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
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.
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
Luis Navarro | U.S. Policy in the Black Sea Region, Focusing on Georgia and Ukraine | May 28, 2025
Stephen Powers | Boundary Stones of the Original Federal City | May 7, 2025
Julia Roig, Founder | HorizonsProject | Block, Bridge, Build Our Pluralistic Future | Dec. 11, 2024
Shannon Hader, MD, MPH | Trends in Global Disease Eradication | December 4, 2024
Diana Parsell | DC's Cherry Tree Legacy of Eliza Scidmore | November 27, 2024
Astrid de Vries | Transforming lives in Haiti throughout the current humanitarian crisis | 11/20/24
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.