Stephanie A. Urchick, 2024-25 president of Rotary International, speaks to The Korea Times during a Rotary Institute preparatory officer training event held in Seoul, Nov. 25. Urchick said that Rotary, a global leader in eradicating polio, was "very close" to the goal. Courtesy of Rotary Korea
For a long time, popular self-help books stressed that everyone needed to learn "how to say no." It almost seemed like a mantra, one that people living through these uncertain and volatile times should adhere to. So when Stephanie A. Urchick, 2024-25 president of Rotary International, advised her audience to keep on saying yes and to step up to leadership, you can bet that this writer was a bit bewildered.
Then again, it reflects her organization's goals, as well as the year-end good tidings people seek. As the second female president of Rotary International in its more than 100-year history, Urchick discussed her personal evolution in the organization, and also gave advice to women and men interested in leadership.
Urchick attended the annual Rotary Institute held in Seoul from Nov. 25 to 27 — during which Rotary leaders from Korea discuss project ideas and visions, as well as learn from each other's experiences. This year, it also focused on how to highlight the 100 years of Rotary in Korea in 2027. Urchick said she was glad to see more women leaders in Rotary.
"I think anyone interested in leadership should keep saying yes, if it's moral and legal. Keep saying yes and figure it out. When you say yes, the mountain of opportunities is amplified," Urchick said, adding that if you say no, people may not ask a second time.
"Leadership potential means having leadership skills. They are good communicators, able to inspire. Having the right personality is important," Urchick said. "Some people have a personality that is caustic and they want to chastise people right away, you won't get much buy-in from that. But if instead you say 'That wasn't correct. But I know you do this so much better. Let's try it in a different way,' you will get much buy-in."
Rotary was founded in 1905 in Chicago. The movement's international projects include a commitment to raising $50 million a year for polio eradication, and each dollar is matched with two dollars by Gates Foundation for bigger impact. Surprisingly, Rotary's history in Korea goes back to 1927, when the Gyeongseong Rotary Club started. And Rotary Korea's centennial year is 2027. Over the years, Korea has grown to become the second-largest donor in the organization. Assuming the international Rotary presidency for 2026-27 is a Korean, Yun Sang-koo, eldest son of former President Yun Po-sun.
Rotary International assists all its 1.2 million members in some 200 nations, and pays attention when a country celebrates its centennial in Rotary history, according to Urchick.
Urchick, who spent 34 years in Rotary International, did not think that she would be where she is today and the person that she has become if not for her service in the organization.
"I first went to a Rotary meeting in 1991. I was single again, and I needed to figure out how to use my time," she said. Like founder Paul Harris who initially set up Rotary to meet and learn from people of different professions and jobs, she went on to meetings. By her fourth meeting she was doing the newsletter and a year and a half later, serving as club president.
"I just kept saying yes," she said. Her Rotary Club is McMurray, Pennsylvania, United States.
Rotary International is a global network consisting of clubs, districts and zones. Rotary is also a global leader in the eradication of polio, which happened first as a pilot project in 1979, then R.I. President James L. Bomar, Jr. went to the Philippines to immunize children against polio. The campaign against polio began in earnest in 1985, and was so successful that other organizations such as the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the Gates Foundation and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance are all partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) with Rotary.
Urchick explained in detail how they were "very close" to eradicating polio.
"In 1985, polio (was) in some 125 countries. Now it is endemic in two countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are working there, and making sure there are no outbreaks. We are also working against polio variants, which a child gets after taking the vaccine," Urchick said. Now, the number of variant cases has also declined.
"We have a saying in Rotary, 'We are this close.' We have brought the cases down by 99.9 percent. We are very close," she said.
Rotary is also all about "positive peace." While traditional efforts at peace stress resolving conflict after it occurs, positive peace is acting to create conditions for peace before conflict even occurs. Rotary's approach is to address the causes of confrontation, such as poverty, inequality, discrimination and lack of opportunities. "Desperate people do desperate things," she said.
When asked if Rotary works in regions like Ukraine, and if they can assist in ending the ongoing conflict, Urchick says: "Not directly. Indirectly, yes. We do not broker peace. We build peace."
In fact, she focused on working with Ukraine, where there has been a membership growth of 40 percent since Russia began its invasion in 2022. "Ukraine is very much like Korea. It is a very resilient society. They want to do what they can to help their neighbors. They have seen the work being done in the name of Rotary and they want to be part of that," she said.
To recruit more of the younger generation, Urchick said clubs based in the United States created a satellite program called "Impact."
"As young people do not want to attend meetings, we created 'Impact' so that they could go out and do service at food banks and senior centers twice a month. They don't have to come to a meeting, except for the one held every other month where they could still learn about Rotary," Urchick said, adding that while this membership growth program succeeded in the United States, other nations will have to "adapt regionally."
Urchick is a partner and chief operating officer of Doctors at Work LLC, a consulting and training company. She holds a doctorate in leadership studies from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
"I have become much more compassionate and empathetic to the needs of others. Growing up in the United States, we take so much for granted," Urchick said.
"We sit down for dinner and there is a glass of water. I went to Vietnam and there were children playing in the dirty water. When I went to the Dominican Republic, it was to provide clean water filters in people's homes so that they can have clean water. There are so many advantages that many of us have when we provide service. It opens our eyes to the needs of humanity."