Dona M. Garretson, President
Altrusa International, Inc. of Grand Junction, Colorado
Altrusa International, Inc. District Ten
Dona was elected International President-Elect by the delegates to the 2009 Indianapolis International Convention for the 2009-2011 biennium, and installed as International President on July 25, 2011 at the 2011 Rapid City International Convention. She will preside at the 2013 International Convention in Rotorua, New Zealand. Dona has been a member of Altrusa International, Inc. of Grand Junction, Colorado since 1987.
She served as President of her Altrusa Club from 1992-1993, and has also served in various other offices and chaired an array of club committees. Dona served as the first President of the Altrusa International, Inc. of Grand Junction, Colorado Foundation in 2001-2002.
Service on the District level began in 1993. Dona held many offices, including that of Governor of District Ten in 2001-2003, at which time she was also a member of the International Board of Directors. She was elected to serve as International Director, 2003-2005, and participated as a member of the International Board of Directors. She also served as International Leadership Development Committee Vice Chairman, 2003-2005. Dona was elected as International Treasurer, 2005-2007, International Vice President, 2007-2009 and as International President-Elect, 2009-2011.
Dona has served as a member of the Grand Junction, CO Altrusa club for over 25 years. She is a retired CPA. She recently relocated across the Rocky Mountains to her new home in Loveland, CO. There she aspires to form a new Altrusa club in the near future. At the current time she continues to serve as International President and also as head of the International office in Chicago, IL. Her passion for service in Altrusa has never been stronger.
Dona is very proud of her two lovely daughters. Amanda and her husband live in Loveland, Colorado and are parents of beautiful first granddaughter, Tatum. Hilary and her husband live in Corvallis, Oregon. In December of 2010 Dona had the pleasure of taking part in the initiation of Hilary as a member of the Corvallis Altrusa Club. Hilary now wears her mother’s pin that Dona proudly received when she became an Altrusan over twenty-five years ago.
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Ilona Kerby, President Elect
Altrusa International, Inc. of Longview - Kelso, Washington
District Twelve
Ilona is a member of Altrusa International, Inc. of Longview Kelso since 1987 and she served as International Vice President 2009-2011. In addition, she served as Governor of District Twelve in 2003-2005 and has held various District offices and served as the chair of District and local club committees. She served as President of her Altrusa Club in 1993-1994; and has chaired numerous committees and fundraising efforts.
Ilona is currently the Executive Director of Lower Columbia CAP (Community Action Program) and manages the $8 million agency providing a wide array of self help and safety net programs in a two county area. In her role as Executive Director, Ilona serves on the following boards; Cowlitz Housing First! Coalition, Chair; Cowlitz Economic Development Council; Pathways 2020; Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Council of Governments and the Southwest Washington Workforce Development Council Board. She has been a member of the American Association of University Women and a Past President of the Cowlitz League of Women Voters as well as a Girl Scout Leader for 10 years.
Ilona and her husband, Jan, a retired electrician, have a blended family with four married daughters, three granddaughters, 16, 9 and 3 years old. She loves to travel, scrapbook, garden, spend time with her family and collect Roseville and Weller pottery. Literacy is Ilona’s passion.
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Silvia Silverman, Vice-President
Altrusa International, Inc. of Montgomery, Maryland
District Two
Currently serving as Vice President on the International Board for 2011-2013, Silvia served as International Director from 2009-2011 and Governor of District Two in 2006-2008. In addition, she served at the District level as Governor-Elect, and First and Second Vice Governor. In her club of Montgomery County, Maryland, Silvia has served as a Director for two terms, Vice President for two terms and two terms as President. As International Vice President Silvia is part of the Executive Committee, the Personnel Committee, and the Finance Committee. As International Director, Silvia served on the Leadership Development Committee, assisted in various task forces. In her four years in the International Board of Directors she had the pleasure ot represented International at the District Conferences for District Four, District Five and District Three. She is looking forward to representing the International Board at District One and Ten at their 2013 Conferences. Silvia also served as Conference Chair of the District Two Conference in Hagerstown, Maryland.
