For an application or additional information, contact:

Team Leader PDG Paul F. Rizza

Paul F. Rizza was born and raised in New Britain, CT.  He received his undergraduate and Masters degrees from Central Connecticut State University and his Ph.D. in Economic Geography from the University of Georgia.  Paul retired from Slippery Rock University in 1998 where he chaired the Department of Geography & Environmental Studies for more than 26 years.  He was granted Professor Emeritus status shortly after his retirement.  He published and presented several papers at professional meetings and was a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Finland in 1976.  While at the University, Paul helped organize and direct overseas Elderhostel Programs in Hungary, the former Yugoslavia and Poland between 1989 and 1998.  He is currently on the Board of Directors of the Slippery Rock Foundation, Inc.  Paul served as president of the Slippery Rock Rotary Club in 1978-79 and District Governor of 7280 in 1999-2000.  Paul has a keen interest in the Rotary Peace Scholars Program and he and his wife have visited all seven Peace Centers. Paul serves on TRF Rotary Centers Committee. He continues to be active in his club and has organized Ambassadorial Scholar Training Seminars for several years.  Travel, reading, golf and woodworking are his main hobbies.

While in Scotland, I would appreciate an opportunity to play golf, take a nap, and on special occasions, enjoy a wee dram.

Email address:  paulrizza38@yahoo.com

Team Member Scott Albert

Scott was born in Waukegan, Illinois at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station.  While growing up, Scott also lived in Maine, South Carolina, Spain, Virginia, and New Jersey.  After high school, he moved to Indiana to attend college.  He earned Bachelor degrees in Mechanical Engineering Technology and Organizational Leadership and Supervision, from Purdue University.  He also earned a Masters degree in Finance from Indiana University. 

Scott has spent the last fifteen years working in facilities management at Purdue University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.  The majority of those years were spent as a manager of skilled trades.  In July of 2007, he accepted a position as the Director of Facilities at Slippery Rock University.  Slippery Rock University is an 8500-student liberal arts university, located one hour north of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Currently Scott is responsible for building maintenance, custodial services, boiler plant operations, grounds maintenance, fleet maintenance, and mail and printing services.

Scott lives in Poland, Ohio, which is a small town of approximately 3000 people, just outside of Youngstown, Ohio.  Poland was one of the first official settlements in the state of Ohio.  It was founded in 1796.  Scott lives with his wife Jeannette, and two children, Sarah, age 9, and Andrew, age 7.  Scott’s interests include helping coach his son’s sports teams, camping, fishing, soccer, and golf.

Scott hopes to visit several universities to learn how they attract students and employees, and how they maintain their buildings and grounds.  He also hopes to visit hospitals and manufacturing companies to learn about their facility maintenance programs.  If the opportunity arises, Scott would like to attend a Scottish Premier League game, visit the Old Course for a round of golf, tour the Highlands and go fishing.   

Email address: scott.albert@sru.edu

 

Team Member Rachel Graham

Rachel E. Graham was raised in Butler County, Pennsylvania, and was awarded a degree in Technical Writing from Carnegie Mellon University in 1996.  After graduation, she was commissioned a Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, and served in Quantico, Virginia. 

Following her military service, Rachel worked in Continuing and Distance Education at The Pennsylvania State University, where her primary client was the Marine Corps logistics community.  Her conference portfolio also included short-term study abroad programs in Europe, Asia, and Central America.  While her experiences as a Conference Planner were valuable, Rachel missed the sense of camaraderie and public service that she enjoyed in the Marine Corps. 

After three years at PSU, Rachel was accepted into and attended the Pennsylvania State Police Academy in Hershey, PA. The Pennsylvania State Police is the primary police agency for over 85 percent (99,746 square kilometers) of Pennsylvania’s land mass and 66 percent of the Commonwealth’s highways.  The Department is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, and is the largest internationally accredited police agency in the world, with an authorized complement of 4,545 sworn members and 1,600 civilian employees. 

Upon graduation in 2003, Rachel was assigned to the Patrol Unit in Gettysburg (South Central), PA.  She was promoted to Corporal in 2006, and served in Montoursville (North Central), prior to her current assignment as a Patrol Supervisor in her hometown of Butler (Western), PA. 

