The Rotary of Macomb meets Tuesdays at noon at the First Presbyterian Church.
June 15, 2026 President Seth Minter called the Rotary Club’s 49th meeting to order by ringing the Rotary Bell at the First Presbyterian Church in Macomb.
Chris Adams reported attendance of 25 members who were in person and 1 via Zoom, representing 49% of the club’s membership.
With 2 guests in attendance, total participation reached 28 individuals. Guests in attendance included our speaker Stephen Gray, director of the School of Accounting and Business Administration at WIU, and prospective member Will Woods,.
Happy Money was next and 10 Rotarians announced a special happening from the past week.
During the 50/50 drawing, Steve Knowles held the winning ticket and had the opportunity to claim the prize of $120 by drawing the 9 of Hearts from the remaining 38 cards. However, he failed to draw the winning card and no winner was declared this week. Rotarian Todd Lester also shared with the group that he had maps of the Giving Gardens available if any member wanted one.
Rotarian Ryan Van Dolah introduced the meeting’s speaker: Dr. Stephen Gray.
Dr. Gray, Western Illinois University’s new School of Accounting and Business Administration director took the permanent director role after a year as interim leader. He walked the club through his path to academia — from farm credit analyst to locksmith business owner to full-time educator. Gray earned his doctorate in business administration from University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2017 and joined WIU’s tenure-track faculty as an associate professor of finance.
“I look around the room and there’s so many of you that I have a connection with,” Gray told the group, noting his lifelong ties to Macomb and the people in it. Gray oversees 20 faculty members in a school that serves roughly 400 undergraduates and 100 graduate students. The school holds dual AACSB accreditation — for both accounting and business administration — a distinction Gray emphasized as rare: only 6 percent of business schools worldwide hold the credential.
The school recently restructured its curriculum and now requires all business graduates to complete an internship or experiential learning opportunity. Gray said the school is seeking community partnerships to help non-traditional students — many working full-time — satisfy the requirement while keeping their jobs.
“If you have ideas, thoughts, please share those with me,” Gray said, inviting local professionals to serve as guest speakers, career fair participants, or internship hosts. He can be reached at [email protected].
Club President Seth Minter announced the Fifth Tuesday Social will be held June 18 at Macomb Country Club at 5 p.m., where three new members will be inducted and scholarship recipients honored. The annual Kicks for Kids golf tournament is set for June 19.
Minter also reminded members to sign up for Lemonade Shake-Ups through SignUPGenius and noted that the club’s annual fundraising drawing will kick off August 22.
The meeting concluded with the recitation of the “Four Way Test” and the sounding of the Rotary bell, encouraging all members to make Rotary Part Of Their Life – and to “Unite For Good”.
