Welcome to the Rotary Club of Washington, DC
Upcoming Lunch Programs
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Allan J. Alonzo Wind
Humanitarian Heartbreak, Hubris and Horrors in Palestine
Allan J. "Alonzo" Wind is a senior leader with worldwide experience in the international development and humanitarian assistance arenas with the U.S. government and international NGO organizations. He has built partnership alliances between government, private sector and civil society nonprofits, as well as capacity building for NGO networks. He worked in a wide array of environments including kinetic situations and fragile state environments, on long and short-term assignments in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
He is a retired Senior Foreign Service Officer from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), having worked for two decades on diplomatic assignments with USAID primarily overseas in Peru, Nicaragua, Angola, Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan and South Africa and other southern Africa countries. Most recently he served two years until December 2023 as the International Medical Corps Mission Director in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories (oPt), supervising a staff of seven expats of different nationalities and over 75 local Palestinian staff, in Gaza and Bethlehem. He also served on the UN OCHA Humanitarian Country Team and Advisory Board, and the Executive Committee of the Association for International Development Agencies (AIDA).
Mr. Wind previously worked for different INGOs in Ecuador, Bolivia, the Dominican Republic, and the UK, also serving as the Global Programme Coordinator of the International Save the Children Alliance Secretariat.
Mr. Wind is the author of the recent book A JEW IN GAZA: Humanitarian Heartbreak, Hubris and Horrors providing meaningful and thoughtful insights on the conflict between Gaza and the Palestinians and Israel. It was published last summer on Amazon, Barnes & Noble Press and other platforms and formats. He is from a Jewish background and is a longstanding member of the Baha’i Community. Mr. Wind has offered over a dozen podcast interviews and public talks about international development, national security, international risk, management and leadership, following his earlier Amazon bestseller ANDEAN ADVENTURES, An UnexpectedIn-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Ambassador of Republic of Cameroon, Henri Etoundi Essomba
Cameroon Today -- Challenges and Successes
Henri Etoundi Essomba was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon to the US in 2016. He was earlier Ambassador to Israel and has
served at the Ministry of External Relations and other diplomatic and consular missions of Cameroon abroad: Desk Officer of North America
Affairs, Ministry of External Relations, Embassy of Cameroon In Paris. He is married with four children.
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Rotaract Week
Rotaract will present, World Rotaract Week
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Dr. William Lawrence
U.S. Relations with the Muslim World
William Lawrence is the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations Area Studies Director and teaches at Georgetown and American universities on U.S relations with the Muslim world and international affairs. He worked and lived immersively for thirteen years in seven African and Asian countries.
Since 2011, he served in Dubai as Control Risks’ Associate Director and in Rabat as International Crisis Group’s North Africa director. Prior to that, he served as Senior Advisor for Global
Engagement in the State Department’s Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, for which he designed and implemented Muslim World Outreach programs for
successive Republican and Democratic administrations. He co-created the Global Innovation through Science and Technology (GIST) program, the U.S. Science Envoy Program, and the
Maghreb Digital Library; co-chaired the U.S.-Egypt Science and Technology Development Fund; and helped negotiate and implement the first major Dr. William LawrenceU.S.-Libya agreement in decades. He served in short and long-term assignments for the State Department at 30 diplomatic missions in 24 Muslim majority countries from Mauritania to Malaysia. He taught for thirteen years at Johns Hopkins, George Washington, Tufts, and two Moroccan universities and has lectured at over 100 universities
worldwide.
Mr. Lawrence appears frequently on Al Jazeera, NPR, BBC, and France 24. He co-authored After the Uprisings: Political Transition in Tunisia, Libya, and Yemen and has published analysis in Foreign Policy and with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Middle East Institute, and Oxford University. He also co-produced six films and fourteen albums of Arab music.
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Dr Adama Kalokoh
Inclusive Impact Beyond Boundaries: Capacity Building of African Women Through Vocational Training
Dr Adama Kalokoh is a global humanitarian, Global Goodwill Ambassadors Foundation (GGAF), Chairperson; Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Advocate; Motivational Speaker; Author, Women Empowerment Leader, and Founder of Impact Sierra Leone. She was awarded an African Community Service Award (ACSA) for her humanitarian work in Africa. She was also named one of the Most Distinguished Women Change Makers in Africa for 2020-2021 by City Scope Africa.
She founded Impact Sierra Leone in 2019 to reduce socioeconomic challenges in Sierra Leone through empowerment, education, and building strong partnerships with the Diaspora community. Dr. Kalokoh, a proud descendant of Sierra Leone has always had a passion for helping others and international development.
Our Upcoming Events
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Allan J. Alonzo Wind
Topic: Humanitarian Heartbreak, Hubris and Horrors in Palestine
More info
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Ambassador of Republic of Cameroon, Henri Etoundi Essomba
Topic: Cameroon Today -- Challenges and Successes
More info
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Rotaract Week
Topic: Rotaract will present, World Rotaract Week
More info
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Dr. William Lawrence
Topic: U.S. Relations with the Muslim World
More info
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Dr Adama Kalokoh
Topic: Inclusive Impact Beyond Boundaries: Capacity Building of African Women Through Vocational Training
More info
Interested in the Rotary Club of Washington DC?
ATTEND LUNCH
Visitors are warmly invited to attend a weekly luncheon meeting of the Rotary Club of Washington, D.C. to experience our culture of service, leadership, and fellowship. The Club meets every Wednesday from 12:30–1:30 p.m. at the University Club of Washington, D.C. (1135 16th Street NW), with informal fellowship beginning at approximately 12:15 p.m. Guests are encouraged to register in advance using the link below and to introduce themselves at the registration table upon arrival. The cost of lunch is $42.
MEMBERSHIP INFO
We would also like to invite you to attend a New & Prospective Membership Orientation, which takes place on the 3rd Monday of every month from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Please register HERE.
It’s the best opportunity to meet Club leaders and learn more firsthand about why joining us is so rewarding personally and professionally.
APPLY TODAY
If you are looking for a place to serve, lead, and connect with others who care about making a difference, we invite you to apply for membership in the Rotary Club of Washington, D.C. Our members come from many professions and backgrounds, united by a shared commitment to “Service Above Self” and to building community in the nation’s capital. Simply complete the application using the link below, and a member of our team will reach out to welcome you and guide you through the next steps.
Impacting the Community
Our members take action to create lasting change in Washington, D.C. and around the world. Through service projects, partnerships, grants, and hands-on volunteerism, we work to address real needs in our community while building meaningful relationships with those we serve and with one another.
Rotary is where people come together to turn commitment into impact.
Our Impact
