nwasianweekly.com
July 12, 2008

First Asian American to be district
governor of Seattle Rotary

By Eleanor Lee

Northwest Asian Weekly

Most clubs have ambitious goals: increase membership, provide community service, enrich its members. But Rotary — an international organization of business, professional and community leaders who provide humanitarian service and encourage ethical standards in all vocations — has an even loftier goal: eradicate polio worldwide.

Jesse Tam, the newly appointed district governor of Rotary District 5030, which represents 55 clubs in the greater Seattle area, is looking forward to personally doing his part towards that goal.

Tam, who is the president and CEO of Regal Financial Bank, took over the position of district governor July 1.

He described the process as “very serious,” with multiple steps. “There is a nominating committee, with several past governors on it. Then you go through an interview process, and they select a candidate. Then their choice is sent to Rotary International for further approval,” he said.

Tam is not only the first Asian American to be selected for this position, he is the first person of color. Seattle Rotary in particular has a reputation for being progressive, or “rebellious,” as Tam puts it. In 1987, the club, along with one other in California, brought forth a lawsuit challenging the exclusion of women. The case was taken all the way up to the Supreme Court, where the “males only” membership requirement was struck down.

The year-long position will also require extensive “training, correspondent study, lectures and even tests,” according to Tam.

And he won’t be able to fall back on his banking experience, either. “(It’s) very different from running a bank,” Tam said. “Here (at work), I can talk money. But in a nonprofit program, I don’t pay a dime, but I have to make them (patrons) feel like millions!” he laughed. “The value behind the program is far more than dollars and cents,” he added.

Tam has felt the value of Rotary personally. His involvement in the club changed his life, he said. A member for 24 years, since the founding of Seattle Rotary in 1984, he said, “I have done so many things in Rotary, no way an individual could have done that without an organization like Rotary International.”

As an example, he related a recent trip to Nepal where Seattle Rotary was able to give $300,000 to disabled children in need.

Now Tam is positioned to do even more such work. Currently, his district has 3,400 members, and his goal for the upcoming year is to increase membership by a net gain of 10 percent, or 340 members. Because of turnover, however, this works out to actually be a 25 percent increase.

Tam is confident he’ll reach this goal, as his home club was able to increase membership last year by almost 30 percent. “It’s just a matter of putting effort into it, understanding the importance” of it, he said.

He’s also determined about reaching another goal, the one that Rotary International has set as a priority: eradicating polio. The target is to win a Gates Foundation $100 million matching grant within three years, and, along with the World Health Organization, administer immunizations to every last child who needs it.

Tam is personally visiting countries affected by polio and has a busy schedule lined up — he flies to Ethiopia in October, Vietnam in November and India in February.

“The immunization is just two drops. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?” Tam asked. “But many countries are at war, and (aid workers) are unable to reach those places. Rotary, partnering with health organizations, is finding ways to reach those children.”

For more information on Rotary International, visit www.rotary.org.

Eleanor Lee can be reached at e.lee@nwasianweekly.com.