Meet Our Speakers

The Rotary Club of Washington, DC is strategically located to gather the most prestigious group of speakers our nation’s Capital can generate.  From Ambassadors, Business Executives, and Tribal Chiefs to an endless array of Champions of Change.  Our Club Members, and visitors to our weekly meetings, receive an impressive amount of intellectually-stimulating, heart-warming presentations each week.   Further, on this page, is a sample of speakers whom have recently spoken at our Club…

Upcoming Speakers

July 23rd 2025 at 12:30 pm
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Iryna Lujan
Ukraine Children Need Peace

Iryna Lujan is the Executive Director of Universal Aid for Children, Inc. (UAC, Inc.), a charity dedicated to addressing the medical, educational, and emotional needs of orphans, orphanage graduates, displaced children, children with disabilities, and refugee children in the Odesa region of Ukraine.  Since its founding in 1977, UAC, Inc. has worked tirelessly to alleviate the suffering of these deserving children.
During Ukraine's defense against the ongoing war of aggression, UAC, Inc. has shifted its focus to urgent humanitarian aid, ensuring survival and support for children in crisis.  The organization is recognized as a 2020–2025 Top-Rated Great NonProfit and received the "Best Foreign Charity Angel of Goodness" Award in 2017 from the National Association of Philanthropists of Ukraine.

Iryna was born and raised in Ukraine, is a proud mother of two children, and is married to Eliseo Lujan.



 

July 30th 2025 at 12:30 pm
In-Person/Hybrid Washington DC Weekly Club Meeting
Speaker: Carl Gray III
Youth Entrepreneurship: Not the future, the NOW

Carl Gray III

“There’s no problem in our community that doesn’t have an entrepreneurial solution.”
That’s not just a belief for Carl J. Gray III—it’s the mission.

Carl is a Business Solutions Architect, speaker, 2x Best Selling author and founder of
the Raising Founders Foundation, a national youth entrepreneurship movement known
as the “AAU of Entrepreneurship.” Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Prince
George’s County, Maryland, he’s a proud graduate of Hampton University, where his
passion for culture, creativity, and community was shaped.

With over 20 years of experience in consulting, assurance and entrepreneurial systems,
Carl launched Raising Founders to solve a deeper issue: too many young people have
vision but no structure. Through camps, incubators, in-school programs, and pitch
competitions, the foundation equips students ages 12–20 to launch real businesses with
real tools—websites, branding, AI training, funding, and mentorship.

The flagship incubator, hosted at Jacob’s Ladder in Fort Washington, MD, is backed by
community leaders, business partners, and a growing national footprint. Whether they’re
launching merch brands or tech services, these students leave with ownership,
confidence, and a strategy to sustain it.

From school districts to CEOs, Carl teaches with faith, structure, and soul. No fluff. Just
implementation.

We’re not raising employees.
We’re raising founders.

Be blessed by building.
Be blessed by selling.

That’s the mission.


 

Missed the meeting? Watch the speaker’s presentation.

YouTube

Linda Ziglar joined the CFP Board in 2011 when she retired as Vice President of Finance at the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI)
and Executive Director of the American Frozen Food Foundation. She became CFP’s Chairman in 2015. 

Prior to joining AFFI, Linda founded and operated the consulting firm LKL Consultants for 25 years. In this capacity, she provided a variety of services to a client list that included Fortune 100 companies, non-profit organizations and law firms of all sizes. Initially, she developed and modified mainframe software applications for the financial and banking industries. With the advent of the personal computer, the focus of her consulting switched to PC based business applications and systems – designing, installing, and maintaining local and wide area networks for the legal and educational sectors. She also provided statistical and numerical analysis services for legal defense groups involved in complex class action lawsuits and expert witness testimony with respect to the methodologies used. In addition, she provided entrepreneurial advice for small technology firms seeking government contracts. 

Before starting her own business, Linda worked for the Institute for Defense Analysis, writing scientific computer programs and analyzing and developing investment and support cost methodologies for the military.  Linda graduated summa cum laude from the George Washington University with a degree in mathematics and has served on the boards of many non-profit and community organizations.

