Rotary President-elect Sam F. Owori died Thursday, 13 July.
 
After the sudden loss of RI President-elect Sam Owori, Rotary International finds itself in the unusual position of seeking another individual to lead the 1.2 million member organization beginning July 1, 2018.
 
Owori, 75, died last week after complications from leg surgery in Texas. Owori was a member of Rotary International (RI) for 38 years in his native Uganda, and would have been only the second African to lead the organization in its 112-year history. 
 
"Sam was a special person in so many ways, and is a huge loss," said Ian Riseley, RI President. "This is a difficult time for all of us, and while it is hard to think about replacing our friend Sam so soon, we have to move ahead in the best interests of our organization."
 
Rotary International has a line of succession that is planned out for years in advance. Owori's death raised many questions among Rotary clubs as to how the vacancy would be filled, and what steps Rotary would take to ensure continuity and a smooth transition of leadership.
 
 
 
Finding a new person to fulfill the role of President-elect is governed by RI Bylaws section 6.080. After consultation with senior staff, as well as the Board's own procedures for nominating the President, Riseley authorized several procedures to take place to find Owori's successor. They included:
 
  • Selection of the 2017-18 RI President-elect shall be made by the 2017-18 Nominating Committee for RI President, with an extra day added to provide extra time to interview candidates and make a selection. 
  • All eligible candidates who submitted their names for consideration by the 2016-17 Nominating Committee for RI President will be contacted by the general secretary and asked whether they wish to be considered for selection by the 2017-18 committee. No other candidates will be considered for selection by the committee.
  • Making ineligible members of the 2017-18 Nominating Committee who were candidates in 2016, per the RI Bylaws.
  • After determining which 2016 candidates wish to be considered by the committee, the general secretary will provide an electronic ballot to the members of the 2017-18 Nominating Committee asking each member to select the top six candidates for in-person interviews. Background materials submitted by the candidates in 2016 will be forwarded to this year’s committee with the ballot.
  • The 2017-18 Nominating Committee will meet on Monday, 7 August, to select its candidate for RI President-nominee, as previously planned, and Tuesday, 8 August, to select its candidate for RI President-elect.
  • In accordance with June 2017 Board decision B-9-d, any committee members not voting for their top six candidates will not attend the 8 August meeting.
  • The period for challenging the nominating committee’s selection of the President-elect shall expire on 1 September 2017.
 
Based on this timetable, Rotary expects to be able to name the new President-elect sometime in September 2017.