International Service Club President’s Summit

Each year the Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee hosts the International Service Club President’s Summit during the last week before the Tournament of Roses Parade.

December, 2021 Summit (2022 Float)

Shekhar Mehta
President, Rotary International
2021-22
Rotary Club of Calcutta Mahanagar

Patricia “Patsy” Garner
Optimist International President
2021 – 2022
Optimist Clubs of Arlington and Breakfast Club of East Fort Worth.

Peter Mancuso
President of Kiwanis International
2021 – 2022
Kiwanis Club of East Meadow

Douglas X. Alexander
President of Lions Clubs International
2021 – 2022
Brooklyn Bedford Stuyvesant Lions Club

Biographies

Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta is the 4th Indian to be nominated to be the President of Rotary International.

He graduated from St. Xavier College Calcutta. He did Master in Commerce from Calcutta University and then the Chartered Accountancy, Cost Accountancy and Company Secretary-ship.

He heads the Skyline Group engaged in real estate development in different parts of India.

He is a member of many professional, social, cultural and charitable organizations. He is a Trustee of Operation Eyesight Universal India a Canada based organization, Shelter Box UK.
He joined Rotary in 1985.

He is a member of Rotary Calcutta Mahanagar and was District Governor in 1999-2000. He was the director on the board of Rotary International for the years 2011-13.
He has held many positions at the international level. Prominent amongst them are he was chairman of Strategic Planning Committee of Rotary International. He was chair of the Joint Committee on Partnership of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation. He was the chairman of Rotary India Literacy Mission and chairman of Rotary Foundation India. He was chairman of Rotary India Centennial Celebration.

He has helped Rotary add 2 countries to its fold Bhutan and Maldives.

Keenly dedicated to service Shekhar has led some major service initiatives in India. Some of them are constructing 500 homes for Tsunami survivors at Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Starting the Shelter Kit program which has served about 20 disasters in India distributing more than 10000 shelter kits helping about 50000 disaster victims.
Healing Little Hearts: having got done more than 2000 heart surgeries for children all over India.

He has conceived, designed and scaled up the Rotary India Literacy Mission by starting initiative like conceiving and starting the TEACH program. The program today has a reach in the entire country of India. More than 3000 Rotary Clubs participate in this program making it one of the largest program of Literacy and Education by Rotary in the world.

He has initiated construction of 7000 plus toilets in rural West Bengal benefiting 35000 villagers. He has been instrumental in setting up 15 eye hospitals all over India.

He is recipient of all the highest awards of Rotary International. Service Above Self Award, the Meritorious Service Award and the Distinguished Service Award. Shekhar is married to Rashi. Rashi is a stage actor and has performed in many places across India. She is a Past President of Inner Wheel.

They have 2 children son Chiraag married to Geeta settled in Delhi and daughter Chandni pursuing PhD in Delhi. They have one grandson Veer.

During his year as President of Rotary International Shekhar asks Rotarians to Grow More and Do More. His mission for the year is a leap in membership to a never before 1.3 million.
He wants Rotarians to focus on Empowering Girls – be it in Education, Health, Skilling or WASH.

He urges all Rotarians to Serve to Change Lives.

His own guiding mantra is Service is the rent that we pay for the space we occupy on this earth.

President Patricia “Patsy” Garner, a Fort Worth, Texas native, has been an Optimist for over 32 years. She joined the organization in 1989 as a member of the Arlington Community Athletics Club. At present, she is a member of the Arlington Club as well as the Breakfast Optimist Club of East Fort Worth.

She has held key leadership positions in each of her clubs, including Club President, Secretary-Treasurer, Foundation Representative and the chair of numerous committees. During her tenure as Club President, both her Clubs achieved distinguished status, the highest District recognition a Club can achieve.

Patsy’s Club success was a steppingstone to service at the District level. She has held a variety of leadership positions in the North Texas District, including District Secretary/Treasurer, Lieutenant Governor, Governor’s Assistant, and Governor, as well as serving as the Chair of numerous District committees.

