Meet the Board

Marcel holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Liège Business School in Belgium and a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University – Kennedy School of Government. He was Ambassador of the European Union in the Republic of Haiti and the Congo. He has been an official of the European Commission in various positions related to the political, economic, commercial and development cooperation of the European Union in Belize, Bangladesh, Guinea, Kenya, Ghana, Burundi and at Brussels headquarters.

He is an active member of the Rotary Club Bogotá Centenario in Colombia, since December 2018 and president in the year 2021-2022. Active member of the Rotary Club of Belize City from 1997 to 2002, president of the Organizing Committee of District 4250 Conference in 2000, in Belize. He was a friend of the Rotary Clubs of Porto Principe in Haiti (2002-2006) and Brazzaville in Congo (2010-2014). Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention TRF CADRE Technical Coordinator, CADRE Expert in the area of Economic Development of the Communities”. Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of RAG4Clubfoot. President of the Board of Directors of Fundación Rofé, “Touch a life” in Colombia. He was a professor at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá and at the Universidad del Cauca in Popayan – Colombia.

Lesley has been a member of the evening Rotary Club of Boone, Iowa since 2019, the year of Boone Rotary’s Centennial Celebration.

Before retiring in 2010 Lesley taught special education for 30 years in Sioux City, Minnesota, Ames, and Des Moines.

Her hobbies included:  traveling, gardening, and quilting.  Most days she walk three miles with her dog.  She is currently the secretary for the Rotary Club of Boone.

Mark Ruggeberg is the Past President of the Rotary Club of Iowa City Downtown and is currently serving as an Assistant District Governor, Assistant Treasurer for the Rotary District 6000 Humanitarian and Educational Foundation, Board Chair of Open Heartland and Treasurer and Team Member of the Iowa Miles of Smiles Team.

Mark has a degree from the University of Iowa where he received his BBA in Accounting. He spent his career in the real estate and hospitality industries.

Octavio is a Dental Surgeon Specialist in Orthodontics and Maxilla-Facial Orthopedics
He joined Rotary International in July 2000, and is an active member of CR Coyoacan in Mexico. He served as club president in 2002-2003 and 2013-2014 collaborating in different committees. He is a Paul Harris Fellow +5.

Octavio’s Rotary experience includes:
• Coordinator of Dental Days District 4170 (2003-2009) carrying out more than 70 days
• 2005 recognized with PHF for his work in more than 90 Dental Conferences
• Advised several clubs to install dental offices (5 pieces of equipment donated by him)
• Member of the PHF society
• Member of the End Polio Now society
• Assistant Governor 2003 to 2007
• District Prosecretary 2007-2008
• Sergeant at Arms of District 4170 from 2007 to 2010
• General Coordinator of Assistant Governors 2010-11
• President of the Committee to form Satellite clubs in the District 2016-18 at the National and International level.
• Has participated as an instructor in PETS and Assemblies in multiple districts
• International Instructor in the Dominican Republic D-4060
• Participate in various Rotary groups
• Has been part of the organization and speaker at training seminars in different districts
• Participation in seminars of the Rotary coordination zone 25th topic attention for clubs under 15 members
• Facilitator in training for District Membership presidents of the 14 Districts of zone 25A
• Advisor to sergeants-at-arms at the Latin American Public Image Summit
• ILR certified instructor and facilitator
• District president of the 2018-2021 membership committee advising 14 traditional clubs on their formation
• Rotaract Abya Yala club mentor
• Member of the district training committee 2018-2020
• Speaker at District Conferences in several Districts in zone 25A
• Advisor in the Rotary coordination of zone 25 A from 2019-2021
• Unanimously appointed governor D-4170 for the year 2021-2022
• President of the executive council of governors 2021-22
• Host of the Second Latin American Symposium “Somos Paz” Year 2022
• Promoter and founder of the Mentoring committee in the year 2021-2022
• First Generation Certified Mentor
• As Governor he was distinguished with the presidential mention (91 of 540 governors)
• CADRE Advisor 2019-2023 ratified until 2027 Maternal and Child Health and Disease Prevention Area
• PRI Representative Gordon McInally appointed to the 10th conference D-4281in 2024

Astrid is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with special training and experience in treatment of congenital deformities in children. She was trained at the Clubfoot Treatment Center at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Astrid is the past president of the Latin-American Ponseti International Association (2019-2021) and current president of the Colombian Pediatric Orthopedic Society  (2021-2023).

Since 2018,  Astrid has been involved in training programs of the Ponseti method for clubfoot in Colombia an other Latin-American countries such as Peru and Ecuador. She is coordinating the Global Grant 1860348 for Ponseti method training in Colombia as well. Since 2016, she has been a member of the Club Bogotá Centenario, Bogotá Colombia in District 4281.

Brock Earnhardt is a retired utility company president. He is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Davenport, Iowa and recently retired from long service as Rotary District 6000 Grants Subcommittee Chair.

Brock has traveled extensively in developing countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa, primarily to visit Rotary clubs and global grant projects. He is a recipient of Rotary’s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award.

Brock is a graduate of Brown University. He resides in Bettendorf, Iowa with his wife Carol.

A Rotarian since 2019, Dr. Michael is an orthopaedic surgeon at the city of Bremen in northern Germany. He specialised in paediatric orthopaedics and is a former member of the German society for paediatric orthopaedics VKO. He studied medicine and anthropology at the University of Tuebingen/Germany.

As volunteer, he has been treating clubfeet in a yearly rhythm during short term visits to various countries in East and West Africa, India and Indonesia since 15 years. He introduced The Ponseti Method clubfoot treatment in southern Tanzania in cooperation with the Tanzanian Clubfoot Care Organisation (TCCO) in 2018.

