Candidates -  Officers & Directors 2021

 

PRESIDENT-ELECT
Term: July 1, 2022-President-Elect; July 1, 2023-President; July 1, 2024-Immediate Past President

 

Robert Eckels
 

Joined Rotary: 2004
Rotary Service: Board of Directors (2 terms); Public Health Committee Chair; Various committees; Paul Harris Fellow +4
Education: J.D., South Texas College of Law Houston; B.S., University of Houston
Family: My wife and life partner, Jet, and I have been married for 27 years. Our daughter, Kirby, 26, now lives in New York City.
Hobbies/Interests: Public policy and public service. I enjoy travel and the outdoors, (I am a dismal failure at golf.) I enjoy building things. I am probably happiest just watching a movie with Jet on a Saturday after-noon.

 

TREASURER-ELECT
Term: July 1, 2022-Treasurer-Elect; July 1, 2023-Treasurer

 

Joined Rotary: 2018
Rotary Service: Finance Committee, Board of Director (current), Rotary Cook-off committee (Current)
Education: I have a Bachelors of Accounting and Masters of Finance from Texas A&M University. I am a CPA. CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner) and CFF (Certified in Financial Forensics)
Family: Born and raised in Houston, a few miles from my Husband Ben Jackson. We have been married for 11 years and we have two boys, Pierce and Porter, ages 7 and 5.
Hobbies/Interests: I love traveling, reading and working out (weightlifting, cycling, yoga). I spend most of my free time watching Pierce's sports games (soccer, baseball, football or basketball) or Porter's gymnas-tics.

 

SERGEANT-AT-ARMS
Term: July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023

 

Joined Rotary: 2015
Rotary Service: RCoH Board of Directors; Camp Enterprise Chair; Paul Harris Fellow
Education: University of Mary Hardin-Baylor—degree in Mathematics, minor in P.E., and Texas teacher’s certification
Family: Three sons: Caleb 16; Toby 13; Spencer 10
Hobbies/Interests: baseball, basketball, swimming, mentoring, board games with family, movies and 90”s sitcoms

 

DIRECTORS
Term July 1, 2022 – June 30, 2025

Joined Rotary: 2018
Rotary Service: Rise Against Hunger, Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP), Youth Committee Chair and
Interact
Education: Sustainable Business Strategy, Harvard Business School, 2021 Bachelors of Science, Information
Systems Technology, University of Houston, 2005
Family: Wife Zahra Ali , 11-Year-old daughter Lamya Ali and son Mohsin Ali who is in 1st Grade.
Hobbies/Interests: Hiking/Kayaking/Camping with family and friends. 2019 I summited 18,240 ft Rush
Peak in the Northern area of Pakistan.

 

Joined Rotary: 2016
Rotary Service: Rotary Lombardi Award Committee as well as Director At-Large
Education: University of Minnesota- B.S.; University of Kentucky- MPH; Texas A&M University- J.D.
Family: Originally moved to Houston in 1994 when I was 4 years old. Since then, I have a 16 month old son
Brandon Jr.
Hobbies/Interests: I am an avid traveler, bourbon fanatic, and a foodie. I also enjoy finding treasures at
thrift stores.
 

Joined Rotary: 2000
Rotary Service: Membership Committee member, Rotary Club of Houston; Paul Harris Fellow +5
Membership Chair, Rotary Club of Greater Bend District 5190 Centennial Projects Chair; Past President,
Rotary Club of Truckee; Treasurer, Rotary Club of Truckee
Education: BA/BBA English and Economics, SMU MA Public Administration, UTA
Family: Married for 31 years
Hobbies/Interests: running and swimming; weekly volunteer at Heights Interfaith Ministries Food Pantry

 

Joined Rotary: About 1970
Rotary Service: In 1964 I was the recipient of a Rotary Foundation Fellowship to do graduate studies in
international and comparative law in the Republican of Chile ; Paul Harris Fellow
Education: UT BA and JD degrees
Family: Wife Lily and 4 children
Hobbies/Interests: Reading, politics and travel

 

Joined Rotary: 2020
Rotary Service: Barbecue Cook Off Competition Committee. I was a part of the team responsible for
setting up the rules and logistics of the competition.
Education: I graduated with a BBA in Finance from Baylor University in 2014
Family: I have an uncle in Houston. The majority of my family lives back in my hometown of Lubbock, Texas.
I make a point of getting out there to see everyone multiple times a year.
Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy spending time playing banjo and keeping up with college football

 

Joined Rotary: 2021
Rotary Service: Rotary Cookoff Committee
Education: Bachelors of Business Administration and a Juris Doctorate by the University of Houston. I also
hold a certification in corporate intrapreneurship from the University of Houston.
Family: My mother was a nurse ; my father is in IT; my daughter is a lover of the arts; my significant other
is passionate about the latest trends in beauty and fashion.
Hobbies/Interests: Reading, writing, hunting, music, movies, motorcycles, and video games.

 

Joined Rotary: 2019
Rotary Service: Director at Large in 2020 and volunteered at Be a Resource for CPS Kids in 2020 and I'm on
the Lombardi Award fundraising committee for 2021.
Education: Texas A&M University 1976-1978; Graduated University of Houston 1979 with a BBA in Marketing;
Rice University Masters Design and Applied Arts 91-92
Family: have two adult children, Misty and Matt. Misty has 3 daughters,; Matt has 2 sons, and another
boy due in December. I'm the proud grandmother of five....going on six grandchildren.
Hobbies/Interests: Traveling, cooking and spending time with friends and my precious family.

 

Joined Rotary: 2017
Rotary Service: Camp Enterprise Committee; Finance Committee; Membership Committee Treasurer-
Elect; Treasurer; RCoH Bookkeeping + Financial Management Systems + Processes Clean-Up + Streamlining
Project . . . 500+ Volunteer Hours ; Paul Harris Fellow
Education: BS in Business Administration, Ohio State University, 1981 (Honors Accounting Program; Cum
Laude Graduate; Pacesetter Award)
Family: Spouse: Gabrielle (2004) . . . Children: Christopher (1991) + Alexandra (1994)
Hobbies/Interests: Family Man, Motorcycle Sport Touring Enthusiast (BMW), Dogs (Kai), Baseball (Astros)