Linda Ziglar joined the CFP Board in 2011 when she retired as Vice President of Finance at the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI)
and Executive Director of the American Frozen Food Foundation. She became CFP’s Chairman in 2015.

Prior to joining AFFI, Linda founded and operated the consulting firm LKL Consultants for 25 years. In this capacity, she provided a variety of services to a client list that included Fortune 100 companies, non-profit organizations and law firms of all sizes. Initially, she developed and modified mainframe software applications for the financial and banking industries. With the advent of the personal computer, the focus of her consulting switched to PC based business applications and systems – designing, installing, and maintaining local and wide area networks for the legal and educational sectors. She also provided statistical and numerical analysis services for legal defense groups involved in complex class action lawsuits and expert witness testimony with respect to the methodologies used. In addition, she provided entrepreneurial advice for small technology firms seeking government contracts.

Before starting her own business, Linda worked for the Institute for Defense Analysis, writing scientific computer programs and analyzing and developing investment and support cost methodologies for the military. Linda graduated summa cum laude from the George Washington University with a degree in mathematics and has served on the boards of many non-profit and community organizations.

0 0

YouTube Video UExJdHZDNlFoRVI5bHJDYUJMemN4bjd2dFZpcEVJRFFKZy5EREU0QjZERDMzRDBGNTMz

Linda Ziglar | Creating Friendships for Peace and Rotary | June 11, 2025

Rotary Club Washington DC 1 views July 11, 2025 3:27 pm

Luis Navarro | U.S. Policy in the Black Sea Region, Focusing on Georgia and Ukraine | May 28, 2025

Rotary Club Washington DC 4 views July 7, 2025 8:03 am

Julia Roig, Founder | HorizonsProject | Block, Bridge, Build Our Pluralistic Future | Dec. 11, 2024

Rotary Club Washington DC 23 views January 16, 2025 9:03 am

Shannon Hader, MD, MPH | Trends in Global Disease Eradication | December 4, 2024

Rotary Club Washington DC 94 views December 30, 2024 9:03 am

Diana Parsell | DC's Cherry Tree Legacy of Eliza Scidmore | November 27, 2024

Rotary Club Washington DC 48 views December 13, 2024 9:03 am

Astrid de Vries | Transforming lives in Haiti throughout the current humanitarian crisis | 11/20/24

Rotary Club Washington DC 7 views December 10, 2024 9:03 am

Sampling of Our Past Speakers

The Rotary Club of Washington, DC would like to thank our past speakers for the engaging and motivational and informative presentations.

Bob Cusack

Editor in Chief, The Hill/TheHill.com

Reporting on politics and policy in the nation’s capital since 1995, Mr. Cusack joined The Hill as Business and Lobbying Editor in 2003 and is now the newspaper’s Managing Editor.  Mr. Cusack regularly appears on ABC, CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC as a political analyst.

Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana

Ambassador of Rwanda to the United States

Prior to her appointment, Ambassador Mathilde Mukantabana was a tenured Professor of History at Cosumnes River College (CRC) in Sacramento, California from 1994 to 2013. She is also Co-Founder and President of Friends of Rwanda Association (F.O.R.A).

Manny Mandel

Holocaust Survivor

Emanuel “Manny” Mandel was born in Riga, Latvia, in 1936, the year in which his parents returned to their native Hungary. Manny’s father had been selected to become one of the Chief Cantors…

Juan Williams

Fox Political Analyst and Author

Juan Williams is one of America’s leading political writers and thinkers. Mr. Williams is a top political analyst for Fox Television, co-host of the daily talk show ‘The Five’ and a regular panelist for Fox News Sunday and Special Report.

James Chen

Institute for Global Engagement

James Chen is the Vice President of Global Operations at the Institute for Global Engagement (IGE). James first joined IGE in 2011, serving as both a Program Officer and the Executive Director…

Anne Midgette

Classical Music Critic, The Washington Post

Anne Midgette is a graduate of Yale University. She lived in Munich, Germany, reviewing opera, music, and art throughout Europe for The Wall Street Journal, Opera News, and other publications.  In 2008, she took over as the chief classical music critic for The Washington Post.