LAX, Turbulence, and the Beautiful Chaos of Rotary Leadership

Friday at LAX — and no, I wasn't catching a flight. I was at the President Elect Conference, where 800 attendees showed up ready to serve, the ambitions were volcanic, and the acronyms were absolutely everywhere.

But first — we lei'd everybody while we were wearing our Hawaiian Rotary shirts. Every single person walking in for lunch got a lei placed around their neck whether they were ready for it or not. Business casual met aloha spirit in the lobby and aloha won decisively. Some people teared up. Some people took selfies. One guy looked genuinely confused about whether he'd accidentally boarded a flight to Honolulu. He had not. He was still in Los Angeles. But spiritually? Maybe Maui?

I met Governor-Elect Benson Medina — the man, the myth, the future — and immediately offered to create a WhatsApp group for all incoming presidents. Nothing says "visionary leadership" like a group chat destined to be 80% memes, 15% meeting reminders, and 5% someone's uncle forwarding conspiracy theories by accident.

Speaking of Benson — the man took his sweet, unhurried time finding the perfect partner. But when you meet Zeta, you completely understand. Some people find treasure on the first dig. Benson excavated with intention, patience, and what I imagine was an extremely detailed checklist. Worth every moment.

He then introduced the President-Elect Yinka Babalola (chillest name ever from Africa) who will collectively lead 1.2 million community leaders. No pressure, friends. Just the entire fate of civilized volunteerism.

I grabbed a seat with current awesomely friendly rodeo DG Nancy Cabral and we dove deep into the D5000 District Conference in Honolulu this August, themed around Peace. Perfect timing given that the world is currently doing its best impression of a group chat gone completely off the rails. Newsworthiness was our curiosity.

Enter Plugged In, Charged Up — a district-wide caravan of EVs and carpools making pilgrimages to nearby Peace Poles across Hawaii. Imagine a procession of silently humming electric vehicles rolling reverently toward Peace Poles like the world's most enlightened road trip. No emissions. Maximum intention. Possibly someone's Tesla playing Israel Kamakawiwoʻole the entire way and what a wonderful world at the Pahtay for Peace at the Pole.

Then I ran into Shab, the global grants guru, and his wife Bricia — the legendary Clean-Up-the-Rio-Grande Gal. We brainstormed speakers, agendas, and how to keep the whole thing genuinely moving without putting anyone to sleep between the lomi lomi and the luau.

Oh — and I attended the session for encore presidents: the Presidents-Elect serving a second year. These are the people who said "sure, I'll do it again" when any reasonable human would have hidden. Legends. Absolute legends.

“No task is too big when done together by all.”

Fun. Impactful. Energizing and clarifying. And absolutely lei'd from the start.

Plugged In. Charged Up. Honolulu, here we come. 🌺