Rotary Connections Make the World Smaller
Thursday, February 26, 2026
During a rainy February in Italy, Crystal City-Pentagon Rotary Club’s President-Elect Stefan Tishma participated in the Disaster Risk Reduction Academy at the University of Salerno.The academy was led by Dr. Maria Vittoria "Mavi" Gargiulo, a prominent figure in the global Rotary community. Mavi serves as a Rotary Action Group for Peace Board Member, Rotaract Oceania MDIO Vice Chair, and District 2101 Peace Fellowship Subcommittee Chair, and is a founding President of Rotary Club Global ROOTS in District 2101.
Two additional Rotarians served as educators during the program. Raffaella Russo, Founding Member and President-Elect of RC Global ROOTS, brought expertise in project management and proposal writing with EU Funds. Dr. Irene Petraroli, based at a university in the Netherlands and a founding member of RC Global ROOTS, serves as the club's Membership and DEI Committee Chair.
The experience was a reminder of what makes Rotary unique. Conversations sparked ideas for potential partnerships and participation in international projects. And the personal connections ran deeper than expected: Mavi already knew our PDG Reneé Laws and DGE Peter Anderson from the Peace Conference in Istanbul, Turkey. She later crossed paths with DGE Peter again at the RI Convention in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and at the International Assembly in Orlando, Florida, where she gave presentations.
Once again, the Rotary network proved that it truly does make the world a smaller place.