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| Rotarian Action Group for |
| Microfinance & Community Development |
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| RAGM Board of Directors |
| Gordon Crann |
| President & Chair, RAGM |
Gord Crann is Chair and President of the Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit (RAGM) after serving as 2010-11 RAGM Secretary and 2011-12 RAGM Vice-President.
From 2008 to June 2011, Gord chaired the Rotary District 7070 Microfinance Committee, co-chaired the 2009 Toronto Microfinance Conference, co-chaired the 2010 Toronto Microfinance Gala, and served a year as Past President of the Toronto International Microfinance Summit.
At the district level, Gord is serving his third year as District 7070 International Service Chair and serving his second year as District 7070 Rotary Peace Programs & Wilf Wilkinson Peace Award Chair.
At the club level, Gord is currently Vice-President and Foundation Chair of the Toronto Earlscourt Rotary Club.
Gord gave the keynote address on "The Importance of Microfinance in the Developing World" at the Canadian Rotary Collaboration for International Development's 2011 Tribute Dinner. He has made presentations at: the 2012 Rotary International Convention in Bangkok, Thailand; the 2010 Uniendo America Rotary Project Fair in Antigua, Guatemala; the 2011 Calgary Microcredit Conference; and the 2011 Victoria Microcredit Conference.
A lawyer by profession, Gord is the principal of Crann Law Firm specializing in providing legal services to non-profit affordable ownership housing developments using a revolving home ownership fund.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Gord was a City Councillor in East York (now City of Toronto) and a political columnist with the Toronto Star. He has served on numerous non-profit and charity boards over many years, including being Chair of the Nuclear Weapons Legal Action and President of Environmental Defence in Canada.
Gord completed his BA degree in Geography and his MA degree in Public Administration both at the University of Toronto, and his LL.B. degree from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. |
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| James Louttit |
| President Elect, RAGM |
Jim Louttit became a Rotarian in early 2005 as a founding member and Second Vice-President of the Rotary Club of Lima Sunrise in District 4450. He left Peru in 2007 to return to Canada and joined Toronto Sunrise in District 7070. He is a Past President of the Club.
Jim is also active at the District 7070 level currently serving as Chair of the Microfinance Committee and a member of their Long Range Planning Committee. He is also the Vice-President of the Toronto International Microfinance Summit in its third year of operation and is the 2011 Conference Chair.
Recently, Jim started his own microfinance consulting business after retiring from the Bank of Nova Scotia where he was the Vice-President and Deputy Head for Latin America in their International Banking Division. Prior to this role, he was the Bank's Country Head in Peru for four years and has also worked in El Salvador heading the Bank's Retail Banking Division.
Education for Jim includes the Professional Banking Program and he is a Fellow of the Institute of Canadian Bankers. He majored in Marketing while attending Fanshawe College and while at Queen's University completed the Executive Program and Sales Management Program. He also attended Dalhousie University partially completing his MBA studies.
Jim is also active in several other organizations serving as Vice-President of the Peruvian-Canadian Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Board of The Hearing Foundation of Canada as well as serving as the Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee. |
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| Tracy Eames |
| President Nominee & Communications Director, RAGM |
Tracy Eames joined Rotary International in 2005 as a member of East Portland Rotary in Portland, Oregon. She served as the Committee Chair of Rotary in Our Twenties and Thirties (RIOTT), a club group dedicated to engaging young professionals in Rotary. Tracy become a Paul Harris Society Member in 2008, and she has served on the Rotary Action Group for Microcredit (RAGM) Board as the Communications Director since 2010. She recently also became the Secretary of RAGM in 2012. Tracy is passionate about microcredit and has been fortunate to work with RAGM members to learn about microcredit projects globally, attend a variety of microcredit conferences, including the Microcredit Summit 2012 in Valladolid, Spain, and visit projects in both India and Liberia.
Professionally, Tracy has a background in sales & marketing with progressive domestic and international roles focused on leveraging digital platforms to engage consumers while identifying future applications and platforms to foster on-going dialogue via social media, websites, and blogs.
Academically, Tracy received her Master's in Public Health in 2008 and earned her MBA from ESADE Business School in 2012. |
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| Annemarie Pallister |
| Treasurer, RAGM |
Annemarie C. Pallister is a member of the Toronto Sunrise Rotary Club and an honorary member of Club Rotario San Jose Noreste, Costa Rica. An active member of the District 7070 Microfinance Committee, she is Secretary-Treasurer of the Toronto International Microfinance Summit and District 7070 Economic and Community Development Co-ordinator.
