotary Club Dnipro Novyi

Doctor of Juridical Sciences, international lawyer, member of the Ukrainian American Bar Association.

Rotary leader serving as President of RC “Dnipro Novyi” (District 2232) Ukraine, IEP Ambassador, Chair of the Rotary Fellowship of Educators.

Dedicated to advancing international legal cooperation, educational exchange, and humanitarian initiatives, with a strong commitment to building global partnerships through service and leadership.

Dr Olha Paliychuk

District 2232 Governor 2025-2026

Professional position:
MD, PhD, DMSc, Prof, MBA in Health Care
Ministry of Health of Ukraine Board Experts of the oncological diseases member and secretary,
ESMO (European Society of Medical Oncologists) and ESGO (European Society of Gynecological Oncologists) member, All-Ukrainian Association of Gynecological Oncologists and Ukrainian Association of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology Board of Experts member,
СЕО, co-founder and co-owner of the Cherkasy “Andromeda+” private medical center, Professor of the Department of Fundamental Medicine in Bohdan Khmelnytskiy Cherkasy National University, gynecologist-oncologist in the Cherkasy Regional Center of Oncology, Hematology, Transplantation and Palliative Care.

Rotary position:
DG 2025-2026, D2232 Medical Coordinator 2022-2023 and Coordinating Committee for the Prevention of Humanitarian Disaster member 2022-2025, DISC 2022-2025 and Rotary Fellowships&Action Groups Subcommittee Chair 2020-2024, SCC 2019-2022, ICC Ukraine-USA, ICC Ukraine-Netherlands & ICC Ukraine-Turkey Board member.
Rotary Fellowships and Action Groups: International Rotary Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals (IRFHP) Ukrainian Branch Secretary 2022-2025 and World Board member (Ukraine) 2023-2024, RAG of Mental Health Initiatives, WASH RAG and RAG for Peace member, RC in IYFR Region Ukraine.
Club: RC Cherkasy Foundation Chair 2019-2025.
PHF, Service Above Self Award, Major Donor.

Steve Werner

Chair WASH-RAG Ambassadors Committee

Steve Werner has more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit management and consulting with local, national international nonprofit organizations helping them to build stronger programs, fundraising plans, marketing, recruiting volunteer leaders, developing board and staff leadership and long-term strategic planning.

He most recently served as the Executive Director for the International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (IPSCAN), a multidisciplinary international organization that brings together a worldwide cross-section of committed professionals to work toward the prevention and treatment of child abuse, neglect and exploitation globally.

Werner also held the role of Executive Director for Water For People, an international nonprofit organization based in Denver, Colo., whose mission is to assist people in developing nations gain access to safe drinking water and proper sanitation.

In addition to working with Water For People, Werner has also worked for three of the largest and most successful nonprofit organizations in the United States. He rose rapidly to senior management positions with the American Cancer Society, CARE, and Habitat for Humanity International. Also, he is an experienced small business owner, having previously owned Creative Leadership Solutions, a consulting business assisting nonprofit groups. He is knowledgeable in all aspects of nonprofit management, administration, program development and fundraising. His experience has helped both small and large national and international clients.

Werner is a Fellow of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan, and of the Salzburg Seminar in Salzburg, Austria. He is a past chairman of the National Peace Corps Association, the Peace Corps alumni organization. He has also served in leadership positions with Rotary at the club, district and international levels. He is the past chair for the Center for Teaching International Relations and currently chairs the fundraising committee.

He and his wife, Patti, served together as Peace Corps volunteers in South Korea. They have three grown children and two granddaughters. They also served as foster parents for over 14 years.

Faiz Kidwai

Past Rotary International Director

Muhammad Faiz Kidwai is a Chairman of CG Global, a leading architecture, engineering, urban design, real estate development, and hospitality conglomerate in Pakistan people.equilar.com+1. He is also recognized as the first Rotary International Director from Pakistan.

Faiz Kidwai graduated in 1983 with a degree in architecture from the NED University of Engineering and Technology in Karachi people.equilar.com+1. He later earned a research fellowship in conservation in Mostar, Bosnia-Herzegovina, through the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at Harvard University people.equilar.com. His expertise lies in socially responsive architecture, with a focus on urban housing, large-scale development, and city planning.

Kidwai joined Rotaract in 1980 and became a charter member of the Rotary Club of Karachi Karsaz in 1993 people.equilar.com+1. He was deeply influenced by surviving a violent attack during the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in 1986, which led him to dedicate his life to humanitarian service people.equilar.com+1. He has been active in polio eradication in Pakistan since Rotary’s inception of the cause there.

In 1997, he founded the Rotary Community Corps (RCC) in Karachi’s suburbs, continuing community projects with his club people.equilar.com. He is the founder and chair of the Rotary Pakistan Literacy Mission, pioneering a total literacy and quality education program across Pakistan, which has partnered with over 400 schools, collected more than 700,000 books, and established over 2,000 libraries.

Kidwai also led the creation of the Rotary Jo Goth — a model, sustainable village for 160 flood-affected families in Thatta rotarypakistansmartvillages.org+1. He has supported Afghan refugees in Pakistan, co-chairing initiatives that assisted over 50,000 people, focusing on poverty alleviation, hunger relief, and education for Afghan girls and women.

