
2021 VIRTUAL District Conference – April 23-24, 2021
Pre-Conference Events
Drug Take Back Initiative – April 21, 2021 | Annapolis Police Department
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM – 199 Taylor Avenue, Annapolis, MD 21401
Discard your unneeded and unwanted prescriptions safely! Disposable drug packets will also be given out for folks to take with them. This event is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Annapolis in recognition of National Prescription Drug Take Back Day.
Recycle Day – April 22, 2021 | Anne Arundel County Farmers Market
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM – 275 Harry S. Truman Pkwy, Annapolis, MD 21401
Bring papers to be shredded (9 AM – 12 PM) and old computers, electronics and books to be recycled (9 AM – 4 PM). This event is being sponsored by the Rotary Club of Parole in recognition of Earth Day.
Golf Tournament – April 23, 2021| Renditions Golf Course
9:00 AM Arrival – 10:00 AM tee off with scramble format
1380 Central Ave, Davidsonville, MD 21035
$125/person or $500/foursome (includes golf and lunch)
Rotarians and Guests | Registration with payment due April 1, 2021
Questions: John Benish (301) 599-9666
Friday, April 23, 2021
6:00 PM – Welcome
6:10 PM – Year in Review by Jimmie Gorski
6:30 PM – Opening Keynote: “Nature’s Best Hope” by Doug Tallamy
7:30 PM – Memorial Ceremony
7:50 PM – Closing Remarks and Saturday Briefing
Saturday, April 24, 2021
SESSION 2.1
12:00 PM – Welcome
12:05 PM – 4 Way Test Speech Contest Finals
12:40 PM – Keynote: Vice Admiral Sean Buck
1:30 PM – Announcement of 4 Way Test Speech Contest Winner
1:35 PM – Rotary Community Hero Awards
1:55 PM – Breakout Session Preparations
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Breakout Session A
Bridging Boards: How to Ensure a Smooth Transitions from One Year to the Next (Presenters: Jeff Griffin, Carolyn Richards, and Dave Vogel)
How Does Rotary Change? (Presenters: Andy Baum and Rich Glover)
Housekeeping 101: Bylaws, Robert’s Rules, and all that Jazz (Presenters: Sean McAllister, Sharon Taylor, and Bob Parkinson)
Next Step: Interact to Rotaract (Presenter: Marilyn Cruz)
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM Breakout Session B
A Receipt for New Members: A Membership Panel (Presenters: Krisit Neilhardt, Andrea Downing, Jen Coppit)
Oh, to be Young Again: Youth Exchange, Interact, and Rotaract (Presenters: Ric Meyer, Marilyn Nevy)
Taking Your Social Media to the Next Level: Advanced techniques for clubs who have a solid social media following (Presenter: Ashley Waters)
International Service: Partner for Impact (Presenters: Sharon Taylor and May O’Brien)
SPECIAL BREAKOUT FOR APPOINTED REPRESENTATIVES
4:05 PM – 5:00 PM Vote on District Bylaws
SESSION 2.2
7:00 PM – Evening Greetings
7:05 PM – Closing Keynote: Major General Jones
7:55 PM – Club Awards
8:15 PM – What Rotary Can Do For You: Rotary Fellowships
8:30 PM – Service Above Self Award & Recognitions
8:50 PM – Conference Closing
RLI Add-Ons
RLI Parts I, II, and III will be offered as part of the 2021 District Conference in a virtual format. The courses will be offered on Friday, April 23rd and Saturday, April 24th from 8:30 to 12:00 pm each day. Participants have to attend both the Friday and Saturday sessions to get credit for completing their RLI courses.
A Note from DG Jimmie
After months of planning and hoping that we could have the conference in person in Annapolis as planned, due to the continued risks associated with COVID-19, we will instead shift to a virtual format. But our awesome programming will continue! Get ready for a weekend filled with Rotary stories, notable community partners of our clubs, and celebrations!
Thank You to the Planning Committee
- Sue Weber, Chair
- Henry Riser
- Dave Vogel
- Carolyn Richards
- Sonia Liu
- Ashley Waters
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Major General Omar Jones
Major General Omar Jones was commissioned into the infantry in 1992 following graduation from the US Military Academy at West Point. He has led Soldiers at every echelon from the platoon to the general officer level, to include five commands, and has served with the 82nd Airborne Division, the 1st Cavalry Division, the 4th Infantry Division, the 7th Infantry Division, and the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. General Jones deployed at every rank from second lieutenant through colonel with
service in Panama, Bosnia, Bulgaria, and Kuwait and combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Operations Research from the U.S. Military Academy, a master’s degree in National Security Strategy from the National War College, and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. General Jones currently commands the Joint Force Headquarters for the National Capital Region and the US Army’s Military District of Washington. In that role, he is responsible for conducting homeland defense and civil support to defend and secure our Nation’s Capital. He is also responsible for four Army installations in the region, a range of worldwide Army missions, and all Army and Department of Defense
ceremonies across the Capital Region.
General Jones is a third generation native of Howard County, Maryland and he and his family currently live in Ellicott City.

Doug Tallamy
Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 104 research publications and has taught insect-related courses for 40 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His book Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens was published by Timber Press in 2007 and was awarded the 2008 Silver Medal by the Garden Writers’ Association. The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, was published in 2014. Doug’s new book ‘Nature’s Best Hope’ released by Timber Press in February 2020, is a New York Times Best Seller. Among his awards are the Garden Club of America Margaret Douglas Medal for Conservation and the Tom Dodd, Jr. Award of Excellence, the 2018 AHS B.Y. Morrison Communication Award and the 2019 Cynthia Westcott Scientific Writing Award.

Vice Admiral Sean Buck
Vice Admiral Sean Buck is the 63rd Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and received his commission in 1983. He was designated a Naval Flight Officer in the Maritime Patrol Community where he flew onboard P-3C Orion and P-8A Poseidon aircraft conducting a wide variety of missions alongside allies and partners across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America. Prior to reporting to the Naval Academy, he held command five times in his career, most recently as Commander of the U.S. Fourth Fleet. In this role, he commanded all U.S. naval forces deployed to South and Central America and engaged with allies and partners in the region to promote mutual security interests for our nations. Vice Admiral Buck holds a Master of Arts in International Security Policy from George Washington University, and has completed studies at the College of Naval Command and Staff, U.S. Naval War College, and the Armed Forces Staff College; a fellowship with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Seminar XXI: Foreign Politics, International Relations, and the National Interest; and executive certificate programs at both the Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Graduate School of Education.
BREAKOUT SESSIONS
2:15 PM – 3:00 PM Breakout Session A
Bridging Boards: How to Ensure a Smooth Transitions from One Year to the Next
Presenters: Jeff Griffin, Carolyn Richards, and Dave Vogel
How Does Rotary Change?
Presenters: Andy Baum and Rich Glover
Housekeeping 101: Bylaws,
Robert’s Rules, and all that Jazz
Presenters: Sean McAllister, Sharon Taylor, and Bob Parkinson
Next Step: Interact to Rotaract
Presenter: Marilyn Cruz
3:15 PM – 4:00 PM Breakout Session B
A Receipt for New Members: A Membership Panel
Presenters: Krisit Neilhardt, Andrea Downing, Jen Coppit
Oh, to be Young Again:
Youth Exchange, Interact,
and Rotaract
Presenters: Ric Meyer, Marilyn Nevy
Taking Your Social Media to the Next Level: Advanced Techniques
Presenter: Ashley Waters
International Service:
Partner for Impact
Presenters: Sharon Taylor and May O’Brien