Annemarie has recently made presentations on microfinance at the 2011 Uniendo America Project Fair, and on Business and the Public Good at the Green Edge 2011 Conference at York University's Schulich School of Business.
Professionally, Annemarie is Director of International Banking Finance at Scotiabank. Prior to joining Scotiabank, she worked in international banking with Lloyds Banking Group plc.
Annemarie completed her MA (cantab) degree in Social and Political Sciences at the University of Cambridge and post-graduate studies in Corporate Finance at the London Business School.
While studying at Cambridge, she was an elite class rower in the Cambridge University Women's Boat Club, and a member of the Cambridge women's 8 who beat Oxford by one-and-a-half lengths in the 1998 Henley Boat Race. Annemarie continues her Cambridge involvement, as President of The Cambridge Society of Toronto and as a member of its mixed 8 rowing team. She is also currently serving as Vice-President, Cambridge of The Oxford and Cambridge Society of Toronto. |
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| Mary Coward |
| Secretary & Conferences Director, RAGM |
Mary Coward has been a Rotarian in District 5020 for over five years. She has been active in World Community Service and attended four Uniendo America Project Fairs in Central America. Mary spearheaded four Matching Grant projects three of them for microcredit projects in Costa Rica and Guatemala. Mary also led a team that organized microcredit conferences in 2008 and 2011 in Victoria, British Columbia. RAGM had a strong presence at both conferences, which were successful in building a network of microcredit practitioners and supporters in the area.
Mary is retired. Her professional life was primarily with provincial governments in Western Canada, in economic development and energy. Mary also has international training and consulting experience in oil and gas regulation and the environment. She has a B.A. in Geography from University of Toronto and an MBA from University of Alberta. |
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| Steven Douglas Rickard |
| Past President, Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit |
Steve Rickard is a dedicated Rotarian having served as club president for the Calgary West Rotary Club in the year 2000/01 and District Governor for Southern Alberta in the year 2005/06. His passion for microcredit comes from his youth in the small town in central Ontario where your word was you bond and credit was a key part of every successful businesses. Steve pursued a career as a real estate appraiser after graduating from MacMaster University in 1974 with a degree in urban geography. A good friend invited Steve to join Rotary in 1984 when he was a businessman with a young family. He says that he joined Rotary for one reason and is involved today for entirely different reasons, pointing out that both he and Rotary have changed.
Steve lives with his wife Marie - also a Rotarian - in Calgary where in 2010 they celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary. They have three Kids with three partners and four Grandchildren and more on the way. It seems now that Grandchildren are arriving and business is winding down Steve has more time for the good things in life like running, reading, real estate and Rotary. |
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| Deborah Lindholm |
| Speakers Bureau Director, RAGM |
A Paul Harris Fellow many times and a 15-year member of Rotary, Deborah Lindholm has served in several board capacities, including District 5340 Microcredit Chair and RAGM Membership Director.
Deborah is the Founder/CEO of the Foundation for Women (FFW). Founded on service, the FFW is dedicated to eliminating global poverty by creating and funding microcredit programs globally and locally. Programs have been funded in Liberia, India, Zambia, South Africa, Niger and San Diego, California.
Deborah has more than 35 years experience in education, business and counselling settings helping people achieve their dreams and goals. She has been the recipient of a number of prestigious awards highlighting outstanding work in the non-profit sector. She is a frequent speaker nationally and internationally regarding microcredit and the empowerment of women and girls.
Deborah holds a masters degree in counselling and education and her Ph.D. work is in clinical psychology. She is a member of the Women's Leadership Board at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and a founding member of Women Moving Millions. |
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| Steve Bell |
| Technology Advisor Director, RAGM |
Steve Bell is a member of the Portland (Oregon, USA) Downtown Rotary Club, and founding Secretary of the Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit. He has a passion for empowering individuals, groups, and communities to develop economic self sufficiency and self esteem, and has participated in numerous Rotary Microcredit projects in Central America, Africa, and Asia.
Professionally, Steve is the principle of Lean IT Strategies, a management consulting and coaching firm. The author of three books on continuous improvement and information systems, Steve serves on the faculty of the Lean Enterprise Institute and is a recipient of the prestigious Shingo Prize for Operational Excellence. Through his consulting practice he has assisted two leaders in microfinance: Mercy Corps and Grameen Foundation. He has recently established a non-profit organization (www.lean4ngo.org) whose mission is to make Lean Thinking accessible to humanitarian aid organizations, improving NGO operational efficiency (use of scarce resources) and effectiveness (improved outcomes) to benefit the 3 billion people living at the "bottom of the pyramid" on less than $2 a day. |
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| Keith Axtell |
| Regional Outreach to Latin America Director , RAGM |
Keith Axtell served for five years as the Chair of District 5150's Matching Grant Committee. During that time he assisted 39 clubs in getting 105 matching grants approved and completed.