Currently, Silvia works for the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health as a Contract Specialist. Previously, she was a Senior Project Manager for various Civil Engineering and Planning companies. Professionally, Silvia belongs to the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), the Healthy Communities Interest Group (HCIG) and the District of Columbia’s Green Purchasing Group. In addition, she also belongs to the Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Network. Most recently Silvia volunteered to work in the planning of Taste of the Nation, DC, a fundraiser part of Share our Strength an organization committed to ending childhood hunger.
Her husband, John, and she have two children Noah and Carly, a stepson Scott, two daughters-in-law, Shannon and Melanie, and three grandchildren Luke and Sydney in California and Jonah in Baltimore.
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina she moved to the United States, Coral Gables, Florida at the age of twelve. Prior to moving to the Washington Metropolitan Area, Silvia lived in Hong Kong for two years. She enjoys traveling, entertaining, cooking and eating.
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Leanne Milligan, International Treasurer
Altrusa International, Inc. of Te Awamutu, New Zealand
District Fifteen
A member of Altrusa since since 1994, Leanne has held many offices in her club, including that of President. On the District level, she served as Treasurer, First and Second Vice Governor, Governor Elect and in 2009-2011 as District Governor. On the International level, she was a member of the 2001-2003 Bylaws Resolutions and Recommendations Committee and in 2003-2005 chaired the Service Development Committee. In addition, she was a member of the 2009-2011 International Long Range Strategic Planning Committee and Co-chair of the Governor's Council.
Leanne is a fully qualified Chartered Account since 1994 (equivalent of the United States CPA), working in corporate, public practice and audit sectors in manufacturing, agribusiness, property development, retail and distribution industries. For these past eleven years, she has been working for Waitomo Petroleum Ltd. as the company accountant and is responsible for all financial reporting and for an annual budget of over 70 million dollars. She also supervises, trains, and oversees systems development and strategic/business planning.
In addition to her other professional interests, she is currently the Chairperson of the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Branch of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants and has been the Corporate Sector Interest Group convener since 2006. She has served on the Kainga Aroha Community House Management Committee since 2004 and as Treasurer for the Te Awamutu Museum Trust Board, in addition to other various Boards in her community.
She has lived in Te Awamutu for the past seventeen years and is single with two spoiled cats. She enjoys scrapbooking, card making, and cake decorating, walking, reading and if time permits gardening. Her main passion, (some might call it an obsession) is collecting soft toys, with over 3800 in her collection.
Regina Lawson, International Director
Altrusa International, Inc. of Kingsport, Tennessee
District Four
Regina, a member of Altrusa International, Inc. of Kingsport, Tennessee since 1986, has held offices on all levels, serving as her local Club as president, 1990-1991 and 1998-1999. She held the office of District Four Governor, 2007-2009, has served as the Chair of various District Committees, and is currently a member of the District Four Foundation Board. On the International Level, Regina currently holds the office of International Director, which she also held from 2007-2009 and was Leadership Development Chair 2009-2011 and Governor-Elect Trainer, 2010.
She is licensed as a Clinical Social Worker and has served the last nine years as a Division Director at Frontier Health supervising several mental health and developmental services programs promoting recovery and independence. Regina has received the Business Journal Health Care Hero Award and is a member of various health organizations.
Single, her hobbies include traveling to historic areas, antiquing, listening to audio books and getting to know her Altrusa brothers and sisters.
Maureen E. Welch, International Director
Altrusa International, Inc. of Marion, Ohio
District Five
Maureen, a member of Altrusa of Marion, Ohio has been an Altrusan since 1975. She served as President of her Altrusa Club in 1978-1979, in addition to holding other offices and serving on various committees. On the District Level, in addition to serving as District Governor in 1982-1984, she held other offices and served as Chair on various Committees. Maureen was elected International Treasurer in 1999-2001 and again in 2003-2005, and prior to that served as the International ASTRA Chair and Chair of the Personnel Committee.
Maureen is Mayor of the Village of Caledonia, Ohio and a member of the Marion Regional Planning Committee, and serves on the Area Health Department Advisory Council, the Marion Area Council on Aging Advisory Committee and is a member of the American Red Cross.
Her interests include belonging to a Golf League, two book clubs and St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Most of her Saturdays in the Fall are spent at Otterbein University football games. Maureen does spend most of her time on committee meetings and working for her small village.
