Speakers

Two-time Academy Award winner Geena Davis is one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, appearing in several roles that became cultural landmarks.

Davis received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as the offbeat dog trainer Muriel Pritchett in Lawrence Kasdan’s “The Accidental Tourist.” She was again nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance in Ridley Scott’s “Thelma & Louise,” in which she co-starred with Susan Sarandon. Davis went on to receive a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her portrayal of baseball phenomenon ‘Dottie Hinson’ in “A League of Their Own.”

Earning the 2006 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama, Davis broke ground in her portrayal of the first female President of the United States in ABC’s hit show “Commander in Chief.”

She recently received her second Oscar as the recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award from the Board of Governors of the Motion Picture Academy.

Davis made her feature film debut opposite Dustin Hoffman in “Tootsie.” She went on to star in such films as “The Fly,” “Beetlejuice,” “Angie,” “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” and “Stuart Little.”

Davis is the Founder and Chair of the non-profit Geena Davis Institute, which works to reinvent, transform and inspire how global content creators and media tell stories through authentic portrayals of the population in entertainment. The Institute received the Television Academy’s Board of Governors Award in 2022.

Geena is an Executive Producer of the Gracie Award winning feature film “This Changes Everything” as well as the Emmy nominated, People’s Choice and Gracie Award winning television show “Mission Unstoppable” on CBS.

Davis is the Co-Founder of the Bentonville Film Festival, launched in 2015 to champion underrepresented voices in film and other forms of media. BFF’s goal is for the population in front of and behind the camera to reflect the diverse — and half female — world we live in.

Davis is also the author of the best-selling memoir “Dying of Politeness” and the children’s book “The Girl Who Was Too Big For the Page.”

She holds honorary degrees from Boston University, Bates College and New England College.

Tawakkol Karman, a Yemeni journalist and human rights activist, was the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize from the Arab world, sharing the prize with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, for their non-violent efforts to promote peace and their struggle for women's rights. Karman led several protests against the dictatorial regime of President Saleh, calling for democracy and freedom of speech. She founded Women Journalists Without Chains and was imprisoned and persecuted for her actions. She came forward as a courageous leader during the Arab Spring in 2011 and was praised for her efforts to promote reconciliation between Shia and Sunni Muslims and between Islam and other religions. She serves on the boards of several key international institutions and organizations, including the Nobel Women's Initiative, Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN), and the Facebook and Instagram International Oversight Board. Her Tawakkol Karman Foundation plays an important role in development by building schools, fighting poverty, and supporting health institutions in Yemen.

Born in Asmara, Eritrea, Dr. Tedros earned a Bachelor of Biology from the University of Asmara with a Bachelor of Biology, a (MS) in Immunology of Infectious Diseases from the University of London, a Ph.D in Community Health from the University of Nottingham, and an Honorary Fellowship from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Returning to Ethiopia, he initially worked as a malariologist, then led a regional health service, and later served as the country’s Minister of Health and Minister of Foreign Affairs. As Health Minister from 2005 to 2012, he led a comprehensive reform of the country’s health system, built on the foundation of universal health coverage extending to the most remote areas. He oversaw the country’s expansion of health infrastructure, innovative financing, and an increase in health workers. A key achievement was the deployment of 40,000 health workers, resulting in a 60% reduction in child and maternal mortality since 2000. 

As Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Tedros highlighted health as a critical political issue. He led efforts to negotiate the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, securing commitments from 193 countries toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

Prior to his election as Director-General of the World Health Organization in July 2017, Dr. Tedros held various leadership roles, including chair of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, chair of the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, and co-chair of the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Board.

Breanna Correia is a communications student at Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, with a lifelong connection to the Calgary Stampede and its celebration of Western heritage. She joined her first 4-H club at age nine, igniting a love for the Western way of life that continues to shape her journey today. Breanna is now an active coach for several local 4-H clubs and a dedicated supporter of everything related to agriculture and rodeo. As part of the 2025 Calgary Stampede Royalty, Breanna hopes to inspire others to embrace the Stampede’s mission of uniting communities and preserving Western heritage.

Mayor Jyoti Gondek is a bold, visionary leader and a tireless advocate for the people of Calgary. Her commitment to building a safe, economically strong, and opportunity-rich city is reflected in her collaborative leadership on local, national, and international stages.