Rachel enjoys reading, running, quilting, and collecting new life experiences.  While in Scotland, Rachel would appreciate the opportunity to observe or participate in the training and day-to-day operations of law enforcement, in both rural areas and population centers.  She would enjoy visiting historic sites, and taking part in outdoor activities (i.e. hiking or kayaking).

Email address: graham8870@yahoo.com

Team Member Tami Rose

Tami Rose lives and works in Sharon, Pennsylvania about 1.5 hours north of Pittsburgh.   Sharon is known for being a steel town.  It is also home to a 460 acre park and a free golf course.  Another local claim-to-fame is Quaker Steak and Lube, a restaurant serving chicken wings that is in a remodeled gas station.

Tami has been an Occupational Therapist for Sharon Regional Health System for 14 years working in the hospital, outpatient facility, and currently home health.  She received her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy at Western Michigan University in 1993 after having obtained her Bachelor Degree in Rehabilitation Services Education in 1991 from The Pennsylvania State University. 

Tami was raised on a beef cattle farm outside the small town of Cochranton, Pennsylvania about 45 minutes northeast of  Sharon.  While growing up she was involved in 4-H; raising a steer each year to show at her county’s fair and traveling with the interstate exchange group (a club that exchanged members every summer with other states).  Although she no longer raises calves, she does have two cats, Marli and Opal.

Tami’s hobbies include traveling, reading, and remodeling her home.  She is also involved in a local book club and card club.  She is interested in politics and works as a poll worker during elections.

In Scotland, Tami would like to learn more about the National Health System, therapy practices in hospitals and homes, and Occupational Therapy college curriculums.  She is looking forward to seeing the Scottish Highlands, and possibly hiking, visiting farms and seeing a cricket match.

Email address: t.rose1@verizon.net

 

Team Member Heather Skokowski

Heather is a Kinship/Adoption caseworker for Family Services of Northwestern Pennsylvania.  As a Kinship/Adoption caseworker, Heather screens kinship/adoptive applicants through home studies and makes recommendations regarding the placement of children in the applicants’ home.  The goal of kinship or adoption is to provide a child with a permanent and safe place to live.

Heather lives with her husband, Nick and her daughter, Nicole.  Some of Heather’s hobbies and interests are reading, baking, swimming, horseback riding and traveling.  She loves animals and she has two dogs, Buddy and Misha.

Heather is eager to learn about all facets of Scottish culture, but is especially interested in the child welfare system, foster care and adoption processes. She would appreciate the opportunity to observe the intake and placement method.  From a recreational standpoint, Heather would be delighted to visit historical landmarks, to cook a Scottish dish and listen to traditional music

Email address: hskokowski@fsvenango.org

 

Team Leader Dharminder Singh Ubha

Dr. Dharminder Singh Ubha is presently working as Principal, Khlalsa College, Patiala. He is the Secretary General of RI Dist. 3090. He has Authored/Co-authored/Edited 28 Books including 13 books relating to Commerce, 3 to religion and 12 literature/General Books. He has Contributed More than 200 articles/papers to different Journals, Magazines, Newspapers. He has presented Papers in International Conferences in England, Australia and Thailand on Corporate Governance and Social Responsibility through Indian Scriptures with special reference to Guru Granth Sahib. Got University Medal in NSS, ‘C’ Certificate in NCC and attended number of social service camps. He has received the highest Rotary Award ‘Service Above Self Award’ from Rotary International. He is Vegetarian and He takes Eggs. He has diverse interests and is a good communicator and speaker.

Email address:  savidharm@gmail.com

Team Member Sanjiv Kumar Goyal

Dr. Sanjiv Kumar Goyal, MBBS, M.S (Eye), in Government Job since last fifteen years. He is working as Eye Specialist cum Deputy Medical Commissioner at District Hospital, Faridkot (Punjab). He has served as Registrar Ophthalmology at G.G.S. Medical College, Faridkot (Punjab). Wife Dr. Madhu Bala Goyal is M.D. (Gynecologist), serving at District Hospital, Faridkot (Punjab). Daughter Sanjana is eleven years old and studying in Sixth standard and Son Aniket is one and half years old.