Beverly Herzog, International Director
Altrusa International, Inc. of Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
District Six
Bev has been a member of Altrusa International, Inc. of Champaign-Urbana since 1995. She has served on many committees and held various offices in her club, including that of Club President, 2000-2002. She currently serves as treasurer and chairs the Food Bank and Young Woman of Distinction service projects, the latter conducted as a partnership with the local Girl Scouts. On the District level, she served as Director, 2003-2005; First Vice Governor, 2005-2007; Governor-Elect, 2007-209; Governor, 2009-2011; and Immediate Past Governor, 2011-2013.
Bev, a hydrogeologist by training, worked at the Illinois State Geological Survey for thirty years and received their Distinguished Achievement Award in 1989. She headed the Groundwater Section for many years and retired as Assistant to the Director for Environmental Initiatives. She has also served on the Board of the Illinois Ground Water Association (NGWA) and chaired its Science and Engineering Division (SED) Board. She received an award for her service to the SED in 2010, an award for fostering cooperation among various divisions (scientists, engineers, drillers, and equipment manufacturers and suppliers) in 2011, and Life Membership in 2012. She continues to serve on several committees is currently a member of National Ground Water Research and Education Foundation Board.
Bev is married to Craig Cutbirth, a retired communications professor. They share their home with a rescued dog and cat. They both enjoy traveling, reading and taking classes through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Together, they provide rides through animal rescue organizations to pets that need to be moved to increase their chances of adoption. In addition to her Altrusa service and committee work for NGWA, Bev volunteers to help people apply for the SNAP (a.k.a. food stamps) program through the local foodbank. Bev also plays racquetball and enjoys a wide variety of music.
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Cynda Wright, International Director
Altrusa International, Inc. of Hutchinson, Kansas
District Eight
Cynda has been a member of Altrusa International, Inc. of Hutchinson, Kansas since 1986. She served as club President, 1990-1992 and has held other offices and chaired various committees. On the District Level, she was Governor in 2000-2002 at which time she was a member of the International Board of Directors.
Cynda’s passion for Altrusa is service. While serving as Governor, she initiated the District Eight Service project idea that has been adopted my numerous other districts. Cynda is an Associate Director of Investments for Oppenheimer & Company, Inc. She has been a financial advisor for twenty-six years, all with the same company.
She currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Cancer Council of Reno County. A graduate of Kansas State University, she is an avid KSU fan. Cynda is not married; however she does have a special man in her life.
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Donna C. Johnson, Past President Altrusa International, Inc
Altrusa International, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida
District Three
Donna has been a member of Altrusa International, Inc. of Gainesville, Florida since 1984 and, in that time, has held many offices and chaired various committees. In 1990-1991, Donna served as president of her Altrusa club. Donna currently serves as Chair of the ASTRA and Strategic Planning Committees for her club. In 1994 and 2007, she was the District Three Conference Co-Chair and, in 1995, went on to become a District Director, a position she held until 1997. In 1997, she was elected to serve as Vice Governor and became Governor of the District in 1999-2001.
In 1999-2001 as Governor, Donna also served as a member of the International Board of Directors, served as International Communications Committee Chair in 2001-2003, and as the International Bylaws, Resolutions and Recommendations Chair in 2003-2005. In addition, she chaired the Task Force on Board Restructure in 2000. For 2006-2007, Donna was the Vision in the Future (VIF) Chair. She currently is Chair of the International Personnel Committee and the Task Force for Data Management.
Donna retired in 2008 as the Director of Information Technology at the University of Florida, Warrington College of Business Administration. During her tenure, she served on various college and university committees, including chairing the Information Technology Personnel Classifications Restructure in 2002-2003; and in 2001-2003, she chaired the University of Florida Committee on Academic Technology. During 2007, she participated in the Committee to Assess the Distance Education Environment at UF. During her retirement, she continues to work half time as Associate in Information Technology for the Associate Provost of Distance Education and E-Learning.
Donna’s husband, Marty, retired with her in 2008. Donna and Marty enjoy league bowling and traveling. When not working or involved with Altrusa projects, Donna gardens and watches college football. Go Gators!