Mary Kimm is an award-winning journalist, opinion writer and editor inspiring excellence and change in media for more than 20 years. As publisher of the newspaper group, she has led operations as well as news and editorial, recently leading Connection Newspapers to the Virginia Press Association Award for Journalistic Integrity and Community Service. 

Mary is editor of the Connection Newspapers, serving the suburbs of Washington, D.C., including the City of Alexandria and the City of Fairfax, Fairfax County and Arlington County in Virginia, as well as parts of Montgomery County, Md. The papers have won hundreds of press awards for investigative reporting, public service, editorial writing, news, election coverage, projects, features, sports, design, photography and more during Kimm’s tenure, all in an ever-tightening economic environment. Kimm has worked at the newspaper chain in a variety of roles since 1989.

Winner of multiple awards in editorial writing and public service in the Virginia Press Association and the Maryland-Delaware-DC Press Association, Kimm’s editorials have been cited in local efforts to end homelessness and increase government transparency. Mary Kimm serves on the Governing Board of the Fairfax-Falls Church Partnership to Prevent and End Homelessness, and on the Board of Directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington Fairfax Region. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the Media in Democracy Institute and numerous community organizations, including the Potomac Chamber of Commerce.

Kimm holds degrees in Economics and Political Science from Swarthmore College. Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1955, she is the mother of two PhD scientists. She has also worked in banking, real estate and education. Interests include kayaking, the Potomac River, birding, photography and horseback riding.

Ambaree Majumder is a second-generation Rotarian. Her father has been a long- term Rotarian and a past president in the state of Sabah in Malaysia. She is a member of the Marina City Rotary club in Singapore. She is also the co-chair of the Plant-Rich Diet taskforce in the Rotary Action Group for Environmental Sustainability (ESRAG), co-leader of the Southeast Asian chapter of ESRAG and the Regional Chair for Environmental Protection in Singapore.

Although she is an IT Business Analyst by qualification, she has spent most of her time in the past 7 years as a Social Entrepreneur, Speaker and Educator in the field of Plant based Lifestyle. Her journey of a plant-based lifestyle began in 2006 when she took an ethical stand to stop eating meat and fish. However, in 2016, when she completely went plant based by removing dairy and eggs from her diet, she experienced immense health benefits. She was able to reverse many chronic health issues like joint aches, a weak immunity, many digestive issues and also hypothyroidism.

Being passionate about health and environment, she soon realized that the diet which was the healthiest was also the most planet friendly. She undertook certification courses like Plant based Nutrition and Food Sustainability from e-Cornell, the online version of Cornell University. She has spoken at various Rotary clubs around the world, corporate platforms, schools and universities about how our plates and the planet are more interconnected than it might seem. She presents scientific data to show that every meal is an opportunity for us to fight a climate catastrophe knocking at humanity’s doorstep.

Janice Pliner has worked for more than 30 years in the areas of adult education and volunteer and program management.   She has a Bachelor of Arts in Speech Communication from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Master of Arts in Human Resource Development from Marymount University. 

She has worked for large corporations, including Gannett and Host Marriott Services, and for national non-profits, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Since 2013, Janice has been the Program Manager at Washington Metropolitan Oasis.  In this role, she is responsible for the planning and development of all course offerings at the Oasis center and other community locations.