Evan Burrell | Keynote Speaker
 
Evan is a 36r year old Rotarian and member of the Rotary Club of Turramurra in D9685 in Sydney, Australia. Evan has been an active part of the Rotary family for nearly 20 years, serving many of those years as a dedicated Rotaractor.

Evan certainty gets around, at the 2014 Rotary convention in Sydney; you may have seen him walking around taking hundreds of “Service Above Selfies” with convention attendees. Or you may have run into him immunizing children against polio in India, or worked alongside him across the district. Evan was even known for teaching the 2013-14 RI President Ron Burton how to dance to Korean singer Psy’s “Gangnam Style” a few years back.

Evan proves that Rotary isn’t all business! Evan’s message is “Let’s have fun in Rotary” and it’s with this message that has him passionately promoting Rotary’s digital story via his active social media presence.

One of Evan’s great skills is that he uses social media to show that Rotarians are not only making a positive difference in the world, but they are having fun doing it! He presents Rotary in a lighter more personally engaging way, showing the more fun and humorous side to our organisation, He finds it grabs people’s attention, member and non-member alike. This makes the idea of Rotary more relatable, especially to new generations, who may feel disconnected with some of the formalities of Rotary but are avid users of social media.
 
Evan is also the Digital Media Coordinator for the regional magazine Rotary Down Under as well as keeping himself busy managing his own digital consultancy start up, and building his career as a budding actor amongst many other things.

Rotaract/Rotary Roles
• Past member of St Ives Rotaract 1999-2011
• Past President St Ives Rotaract
• Past x2 District Rotaract Representative D9685
• Past President Rotary E Club of Greater Sydney
• District 9685 Youth Chair 2016-
• Member Turramurra Rotary 2011-
• Past member RI Rotaract & Interact Committee 2013-2016
• Past Member RI Alumni Committee 2015-2016
• Zone 7b and 8 Australian/NZ representative 2018 Rotary International Toronto Convention promotions committee
• Member RI Communications Committee
 
 
 
Clint Romesha | Keynote Speaker

Clinton Romesha is a former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant noted for his heroic actions during the Battle of Kamdesh, a key moment during the War in Afghanistan.  On October 3, 2009, Sergeant Romesha took quick and selfless action while under aggressive fire from the Taliban. Despite taking shrapnel wounds to his neck, shoulders, and arms, he carried out a counterattack that not only eliminated Taliban machine guns, but allowed for wounded soldiers to be taken to an aid station. Throughout the 12-hour battle, Romesha told himself he was merely doing what any solider would have done for his comrades; everyone else, however, saw him as a hero.

Romesha’s valor and humility have been widely celebrated. In 2013 he was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Barack Obama, making him the fourth living recipient of the honor for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. In the same year, he was inducted into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes. Since receiving these accolades, Romesha has carried his Medal of Honor with him wherever he goes – not out of pride, but as a constant reminder that within every single person lies the same qualities responsible for Romesha’s own heroic actions.

His 2016 memoir, Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor, was immediately recognized as an instant classic. It is not only admired for providing a clear-eyed account of one of the most crucial battles in recent military history, but also as a powerful account of how one person, committed to doing the right thing, can make a bigger difference than they ever imagined. Romesha revisited the story of the battle that made him a hero in the Netflix original series, Medal of Honor. 

As a speaker, Romesha not only reminds audiences of the power of ordinary people have for extraordinary bravery, but remains deeply committed to telling the stories of the soldiers who served with him, both living and gone. Romesha forges a connection between his audience and soldiers around the world, telling the stories of those who remain unrecognized, and who continue to make tough, brave choices in the service of others.

Romesha lives with his family in Minot.