Rotary District 6780

District Governor

District Governor Greg Maciolek

Greg is a retired Air Force fighter pilot having served 26 years in the air defense of our nation. He retired as a Colonel and commanded both a fighter group and the Air National Guard’s Professional Education Center. He has flown the F-106A/B, the F-4C/D and the F-16 ADF. He has over 3,000 hours of high performance flying time. Under his command, his NCO Academy staff developed a Non-Commissioned Office (NCO) Distance Learning Academy that received the 1999 Defense Department’s award for best distance learning program. They took a 6 week in-residence NCO academy and converted it into a 12 week, 2 nights a week distance learning academy with two additional weeks in-residence. This resulted in a savings of 60% over the in-residence academy while maintaining or improving on test scores. He also helped to lower the number of weeks that young officers spent at the Air Force Squadron Officer School from 9 weeks to 5 weeks that has saved millions of dollars for the Air Force.

He currently runs two business-to-business training and development companies focusing on pre and post employment and team assessments, leadership development, project planning and strategic planning with clients local, nationwide, and internationally. Additionally he owns a flag and flagpole company.

Greg joined the Rotary Club of Knoxville Breakfast in 1999 after retiring from the Air Force. He has served as club president three times, has co-produced five fundraising events that include Jeanne Robertson and Uncle Sy & Alan from Duck Dynasty. He has also served as the Assistant Governor Coordinator, as the District’s General Chair of Communications and as District Secretary.He served as Zone 30’s Rotary Public Image Coordinator for the last three years. He is also responsible for video production in the District. Greg is a major donor to The Rotary Foundation, a Paul Harris Society member and a Bequest Society member.

Greg has a BS in Business from Wayne State University and a MS in Human Resources from Troy University in Montgomery AL. He is active in his church as the lector coordinator for the last 24 years. Greg lives in Knoxville, TN and is married to Brissa. Between them they have two daughters, Deanne and Mabelle, one son, David, and five grandsons.

The Governor's Team

DGE Ron Appuhn

Ron joined the Rotary Club of Maryville in 2006. He has served as club president and currently serves as the International
Service chair for the club. Ron has served in several capacities in District 6780, including
Chair of the International Service Committee and member of the Group Study Exchange Committee. He has been a spouse/partner facilitator at the International Assembly in San Diego and at several Zone 30-31 He received Rotary International’s Service Above Self award in 2015.

Ron is known in our district and our zones as a lead advocate for the Heart 2 Heart program. The Heart 2 Heart program is a collaborative
partnership between 27 districts in the US and two districts in central Mexico to provide humanitarian service, primarily through TRF global grants. Ron will be serving as a member of Rotary International’s Finance Committee from 2018-21 and will be the Vice Chair in 2018-19.

Ron is an early retiree from full time employment. His career was in the education finance field, primarily as the Chief Financial Officer in colleges in three states and at Webb School of Knoxville. He has a BS in accounting from the University of California Berkeley and a MBA from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and he is a Certified Public Accountant. Ron has also served on several local not-for-profit boards.

Ron is married to Past Rotary International Director Karen Wentz. Karen and Ron have a large blended family - Ron has two boys
and Karen has four children, five grandchildren, and six great grandchildren. Maggie the dog rules the house. Ron and Karen enjoy family, Rotary, and travel.

They are strong supporters of Rotary’s peace activities and are members of the Paul Harris Society and the Arch Klumph Society.

Cindy has been a member of the Lafayette Rotary Club since 2000, where she served as President in 2011-12. She has served on may committees and is currently the Youth Committee Chair. Cindy is a graduate of the District Leadership Academy and has worked at the district level for the past 5 years, serving as Assistant Governor for three years, and Assistant Governor Coordinator for the past two years, Additionally, she has served on the District Conference Planning committee, and serves on the District Executive committee and as a trainer for the Rotary Leadership Institute. In addition, Cindy is a Paul Harris Fellow + 1.

A graduate of Middle Tennessee University, Cindy received her BA in the area of Instrumental Music, K-12. She was the band director and choral director at Macon County High School for 9 years. During that time, she received her MA and EdS from Tennessee Tech University in the area of school administration. She served as an elementary school principal for one year and then served as the principal of Macon County High School for seven years. For the past 15 years, Cindy has served on the Federal Programs Director of Macon County where she oversees the entire Title program as well as several other federal grants.

Cindy's pride & joy is her family. She has three wonderful children and three Gigi babies with a fourth on the way. Her daughter Meaghan recently married and is a probation officer. Her middle daughter, Lauren, works for the sheriff's office and has twin boys that are four, a two year old son and another baby boy on the way. Cindy also has a son, who will be a senior in high school this year. He is the quarterback of the football team, a member of the baseball team, and a member of the Interact club. In her spare time, Cindy is a huge sports enthusiast. She is an avid runner. She has run for over 20 years, taking some time off when her kids were young. She has participated in over ten half marathons in Nashville, Murfreesboro, Hendersonville, and Cincinnati, OH.