We have excellent 2 candidates for ROTI Chair 2017-2019. Here are their statements/resume. Be also informed of the voting procedure.

ELECTION COMMITTEE

Mike Barr, chair;  Hari Rata;  Subhash Saraf;  Robin Chapple

VOTING PROCEDURE

  • Voting starts 1 Dec 2016; ends 15 Dec
  • Send vote to Mike Barr,  [email protected]
  • Mike Barr to verify elector’s membership at rotifellowship.org
  • Write the name of the condidate of your choice on the SUBJECT of email; write your name, club, district number and country in the body of the email
  • There are only 2 candidates:  1.  Chris Sweeney and 2.  Madhumita Bishnu
  • Acceptable other names for Chris Sweeney – Chris, Sweeney, Sweens
  • Acceptable other names for Madhumita Bishnu – Madhu, Madu, Bishnu
  • Challenges accepted until end of Dec 2016
  • Declaration of winner on 1 Jan 2017

THE CANDIDATES

Chris Sweeney, currently member of the board and webmaster of ROTI;  a member of the Rotary Club of Conwy, North Wales.  See his webiste www.conwyrotary.org.  Chris is a website designer.  His website template has been recently adopted by Rotary International.

Here is what Chris said why he is running for the position:

        I am a long standing member of ROTI, joining at the recommendation of a fellow District 1180 member when Philip Merritt was chairman, which was 1999-2001.  I have served on the board for several years, latterly as webmaster.  I run a web hosting/design business and have tried to bring my vocational expertise into providing facilities for for Rotary.  You have hopefully heard of my web hosting projects for Rotary clubs to benefit the Rotary Foundation, so I won’t bore you with the details here.

        The last few years have seen a marked change in ROTI;  traffic on the email lists is very low and despite us opening a Facebook page, it appears that very few members use it.  However such a change in the nature of the Fellowship is perfectly natural;  in the giddy haydays of setting things up, everything was new and exciting –  but we’ve now matured and the internet is something we just take for granted.  However, members still face technical problems – perhaps now more than ever – and services like ROTI-tech prove their value regularly.

        We face challenging times ahead; whilst Facebook, Tweeter and other social media channels are widely used – and another new ‘Rotary Page of xyz’ seems to open every few days – none of them are as good as an official Rotary Fellowship.  The word ‘Fellowship’ could be defined as ‘friendly association with others who share the same values and interests.’   The association is built up over time, usually through contact on our lists but occasionally with face-to-face meetings, as we get to know each other.  The shared interest is obviously Rotary and the values enshrined in the 4Way Test.  Having a truly international membership helps us all develop knowledge and understanding of different cultures, which in itself helps to make us better Rotarians.  I count myself lucky to have several members I count as friends, even though I have never met them in person, only corresponded for many years as part of this Fellowship.

        We need to embrace as many different technologies as we can so that we can spread the word about ROTI and Rotary.  New technologies will emerge and others will die out.  Being a ‘web guy’ I’d obviously like our website to be at the center of all our activity, as it is a constant;  pages written by members can easily be shared on different social media plaftorms, rather than only posted on one platform, to the exclusion of those who don’t use it.

        Our flagship product is definitely the ROTI breadbasket, a regular publication where members can share new and get new ideas for projects.  I’d like ROTI to develop more great products, to encourage Rotarians to join and also become active members.

        I hope to have the opportunity to guide ROTI as Chairman for 2017-2019 and look forward to involving members in making ROTI the Rotary Fellowship to which to belong.

2.  MADU BISHNU, currently board member of ROTI

        Madhumita Bishnu or Madu as she is called by all Rotarian friends all over the world, aged 48, living in Calcutta, India, is a Past President and International Service Chair of EClub of Melbourne, RID 9800, Australia.  Madu joined Rotaract in 1992 and was a member for 9 years.  She jointed Rotary in 1999 as a member of Rotary Kalighat, then RID 3290, India, and later changed to RID 3291.  Madu served the Rotary club in all capacities and was the President of Rotary Calcutta Uptown RID 3291, India, between 2012-2013.  She joined Rotary Eclub of Melbourned RIT 9800 Australia in 2013.ROTI.

  Madu is a member of several Rotary Fellowship and Action Groups.  She joined ROTI in 2001.  Since joining in ROTI she has taken active role and is currently the Board member 2016-2017.  She has taken active role in volunteering at the ROTI booth in several RI Conventions.  Madu is secretary in Rotarians Singles Fellowship, VP (East & Bangladesh) of ITHF, Past Chair of Editors & Publishers, Secretary of newly formed Rotarian Genealogy Fellowship, Member of Environmeng Fellowship of Rotarians, Member of IFRM and has performed in World Choir during the Interfaith Services in several RI Conventions.  Member of RFPD, Member of Authors & Writiers Fellowship, Member of Blood Donors Fellowship, Member of Wine Appreciation Fellowship, Member of Rotary Action Group for Peace, Membership Manager of Cruising Fellowship, Member, Member of Rotarian Action Group Against Slavery, Member of Social Network Fellowship, Photography Fellowship, Global History Fellowship. 

        Madu has attended 19 RI Conventions since 1998 consecutively till date, a Rotary Volunteer and is a TRF Cadre member.  Was a Site Visitor for 3H projects on CLE at Manila, Dhaka in Bangladesh, street children’s education programme in Kisumu, Kenya, computer literacy programme in Hubli and Pune, India.  Madu was Technical Coordinator for Education & Literacy on behalf of TRF as Cadre Members.  She has worked for several Matching Grant projects on Microcredit, IOL, Sanitary toilets, tubewell, literacy programme with clubs in US, UK, Australia, Denmark.  Madu has been speakers in several Rotary Conventions in India and in several club of RID 5170, USA.  She has been Panelist and Moderator on various topics during several RI Conventions.  Madu has been Sgt at Arms in all the 19 RI Conventions she has attended till now.  She is a Rotary Volunteer, has taught English in schools run by Rotary Agrabad in RID 3281 in 2006 and school run by Rotary Chittaong Midtown in RID 3280 in 2008, 2010, 2012 for two months each time. 

         Madu’s experience in attending RI Conventions has been published in Rotary News, India, several times and as Sexretary of Rotarian Singles Fellowship in the Rotarian, Rotary News and Networker of RID 9800 Melbourne, Australia.  Madu is PHF+1, has done Masters in Islamic History from University of Calcutta and works in Corporate Social Responsibility field looking into health activities of women and children in Ambuja Cement Foundation located in Sankrail, Howrah District of West Bengal state.  Her hobbies include travelling, photography, cooking, reading and listening to music.