District Conference Presenter Bios

District Conference Presenter Bios

 

2022-2023 District Governor Juliet Altenburg

Juliet was born and raised in Palmerton PA and currently resides in New Cumberland PA with her husband Rob.  From 1984 – 2003 she worked as a critical care nurse, educator, and Trauma Program Manager at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) in Allentown PA.  She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Nursing at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.  During her time at LVHN Juliet spearheaded many community outreach activities involving staff throughout the hospital. These included injury prevention programs focused on burns, elderly falls, motor vehicle crashes, and risky teen behaviors involving dating, alcohol, and drugs. Since 2003 she has served as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems (PTSF)—the accrediting body for trauma centers in Pennsylvania. Her work involves building partnerships with hospitals, healthcare associations and researchers throughout the state and nationally to enhance care provided to injured patients.  Through her work at PTSF she serves on multiple boards including the Pa Division of the American Trauma Society, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council. She is a strong advocate of the STOP THE BLEED ™ program and is building partnerships between hospitals and Rotary clubs to teach bleeding control techniques and provide hemorrhage control supplies to teachers, and first responders.
 
Juliet’s passion for Rotary is fueled by her membership in the Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg-North (RCMN) since 2013.  From 2014 -2021 she was a member of the RCMN Board of Directors and served as the Club President in 2019/2020.  Her contributions have included service in every aspect of club operations including Youth Exchange, Philanthropy, Communications, and fundraisers. She and her husband Rob are Major Donors, Paul Harris Society Members, and Polio Plus Society Members.  In 2020 she formed the District 7390 Safety Committee in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which acted as a role model for other districts.  The work of the committee continues was featured in  Rotary International’s Zone newsletter and blog.  
 
Juliet and her husband Rob are members of St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus Church in New Cumberland, PA. When not involved in Rotary, they enjoy time volunteering with the Central PA Medical Reserve Corps, Civil Air Patrol, and the Keystone Trails Association.  Rob is employed at PennFuture and is an environmental attorney and Director of the Energy Center.
   
   

Patrick McDonnell, Penn Future

Patrick brings over 20 years of experience on climate, clean energy and environmental issues to his role as president and CEO of PennFuture. Prior to joining PennFuture, he spent six years as Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, leading key initiatives like passage of the state’s first carbon trading regulation, acceleration of the Commonwealth’s cleanup of waterways, and a new focus on environmental justice issues. He also served as President of the Environmental Council of the States, the voice of state environmental agencies nationally.

Prior to being named Secretary, Patrick served in roles at the DEP and the Public Utility Commission, heading up the state’s energy office, managing the agency’s budget and human resources, and overseeing the development of regulations and guidance documents. Some of his most notable accomplishments in government include development of the state’s first wind farms, the Award-winning Ehrenfeld reclaimed mines project, and entry into the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).

Deeply committed to environmental justice issues, Patrick has collaborated with partners across the Commonwealth and the nation.  These partnerships have resulted in brownfield cleanups, waterway restoration projects, and new opportunities for tourism and leisure in Pennsylvania towns that have been historically underserved.  He is a firm believer that environmentally focused policies will result in new jobs and opportunities for all Pennsylvanians.

On weekends, Patrick can be found on an improv stage in Harrisburg, hiking one of Pennsylvania’s state parks with his wife and four children, or checking out the latest Star Wars film.

   
   

Patty Seaman, Peace Promise

Patty Seaman serves as the Executive Director of Peace Promise and was a founder of the outreach arm of the ministry in early 2012. Patty is dedicated to building personal relationships with the individuals that Peace Promise serves and does this through a kinship method of ministry.  She has a heart to see lives transformed and believes that loving people where they are in that moment is the key ingredient.  Patty spends her days providing support services to survivors, advocating for their unique needs and teaching life skills in practical settings.  Outside of her passion to see the sexually exploited free and filled with hope, she has a passion for empowering and encouraging those around her.  Patty serves alongside her husband, Pastor Jason Seaman, at their church The Exchange. Outside of ministry, family, and friends, her passions are her 2 German Shepherds and her flower gardens.
   