Ann Marie Kimball, M.D.

Dept of Epidemiology, Univ of Washington

Ann Marie Kimball is an American physician. She is known for being the pioneer of electronic disease surveillance for infectious disease outbreaks and pandemics. She is currently a Professor Emerita in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Washington,[1] a Consulting Fellow at the Chatham House Royal Institute of Foreign Affairs,[2] and was a Strategic Consultant in Global Health at the Rockefeller Foundation. Kimball served as a technical and strategic lead for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation infectious disease surveillance strategy formation.

Kimball’s research on global trade and emerging infections has earned her a Fulbright New Century Scholars award and a Guggenheim Scholars award. She is the author of two books, entitled Risky Trade: Infectious Diseases in an Era of Global Trade, and Risks and Challenges in Medical Tourism.[3] She has also done extensive media work with television, radio and the press.[4] Kimball brought important innovations to international infectious disease surveillance through the founding of the APEC Emerging Infections network advanced electronic disease surveillance and networking in the Asia Pacific.[2]

Kimball is a Fellow in the American College of Preventive Medicine.

Angela Benson, M.D.

Chair, Rotary Action Group of Reproductive, Maternal and Child Health – Liberia

Angela will discuss the life-saving importance of WASH for mothers and babies, highlighting the significant number of preventable deaths linked to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene. She will also share insights from her work in Liberia, including collaborations with UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO).

G. Ann Evans, DrPH, MNP

G. Ann Evans will focus on how WASH relates to preventable blindness, highlighting how poor sanitation and lack of clean water can lead to eye infections and vision loss. She will also share prevention strategies and insights from her global Rotary work in blindness prevention.

Deb McCaslin, MM, PDG

Rotary Action Group for Girls’ Empowerment – Founding Member and Treasurer – Nebraska, USA

Deb will address the importance of menstrual hygiene in enabling children—especially girls—to attend school consistently, as well as the critical need for reliable access to clean water. She will also highlight the borehole project in Zimbabwe and its impact on improving health, dignity, and educational opportunities for girls.

Aziz Memon

Chair, National Polio Plus Committee, Pakistan and Rotary International PolioPlus Committee, and Past TRF Trustee

Aziz will highlight the mangrove restoration initiative in the Sindh Valley, a project launched in response to the devastating 2022 floods. He will share how this effort is contributing to environmental recovery, climate resilience, and the protection of vulnerable coastal communities.

Aziz Memon is chair of the Kings Group, a conglomerate of five companies that is one of the leading textile and ready-made garment manufacturing and exporting groups in Pakistan. He is also chair of the board of the Karachi Garment City, a project of the government of Pakistan. Memon’s other roles include honorary consul general of the Republic of Suriname in Karachi, president of the English Speaking Union of Pakistan, and president of the United Memon Jamat of Pakistan, a nongovernmental organization dedicated to community development and helping the underprivileged.

Since he joined Rotary in 1995, he has been widely recognized for his leadership in polio eradication. Memon has served as member of the International PolioPlus Committee and chair of the Pakistan PolioPlus Committee. He has worked closely with Rotary’s partners and stakeholders, including UNICEF, WHO and its Expanded Programme on Immunization, government officials, religious scholars, celebrities, business leaders, and Rotarians from around the world. He was one of four polio eradication activists to receive the Louis Pasteur Medal by the Institut Pasteur. His other RI leadership positions have included training leader, committee member, and RI president’s representative. Memon says his favorite Rotary project was working with his club to raise over $285,000 to fund an English-language instruction school for 4,000 children.

Memon has received the Service Above Self Award, the International and Regional Service Awards for a Polio-Free World, and The Rotary Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award and Citation for Meritorious Service. In recognition of his community and humanitarian services in the health sector, the president of Pakistan conferred the Pride of Performance Award on Memon in 2011. He and his wife, Samina, are members of the Arch Klumph Society.

Michael Fernando

Michael Fernando was District Governor in D1200 (in South West England) when the war in Ukraine broke out, during 2022. As a Paediatrician (Pediatrician), he helped a club in his District obtain medical supplies to fill a lorry driving to Ukraine, through the International Rotary Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals.

Borys Bodnar from RC Ukraine Unity was helping with logistics for Rotary in Ukraine and asked Michael if knew of anyone who could help Rotary in Ukraine with water. Through the ‘Magic of Rotary’ Michael was able to put Borys in touch with key players in HANWASH (the Rotary project to provide clean water to Haiti), as well as WASH RAG. Through this process, Michael ended up chairing the Ukraine International Rotary Water group, which has worked on water projects in Ukraine, including mobile water filtration units, water filter provision and a multi country Disaster Response Grant to provide a Reverse Osmosis Unit in Mykolaiv. The group includes leaders of the Ukraine District WASH team, Mark Gitelman and Borys Bodnar, as well as Past RI Director Katerina Kotsali-Papadomitriou.

Michael is chair the World Water Summit for WASH RAG. On a different note, Michael has also worked with projects to train trainers in Neonatal Resuscitation (Helping Babies Breathe) in Pakistan and Afghanistan.