ROTARY INTERNATIONAL since we are a non-profit , the people that want to join Rotary have a philanthropic or a ‘ give-back ’ mindset , just like I had .
“ Rotary is also a very collaborative organisation . People want to work together and make a difference here , and they are really working towards the mission that Rotary has , as a whole . I also find that the people at Rotary are very appreciative . If you take IT for example , especially infrastructure – the part I ' m involved in – often we can be perceived as the plumbers , and most people don ' t really care about the plumbers until the water stops running or the sewer gets clogged up .
“ But Rotary is different in that , since appreciation is part of its organisational culture , they very much value the work that infrastructure , and Rotary Technology , is doing as a whole , and the people are just really great to work with , sharing in that common cause and purpose .”
“ The power of Rotary is really the people that are its participants and volunteers ”
CRIS DOWNEY DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY SERVICES , ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
From Family Values to Organisational Ethos When asked about his proudest achievement , Downey prefaces his answer by stating that “ it ' s not necessarily a technology related one ”, yet interestingly , it is .
“ Raising two strong , successful and smart teenage daughters ,” he says . “ I have one daughter that ' s graduating college and one that ' s about to graduate from high school – and they are both looking to work within typically-male-dominated fields . My older daughter is in astrophysics and does machine learning , big data analysis and AI ; she ' s looking to potentially go into the gaming industry . My younger daughter is looking at film and media production , and both of these fields are traditionally male-dominated .
“ Having members of my family who are trying to work , to get their voices heard , to be able to stand up in those spaces is a point of pride for me . I ' ve guided them to be strong and stand up for what they do ; to show their value .”
And this is where the connection forms , fittingly . Technology is nothing but the tools that we use , culturally transmitted , for the betterment and advancement of society . Rotary is a philanthropic organisation , remember , and people are its bedrock – and Cris Downey is its Director of Technology Services . His proudest achievement , his
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