Michael Mulhaul elected 2025-26 Kiwanis International president

Michael Mulhaul elected 2025-26 Kiwanis International president

Jun 28, 2025 | General interest, News | 0 comments

Results also include Hope Markes as president-elect and Cathy Szymanski as vice president.

By Tony Knoderer

Michael Mulhaul of Interlaken, New Jersey, U.S., was elected president and Hope Markes of Hanover, Jamaica, was elected president-elect during the House of Delegates at the 2025 Kiwanis International Convention in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. Cathy Szymanski of Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., was elected vice president.  

Timothy Sheppard of Cheyenne, Wyoming. U.S., and Amy Zimmerman of Beavercreek, Ohio, U.S., were elected trustees for the United States and Pacific Canada Region. Also joining the board in October for three-year terms will be Shinichi Yoshikuni of Tokyo, Japan, who was elected as a trustee for the Asia Pacific Region during the Kiwanis International Asia-Pacific Convention in March; and Jon-Fadri Huder of Samedan, Switzerland, who was elected as a trustee for the Europe Region during the 2025 Kiwanis International Europe Convention in May.  

All of the Kiwanians above begin their terms on October 1, 2025.  

Votes on amendments
The House of Delegates also voted on proposed amendments to the Kiwanis International Bylaws. The following amendments were approved:  

  • Proposed Amendment 1: Language Cleanup and District Submission of Resolutions. Submitted by the Kiwanis International Board, this amendment will clarify the current language of the Kiwanis International Bylaws requiring districts to be in good standing to submit resolutions. With the rewording, districts and clubs also can better understand the deadline for submission of resolutions. 
  • Proposed Amendment 2: Regional Boards to Propose Resolutions and Amendments. Submitted by the Kiwanis International Board, this amendment will allow the boards of Kiwanis regions to propose resolutions and amendments, beginning October 1, 2025. 

Proposed Amendment 3 — Remote Voting for Kiwanis International Business — was not approved. Submitted by the Capital District Board, this amendment was submitted to provide for candidate nominations and initial review of proposed amendments and resolutions at the Kiwanis International convention, with final voting via secure remote voting. 

Details on elected leaders
Michael Mulhaul has been a Kiwanis member for 33 years. A member of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany, New Jersey, U.S., he has served as its president and treasurer. He is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Asbury Park, which he helped charter. He has been both governor and lieutenant governor of the New Jersey District and is currently president of the New Jersey District Foundation and a Kiwanis Children’s Fund trustee. Mulhaul and his wife and fellow Kiwanian, Laura, have three adult children, as well as a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

Hope Markes, a member of the Kiwanis Club of Hopewell in Hanover, Jamaica, was governor of the Eastern Canada and Carribean District in 2013-14 and previously served as lieutenant governor. She was also a member of the district’s Strategic Planning Committee and was regional vice chair for The Formula, a membership growth initiative of Kiwanis International. She also has served on the Membership and Education committees. At the club level, she twice served as president. She served as secretary and chair of the Fundraising, Membership and Interclub committees. Markes will serve as Kiwanis International president in 2026-27.

Cathy Szymanski has been a Kiwanis member since 1994. Her home club is the Kiwanis Club of Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S., where she has served as distinguished president and secretary. She was elected a Kiwanis International trustee in 2019. During her tenure, she served as the board’s membership chair and as a counselor for Circle K International, the Kiwanis program for college and university students. Szymanski was a distinguished governor of the Pennsylvania District in 2011-12, following terms as distinguished lieutenant governor and district membership chair.

The 2026 Kiwanis International Convention will be held in Manila, Philippines, June 25-27. 

Corporate memberships grow clubs 

Corporate memberships grow clubs 

Jun 23, 2025 | Club building, General interest | 0 comments

Remember this option for expanding your roster.

By Tony Knoderer

For every Kiwanis club, new members are a lifeline to the future — both for the community and the club itself. That’s why it’s important to think creatively about who can be a member. Could your club use a little flexibility when it comes to making membership appealing? 

Don’t forget corporate memberships! At your club’s next meeting, encourage fellow members to discuss this option, which allows a company or organization to join as a member. You might even suggest that members work together to make a list of three to five candidates — and then contact them to start the recruiting process. 

Here’s how corporate membership works:  

  • The company is represented at meetings and events by an employee of the company’s choosing. 
  • The company can also choose to pay membership dues or ask the designated employee to do so. 
  • If the designated employee changes jobs, a new employee can be designated to take his or her place without being charged a new member fee. 
  • There is no limit to the number of memberships a company can have. (Each membership must have a specific person designated by the company.) 
  • A designated employee is welcome to invite other, nondesignated employees — as well as friends, family and others — to join the club or attend a meeting. 

Of course, this option is also excellent for nonprofit organizations. For any organization in your community, it’s a chance to do good for local kids — and to benefit from the connection to Kiwanis. 

Don’t forget: Kiwanis International offers an insert regarding corporate membership that fits our “Join Us” brochure — so people in your club can pass along the information above and more to any company or organizational representatives you meet with.  

The brochure and insert are free. They’re available on this Kiwanis Family Store page — along with other inserts that appeal to potential recruits’ specific interests. 

7 tips for member retention 

7 tips for member retention 

Jun 19, 2025 | Club building, General interest, Leadership | 0 comments

Here’s how clubs keep people coming back. 

By Tony Knoderer

For Kiwanis clubs, new members bring new ideas — and the kind of energy that refreshes the members you already have. But what can your club do to help people’s initial enthusiasm take root and deepen? And how do you support established members in maintaining their commitment to Kiwanis service?  

To help you answer those questions, we’re offering seven quick tips for creating a club culture that makes everyone feel inspired and appreciated: 

1. Make new members feel important. A member’s induction into your club will set the tone for how highly they value their membership. Make it feel like the significant event that it is — for them and for the club. Help new members understand the club’s traditions and the commitment it requires. 

2. Encourage a sense of connection. The more established members a new member feels comfortable with, the greater the chances they will stay involved. Introduce them — and encourage those connections early on. 

3. Give new members a mentor. Kiwanians are happiest when they get involved. Have someone mentor new members for the first year as they experience what your club has to offer.  

4. Empower all members to become leaders. Give people the opportunity to lead your club and the support they’ll need to do it. It’s a way of creating a pipeline that makes leadership a steady presence in the club through the years.  

5. Invest in member education. Invite interesting speakers. Send members to division, district and international events. Encourage them to share what they learned. 

6. Celebrate! Honor members’ achievements — both inside and outside your club — so they feel valued.  

7. Reach out to members you haven’t seen in a while. If a member isn’t attending events, there may be a valid reason. Even if life becomes hectic, we all appreciate friends who show they care. 

 There are more tips and tools where these came from! See our guide to good retention habits, which includes these and other tips. It’s part of our member retention webpage, where you’ll find resources that can help everyone in your Kiwanis club be an advocate for growth and membership.