Speakers

DISTRICT GOVERNOR MICHELLE BOIS-GILBODY

2026-2027

 

Michele joined the Rotary Club of Freeport in 2009 and served as President of
the Club in 2013-2014 and 2021-2022. She has been a Club Board member for
several years; as Vice President, President, Treasurer and Interim Secretary.
Michele continues to serve as the Club Fundraising Co-Chair, Director of the
Close to the Coast Road Race, (the club’s largest fundraising event), and
Christmas Tree Sales Coordinator. She is also currently the Club’s
Environmental Ambassador, and Club Treasurer.

 

For District 7780, Michele is a member of the District Visioning Committee,
joining in 2015. She is a member of the Rotary Indigenous Peoples Committee
(RIPC) since 2021, working with a dedicated team of Rotarians, to build
relationships and understanding with Indigenous communities throughout our
district and beyond. Michele has served as District 7780, Director of People,
Networking and Succession Planning from 2016-2019. She has returned as the
District’s Trainer, (year 2 of 3) previously serving in that position from 2017-2019. Michele has been a Northeast President’s Elect (NEPET’s) discussion leader 2017-2019, 2022-2023 and a member of Rotary Leadership Institute
Faculty, 2019 and 2021.

Internationally, Michele is a Board Member and current Treasurer for Basic Education and Literacy Rotary Acton Group (BELRAG). She has travelled to Guatemala as part of an independent team to evaluate program efficacy for pre-
school aged children. She has also travelled just for fun!

Michele has an MA in Educational Instruction and Leadership Development. She is the former, founding director of Cricket Hunt School, a private, independent elementary school in Freeport, Maine. After selling her business, she began
working part-time in sales for a local candy company, (a very sweet gig). Michele is a Reiki Master, Practitioner and developing Herbalist.

Michele is married to David Gilbody, (37 years) they have two grown daughters and six beautiful grandchildren. Michele and David live in Freeport, Maine

Suzanne Sthohlman is a local author and historian dedicated to preserving the unique heritage of coastal Maine. In her beautifully detailed biography, The Grandeman Sisters – Resourceful, Creative and Generous Women of Kennebunkport, Stohlman captures the vibrant lives of Mary and Marion Grandeman. Through rich storytelling, she chronicles how these two remarkable sisters used their artistic talents—from hand-painted pottery to intricate dollhouses—to charm their community and leave an enduring legacy in Kennebunkport.

https://www.rotary.org/get-involved/youth-programs/interact-clubs

In the 1960s, Rotary International launched two youth programs:  Interact in 1962 and Rotaract in 1968.  Rotaract targeted young adults aged 18 to 30, providing opportunities for personal and professional development.  Interact, for young people aged 12 to 18, aimed to develop leadership and a spirit of service among high school students, and quickly became international.  Thus, Interact and Rotaract have broadened Rotary's influence and introduced new ideas and energies into it.  They have enabled Rotary to remain relevant in a context of rapid social change and youth activism.  They also contributed to the sustainability of Rotary by attracting future members, requiring internal adaptations such as the creation of specific committees and new directives.  These programs have rejuvenated Rotary's image, encouraging young people to engage in community service and internationalism projects.