Rotary Club of Springfield Elects Bert Carter as New President
SPRINGFIELD — The Rotary Club of Springfield elected its new president, Robert (Bert) Carter, president and CEO at Willie Ross School for the Deaf, as well as its board of directors for the 2019-20 Rotary year at its June 28 meeting.
“I look forward to building on the success of this past year and steering the club to continue exemplary service to the Greater Springfield community,” Carter said. “We have a dedicated board of directors, and we’re all looking forward to a productive year together. This past June, the Springfield Club was able to give away $10,000 in grants to local area nonprofits, and I’m looking forward to increasing that amount for next year. The Springfield Rotary Club has a long legacy, and I am excited to be a part of it.”
Carter is an 11-year veteran of Rotary. Before coming to Springfield, he served in the Brattleboro, Vt. club for five years, where he was foundation chair. Since joining the Springfield club, he has served as seargent at arms, director, secretary, second vice president, and first vice president before assuming the post of president.
Carter is a 38-year veteran in the field of deaf education and school administration. Prior to his tenure at Willie Ross School for the Deaf, he was the president of the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, which included the Austine School for the Deaf as well as statewide education and social-service programs. Carter also directed statewide deaf services for FSW Inc., a private, nonprofit agency in Bridgeport, Conn. In that position, he created and directed a 24/365 sign-language interpreter service serving all 31 acute-care hospitals in Connecticut.
An educator, mental-health practitioner, and nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, Carter holds a master’s degree in deafness rehabilitation from New York University, a master’s degree in expressive therapies from Lesley University, and a bachelor’s degree in art education from Miami University.