Visiting with Rotary International President Mark Maloney is a bit like visiting with an old friend. He is absolutely without pretense despite being the elected leader of 1.2 million Rotarians around the world. Having contributed 34 years to the fight to eradicate polio, he emphasizes his role as one of the million rather than allowing he might be one in a million. While acknowledging that 2019’s polio case count is up from 2017 and 2018, he is confidently optimistic that Rotary—with help from its partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative—will complete the task soon. Interview with Mark Daniel Maloney, the President of Rotary International. The following is the pre-interview with Mark Daniel Maloney. Be sure to watch the recorded interview above. What is your personal or professional connection to polio? Rotary's long-term, sustained battle against polio has defined our organization for decades. Where are you presently focused? In 1988, polio was endemic in 125 countries, with more than 350,000 new cases a year worldwide. Since then, Rotary and our Global Polio Eradication Initiative partners have reduced the incidence of polio by more than 99.9 percent, and vaccinated more than 2.5 billion children against the virus. Now only Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to report cases of the wild virus, and eradication is within grasp, but we still have work to do. We will end polio forever, but only if we remain steadfast and vigilant. World Polio Day is a time for Rotary and supporters from all over the globe to come together, recognize the progress we have made in our fight against polio, and plan the action we must take to end polio forever. How do we get from where we are to total polio eradication? Looking at all we’ve accomplished so far, I’m optimistic that the end of polio is within our grasp, but we must remain steadfast and vigilant as we address the remaining challenges to eradication. When we reach our goal, polio will become only the second human disease eradicated on the planet, and children will never again have to face this terrible, disabling virus. Rotary must continue to connect the world in the effort toward polio eradication. It is up to us. Let us finish the job. Never miss another interview! Join Devin here: http://bit.ly/joindevin.