Voted Mayor of the Year in 2024 by Municipal World Magazine, Gondek has championed major initiatives like the Green Line LRT, downtown revitalization, and Prairie Economic Gateway to position Calgary as a competitive, globally connected city.

With a sharp focus on fiscal responsibility, public safety, and creating opportunity for all Calgarians, Gondek continues to lead with purpose, and an unwavering commitment to Calgary’s future.

Jeff Jimerson is the lead singer for Airborne, a Pittsburgh-based dance and rock band. He is best known as the primary National Anthem singer for the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins and has also performed for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers and the MLB’s Pirates. He sang the anthem during the 2008, 2009, 2016, and 2017 Stanley Cup Finals. In 2011, Bleacher Report named him one of the eight best National Anthem singers in hockey. He appeared in the movie “Sudden Death” starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, and is an integral part of the B.E. Taylor Christmas Show, performing on Taylor’s album “One Nation Under God”.

David LaMotte has performed over 3,500 concerts, in all 50 U.S. states and on five continents. He has released 13 albums and four books. His song, “September Me,” from his current album, Still, hit number one on Folk Radio. LaMotte has been the keynote speaker at peace conferences in India, Australia, the U.S., and Germany. His TEDx talk, Why Heroes Don’t Change the World (2024), was selected as a TED Editor's Pick. His 2023 book, You Are Changing the World Whether You Like It or Not, is used in college courses in the U.S. and Australia. In 2004, he co-founded Senderos, a nonprofit that supports education and arts in Guatemala. LaMotte also served as clerk of the AFSC Nobel Peace Prize Nominating Committee. He attended the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia as a Rotary Peace Fellow, and now lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina, with his wife, son, an old dog, and four chickens.

Danielle Smith has been the Premier of Alberta since 2022 and the leader of the United Conservative Party. She represents the district of Brooks-Medicine Hat in the Legislative Assembly, and is known for balancing free enterprise and individual freedom with the role of government. She was previously an opposition leader representing Highwood. During a break from politics, Smith worked as a journalist in print, radio, and television, and was president of the Alberta Enterprise Group. She holds degrees in Economics and English from the University of Calgary.

Pacey Strangling Wolf is a member of the Kainai Nation whose Blackfoot name, Otsskoikitstakiakii, means “Blue Offering Woman.” A 2021 graduate of Red Crow Community College with a degree in Niitsitapi Arts and Science, Pacey works as the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit liaison at Strathmore High School. She participates in “New Blood,” a Truth and Reconciliation-focused production that travels across Alberta, Canada to foster stronger connections between Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. Through her work and community involvement, Pacey preserves her heritage, inspires others to reconnect with their cultures, and empowers the next generation of Indigenous youth.

Bryn Styles has served Rotary in a variety of capacities including as an RI director, a Rotary Foundation trustee, and was the aide to the RI President for 2021-22, Shekhar Mehta. He is a past chair of the Rotary Peace Centers and has a passion for Rotary’s peace programs. Bryn has been recognized with numerous awards including the Citation for Meritorious Service, the Service Above Self Award, and the Rotary Foundation Distinguished Service Award. Bryn and his wife, Randy, owned and operated their own pharmacies for 30 years and are proud parents of two children and five grandchildren.

Philip Muneer Flindt, a freelance photographer and DJ, tells stories through visual media, including photos, videos, graphics, and live video productions. He is the CEO and partner of an entertainment company that delivers DJs and sound and light productions for events. He has a bachelor’s degree in media production and management from the Danish School of Media and Journalism. Philip was a Rotary Youth Exchange student before becoming a member of the Rotaract Club of København, Denmark. He is the first Rotaractor to serve as a Rotary public image coordinator.

John Hewko is the General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation. He leads a diverse staff of 800 at RI’s World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA, and seven international offices. Prior to Rotary, he was vice president of operations and compact development for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. government agency established in 2004 to deliver foreign assistance to the world's poorest countries. As an international partner with the law firm of Baker & McKenzie, he helped establish the firm's Moscow office and was the managing partner of its offices in Kyiv and Prague. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and sits on the Planning Commission for the city of Evanston, Illinois.

