Makiko Nakasone, who is a member of the Glendale Rotary Club, will assume leadership of Rotary’s District 5280, which covers 63 clubs with more than 2,000 members from Santa Monica to Downtown Los Angeles, as well as the South Bay and San Fernando Valley southward to San Pedro.
Nakasone, who has held numerous leadership positions within District 5280 throughout the past decade, was the charter president of the Rotary Club of Little Tokyo in 2015 and is a frequent speaker at the local and international level.
“Along with supporting Rotary’s ongoing international efforts to eradicate polio and supply potable water systems, we will focus locally on raising awareness for mental health issues, particularly among youth and seniors in the 2023-24 Rotary year,” Nakasone said.
Of the area’s 63 clubs, eight are culture-based (Persian, Korean, Filipino, Thai, Latino, Colombian, Lebanese and Japanese) and four are cause-based (human trafficking, mental health, LGBTQ+ and environment) Rotary Clubs.
“Working under the theme of ‘Create Hope in the World,’ we want to partner with local organizations to bring more impactful service projects to improve the lives of people in the local community and abroad,” she added. “I’m excited to help members in our district re-introduce ourselves as the most diverse service organization in the world with 1.4 million members in more than 200 countries and regions of the world.”
Nakasone takes office today, July 1, and will serve a one-year term.
First published in the July 1 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
