Award honors 25 years of community investment, scholarship growth and organizational leadership
MILWAUKEE — The Rotary Club of Milwaukee (RCM) has named Mary McCormick its 2026 Rotary Person of the Year, recognizing the retiring executive director whose 25-year tenure transformed the 370-member organization into one of the most active and innovative Rotary clubs in the country.
McCormick became the club’s first executive director nearly 25 years ago, building a role that had been purely administrative into something far broader: part project manager, part ambassador, part community connector. The model she created has earned national recognition within Rotary, and she will be honored this year as Rotary Person of the Year, a distinction reserved for leaders who demonstrate exceptional professional achievement and a commitment to “Service Above Self.”
“Mary exemplifies our mission by being the ultimate connector of people, ideas and resources,” said Kent Lovern, Milwaukee County district attorney and 2025-26 Rotary Club of Milwaukee president. “She has provided consistent, steady direction for the club through 25 presidents and countless initiatives. She leaves behind a resilient, innovative organization.”
Under her leadership, RCM has made lasting, place-based investments across Milwaukee, including the Rotary Amphitheater at Discovery World and the free Live @ the Lakefront concert series, the Milwaukee Rotary Centennial Arboretum in Riverside Park, improvements to Johnson’s Park and MKE Urban Stables, and the B-Line Park Campaign, which is currently transforming the Beerline Trail corridor into a vibrant community green space.
McCormick also cultivated RCM’s Scholarship Program into one of the club’s most transformative initiatives. What began with three students now supports 27 scholars annually, most from under-resourced families and many the first in their families to pursue higher education. More than 50 scholars have earned degrees through the program. While only 11 percent of first-generation, low-income students nationwide complete a degree within six years, nearly two-thirds of Rotary scholars graduate in an average of 4.5 years.
Globally, she helped lead RCM’s partnership with Engineers Without Borders, through which Rotarians invested more than $1 million in over 20 infrastructure projects in Guatemala. She also participated in a Rotary polio vaccination trip.
McCormick’s service extends beyond RCM. She served as Board Chair of Wellpoint (formerly SaintA), sat on the board of the Shorewood Foundation for nine years, and was named TEMPO Mentor of the Year in 2023.
After announcing her retirement in June 2025, she dedicated her final year to ensuring a seamless leadership transition.
