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 … Read More »

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 … Read More »

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.

Mayorga Organics is our Business of the Year!

Mayorga Organics, based in Rockville, Md., embodies the spirit of Rotary.  At Rotary we use the four-way test in our business dealings. We ask:  Is it true?  Is it fair to all concerned?   Does it promote good will?  Will it be beneficial to all concerned?  Mayorga Organics grew into an international company by telling the farmers and the customers the truth, about market forces, the process of production and how they maintain quality.  They are dedicated to being fair to the farmers who produce our coffee and giving them a fair price for their labor. 

Martin Mayorga (pictured at left) started roasting coffee in Rockville in 1997. The company has expanded and now operates a state-of-the-art roasting facility on Gude Drive.

Mayorga Organics has promoted good will not only in their business model of non-exploitation but by many generous corporate acts including donating $145,000 to build homes in Nicaragua that was destroyed by floods and donating food and water to over 700 families in Honduras, Guatemala and Nicaragua when disaster struck.  They are regular donors to local food banks in Montgomery County, and they donate time to help social enterprise groups in Tennessee that … Read More »

Paul has a BS in Physics and an MS in and Computer Systems Management. He served as a civilian employee in the Navy, where he conducted research projects in  acoustics and oceanography. Later he worked as a technology contractor for various government agencies. In 1998 Paul co-founded a strategic management consulting firm. Paul has always had an interest in energy and environmental issues. In his retirement, he decided to focus his efforts in solar cookers, which is not a crowded field. He joined a small local nonprofit called Solar Household Energy, which has been developing solar cookers and managing field projects for over 20 years all around the world. Paul’s work has focused on the more technical aspects of solar cooker testing and research. This work has expanded his awareness of the needs of cooks (who are mostly women) to have better alternatives. Paul joined North Bethesda Rotary Club in 2017 and currently serves to support the zoom meetings and videos of their weekly meetings.

Minh Q. Le is a Director in FINRA’s Corporate Financing Department with over 25 years of experience in the regulation of public and private offerings. Currently, Mr. Le manages the Department’s Private Placement Review program which conducts regulatory oversight of broker-dealer participation in retail private offerings. In addition to overseeing the review and investigation program, Minh’s duties include developing policy and providing guidance on corporate financing, investment banking and other capital-raising related issues. He also is responsible for providing subject matter expertise to FINRA’s Examination and Enforcement staffs and on occasion testimony for hearings and regulatory proceedings. For the past 20 years, he has been a member of FINRA’s Sales Rep and DPP/REIT Qualifications committees which are responsible for developing test questions for brokerage licenses. Prior to his current functions, Minh managed the Department’s Public Offerings Review program, which is responsible for regulating underwriting terms and arrangements in public offerings. He graduated from the University of Maryland, attended the Wharton Institute of Executive Education, and is a Certified Regulatory and Compliance Professional