Katharine Hayhoe is an accomplished atmospheric scientist who studies climate change and why it matters. She is also a remarkable communicator who has received the American Geophysical Union’s climate communication prize, the Stephen Schneider Climate Communication award, and the United Nations Champion of the Earth award. She has been featured as one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Foreign Policy’s 100 Leading Thinkers, and FORTUNE magazine’s World’s Greatest Leaders. Her TED talk, “The most important thing you can do to fight climate change: talk about it,” has more than 4 million views. She recently authored “Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World.” She serves as Chief Scientist for the Nature Conservancy. She is both a Paul W. Horn Distinguished Professor and the Political Science Endowed Professor in Public Policy and Public Law at Texas Tech University. She has a degree in physics from the University of Toronto and a master's and doctorate in atmospheric science from the University of Illinois and is a fellow of the American Geophysical Union, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, and the American Scientific Affiliation.

Rosemarie T. Truglio,is a developmental psychologist responsible for developing Sesame Street’s curriculum and content across various platforms. She oversees the curriculum development for all new show production, including Mecha Builders, Esme & Roy, Bea’s Block, Helpsters, and Ghostwriter. Before joining Sesame Workshop in 1997, she was an Assistant Professor of Communication and Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. Truglio has written numerous articles and presented her work at national and international conferences. Her current book is “Ready for School! A Parent’s Guide to Playful Learning for Children Ages 2 to 5”. Additionally, she is co-editor of “G is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street”. She has appeared on numerous national and international network, cable, and radio programs. Truglio received a PhD in Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of Kansas, and a BA in Psychology from Douglass College, Rutgers University. She received distinguished alumni awards from Douglass College (2005), University of Kansas (2013), Rutgers University (2014), the University of Kansas Women’s Hall of Fame (2015), and the Teachers College Medal for Distinguished Service (2022).

Robert Friend is a strategic growth leader leveraging innovation, technology, and AI to drive impact across the event, entertainment, association, and nonprofit sectors. He is president of Live Entertainment Solutions Group, a consultancy dedicated to sustainable growth and engagement. A 24-year-old member of Rotary, he co-chairs the global EPIC Day of Service, uniting Rotary clubs worldwide for a record-breaking day of service. He also founded Opus for Peace, a Rotary district-born initiative that brings together dialogue, empathy, and artistic expression to foster peace and understanding. A graduate of Boston’s Emerson College, where he served 16 years as a trustee, Robert has also consulted for and held executive roles at Tony Award-winning and historic theatres nationwide. He continues to champion Rotary’s mission by advancing storytelling, service, and the arts as pathways to global peace.

Mark Daniel Maloney, 2019-20 RI President, is a principal in the law firm of Blackburn, Maloney and Schuppert, LLC, with a focus on taxation, estate planning, and agricultural law. He represents large farming operations in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States and has chaired the American Bar Association’s Committee on Agriculture in the Section of Taxation. He is a member of the American Bar Association, Alabama State Bar Association, the Alabama Law Institute, and is a past president of the Morgan County Bar Association.

Rotary Scholar and Peace Fellow Pushpi Weerakoon began her peacebuilding career in Sri Lanka, her home country, training grassroots leaders in mediation. She continued her services in Sri Lanka, Iraq, Bangladesh, Geneva, Bahamas, Central America, Haiti, Pacific Islands & Pakistan with the International Organization for Migration (UN Migration Agency) and in New York with UNDP & UNSLM. She attended Eastern Mennonite University as an Ambassadorial Scholar, receiving a Master of Conflict Transformation from the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. She also attended Chulalongkorn University as a Rotary Peace Fellows. Her other degrees include a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University, as an Edith Stokey Scholar, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Wales. She is a doctoral candidate in the Peace and Conflict Studies program at the UN University for Peace, Costa Rica. Weerakoon is a Paul Harris Fellow, past club president, and has held District 3220 chair positions for scholarships and literacy. She’s an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Cuscatlán, El Salvador.

Isabel Scarinci is a behavioral scientist with a deep commitment to the elimination of cancer disparities in low- and middle-income countries. She serves as the vice-chair for Global and Rural Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama, USA. A member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham, she has played an active role in cervical cancer prevention efforts in partnership with the Rotary clubs of Colombo, Sri Lanka, and Guatemala-Sur, Guatemala. In 2021, she was honored as one of six People of Action: Champions of Health.

