Speakers

Sylvia Whitlock was born in New York City and educated through high school in Kingston, Jamaica.  She has the distinction of being the First Woman President worldwide in Rotary International, and also served as the District Governor, 2012-2013.

She has the following degrees:

• International baccalaureate from Cambridge University, England
• B.A. Psychology – Hunter College of the City University of New York
• M.A. – Education, Cal Poly, Pomona
• PH. D. Education – Claremont Graduate School
• M.A. Marriage and Family Therapy – Azusa Pacific University
• California State Teaching and Administrative Credentials
• Licensed in Marriage and Family Therapy by Board of Behavioral Sciences, California
• Licensed Supervisor – Marriage and Family Therapy

Sylvia joined the Rotary Club of Duarte in 1982 and held every office at the club-level.  During her long Rotary career, she has:

• Made up at clubs in England, Scotland, the Caribbean, Australia, South Africa, India
• Chaired Four-Way Test Speech competition for 6 years
• Chaired Ambassadorial Scholarship Committee for 6 years
• Served on District Finance Committee
• Chaired Simplified Grant Program
• Served as Assistant Governor
• Recipient of Rotary Foundation District Service Award
• Recipient of Sylvia Whitlock award, established and presented at the 2017 International  Convention
• Participated in NIDS, established AIDS clinic in Jamaica, supported orphanage in Mexico, sank wells in Nigeria, raised almost $90,000. for Education for Girls in India
• Is multiple  Paul Harris Fellow, Benefactor and Member of the Bequest Society
• Has spoken at more than 100 District Conferences, numerous clubs in the United States and overseas, Institutes and Zone events
• Addressed all 530 incoming governors at 2013 International Assembly
• Honorary Member of Rotary Club of Calcutta Metropolitan, Chicago One, Duarte Rotary

Other community activities and awards (past and present)

• Member of the Rotary Club of Claremont, CA
• Member of the Board of Spanish Trails Girl Scout Council
• Recorder for Blind and Dyslexic
• Commission Member at Tri-City Mental Health Authority
• Trainer in Mental Health First Aid
• Volunteer at Pomona Valley Hospital
• Chair of Pastor Parish Relations Council at Trinity U.M. church
• Member and Past President of Beta Mu Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma International
• AFRAM GLOBAL Villager Award, 2019
• UNA Global Citizen Award 2013

Academic Activities

• Chair of Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accreditation Teams
• Member of California State Committee on Credentials at California State Department of Education (2004-2010)
• Distinguished Alumna at Cal Poly, Pomona
•  NAACP Woman of the Year 
• Hall of Fame, Hunter College, CUNY. 2021

Sylvia had three adult children, one of whom is Human Resources Assistant at University of California, Berkeley.  She considers raising her children the most satisfying and enjoyable job she has ever had, almost comparable to enjoying her first grandson, and now a new granddaughter and another grandson.  She likes tennis, the Stanford Cardinals Football Team, the Seahawks, the Golden state Warriors, especially Steph Curry, and the Los Angeles  Angels.  She is also a world traveler.

Richard D. King is a Rotarian at the Rotary Club of Niles-Fremont, CA. He was:

- President, Rotary International, 2001-2002

- Trustee, The Rotary Foundation, 1996-2000

- Director, Rotary International, 1989-91

- Chairman of the Executive Committee, Rotary International, 1990-91

Richard D. King is a past world president of Rotary International, and for 51 years was the senior partner in the California law firm King, King & King.  He earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of California at Berkeley where he is a member of the California Club and the Order of the Golden Bear.  He taught law at Brigham Young University.  He is a distinguished military graduate of the University of California and served as captain in the U.S. Military Intelligence.  He received an Honorary Doctorate in Law from Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.

