As the 2018-2019 Club President, let me tell you a little about myself. I was born in Vladivostok, a maritime city situated in the Russian Far East. I was raised in a family of scientists as the only child. My father worked on an oceanographic ship, and my mother was a meteorologist. I was going in for competitive gymnastics for ten years, and at the age of 14 I accomplished a class of Master of Sports of the USSR.

  After graduating from the Far-Eastern State University, linguistic department, and getting married I moved to Sakhalin, a native place of my husband. My first working place was a small firm specializing in fishery. Then I got an offer to work as a regional office director at the British Council in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organization for international relations and educational opportunities. It was a very successful cooperation between Cultural Section of the British Embassy and British Petroleum based on Sakhalin for oil and gas exploration and development, in promoting British arts, science and education. At that time I got my extra education in the field of marketing at the Manchester Metropolitan University and in the field of management at the Moscow Institute of Economics. Then I decided to start my own business in tourism and in 2008 set up a company called “Orange Sun”. It will turn 10 years old next year. My company was awarded a number of times by local administration as one of the best companies in the city in the sphere of hospitality.

  I heard about Rotary International from a Bahamas Rotarian when attending “Global Women in Management” training program in Washington, DC, in 2006. Upon coming back to Russia I was invited to join Rotary Club of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. It was chartered on 23 October 1997, and it was a part of the biggest Rotary district 5010 that comprised Alaska, Yukon (Canada), and a huge part of Russia from the Ural Mountains to Kamchatka Peninsula.

  I served as President of the club in 2010-2011 with Jane Little (Homer, Alaska) as our 5010 District Governor. We had an outstanding and memorable year. The Presidential Citation was awarded to the Rotary Club of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk for demonstrating Rotary’s commitment to fellowship and service. My club was recognized as the best giving club to Polio Plus among 86 clubs of the district and awarded with Presidential Citation with Distinction. The club became almost 100 per cent Paul Harris club. I am a Paul Harris Fellow too. Besides, we were successful in two matching grants for local hospitals and highly appreciated by local Government as one of the best donating organizations. Next year I served as District Governor Assistant. Then my varying service capacities in District 5010 included Ambassadorial Scholarship Committee, International Committee, Convention promotion, etc. As International Committee Chair of District 2225 I was in charge with all international programs like Friendship Exchange, VTT, ICC, sister relations with international clubs and districts (for example, in 2006-2007 a sister district relationship was set up between Korean District 3730 and Russian District 5010, and in June 2007 the ICC was formed at a special meeting in Evanston; later those ties had being maintained between Korean Rotarians and newly organized Russian District 2225). I traveled to South Korea as a part of our District’s team a number of times. I traveled to Taiwan as a part of our district’s first Friendship Exchange Team. I attended District’s conferences and other events on a regular basis, Peace Forum in Hawaii, GETS in Philadelphia for Zones 24&32 as an interpreter-volunteer, Rotary International Conventions in Thailand, Portugal and South Korea.

  Intensive experience in the field of international relations allowed me to become ITHF Vice-President for Eastern Russia. The International Travel & Hosting Fellowship – www.ithf.org - is one of the largest fellowships in Rotary. In the first year I brought 20 Russian Rotarians to ITHF. It was the first time in ITHF history when Russians joined the fellowship. It offered us opportunities to belong to one of the closest “families” in Rotary, enjoying rich friendships on tours, during Conventions and from the many “connections” we made individually. I served as Vice-President of ITHF in 2009-2015 with Steve Yoshida, Phil Komornik, Chang-Hsien Hsu (Medicare) as our ITHF Presidents. Again I am offered to serve as VP of ITHF in 2017-2019 with ITHF President Sheila Hart.

  I joined We Rotary E-Club, District 5000, in October 2016. I feel excited about We Rotary club’s peace initiatives and projects. I will do my best to support my new club in its moving forward, and to support my new district in planning Hawaii hosting the Rotary International Convention in 2020.

Being a part of Rotary International makes me live amazing experiences in service and in achieving peace.

Rotary is Peace,

Our Passion, Purpose, Action

For a Better World.

     Jeff Wilson is associate professor of religious studies and East Asian studies for Renison University College, at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada . He has written several books and numerous articles about the interaction of Buddhism and various aspects of North American culture, and published pioneering research in the history of same-sex wedding ceremonies. Jeff teaches courses on religion in North America, East Asian religion, and theory and method in religious studies at the University of Waterloo. He is active in the American Academy of Religion, and does media appearances and radio interviews to provide an informed perspective on issues of religion in contemporary society. He is the current Numata Scholar at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and was the 2016 BSC Summer Session speaker.

     Professor Wilson’s book, Mindful America, The Mutual Transformation of Buddhist Meditation and American Culture (2014) is the first comprehensive exploration of the practice of mindfulness in America. It outlines how Buddhism influences and is appropriated and adapted by non-Buddhist cultures in the United States and elsewhere.