These Core Values and the Zonta Code of Conduct were introduced in 2026 after surveying member groups over a period of 4 years. Tips for clubs: Take one value at a time and discuss during meeting time what it means. Using the Code of Conduct document, pose different scenarios that are realistically encountered and talk about how a value-driven Zontian would react.… Read the rest
Zonta District 1 has exceeded its goals: District: $45,000, 100% club donation 25% member donation As of May 30, 2026, $46,015.21 raised, with 100% of clubs and 27.5% of members donating, (Zonta International average is 21,.5%)
Of 32 districts, D1 is one of eight to have all clubs donate and eighth in percentage of individual donations!!! Individual donation percentages for our district are the highest in more than five biennia!
We are indeed a mighty district.
Top three donating clubs:
Quaboag Valley – $8,978
Chelsea and North Shore – $4,634
Concord – $10,867
It has been an honor to serve as District 1’s Foundation Ambassador this biennium. Thank you to my sister Zontians and the District 1 board for their support, enthusiasm and fellowship.
With Zonta spirit,
Mary Ann
Dr. Mary Ann K. Rubis
Zonta International
Cross-mentoring Committee
District 1
Foundation Ambassador
2024-2026
Build a better world
for women and girls
International Service Projects Update:
Climate Empower: Community Empowerment and Innovation for Gender-Transformative Climate Action
Gender-based violence manual and tools developed
Community dialogues and workshops held
Peer-led spaces created and sustained
Human stories produced and disseminated
Youth-focused innovation hubs started
Return to school policies after childbirth created
Road-map for 2026 showing monthly tasks created
Ending Child Marriage: A Programme to Accelerate Global Action Phase III
8 million boys and men have participated in group education and dialogue
Nearly 3 million traditional and religious leaders engaged in sensitization and consensus-building
Over 2.5 million girls and boys accessed prevention and protection services – more than double the original target
81 policies or legal instruments directly addressing child marriage have been drafted, proposed or adopted
Laaha: A Virtual Safe Space for Women and Girls
Available in 21 countries, an increase of nine since report last year
More than 160 interactive modules
New content on how to speak to adolescents on various topics has been developed for parents
Education Programs
Amelia Earhart Fellowships
Three Fellows studying at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology receive their wings at a January event hosted by District 1 Zonta Club Chelsea and North Shore with assistance from the Zonta Club of Malden.
Zonta Women in Business Leadership Award
Casey McDermott D1’s candidate from Nova Scotia wins one of 10 $10,000 international awards
The Zonta Club of Chelsea and North Shore hosted the annual Amelia Earhart Dinner on January 15th at the Hilton Garden Inn, Boston, in collaboration with the Zonta Club of Malden. The event honors the spirit of pilot Amelia Earhart, who had been a Zonta member, and recognizes young women recently awarded Amelia Earhart fellowships to pursue Ph.D. degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. Zonta International awards thirty $10,000 fellowships annually. Three of these were Zonta District 1 awardees, all Ph.D. candidates at MIT: Myrella Cabral of Brazil, studying Aerospace Engineering; Palak Patel of the US, studying Mechanical Engineering, and Fatima Zaidouni of Morocco, studying Physics. Each spoke about her area of study contributing to global aerospace projects. Dr. Irene Porro, Director of the Christa Corrigan McAuliffe Center for Integrated Science Learning (www.cm-center.org) at Framingham State University was keynote speaker. Dr.
Porro highlighted the importance of making science learning relatable and experiential across the ages, the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration, and the importance of women’s participation in global advances in science and space exploration.Mary Knight, Secretary of Zonta District I presented each fellow with, “wings,” a pin symbolizing empowerment, academic excellence and the legacy of Amelia Earhart.
Janice Tatarka, President of the Zonta Club of Chelsea and North Shore presented recipients with flowers. Event coordinator, Lee Farrington noted in summary, “All three Fellows were such a pleasure to meet and hear from. In addition to the monetary award and their “wings”, each received one year membership in Zonta International, and expressed a desire to support our mission of making a better world for women and girls and the connections. Dr. Porro
related well to our mission as well. Upon learning that a fellow countrywoman was the incoming Zonta International President, she asked to be connected to Fernanda Gallo Freschi to brainstorm ideas on how the CM-Center can be involved in Zonta’s efforts Attendees of the ceremony were impressed also with the raffle table, the tributes to Amelia Earhart and the opportunity to network. The 2026 Amelia Earhart Dinner was truly inspiring.”
There is a bit of awe when you are in a room of over 1000 Zontians. People from all over the world with a common mission of building a better world for women and girls. A few weeks ago I had the honor and pleasure of attending a Zonta
Convention for the first time and being inducted as District 1 governor. Vancouver was a lovely host, the weather was beautiful, and the presentations were amazing. Our very own Audrey Millgate was recognized for being a Zonta member for over 50 years. I met some amazing women doing amazing things all over the world.
At first, all of these amazing things Zonta is doing can seem overwhelming to me. Maybe it is to you too. How can we ever be that impressive? But when I look closer I realize these are small clubs too. A group of committed individuals. Doing something that will have an impact. Raising awareness has impact. Talking with a policy maker has impact. Donations have impact. Scholarships have impact. We are creating big and little ripples. That isn’t overwhelming, it’s very doable. And we are doing it. We are all small parts of something bigger, and that is exciting.
I’m hoping you will join me over the next biennium with sharing what we do. How many times have you heard “Zonta? What’s that?” Membership is important, but maybe membership will be easier when we are talking about what we do with a wider range of audiences. Over the next few months I’m hoping we can all share how we let people know what we do. I’m honored to be your D1 governor and hope you reach out with your questions, ideas, and to share the ripples you are making to build a better world for women and girls.