A trial lawyer, Mr. King belongs to several legal associations including the American Association of Trial Lawyers.  He is admitted to practice in both Utah and California and before the Supreme Court of the U.S.  He served on the board of directors of the Eden Hospital Foundation, the Woodminster Performing Arts, and Oakland Ballet.  He is a trustee of the City of Hope, and received the City of Hope “Spirit of Life” Award.  He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Council of the Boy Scouts of America and was a member of the Board of Fremont Symphony Orchestra.  He has been knighted by the Republic of Italy and is a holder of the Great Official Order of Merit.  He is a recipient of the State of Rio de Janeiro’s highest award, the “Medalha Tiradentes.”  He is a member of Actor’s Equity.  He is an elder and officer of the Mormon Church.  He holds the Chevalier Degree, the Legion of Honor and is a member of the Hall of Fame of the Order of DeMolay.  He is a recipient of the Distinguished Citizen Award from the United Portuguese of California and is a recipient of the Distinguished Public Service Award from the Brigham Young University Management Society.  He has been honored by some 50 associations, by the President of the U.S., and by many countries across the globe for his community and charitable service.  He served as the Executive Director of The Wheelchair Foundation.

A Rotarian since 1968, he is a member of the Rotary Club of Niles-Fremont, California USA.  He has also served Rotary as a club president, district governor, an international assembly instructor and an official representative of the president of R.I.  He has chaired and served on many Rotary International committees, task forces and special assignments.  Mr. King has received the Rotary Citation for Meritorious Service and the Distinguished Service Award for his support of humanitarian and educational programs of the Rotary Foundation.  He is a recipient of the PolioPlus Pioneer Award.

One of Rotary’s most popular speakers, Mr. King has addressed Rotary International Conventions, Assemblies, Institutes, Seminars, Conferences and Rotary Clubs in every state in the USA and some 100 countries.  As President, he led Rotary International to its greatest one-year growth record in its 100-year history, with 75,000 New Members Net, a global membership of 1,243,431 and 1,158 New Rotary Clubs in 2001-2002, more than one new club every 8 hours.  In the same year, Rotarians contributed the highest amount of money ever raised for the Annual Fund of the Rotary Foundation.

Mr. King is married to Cherie Kay King.  They have two grown sons and reside in the San Francisco, California Bay Area.

Ed Correia is the founder and CEO of Sagacent Technologies, Inc.; a 21-year old  IT management firm focused on risk reduction, particularly around data security. 

As a 43-year IT professional, Ed has personally seen technology move from the punch card to the cloud. He brings a unique blend of business management experience, operational know-how, and computer industry knowledge to Silicon Valley.  

Ed’s passion is partnering with small and mid-market professional firms to ensure their daily productivity through the proper use of technology and to reduce their technology risks. Specifically, threats of data loss, security breaches, business interruptions, and compliance failures. 

Before founding Sagacent Technologies in 2000, Ed worked for several national  technology services companies providing solutions to large companies like  3Com, Raytheon, Roche Bioscience, Visa, and Cisco Systems. However, as  president and CEO of Sagacent Technologies, Inc., Ed has focused the company  on providing the same comprehensive IT services that large corporations  receive, but scaled for small and mid-sized professional services businesses of  20 to 200 employees in Silicon Valley.

Geoff Cochran is an Annual Giving Officer with The Rotary Foundation, with a special focus on Zones 26 and 27. He is a part of a team within The Foundation’s staff who apply giving trends, data analysis and connections to empower Rotary leaders to acquire, retain and upgrade donors, fund more grants, and create a strong pipeline of philanthropic support for The Rotary Foundation. 

Geoff comes to Rotary from a decades long career in nonprofit administration and management.  He attended Loyola University Chicago from which he received a BA in History and subsequently followed that with a MS in Public Service Management from DePaul University.  He lives in Evanston, IL with his family and is an active member of his community. In recent years, he served on the Mental Health Board for the City of Evanston and the Board of Directors of PEER Services, a local treatment center.  He has worked in the nonprofit sector for 14 years, most recently as an Associate Officer with Club and District Support with Rotary International for over a year. Geoff is a staunch advocate in Rotary’s motto “Service Above Self.”