PETS Speaker Bios

Julia D. Phelps, Ed.D.

Rotary Foundation Trustee 2017-2020
Past Rotary International Director 2014-2016
Rotary Club of Amesbury, MA

Bio

Julia joined the Rotary Club of Amesbury, MA in 1997 and served as president of the club in 2001-02 and the club’s Foundation Chair (2016 – 2020).  She was active in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program and hosted several Ambassadorial Scholars.  After serving as president, she was asked to train incoming presidents at NE Presidents-elect Training Seminar (PETS).  Julia served as a host counselor for a Youth Exchange.

She has served in several positions at the district level.  She worked on RYLA, served as Inbound Chair for Ambassadorial Scholars and was District Governor of District 7930 in 2007-2008.  She was the District’s Annual Giving Chair and the Chair for NE PETS.  Julia became District 7930’s Foundation Chair in July 2009 and led the district through the Future Vision Pilot.  She shared Future Vision insights at the New Orleans, Louisiana and Lisbon, Portugal International Conventions.

Julia has served as a Presidents Representative and the Rotary Foundation Alumni Chair (RFAC) for Zone 32.  Julia prepared governors-elect on the Foundation’s new grant model at the International Assembly in 2012 and 2013.  She served as International Director from 2014 – 2016 and in 2016 – 2017 was a member of the Operations Review Committee. Julia served as a member of RI’s Membership Committee from 2017 – 2019.  

In 2017, Julia was appointed as a Trustee of our Rotary Foundation where she served on the Foundation’s Stewardship Committee (Chair in 2019 – 2020) and the Executive Committee (2018 – 2020).  For two years, she’s served as the Trustee Liaison to the Leadership Development and Training Committee.  Always a supporter of Polio eradication efforts, Julia participated in an NID in January 2017 in Delhi, India. Currently, she’s the Vice-chair for the Basic Education and Literacy Major Gift Initiative Committee and Moderator for the training of regional leaders in 2022.

Julia is an active member of the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) Rotary Action Group.  She serves on the Operation Team of WASH and chaired the World Water Summit 2017, 2018, 2019 and the Virtual Summit in 2020.  In January 2019, Julia participated in handing over toilet blocks and handwashing stations to a school of 1200 students in Nashik, India.  The Rotary Club of Amesbury, MA financially supported this project along with other clubs in the USA, Australia, and India.

Julia is the recipient of the Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award.  She and her husband, Steve McKenzie, who’s also a Rotarian are Majors Donors and charter members of the Bequest Society.  She is a Paul Harris Society member.  Julia is currently leading the Million Dollar Journey for the Rotary Foundation in District 7930. 

She’s retired from the Massachusetts Department of Education where she served as the Associate Commissioner for Curriculum and Instruction.  Steve McKenzie, her husband, and Julia live in Greenland, New Hampshire, USA.  Steve is the proud father of two children, Melissa and Stephen.  Steve and Julia are also the grandparents to Peyton, Zeth, River, Finn and Nate.  All their family members are Paul Harris Fellows.

Herb Klotz

PDG, District 7430

Bio

Herb joined Rotary in 2011 and is a member of the Allentown West Rotary club near Allentown, PA. He was the 2021-24 Zone 32 Rotary Coordinator. During his term as Rotary coordinator, Herb has been involved with membership training for all multi-district PETS across Zone 32 in 2022-2024. Herb and Doug Logan (Zone 28 Rotary coordinator) have led a several studies with Rotary coordinators across the USA and Canada on characteristics of clubs with a growth culture and their alignment with Rotary’s action plan.

Herb was the 2019-20 District Governor and the 2016-18 District Membership Chair for District 7430. He played a key role in developing and implementing a strategic action plan to grow their district membership. From 2016-19, District 7430 increased its membership in 3 of the 4 years, added 4 new clubs, 4 satellites and had a net gain of nearly 100 members.

Herb is a retired chemical engineer, a charter member of Engineers without Borders – Lehigh Valley Professionals and has been actively involved in partnering with Rotary on global and district grant projects in Sierra Leone, Africa, and the Dominican Republic. He has traveled to both locations on multiple occasions, most recently in January 2023.

John Brubaker

Bio

John Brubaker is a highly sought after keynote speaker, award-winning author and executive coach known for his unique approach to performance enhancement. He has front line, high-stakes, high-stress experience as a championship coach. His 12 year coaching career ended with him getting fired – on his birthday! This experience taught John all the powerful lessons of coaching: teamwork, setbacks, strategy, and implementation – but equally the importance of balancing your life.

His experience on-air and in sales management with ESPN Radio have given John insight about what it takes backstage to build an iconic brand as well as the power of understanding and connecting with your audience. His talk will incorporate Managing Change and The Lasso Way.

Coach Bru’s programs are based in real-life and are road-tested. John has devoted the past 20 years as a coach, bringing together and building on the combination of his life experiences to help leaders and teams not just move to the next level but to Stadium Status.

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