Her leadership skills, passion, and “Can Do” spirit provided Patsy the pathway to serve at the international level. Over the years she has been appointed as Chairperson for the New Community Growth, Leadership Development, Ad Hoc Sports Clubs, and Junior Golf Committees, as well as called upon to serve as a Member on a variety of International Committees. In 2011-2012, she was elected to serve as a Regional Vice President and in 2017, she was elected to a three-year term on the International Board of Directors.

Patsy’s expertise and hard work earned her the opportunity to serve as a Certified Trainer, Certified New Club Builder, New Club Building Field Representative, and Master Club Builder.

In 2020, Patsy was elected to serve as the President of Optimist International for the 2021-2022 year to lead the organization in its mission of making a difference in peoples lives and spreading the philosophy of optimism throughout the world.

Patsy works in the accounting field and is married to Past International President Ken Garner. She is the mother of two grown children and has eight grandchildren.

Peter Mancuso of North Bellmore, New York, USA, was elected as president for the 2021-22 Kiwanis year. He was elected during a June special meeting held in lieu of the 2021 Kiwanis International Convention. Peter was first elected as a member of the board of trustees in 2016.

Peter has been a member of the Kiwanis Club of East Meadow for 34 years. He is a past president of the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, which was then known as the Kiwanis International Foundation. He served as distinguished governor of the New York District in the 2003-04 administrative year and distinguished lieutenant governor from 1996-97. Peter is also a past distinguished president of his club. He has been honored as Kiwanian of the Year by his club and division. Peter has chaired numerous clubs, district and international committees on outreach, growth, finance and leadership, among others.

He is a Diamond Level George F. Hixson Fellow; Diamond Level Walter Zeller Fellow; and Centennial Award and Table of Honor recipient. He holds Life Member status and belongs to the Kiwanis Children’s Fund Heritage Society and Kiwanis Leadership Society.

Now retired, Peter was employed as an assistant district attorney, assigned to the investigation and prosecution of financial crimes. He earned his B.S. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and his law degree from the Cornell University Law School. He is a past president of the Nassau County, NY Bar Association; past president of the East Meadow, NY Chamber of Commerce; and past president of the MIT Club of Long Island. Peter is also a past dean of the Nassau Academy of Law.

Peter and his wife Karen have two adult children, Stephen and Cathy, and two grandchildren, Sam and Henry. In his free time, Peter likes to exercise, read, watch movies and sports and listen to old time radio.

Douglas X. Alexander, from Brooklyn, New York, USA, was elected to serve as international president of Lions Clubs International at the association’s 103rd International Convention, June 25 through June 29, 2021.

President Alexander is a retired vice president for J.P. Morgan Chase Bank.

A member of the Brooklyn Bedford Stuyvesant Lions Club since 1984, he has held many offices within the association, including club president, zone chair, region chair, vice district governor, district governor, cabinet secretary, cabinet treasurer and DGE group leader. He also served as a Lions Eye Bank transporter, a member of the District and Multiple District PDG Association, a trustee of the New York State and Bermuda Lions Foundation, and was appointed as the Lions representative to UNICEF-New York from 2012-2014. He has served on the USA/Canada Lions Leadership Forum Planning and Host Committees and has been a presenter at several USA/Canada Forums.

In recognition of his service to the association, he has received numerous awards including the club Lion of the Year, Club President’s Award, the Robert J. Uplinger Service Award, several District Governor Appreciation Awards, and the Multiple District Membership Growth Award.

He is also the recipient of numerous International President’s Certificates of Appreciation, seven International President’s Awards and the Ambassador of Good Will Award, the highest honor the association bestows upon its members. He is a Dr. Franklin G. Mason Fellow, a W. P. Woods Fellow and a progressive Melvin Jones Fellow.

In addition to his Lions activities, President Alexander is active in numerous professional and community organizations. He has served as chairperson of the advisory board for the New York Urban League and as a board member of the St. Francis DeSales School for the Deaf. He is also a recipient of the Congressional Record Award.

President Alexander has two daughters, and his partner in service, Shabiki Cazabon, is a Lion and a Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow.

 

Service Club President’s Summit Photos
2022 Float