Rotary Member Retention
Stephanie Urchick of the Rotary Club of McMurray, Pennsylvania, USA, has been chosen by the Nominating Committee as RI president for 2024–25. She will be the second woman RI president.
Stephanie is partner and chief operating officer of Doctors at Work LLC, a consulting and training company. She holds a doctorate in leadership studies from Indiana University, Pennsylvania. She is active on numerous community boards and committees and has been honored by organizations including Zonta International and the Sons of the American Revolution.
A Rotarian since 1991, Stephanie has travelled to Vietnam to help build a primary school and to the Dominican Republic to install water filters. She studies several Slavic languages, has mentored new Rotarians in Ukraine, and coordinated a Rotary Foundation grant project in Poland.
She has served Rotary in many roles, including as a director, The Rotary Foundation trustee and chair of the RI Strategic Planning Committee and the TRF’s Centennial Celebration Committee. She currently serves on the Election Review and Operations Review Committees. She is a Major Donor and a member of the Bequest Society.
Tom Gump is passionate about growing Rotary Membership through forming new and innovative, cause-based Rotary, Rotaract and satellite clubs. He founded the first ever Rotary Club to serve veterans and co-founded the world’s first Rotary club to end human trafficking. He helped found the Rotary Club of Network for Empowering Women and The Kaleidoscope Rotaract Club, to serve those with Autism and their families.
He also helped form the Rotaract eClub for the Environment - the first ever cause-based, international, Rotaract eClub focusing on the environment, which was the innovative club example used by Rotary International General Secretary and CEO John Hewko in his closing remarks at the 2021 Rotary Virtual Convention.
Tom was one of only 20 North American Rotary leaders selected by Rotary International Past President Mark Maloney and Rotary International Membership Staff to participate in a New Club Development Summit and was subsequently named as a Zone 29 Innovative Club Advocate. Tom also serves as an Assistant Rotary Coordinator for membership.
Tom now inspires others around the world and helps them form their own new and innovative Rotary clubs. The North American Rotary magazine and other Rotary regional magazines have written about Tom and his district’s new and innovative clubs; and Tom’s tips for attracting and retaining members have also been featured as part of a cover story.
Tom serves his zone-pair as the General Chair of this year’s Institute and was the Assistant General Chair of last year's virtual Institute. He is also a 2022 Rotary International Assembly Training Leader. Tom loves promoting Rotary and has served his zones (28 & 29) as their Promotion Coordinator for both the Honolulu Virtual and Toronto Rotary International Conventions. He was an Assistant Zone Promotion Coordinator for the Hamburg International Convention.
He is married to his wife Catherine Gump, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Edina, Minnesota, USA. Their son Andrew is involved in the Edina Interact Club. The Gump family is very involved in Rotary Youth Exchange having hosted six long-term exchange students.
Stephanie and Tom will be joining us via Zoom to talk about membership retention. This will be an inspiring and interesting program and we will be having many visitors via zoom joining us. It will be an excellent opportunity to invite a gust or prospective member to join us in person at Memorial Hall or via zoom. PDG Elise Cadigan will introduce our presenters.