His hobbies include organizing Eye Camps both in Rural and Urban Areas with the help of Non Government organizations. He has been awarded National Award -2006 for Eye Camps by Indian Medical Association, New Delhi. Dietary habits are purely vegetarian. During the visit to Rotary District-7280 as GSE Team Member wish to visit Eye Hospitals to see & learn the equipments and procedures being practiced in USA.

Email address: sanjivgoyal@live.com

 

Team Member Suman Kalra

Suman Kalra is working as a Lecturer in Shri Dashmesh College for Girls, Kharouri, District Fatehgarh Sahib (Punjab). She is Master of Commerce and prospecting to do PhD. She is living in a joint family with 8 members. 

Some of her outside interests including reading, traveling, watching movies and interaction with new people and above all she is a kids lover. She is pure vegetarian and religious. As commerce educated, she is interested in various Companies Accounts on internet.

She is excited about her USA visit. She would like to learn about American Culture, History and Traditions especially about the Civil War and Amish people. She also wants to know about the accounting system of American Companies. Hope to hone her skill while in USA she would also like to visit Niagara Fall.

Email address: suman1234@yahoo.com
 

Team Member Nazam Riar

Nazam Riar, is a lecturer in Computer Science in D.A.V. College, Hoshiarpur, Punjab. She holds a master degree in Computer Science and has recently completed her M. Phil in the same subject. She further plans to enroll herself for PhD program. She is married to a businessman and has a three year old son. She is fond of traveling and has traveled abroad to countries like Singapore, Switzerland and Malaysia. Her motive of going to USA District 7280 is to learn about their cultural and vocational practices. She also looks forward to interact with the people of that area and make new friends and visit some places of interest. She is a vegetarian but does not mind eggs. Occasionally she loves to eat fruit and salad and try different cuisines. She is a very friendly and outgoing person and her hobbies include interacting with people and listening to music as well as reading books.

She feels GSE program will make her more complete and confident as a person as well as a professional.

Email address:  nazam81@gmail.com
 

Team Member Ashwani Bansal

Ashwani Bansal from the State of Haryana nearing the capital of India, Delhi. He is living with his loving wife Shaweta in a joint family of 15 members with a single kitchen. He has a Commerce graduate degree. He is a businessman dealing in Farm Houses and Petrol Pumps and Banquet Hall in Sirsa Town. Some of Ashwani’s hobbies and outside interests include traveling, enjoying long drives, playing indoor and outdoor games and enjoys watching movies along with an excitement to learn about different aspects on American culture, history, religion and food with pure vegetarian. He would spend his time to learning about Farm Houses and Management and Hotel Industry. He enjoys antiques collection of coins and notes.

Email address: ashigeet786@yahoo.co.in
 

Team Leader G. Warren Smith

Warren is retired from the presidencies of Southeastern Louisiana University (1986-1995) and Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (1997-2003). In addition, he has been a member of the faculty and administration of Cornell University, the University of Alaska-Fairbanks and the University of Houston-Clear Lake.  He received his B. A. degree in Chemistry from Grinnell College (Iowa) and a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Cornell University (New York). 

His research studied the history and use of medicinal plants by Arctic Natives.  He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Explorers Club.

Warren has been a member of Rotary International for over 25 years, joining first the Space Center (Houston) Club, then the Hammond (Louisiana) Club and the Slippery Rock Club. He was president of the Slippery Rock Club in 2006-2007. He and his wife, Constance, are Paul Harris Fellows.

Currently, he is president of Slippery Rock University’s Institute for Learning in Retirement; president of the Moraine Trails Council, Boy Scouts of America; chair of the Citizen’s Advisory  Roundtable for the Northwest Region of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; and member of the Slippery Rock Township Zoning Hearing Board.

He enjoys antiques collection and restoration, outdoor activities, books and history. In his spare time, he listens to opera and plays violin with the University and Butler County Symphony Orchestras.

Email address:  gwarrensmith@zoominternet.net

Team Member Patricia Clark

Patricia Clark lives in the town of New Wilmington with her husband Jim.  New Wilmington is 105 kilometers north of Pittsburgh and 137 kilometers southeast of Cleveland, and is home to around 2500 people.  The town is the home of Westminster College, an undergraduate liberal arts college founded in 1852.  It was one of the first educational institutions west of the Allegheny Mountains to grant degrees to both men and women.