   

Jim Hazen, Lower Dauphin Communities That Care

Jim Hazen serves at Community Relations Coordinator for the Lower Dauphin School District, a position he’s held since 1999. In addition, he was appointed to be the district’s School Safety and Security Coordinator in 2018. Since 2007, Jim has served as the Executive Director for Lower Dauphin Communities That Care, a nonprofit organization which provides prevention services to the children of the Lower Dauphin School District. He is Board Member for LD CTC since the organization’s creation in 2001. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Rotary Club of Hummelstown since 2014 and served a two-year term as President from 2014-2016. He holds a master’s of public administration from Penn State University and also earned a professional certificate in Homeland Security. He earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and worked at three newspapers as a news reporter, sports reporter, editor and managing editor before coming to Lower Dauphin.
   
   

Angela Durantine, Lower Dauphin Communities That Care

Angela grew up in Schuylkill County but has been living in the Harrisburg area since 1985. Angela worked in the PA Senate for more than 12 years before taking some time off to raise her two children. Alongside her husband, Pete, and another business partner, the three of them began TheBurg in Harrisburg in 2008. Angela was the advertising executive, in addition to bookkeeping and editing. After five years, Angela and her husband sold their investment in the magazine and changed job course. Angela has been Program Director at Lower Dauphin Communities That Care (LD CTC) for the past five years and found her calling working with students of all ages. LD CTC provides prevention programs from birth to high school, including our Books on Board Bookmobile; Do The Right Thing program, recognizing students who are caught “doing the right thing”; and Club Ophelia and Breaking the Boy Code, which teaching 2-6 grade students how to deal with bullying and to be a better friend. LD CTC’s vision is “Through a community-wide effort, all children in the Lower Dauphin community shall grow up to become healthy, productive adults.”
   
   

Mohammed Eid, Rotary Peace Fellow

Mohammed Eid first arrived in the US in 2017 as a Rotary Peace Fellow. He attended the Duke-UNC Rotary Peace Center and graduated with a master’s in Global Studies from UNC-Chapel Hill and with a Certificate in International Development from Duke University.  Prior to that, Mohammed worked for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza Strip, Palestine as a humanitarian response specialist.
 
Following graduation, Mohammed worked at the University of NC-Chapel Hill as a visiting lecturer, teaching courses on Middle East politics, conflict analysis, history, civil society, and non-governmental organizations.  Recently Mohammed joined the Rotary International team in Evanston as a program officer supporting incoming peace fellows for the peace certificate program and contributing to the research and development efforts to expand the Rotary Peace Centers program through the new Otto and Fran Walter Rotary Peace Center in the MENA region.
 
2018 C-SPN video featuring Mohammed Eid, Palestinian refugee growing up in Gaza  https://www.c-span.org/video/?449774-1/un-relief-efforts-palestine-refugees   (40 min followed by Q/A)
 
   
   

Shai Tamari, Rotary Peace Fellow

Shai Tamari is the Founder and President of Tamari Conflict Management, LLC, Director of the Conflict Management Initiative at the University of NC at Chapel Hill, and the Associate Director of the NC Consortium for Middle East Studies. In addition, he is a Professor of the Practice under the Department of Public Policy and the Curriculum in Peace, War, and Defense at UNC, and an Adjunct Instructor at Sanford School of Public Policy, Duke University, where he teaches both undergrad and grad level skills-based coursed in Conflict Management. Born and raised in Jerusalem, Shai earned a B.A. in Journalism from the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia, and a Master’s degree in Near and Middle Eastern Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London in the UK. In 2006, Shai was awarded a Rotary Peace Fellowship and studied for a second Master’s in Global History, along with Arabic and Conflict Resolution, at UNC. Shai volunteers at prisons in NC where he facilitates restorative circles.

Read more at: https://magazine.rotary.org/rotary/february_2023/MobilePagedArticle.action?articleId=1853320#articl eId1853320