Events

As the General Secretary (CEO) of Rotary International, John Hewko will be giving us an update on how things are going with Rotary and will talk about issues facing Rotary.

From 2004 to 2009, he was vice president for operations and compact development for the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government agency established in 2004 to deliver foreign assistance to the world’s poorest countries.  Prior to joining MCC, Hewko was an international partner with the law firm Baker & McKenzie, specializing in international corporate transactions in emerging markets.  Hewko has been a public policy scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University and a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.  Hewko holds a law degree from Harvard University, a master’s in modern history from Oxford University (where he studied as a Marshall Scholar) and a bachelor’s in government and Soviet studies from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.  He speaks four languages besides English: Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Ukrainian.

John and his wife Margarita live in Evanston and are major donors to the Rotary Foundation.

Dr. Scire has been an adjunct Professor at UNR since 1995 focusing on U.S. Foreign Policy, International Relations, U.S Energy Policy, and U.S. Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Policy.  His military career includes 30 years of active and reserve duty in the Marine Corps.  He has 15 years of service in the Army Reserve Civil Affairs Command as an Intelligence Analyst and as a Psychological Warfare Specialist. He is a graduate of the Naval War College and the Marine Corps Command and Staff College.

His combat experience includes 6 months in the Vietnam jungle on the Laotian border as a Marine Corps infantry Second Lieutenant, and 6 months offshore as part of an amphibious strike force used to intervene when needed onshore in Vietnam.

Dr. Scire has a BA in International Relations, MBA in International Business (Finance), PhD in International Relations.

The Desert Research Institute (DRI) is a recognized world leader in basic and applied interdisciplinary research. Committed to scientific excellence and integrity, DRI faculty, students, and staff have developed scientific knowledge and innovative technologies in research projects around the globe.  Since 1959, DRI's research has advanced scientific knowledge, supported Nevada's diversifying economy, provided science-based educational opportunities, and informed policy makers, business leaders, and community members. DRI has campuses in Reno and Las Vegas and over 400 scientists, engineers, and research support staff who rank among the top in the world in their specialties. DRI is one of eight institutions in the Nevada System of Higher Education. 

Kumud Acharya, Ph.D. serves as the Desert Research Institute’s (DRI) 9th President.  As a research professor in ecological engineering, Dr. Acharya has led pioneering work in Nevada to help local and state water managers address aquatic invasive species threatening both Lake Mead and Lake Tahoe.  Dr. Acharya has published more than 100 peer-reviewed papers and served as first-author on many publications focused on water and ecosystem health.

Jhone Ebert is the Superintendent of Public Instruction for the Nevada Department of Education. A lifelong educator, she began her career as a math teacher, later working as chief technology officer and chief innovation and productivity officer in Clark County School District, and as Senior Deputy Commissioner for P-20 Education at New York State Education Department.  Superintendent Ebert champions equity and accessibility, seeking to close opportunity gaps and narrow the digital divide.

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, she has worked to provide support and flexibility to districts and schools, while ensuring that vulnerable students receive the services they need, including nutrition services, broadband and devices, special education services, English learner supports, professional development for teachers, and social-emotional supports and resources for all community members. This work would not be possible without the relationships and knowledge gained during her 2019 Statewide Listening Tour, during which she visited all 17 school districts and the State Public Charter School Authority. 

Ebert is the recipient of numerous professional honors and awards, including the National School Board Association’s Technology Leadership Network 20 to Watch, CCSD Excellence in Education Hall of Fame Award, Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics Teaching, the Fulbright Hayes Program scholarship, and an ISTE Impact Award.