Andreas was born in Hamburg, Germany in 1947. He grew up and went to schools in Rio de Janeiro and Hamburg. He studied Business Administration at LMU-University of Munich and received his diploma in 1975. Andreas has held various marketing and management positions in foreign trade companies such as Continental Grain, Geneva and Hamburg, and Müller & Sohn AG, Hamburg. Since 1984, he has held the position of managing director and major shareholder in Jacob Jürgensen Forest products, Hamburg, an international marketing and distribution company. Andreas and his wife, Cornelia, have eight children and 15 grandchildren.

Scott Simon is the host of National Public Radio’s “Weekend Edition Saturday” and the NPR morning news podcast “Up First.” He has reported from five continents and on 10 wars, winning the Presidential End Hunger Award for his coverage of the Ethiopian civil war and famine. He has won every major award in U.S. broadcasting, including the Peabody and the Emmy. He has hosted television specials on PBS and co-anchored PBS’s Millennium 2000 coverage with the BBC. His books include The New York Times bestselling “Unforgettable: A Son, a Mother, and the Lessons of a Lifetime;” “Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other;” and the novels “Pretty Birds” and “Windy City.”

Yun received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Syracuse University School of Architecture in the U.S. and an honorary doctoral degree from The University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He is the founder and CEO of Dongsuh Corp., which engineers and markets architectural materials, and the president of Youngan Corp., which operates in real estate and financial investment. He is involved in many civic organizations and has a special interest in the preservation of cultural heritage.

Stephanie A. Urchick is the Rotary International President. Her professional background is in the higher education, consulting, and entertainment industries. She received her doctorate degree in Leadership Studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has been recognized by The Rotary Foundation and numerous community and international organizations.

The Hunter Brothers are an award-winning Canadian country band composed of five brothers, Luke, J.J., Ty, Brock, and Dusty Hunter, who grew up on a family farm in Saskatchewan. Their debut single, "El Dorado," landed on the Billboard Canada Country chart in 2016. They have amassed an impressive list of awards including multiple Canadian Country Music Association Award nominations, two JUNO Awards for Country Album of the Year, and multiple Saskatchewan Country Music Association Awards. Their sound has been described as anthemic, fun, and saturated with harmonies, with all five brothers singing and playing instruments. Their third studio album, 'Been A Minute,' is a compilation of their signature harmonies and up-tempo hits. In 2023, they celebrated their first headlining national tour with multiple sold-out dates and a Platinum certification for "Lost."

Michael Lapiña joined Rotary in 2005 and served as a group vocational exchange team lead, president of the Rotary Club of Wyndham, Western Australia, Australia, and assistant governor in District 9800. He is a professional opera singer, a video producer, and a youth music teacher. He will be performing in the closing general session.

Sanem Alkan, a senior impact officer at the Sobrato Organization, is renowned for her dedication to fostering growth of emerging ventures and family-owned businesses. Her career has spanned roles in management, technology, and philanthropy. With the experience she gained in risk management and as a wealth advisor at Marsh and Goldman Sachs she spearheaded several pioneering ventures including two hedge fund incubation platforms for JH Whitney; a multi-million-dollar revenue platform for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and a software company that was among the first to be featured on Facebook and Mozilla app marketplaces. She holds an MBA from New York University’s Stern School of Business and a BBA in Finance from University of Texas at Austin. She is an active member of Rotary, Board Director 2024-25 and President-elect of the Rotary Club of Mental Health and Wellness. She holds a global perspective from her formative years in Istanbul and a lifelong passion for sports.

Ignacio Gonzalez Mendez is an attorney with experience in corporate communications, social leadership, team management, and foreign languages. A member of the Rotary Club of Marta Colvin-Chillán Viejo in Chile, he has been involved in Rotary for more than a decade, including as a Rotaractor. He has served on various RI committees, has served as an RI president’s representative, and is currently on the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council. He is one of the youngest members to receive the Service Above Self Award. He is passionate about leadership and social innovation that drives him to take on strategic roles that create impact in areas of law and community.