George is:
– Doctor of Law and Legal Sciences from the Free University of Colombia.
-Specialist in Customs Law – Ministère de l’Economie, des Finances et de la Privatisation – Les Centres de
renseignements Paris France.
– International Business Management Specialist. Jorge Tadeo Lozano University Bogotá, Colombia.
– Master in Sports Management. International Olympic Committee.
– Internal Auditor Iso 9001:2015.
As a Rotarian,
– Assistant Rotary Public Image Coordinator Zone 23B
-President of the Public Image CADRE Latin America
– District Governor D 4400
– District Paul Harris Society Coordinator
– District Membership Chair
– Assistant Governor
– District New Club Development Chair
– Ambassador WASRAG –Wash Action Group
– Member The Rotary Action Group for Clubfoot (RAG4Clubfoot)
– All positions in my Rotary club.
George is a Senior Partner of a security company in physical locations. I am also Senior Partner of an international airport.
security company. Moreover, he is the General Attorney of the largest women’s clothing chain in Ecuador.

A life-long resident of Bedford, Massachusetts, USA, Ralph holds a B.S. in Education from Framingham State College, and an M.S. in Education and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study from Lesley College. He has served the Bedford Public Schools from 1969 to 1995 as a classroom teacher, vice principal, director of computer education, finally as elementary school principal.

Ralph has been a member of the Rotary Club of Bedford since 1990, serving as club president, was International Service Director and has been the District and International Grant Coordinator for 20 years. He presided as Governor for District 7910, Central Massachusetts. He chaired the district Polio Eradication fundraising campaign and served on the Rotary International Literacy/Numeracy Task Force while launching a Rotary literacy methodology, CLE, in both Nepal and the Philippines. Involvement with the Rotary Action Group for Clubfoot (RAG4Clubfoot) is new for Ralph. Involvement and inclusion of students with disabilities while a teacher and administrator is a special passion that began in his second year as a teacher, through his last year as a principal, and continues today.

International involvement is key to learning. With his wife Jean they hosted a high school Rotary exchange student from Germany and also supported the education of a child in Nepal, who later came to the US to earn an associate degree in dental assistance at Middlesex Community College and a BA at Mt Holyoke College before returning to Nepal.

He received the Rotary International Distinguished Service Award in 2023.

Ralph continues to serve on numerous local town committees and for his active community involvement he was honored as citizen of the year for the town of Bedford.

Chris is a third generation Rotarian. In 1989 he joined the Rotary Club of Iowa City AM as a charter member. Some of the activities that he has participated in as a Rotarian within District 6000 are: District Treasurer, District Youth Exchange Chair, member of the Iowa RYLA board, District Governor 2016-2017, and District Foundation Chair 2017-2021. He is a member of the District 6000 Grant Committee.

Chris has chaired NCPETS (North Central President Elect Training Seminar), he is Past President SCRYE (South Central Rotary Youth Exchange, the 34 district Youth Exchange organization for the promotion, development, and execution of Rotary Youth Exchange), Board member of RAG4Clubfoot and recently appointed to a three year term 2024-27, Assistant Rotary Regional Foundation Coordinator for Zone 29.

Chris retired as a banker from US Bank after 35 years. He started his career as a part-time teller and spent his last 8 years as a Trust Officer. While working at the bank he was an adjunct faculty member of Kirkwood Community College for over 20 years teaching economics, business, and banking courses. He has served in leadership roles in his church and as a township trustee or clerk for 40 years.

Chris is married to Vernette. She is also a member of the Rotary Club of Iowa City AM and club president 2024-2025. They met at work. Vernette retired after 42 years working for US Bank. They have two sons, Thomas, married and living in Portland, OR, and Andrew living in Coralville, IA. They are happy grandparents to two cats, Julia and Min. (Your family is what you make it.) They love to travel around the U.S. and around the world often to attend Rotary International conferences where they both often spend time at the RAG4Clubfoot booth in the House of Friendship.

John Lichter was born in Harrisburg, PA in 1958 with a clubfoot which was successfully treated using the Ponseti Method. As a result of the treatment, John has enjoyed a career of entrepreneurial experiences and accomplishments as well as an active life playing many sports.

John is a graduate of WVU School of Business and Economics (1981) with a degree in Business Administration and a focus on Entrepreneurship. He currently works as a business broker helping others to buy and sell businesses as a member of The Sunbelt Network. His Company’s motto is: “Businesses in WV, should never die of old age.”

An active Rotarian since 2016. John is currently promoting a program called: “Rotary Pristine River Initiatives”. A scalable program with a mission to eradicate litter from the waterways of West Virginia and beyond.

John resides in Morgantown, WV with his wife: Ann Lawson. His outside interests include ice hockey, kayaking, tennis, pickleball, and visiting his daughter, Veronica and granddaughter, Mazzy in Truckee, CA. John speaks some Spanish and loves to travel.

Dr. Morcuende is the Director of the Ponseti International Association. Originally from Madrid, Spain, he studied Medicine at the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain, where he also did his PhD. He moved to the United States in 1991.

He is Marvin and Rose Lee Chair and Professor at the University of Iowa Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, and Pediatrics. His clinical practice is in Pediatric Orthopedics and Musculoskeletal Oncology. His research concentrates on the genetics of clubfoot, scoliosis and other children disorders, as well as clinical and global health issues related to these disorders. He has more than 120 publications and has spoken in many national and international meetings. He is former Chairman of the POSNA Bone and Joint Decade Committee, AAOS Bone and Joint Decade Committee and USBJD Board of Directors.