2026 Midwest PETS Speakers
We have some great speakers lined up for the upcoming Midwest PETS. Stay tuned for the full line-up!
John Hewko – General Secretary/CEO
Rotary International and The Rotary Foundation
John Hewko is the General Secretary and CEO of Rotary International, one of the world’s largest membership organizations with 46,000 clubs and 1.2 million people of action throughout the world, and of its foundation, The Rotary Foundation. He oversees the operations of both entities and manages a combined operating budget of over $500 million and assets of nearly $2 billion. Hewko also manages Rotary’s relationship with strategic partners and governments and leads a staff of almost 800 at Rotary's world headquarters in Evanston, Illinois and in seven offices outside the United States.
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. He helped establish the firm’s Moscow office and was the managing partner of its offices in Kyiv and Prague.
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.
He is a member emeritus of the board of trustees of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, Ukraine and a trustee of Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio. He is also a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was a member of the Land Use Commission for the city of Evanston, Illinois.
Yinka Babalola – Rotary International President-Elect
Bablola was elected to serve as the President-elect of Rotary International on 28 August 2025, and he will assume the role of RI President on 1 July 2026, serving through 30 June 2027.
He holds a degree in engineering and spent more than 30 years in the oil and gas sector, including senior leadership roles at Shell PLC. He founded the Riviera Technical Services Ltd., an oil andgas infrastructure delivery firm, as well as Lead and Change Consulting, an executive coachingand organizational performance consultancy.
Babalola is a member of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, the Institute of Safety Professionals, and the Association of Change Management Practitioners. He also belongs to the JerichoBusiness Club, a civic organization in Ibadan that contributes to national policy dialogue.Following his professional retirement, he now devotes much of his time to his humanitarianinterests and service to his community and the world through his membership of Rotary.
He started his Rotary journey as a Rotaractor in 1983. A Rotarian since 1993, Babalola is a member of the Rotary club of Trans Amadi, Port Harcourt District 9141, Nigeria. He served on the Rotary International Board of Directors from 2018 through 2020 and as Vice President of Rotary International for the 2019-20 year.
Babalola has experience on several Rotary committees including the Joint Operations Review Committee, Fund Development Committee, Sao Paulo Convention Promotion Committee, Joint Partnerships Committee, RI Membership Growth Committee, RI Board Executive Committee, Elevate Rotaract Task Force, and Vice Chair of the End Polio Now Countdown to History Committee. He has served as Adviser to the Nigeria National PolioPlus Committee for many years, playing a leading role in The Rotary Foundation’s effort to eradicate polio in Nigeria and Africa, leading to the region’s eventual certification by the World Health Organization in 2021.
He previously served on the Peace Major Gift Initiative Committee, helping to launch the Africa Peace concert, which raised over $300,000 USD for the Rotary Peace Centers, and as End Polio Zone Coordinator, Regional Rotary Foundation Coordinator and Endowment Major Gift Adviser. Through these roles, he led and inspired the effort that grew the Arch Klumph Society membership (donors who have contributed $250,000 USD) in Africa from four in 2013 to 30 in 2023. As District Governor, he raised over a million US dollars for the Rotary Foundation from an area normally considered as economically disadvantaged.
As International Assembly Learning Facilitator, Governor-elect Learning Seminar Leader, Regional Leaders Training Institute Facilitator, and Moderator for the 2024 Global Support and Global Philanthropy Seminars, he has helped prepare and inspire many future Rotary leaders.
Babalola is passionate about Growing Rotary. As club President in 2002-03, he won the Rotary International Global Quest Award for highest percentage net membership gain worldwide and was recognized onstage at the Brisbane Rotary Convention for this achievement. As District Governor, he grew membership by a net gain of over 650 members, emerging as one of the top three performing districts in the world and was recognized on stage at the Bangkok Rotary Convention.
As RI Director, he inspired the growth of Rotary in Africa from 19,000 to over 44,000 members. Under his watch, Districts of his paired zones became the fastest growing districts in their region.
Babalola served recently on the Board of Trustee of Shelterbox, a UK charity and Rotary's partner on emergency shelter needs for those displaced by disasters and conflicts. He also served as the Director of the Safeblood Africa Project, a multi-district Rotary initiative to establish sustainable systems for safe blood donation in the region. He is a faculty member and the founding Registrar of the Nigerian Division of the Rotary Leadership Institute, a Rotary Positive Peace Activator, and an Alumnus of the Positive Peace Academy – a program of Rotary in partnership with the Institute of Economics and Peace.