He is currently the Chair of the District 5150 Microcredit Committee and has actively worked on microcredit since 2005. He has personally organized four large microcredit matching grants. Two are in Guayaquil, Ecuador and two are in Quito and Esmeraldas, Ecuador. These projects have started over 1,500 businesses and continue to fund new businesses. In addition he mentored a microcredit project in Guatemala for District 5150. Twenty of District 5150's clubs are involved as international partners in these projects, as well as clubs from other districts. Keith is currently organizing a microcredit project in Columbia.
In addition, Keith organized the highly successful panel on microcredit at the Salt Lake City Rotary International Conference with over 400 people in attendance. He was recently a guest speaker on microcredit at the Uniendo America Project Fair in Panama. He has spoken to numerous Rotary clubs on the value of microcredit projects.
Keith's work career was with the US Federal Government. He served in a number of key positions in the Western Regional Office of HUD, including Director of Administration, Director of the Office of Indian Programs, and Director of Housing/FHA for 13 offices in four Western states. |
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| Carlos Hipolito Yturzaeta |
| Regional Outreach to East Asia Director, RAGM |
I have been involved in Cooperative Development and operations in the Philippines. I am a member of the biggest cooperative in the Philippines, NOVADECI with more than 25,000 members and also, Coops for Christ Multi Purpose Cooperative, with 6,000 members. I have served as Board of director and Treasurer of the later.
My area of expertise are: accounting, audit, due diligence, enterprise wide risk management, captive-offshore reinsurance, lectures and training, cooperative development and operations, property management, estate planning and general management of business.
Microcredit/microfinance became a passion when i started building decent housing & health projects for the homeless in Caloocan and Quezon Cities, Metro-Manila in 2002. After providing houses to 235 families, the next important thing was education and livelihood. We initiated livelihood seminars and programs and thru microcredit, two communities were able to put of a soap and detergent making business and rice dealership in 2006 and 2010 respectively. They are now operating on their own capital and profits, benefiting over 30 familes with a customer base of over 100 families and groups. |
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| Janice Reid |
| Regional Outreach to Oceania Director, RAGM |
Janice has been a member of the Rotary club of Kogarah, New South Wales, district 9750 for the past eight years and during that time has twice served as president. She is a Paul Harris Fellow and for two years was International Service Director for her district.
Janice's passion is assisting the poor in developing countries, mainly in Asia. She has been involved in an orphanage in Thailand and at present helping set up a second one. For the past six years has been organising matching grants to supply clean drinking water to rural schools in Ubon Ratachani Thailand. This is an ongoing project involving clubs from other districts including USA.
She has helped raise funds to expand the Gift of Sight cataract programme in Hetauda Nepal where twice yearly eye camps are organised by the local Rotary club to restore the sight of cataract blind people. Two years ago they built a school in the same area for disadvantaged children who had lost a parent in the civil war.
Janice has funded the establishment of a microcredit program in Nepal training women in sewing skills. Another microcredit project just commenced involves giving goats and pigs to poor women in rural villages to help them become independent.
She has been retired for several years having worked in the advertising industry. |
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| Philip Katamba |
| Regional Outreach to Africa Director, RAGM |
Philip joined the RAGM Board of Directors in July 2011. He is currently a Rotary Member at the Rotary Club of Mengo in Kampala, Uganda as well as the District 9200 Micro Finance Chair. Philip served in a variety of director positions in his home club, as well as being President in 2003/2004.
Philip has also had a strong educational and professional connection to banking with a Masters of Arts in Development Economics and 26 years experience at the Central Bank of Uganda. He is currently the CEO and Chairman of Freshmans LTD Real Estate Company.
In his spare time outside of Rotary and work, Philip enjoys spending time with this family and traveling. He is also passionate about sports and plays squash and badminton. |
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| Aziz Memon |
| Funds Development Director, RAGM |
PDG Aziz Memon is Chairman, Pakistan National Polio Plus Committee and member of the RI Micro Credit Advisory Committee (2007-10). He is a Past District 3270 Governor and a Past President of the Rotary Club of Karachi.
A multiple Paul Harris Fellow, Aziz has been a great fundraising source for both his club and District 3270, including Rotary Club of Karachi Chairman Fund Raising Committee (1999-2004) and District 3270 Chairman TRF Fund Raising (2004-05). Most recently, Aziz was Keynote Speaker at 2011 Global Philanthropy Forum in Redwood City, California.