With the support of our Zonta clubs, club members, supporting members and friends, we are committed to raising US$5,200,000 to support our international service projects and education programs in the 2026-2028 Biennium.
Here is an outline of how that money will be allocated and information on each of the programs.
Delegates voted for the following Biennial Goals. The goals address our organization globally and locally, and they can be adapted by each club to meet local needs and conditions.… Read the rest
Delegates voted on a number of proposed bylaw changes and resolutions. Here are the results to review by club board and members as strategic plans are made for the biennium.… Read the rest
Serveral Breakthrough or Information sessions were held on Saturday on a nunber of topics related to our work in Zonta. While delegates were unable to attend them all, below are summaries of those that offered concrete ideas that can be used in our clubs.
When Life Quakes: How to Lead Yourself & Your Team in Seasons of Upheaval Angie Lion www.angielion.com
Key Takeaways
Take stock of where YOU are on the road to self-actualization, on a scale of 1-10.
Life transitions – like aging, health, losses of some kind, status change, perspective shifts – may be influencing your path.
– Survival Do you have what you need (access to food, water, warmth, rest)?
– Safety Are you feeling safe, secure in your home, work, environment?
– Belonging Are you satisfied with current connections (intimacy, relationships, friends)?
– Esteem Do you feel you are making a contribution, have a feeling of accomplishment?
– Self-Actualization Are you growing, achieving your potential, having fun, being creative?
What do you need right now? What are you struggling with while others think you are fine?
Note: DON’T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE BY JUDGING OTHERS.
For example, if members are leaving or stepping back from engaging in club activities, take the time to have a one-on-one – ask what they need and how you can support them.
Three stages of transition – where are you today?
– The Ending A place where you need to let go of what was, marked by loss
– The Messy Middle The ‘unknown’ place, where identity feels unclear and shaky
– The New Beginning – A new identify is taking shape, perspective shifts, possibility returns
Awareness changes everything – name the fear you are feeding, keeping you stuck.
Transitions activate threat responses – while not real, they feel real in the body and brain.
– Your inner critic, fears and limiting beliefs. You are not ready. You are going to fail. You are not enough.
– Family, friends, and fear of disconnection. What will they think? Will I disappoint them? Will they leave?
– Workplace, culture, and society’s expectations. This is how you SHOULD be. This is how you SHOULD lead. Stay in line.
What do you need for support right now? You should never transition in isolation.
– A Crew Who can help you row when you are tired and need a pep talk?
– Lighthouses Who can help you find direction, resources?
– Lifelines Who or what can be relied on when you are spiraling
When you take care of yourself first, you are in a much better place to help others.
Deadline extended for feedback on Blueprint for the Future
The International Board and Governance Advisory Committee have extended the deadline for feedback on the Blueprint for the Future to 31 October 2026. Please send your feedback, questions and suggestions to governanceblueprint@zonta.org. You can find the Blueprint for the Future Executive Summary, Full report and Q&As at https://www.zonta.org/Web/My_Zonta/Governance/BluePrintForTheFuture.
Note from Governor Lynn:
The ZI Blueprint presents some interesting changes in the way we work. I encourage you to look at the summary. In a nutshell, to reduce costs for members and to facilitate consistency in messaging, in a few years each district will be a country with one Governor. Rather than twelve Governors in the United States, there will be one. We know Governors having more than one country in their district creates some confusion, especially when you don’t know the ins and outs of the other country’s advocacy options, and some unique opportunities, like cross-country conferences and relationship building. The positive thing here is that countries will be able to design their own governance structure under one Governor.
On August 10th I will met with all the D1 Presidents to talk about these changes and how it might impact our district. In October, all the North American Governors will meet to start discussing what this could look like in the United States. Over the next year we will identify the concerns, brainstorm possibilities, and bring in other Zontians to create a proposal. We will take in all the concerns about what we might lose and all the hopes of what we might gain. The goal is to create a governance structure that meets our needs as a very large country – geographically and club/member-wise. We will find ways to maintain the things we enjoy about our relationships with our clubs in Canada.
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. The deadline for feedback from the districts is the end of October. Together we will work to make these changes enhance our ability to build a better world for women and girls.
As a global membership organization, Zonta International has been supporting women and girls for more than 106 years. While our vision and mission remain as relevant as ever the challenges with a declining and aging membership base are affecting: Our ability to enhance the visibility of Zonta as an international women’s rights organization, and The impact of our global advocacy efforts and international service programs.
This executive summary (and related Blueprint for the Future) summarizes the results of that work and sets out the case for change for discussion with members commencing at the 2026 Convention in Vancouver.
Successive boards have recognized this, and with the development of the 2030 Strategic Plan, the organization now has a longer-term future-oriented focus. As this has implications for Zonta’s governance arrangements 2024–2026 International President Salla Tuominen established a Governance Working Group “to analyze how the Zonta International governance structure could be streamlined and -modernized” to ensure Zonta’s long-term sustainability.… Read the rest
Keep in Touch:
Zonta District 1, one of 32 Districts around the world comprising Zonta International, includes all of the New England States USA, and Nova Scotia CA.
MISSION Zonta International is a leading global organization of individuals working together to build a better world for women and girls.
VISION Zonta International envisions a world in which women's rights are recognized as human rights and every woman is able to achieve her full potential. In such a world, women have access to all resources and are represented in decision-making positions on an equal basis with men. In such a world, no woman lives in fear of violence.
Zonta has compiled numerous tools for clubs to use at
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