Dana Fair (Sponsor: Norman Herbert)
I’m very pleased to be sponsoring Dana Fair for membership in the Rotary Club of Ann Arbor. I’ve had the good fortune of getting to know Dana through my daughter, Lisa, and son-in-law, Dave, who are great friends with Dana and his wife, Nakia.
Dana’s ties to U-M and the community run deep, dating back to 1966 when his parents drove from Benton Harbor, Michigan to drop off his oldest brother – the first of four siblings – on the Ann Arbor campus. With degrees from both U-M and EMU, Dana has gone on to become a seasoned strategic communications leader whose career demonstrates a consistent commitment to using his talents for the greater good. As a consultant, he applies his skills for both professional clients and altruistic causes. In his 25+ years working at U-M, he adeptly navigates complex and high-stakes matters, all while unifying communities and protecting the institution’s reputation.
His global perspective is just as impressive: As part of his master’s program, he traveled to Russia to present on the value of the American educational system. At Visteon, he successfully orchestrated the distribution of proprietary information across four continents. As a long-standing and accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America, he served on the Counselors to Higher Education Executive Committee, where he guided senior communicators nationwide and abroad.
Within the local community, Dana has dedicated his time and expertise to organizations like the EMU Alumni Association Board of Directors, the Ann Arbor Art Center, the Ann Arbor Film Festival, and more.
His dedication to service is something he shares with many of us, and his respect for those he came to know who are or were Rotarians, including Bob Holmes, Mary Steffek Blaske, Christina Kim, Barbara Bach, and Omari Rush.
To relax, Dana enjoys working out, participating in a men’s book club, watching movies, connecting with family and friends over good food, and taking long walks with his wife and their Cairn Terriers, Uhura and Scotty — ideally somewhere that involves a house on a beach.
Dana is here today because he is passionate about contributing his skills to our club, and I believe he will be a tremendous asset to our club.
Rona Hu (Sponsors: Joanne Pierson, John White and Downs Herold)
Downs Herold, John White, and I are pleased to introduce Rona Hu to you all. Rona came to us via the 4th of July parade! Well, that’s part of “the truth.” She already knew about Rotary because she was president of her Interact Club in Taipei, Taiwan, where she hails from. And, she initially found Interact because of Rotary’s involvement with polio eradication – her father is a polio survivor. So, when she saw our fellow club members marching in the parade, she came up to John, introduced herself, and history was made.
Rona’s undergraduate degree is in psychology, which she received in Taipei; and then she graduated in May from UM with her Masters in Survey Methodology and Data Science. So, she is currently on the job hunt, and she is hoping to stay in Ann Arbor because she loves it here.
Outside of her love for crunching data, playing pickleball is one of Rona’s favorite things to do. She has started learning polo and how to care for horses, thanks to an equestrian friend. Until this past June, she was a DJ for the campus radio station, WCBN – her show was entitled “Two Heads with Bias.” She lists her music preferences as “EDM, shoegaze, ambient pop, indie rock.” (Ya, I had to look up some of those…) Rona loves hanging out with her friends, cooking, watching movies, traveling, and she has a deep appreciation for art in all its forms. She also volunteers with FedUp Ministries, which operates a food truck in Southeast Michigan for those in need. Regarding Rotary, she’s interested in our efforts in literacy, youth, polio, and, no surprise here – our survey.
Please give a warm A2 Rotary Club welcome to Rona Hu.