Babalola has received the Service Above Self Award, the Rotary Foundation Citation for Meritorious Service, and the Service Award for a Polio-Free World. He supports the Rotary Foundation through a named endowed fund and is a member of the Arch Klumph Society. He has attended several Zone and international institutes and over 25 Rotary conventions.
Clare Richards – Rotaractor
Clare Richards is the co-founder and CEO of a startup called Impacks, which supports parents and educators in accessing critical school supplies. Clare is a creative by trade with a strong love for building vibrancy through action and storytelling. She is known for her ability to kickstart initiatives, engage emerging leaders, and lead passionate teams to accomplish ambitious goals. A notable example of this was her part in co-founding and leading a young leaders group called Saint Cloud Rotaract in 2015. Her work as a community volunteer and advocate has gained her recognition as a St. Cloud 5 Under 40 award, a 2022 Top Outstanding Young Minnesotan, and the 2023 JCI Ten Outstanding Young Americans award. Clare was also awarded as a 2025 Women in Business honoree by the Minneapolis St. Paul Business Journal. Clare volunteers her time on various boards, including Greater St. Cloud Development Center, Central MN Community Foundation, and the University of Minnesota Center for Integrative Leadership. She also serves on the St. Cloud Planning Commission. Prior to starting Impacks, Clare spent a decade in the marketing and advertising field. When she isn’t volunteering or working, she can be found binging a good podcast or playing her ukulele.
Dr. Richard Kyte – Author
Rick Kyte is a Professor of Ethics and Director of the D.B. Reinhart Institute for Ethics in Leadership at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He writes a regular column appearing in over 70 newspapers nationwide and appears weekly on “The Ethical Life” podcast hosted by Scott Rada. He is a long-time member of the Rotary Club of La Crosse and serves on the boards of Coulee Region Trout Unlimited and LeaderEthics. His latest book, Finding Your Third Place: Building Happier Communities (and Making Great Friends Along the Way), was published in 2024.
Michael K McGovern – Rotary International Polio Plus Committee Chair
Mike McGovern has chaired the Rotary International PolioPlus Committee since October 2014., The Rotary IPPC oversees all elements of Rotary’s polio eradication efforts including annual grants to UNICEF and WHO, relationships within the polio partnership, advocacy to governments, Rotarian engagement, polio communications and fundraising.
He represents Rotary on and serves as chair of the Polio Oversight Board which governs the global polio eradication initiative partnership
He joined Rotary in 1986 as a member of the Rotary Club of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA. After serving as a club president, he was a district governor in 1999-2000 and has served in many Rotary positions including as a director and vice president of Rotary International and as a trustee and vice chair of the Rotary Foundation. Mike has chaired the Rotary International Membership Committee, the RI Zoning Committee , the RI President Nominating Committee, the Rotary Action Group for Family Health and AIDS Prevention and was the regional chair and the global chair of the Rotary Leadership Institute.
He served his entire professional career with the Town of Cape Elizabeth, Maine USA beginning as an intern in 1977 and serving as the chief appointed officer (town manager) for 31 years until his retirement in 2016 and again for five months in 2024.
Tom Gump – Rotary International Director-Elect
Tom Gump is a proud member of the Edina Morningside Rotary Club in Minnesota, USA. Tom is passionate about growing Rotary membership and chairs Rotary International’s Membership Growth Committee. Last year, he served as Aide to the Rotary International President.
Tom is the Director-elect and will serve as Zones 25B & 29’s Director in 2026-28. He is serving on the Zone Realignment Committee for the Americas and co-chairing the Host Organization Committee for the 2028 Rotary International Convention – Minneapolis.
His wife, Catherine, serves as Secretary of the Edina Noon Club. Their son Andrew is President of the Twins Port Rotaract Club in Duluth, Minnesota. The Gumps have hosted seven long-term Youth Exchange Students.
Tom’s all-time favorite part about Rotary is the friends he makes!
2025 Midwest PETS Speakers
Last year, we had great speakers, and just to name a few, Nicki Scott, Ed Futa, Salvador Rizzo Tavares, Taylor Huie, and Gary Metivier. Check out the Resources Page for last year’s video recordings.