Patricia teaches history at Westminster College.  She has a BA degree in history from Michigan State University, and MS (Library and Information Science), AM (History) and PhD (History) degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  Before coming to western Pennsylvania, she taught at the University of Illinois, Bridgewater College (Virginia), and Cornell University.

She has traveled and done research in South Africa, and in Autumn 2006 she led a group of students in a study abroad term in Oxford, England.

Patricia's outside interests include traveling, reading, watching films, playing the cello, and practicing yoga.

While in India she would enjoy visiting schools at all levels and historical sites.  In addition to teaching she has also worked as a librarian and an archivist, and would appreciate the opportunity to visit bookshops, libraries, archives, and museums.

Email address: clarkpg@westminster.edu
 

Team Member Jolene Menold

Jolene Menold is a Juvenile Probation Officer for Clarion County, in Clarion, Pennsylvania.  Clarion has a population of about 6,000 and is 15 miles from where Jolene grew up.  The area has several claims to fame including The Autumn Leaf Festival, held every fall, which is a weeklong festival.  Also, Clarion University is well known throughout the state as one of the best teacher’s colleges and has produced many state champions and Olympic athletes.

As a Juvenile Probation Officer, Jolene ensures that delinquent youth follow their Court-ordered sanctions such as curfew, participation in counseling, completion of community service, and abstinence from drugs and alcohol.  Jolene typically spends six months to a year working with an average of 12-15 youth and their families.  The goals of juvenile probation are to hold the youth accountable for their crimes, to protect the community, and to encourage competency development for the purpose of making the youth responsible and productive citizens.  

Some of Jolene’s hobbies and outside interests include reading, running, traveling, crafts, and animals.  She has a cat named Emma and a dog named Clancy, who are both very loved and spoiled!  She also enjoys riding motorcycles with her husband, Jeff, and attending music concerts.

Jolene is excited to learn about all aspects of Indian culture, but is especially interested in the criminal justice/legal system, including punitive measures and supervision of offenders.   She would enjoy the opportunity to observe alternate methods of managing offenders, particularly with respect to accountability, community protection, and competency development.  From a recreational standpoint, she would love to visit nature preserves or zoos, since she is an animal lover.  She’d also appreciate the opportunity to observe the artistic side of India by learning about traditional dance and music (such as the sitar).  And finally, she hopes for the opportunity to learn more about spirituality practices.

Email address: joleneelliott@hotmail.com

Team Member Dina Sassaman

Dina Sassaman is a Human Resources Generalist originally from a town in Western, PA of about 600.  She currently resides in Hermitage, PA, about 30 minutes from where she grew up.  Her family still lives in her hometown.

Dina works for a company that conducts background investigations.  As a Human Resources Generalist there, she is responsible for responding to employee concerns, working with managers to retain their employees, and develop their managers into strong leaders. 

Parents, as well as most of her family still lives in this area, so she gets to spend quite a bit of time with them. She has two brothers, one is going to school to be a chiropractor and the other is still in high school. As a family they enjoy going to baseball games and the beach, walking and cooking great Italian food!  She has a cat named Springfield and am hoping he is ok while she’s in India!

In her spare time Dina’s hobbies include teaching herself to play the guitar and violin. She also enjoys reading, watching movies, and decorating her new house. 

On this trip Dina hopes to learn as much as she can about Indian history, religion, culture and customs-as well as the food!  She’d like to spend time learning about employee/employer relations in Indian companies. Dina would like to see some of the ways Indian companies recruit and hire employees, and what companies do to keep their good employees.   Additionally, she’d like to see any children’s mentoring/role model programs, as she is active with local programs here.  Finally, Dina is starting to learn yoga and hopes to find time to hone her skills while in India.

Email address: dina.sassaman@usis.com

District 7280's Japanese GSE Team Pictured in Front of the WWI Era Japanese Battleship Mikasa

District 7280's French GSE Team Pictured in Nantes, France

 

governor@district7280.org 

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