Over the years, Aziz has received many prestigious awards, including RI's highest award "Service Above Self", TRF District Service Award and Best Fund Raiser in District 3270 (2003-04). He was recently presented with the highest Award "President of Pakistan Pride of Performance" medal for dedicated community services.
A businessman and lawyer by profession, Aziz has numerous business interests, including: Chairman of the Kings Group, which is Pakistan's largest exporter of knitted garments; Co-Page8Founder & Chairman of MEDCO Medical Services & Supplies Company; Managing Partner of PureAqua - The Water Filtration Company; and Managing Partner of Orion Solar Power. |
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| Nadim Matraji |
| Regional Outreach to Middle East Director, RAGM |
Nadim Matraji was born in Beirut, Lebanon. Throughout his life he has been continually placed in leadership positions: top scholastic honors, patrol leader in Boy Scouts, President of Student Council in grade school.
Active Rotarian at Rotary Club Beirut Phoenix, member in the International Fellowship of Scouting Rotarians, and board member in the Rotarian Action Group for Microfinance & Community Development.
He received his university degrees, a Bachelor of Business Administration at the American University of Beirut and an MBA from the same University as well.
Philosophy, History, Theology, Politics, Finance, Economics and other similar studies contributed significantly to his education and continue to interest Nadim even today.
Professionally, Nadim is a results-focused management professional offering more than 12 years of experience in senior-level leadership for start-up, early stage growth, and global operations; Recognized for delivering and sustaining revenue and profit gains with proven ability in sales, marketing, and operation.
Founder and Managing Partner at 360 Key a multi-dimensional business management consulting firm; on any level, his job is to find solutions to problems for which there is no textbook answer.
When he is not working, he loves to spend quality time with his family; he loves to read, to travel, to learn, and to support his community.
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| Ashok Mahajan |
| Regional Outreach to South Asia Director, RAGM |
Ashok Mulkraj Mahajan, a member of Rotary Club of Mulund, Mumbai India has been involved in Rotary since 1st July 1973 and has risen from an ordinary member to the coveted position of Rotary International Director (2007-2009) and the Trustee of The Rotary Foundation (2009-13) by sheer dint of commitment, compassion and consistency.
Ashok passed his B.E. (Electrical) from Bombay University standing in the merit list of the university. He then took Diploma in Operation Management and Diploma in Business Management of Bombay University - again obtaining distinction.
He is a senior Partner in Raj Industries, a firm founded in 1973. That same year he joined the Rotary Club of Mulund. He was the President of the Club during 1982-83 and he served as District 3140 Governor during 1993-94.
Ashok was appointed Zonal Coordinator- Membership Task Force in 1995-96 & again in 1998-99. His involvement in Polio Plus Program has been widespread. He has been with National Polio Plus Committee for about 10 years. He served as Zonal coordinator-Avoidable Blindness Task Force in 2000-2002, Campaign Associate Rotary UNF private sector campaign, wherein he was able to raise Rs One Crore for Polio Eradication Programme. Member World Affair Committee-Asian 2003-05, Member India Presidential Polio Plus Summit 2001-02. He has represented Rotary International Presidents in various District Conferences (Ten times).
He was District 3140's representative to 2001 Council on Legislation held at Chicago, and the Liaison Director Interact Committee of Rotary International in 2007-09 and Extension of Rotary - South & South Asia Committee 2008-09. Member of the Programme Committee of the Board - 2007-09. President D K Lee invited him to be the member of the President's Advisory Committee 2008-09. He is also a member of the International Polio Plus Committee. He is also a member of Service Awards for a Polio-Free World sub-committee.
A major donor to The Rotary Foundation, a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, a benefactor and a member of the Paul Harris Society. His entire family is recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. He has received Rotary Foundation's highest award- Distinguished Service Award, Rotary's highest award-Service above Self Award and Regional Service Award for a Polio free world.
Outside Rotary too, he has served the society in many ways. Punjab Kesari Club, Council for Fair business practices, Civil Defence Advisory Committee are a few of his areas of interest.
Ashok enjoys reading, writing, cricket and social service. |
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| John Ayliffe |
| Regional Outreach to Europe Director |
Founder and Chairman of 1to4, a provider of working capital loans to small MFIs.
Board Member / Loan committee member of Microcredit Enterprises, a provider of working capital loans to small MFIs.
Co-Founder, former CEO & Board Member of Precimed, a Swiss MedTech company.
Former Director of Greatbatch Medical, a US MedTech company.
Married to Cathy, 2 children Kelly (13) and Jack (9).
