February is shaping up to be a busy one for the Boone Sunrise Rotary. We will welcome the following speakers (subject to change – as always). In case you are new to Rotary, we meet on Tuesday at 7:30 am at the Boone Marriott.

Feb. 9: Pattie Hofland Mackenzie – Stop Hunger Now & Rotaract

Pattie Hofland Mackenzie recently moved to Boone from Raleigh n the fall of last year.  She graduated from North Carolina State University in 2011 with a B.A. in Apparel and Textile Marketing Management. After graduation she received her first full-time job at an international hunger relief organization called Stop Hunger Now. Starting as an Administrative Assistant, she worked her way up to being the International Marketing & Development Manager, currently working to support Stop Hunger Now’s international offices in their marketing and fundraising efforts. Pattie found out about Rotary and Rotaract through her work at Stop Hunger Now.

Since June 2012, she has been heavily involved, serving as the the Past President (2013-14) and Membership Director (2014-15) of the Raleigh Rotaract Club.  She is currently a member of the very first online Rotaract Club, the Rotaract Club of No Borders.  She also participated in RYLA NA in 2014, attended RI 2015 in Brazil, and will be attending RI 2016 in South Korea. In her spare time, she loves to travel, do outdoor sports, and spend time with her friends and family.

Feb 16: Deanna Ballard: On the Spirit of Volunteerism

Deanna Ballard is a native of North Carolina who has built a career based on dedicated service to others and a firm foundation in what she terms “conservative values” in her bio.

She currently serves as Director of the Office of the President/CEO for Samaritan’s Purse, an international Christian relief organization headquartered in Boone and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association based in Charlotte.

Her work for the organizations includes helping to direct administrative, financial, and operational activities on behalf of the president/CEO, Franklin Graham, in order to coordinate complex humanitarian and ministry efforts across multiple offices around the world.

Deanna first became involved in political service as a volunteer for George W. Bush’s Presidential Advance Team and quickly rose through the ranks to become Special Assistant to the President and Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady—making her one of the youngest female commissioned officers within the Bush administration.

Prior to her time with President and Mrs. Bush, Deanna served as the Director of Advance for Department of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Deputy Director of Advance for Department of Education Secretary Rod Paige. Her work with Secretary Paige strengthened her resolve to fight for quality education as she visited classrooms across the country, met school leaders, and listened as teachers shared their successes and challenges at roundtable events.