Rotary Member Michael McGovern selected chair of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s oversight board

Michael K. McGovern, a member of the Rotary Club of South Portland-Cape Elizabeth, Maine, USA, has been selected to chair the Polio Oversight Board, the governance body that provides strategic direction and unified leadership for the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI).

McGovern’s appointment is a significant milestone for Rotary International, which cofounded the GPEI in 1988 and has contributed more than US$2.9 billion — along with countless volunteer hours — toward ending polio worldwide. In his new role, McGovern will help coordinate the work of the GPEI’s partner organizations and steer efforts to safely and sustainably reach the goal of a polio-free world. He will also continue to chair Rotary’s International PolioPlus Committee, a role he has occupied since 2014.

“Serving as chair of the Polio Oversight Board is an honor and a responsibility,” says McGovern. “We stand closer than ever to achieving a world free of polio. Together with our partners and the millions of volunteers who make this work possible, we will finish the job.”

The transition comes at a critical moment in the polio eradication endgame. While global polio cases have dropped by more than 99.9%, challenges remain in areas with limited health infrastructure, persistent conflict, or complex access issues. McGovern will play a vital role in aligning strategy, ensuring accountability, and guiding resource allocation for the GPEI’s partners. These include Rotary International, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and many national governments.

McGovern has been a Rotary member since 1986. He has served as director and vice president of Rotary International and trustee and vice chair of The Rotary Foundation. He will begin his two-year term as Polio Oversight Board chair on 1 January 2026.