Live in Lignières, Switzerland. A peaceful place...
Enjoy hiking, cycling, football (read soccer!), skiing and wine! |
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| Marilyn Fitzgerald |
| Research Director, RAGM |
Marilyn Ann Fitzgerald, Ph.D., is a past-president of the Rotary Club of Traverse City, Michigan. Within District 6290, Marilyn has served as an Assistant Governor, Chairperson of the District World Community Service Committee, and she is currently the District Microcredit Advisor and the District Economic and Community Development Coordinator.
Marilyn is a former Group Study Exchange Team Leader to Bali Indonesia; upon return directed a fundraising drive among multiple Rotary Clubs to raise $80,000 in 45 days to build a new blood bank building, she co-authored a 3-H Grant totalling $475,000 for the purchase of medical equipment for the blood bank in Bali. Within three years, TRF acknowledged the Bali blood bank was self- sustaining. She has also successfully authored numerous Matching Grants and District Simplified Grants involving multiple Rotary Clubs.
Currently, Marilyn is involved in micro-loan-plus projects in rural western Guatemala, working for the empowerment of impoverished families through economic community development.
Dr. Fitzgerald designed and conducted in-field research on economic and community development taking place in two Central American countries, the results are published as her dissertation The Unintended Consequences of Humanitarian Aid; she is also the author of If I Had a Water Buffalo, to be published year-end 2011.
Marilyn is the Founder/President of Common Ground Solutions, LLC while maintaining an active practice in clinical psychology 25+ years. |
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| Antonio Lico |
| Membership Director, RAGM |
PDG Antonio (Tony) Lico has been a Rotarian since 1 July 1979 when he joined Club Roma Sud Est, where he was President in 1994-1995.
Tony has been active in District 2080 since 1995, including: District Governor in 2001-2002; District Trainer in 2000-2001; District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair for the period 2003/2007; District Public Image and Communication Committee Chair in 2008/09 - 09/10; and District Representative on 2010 Council on Legislation.
A 3-ruby Paul Harris Fellow and TRF Benefactor, Tony has also been active within Rotary at the international level, including: RI Alternate Representative to FAO, WFP since 2003; RI Alternate Representative to IFAD since 2007; Regional Rotary International Membership Coordinator for Zone 12 for the period 2004/2006; TRF Annual Programs Fund Strategic Advisor for the period 2005/2006; Membership Workshop Moderator in Maastricht Institute; and RAGM Ambassador for Italy since 2007. |
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| Bill Gray |
| Special Projects Director, RAGM |
Bill is a retired financial advisor living with his wife Nancy in Kingston, Ontario.
A Rotarian since 1994, Bill was president of Cataraqui-Kingston Rotary Club in 2004-05. Bill was a country coordinator with Reach Out to Africa an ad hoc sub committee of the Rotary International board of directors. Reach Out to Africa strives to grow Rotary in Africa and to enable the achievement of the UN's Millennium Development Goals.
He served as Governor for District 7040 during 2011-12 and joined the board member of the Rotary Action Group for Microcredit in June 2012.
Rotary fellowship and service projects took Bill to Barbados, Guatemala, Kenya, Uganda, India, Sri Lanka, Egypt, Nigeria, El Salvador, Rwanda and Gabon, often several times. He led a Group Study Exchange team to Korea, district 3660, in 2001.
At the Birmingham convention Bill facilitated a breakout session on Microcredit. He presented at the first Toronto microfinance conference as well as at the UNIENDO America conference in Guatemala on microfinance. At the Montreal convention he facilitated a breakout session on Malaria Prevention.
He led the Shelter Box programme in District 7040 for several years.
Born in Toronto in 1947, Bill studied at Western University in London Ontario graduating with an Honours Business Administration degree.
Bill loves the people he meets through travel and service. He shares a keen interest in the visual arts with Nancy.
Bill and Nancy are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and Charter Members of the Bequest Society and committed supporters of the Rotary Peace Centers.
They have two sons, one daughter, two grandchildren, three cats and one dog. |
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| Sergio Bortolani |
| Volunteers Director |
Sergio Bortolani is Director of the School of Management and Economics of the University of Torino (Italy). His popular "Ethics and Finance’ University Course has a large portion of the content dedicated to Microcredit.
He is Governor 2013-14 of the Rotary District 2031 (Piedmont-Aosta Valley).
His District 2031 has launched a huge Project "Job Emergency and Microcredit’, involving 265 Rotarian volunteers and a Rotary Guarantee Fund of $ 250,000, for accompanying micro-entrepreneurs of the District Territory to start or to consolidate their small business in this present economic recession. |
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