John T. Blount, Sebastopol, California, U.S.A.
Rotary International Director 2009-2011, Zones 25 & 26

John T. Blount is a dentist, in private practice for the past thirty-two years in Sebastopol, California. He is a graduate of Loma Linda University School of Dentistry with a D.D.S. degree and Loma Linda School of Arts and Sciences with an undergraduate degree in history.

Dr. Blount is the Rotary International Director from the western United States and Canada for 2009 to 2011. He has previously served on several world-organization committees for Rotary, many that deal with Rotary’s future, including “New Models of Rotary Clubs”, “Rotary Action Groups”, three RI President nominating committees, and Vice Chair of the 2008 International Institute.

John has a long history of training Rotary leaders. He was one of 36 Rotarians from around the world selected to train over 500 incoming District Governors as a Group Discussion Leader at both the 1993 and the 1994 International Assemblies.

He has taught incoming District Governors at Zone 23/24’s GETS nearly every year since he was a Governor and was the “Zone Trainer” for 23 districts in the Western United States in 1996. He was the chairman for DGN Training for Northern California, Nevada and Hawaii in 1999-2000. For four years Dr. Blount chaired the instruction and curriculum for GETS and developed the curriculum presently used to train incoming Governors on the west coast of the United States. He Chaired the Education Division for incoming Rotary leaders in the Western United States and Canada in 2007-08.

He first instructed President-Elects at the Northern California-Nevada-Hawaii P.E.T.S. in 1986 and continued as an instructor for 19 years. John was Chairman of the Instructors and Curriculum from 1995 to 1997. He was the General Chair for Far West PETS in 2003.

John is a thirty-two year member and past president of the Sebastopol Rotary Club. He was Governor of District 513 and its 36 clubs in northwestern California in 1990-1991. He has the distinction of being the youngest to hold that office in District 5130’s history. As Governor, John motivated clubs to center local as well as international projects around the theme of improving the education and literacy of youth, through the “4 R’s”- Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic, and Rotary.

He has served District 5130 on various Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus committees; administrative committees, and the Membership Development committee. He developed, and for many years chaired the district’s high school “Communication Contest”. He represented District 5130 as a delegate to the triennial Rotary International Council on Legislation in India in 1998.

John is a partner in a working group that produces motivational, historical, informational and promotional videos, including “Presenting Cliff Dochterman”, a video-biography; the motivational video, “Its All About Leadership”; and “Reflections of the Future”, a feature presentation illustrating the ongoing legacy of Rotary. He developed and produces a multi-media opening program for Far West PETS also titled “It’s All About Leadership”. He continues to be a frequent lecturer and speaker to Rotary and business associations around the country

John has been married for 35 years to Patti, also a member of the Sebastopol Rotary Club. She has been responsible for bringing children’s education endeavors to clubs in District 5130 through programs such as “Read To Me” and “The Dictionary Project”. John and Patti are both major donors and bequest society members of The Rotary Foundation. They have a grown daughter, Dr. Jennifer Thorn, a pathology resident at the University of Arizona; a son-in-law, Dr. Shannon Thorn, an infectious disease specialist; and a two year old granddaughter, Sofia.