Alumna Leslie Herrick becomes president of the Dearborn Rotary Club

HFC alumna and Dearborn City Councilwoman Leslie Herrick has been elected president of the Rotary Club of Dearborn for the 2025-26 fiscal year.

A lifelong Dearborn resident, Herrick's term runs until June 30, 2026. She succeeded David Anderson, who is now the immediate past president. Herrick has been a member of Rotary since 2022.

“Rotary Club of Dearborn provides another opportunity for me to serve the community I love. It brings people together, and we build friendships through local and international service projects,” said Herrick. “When I get involved, I dive in headfirst! I had known about the valuable service done by Rotarians around the world and thought about joining for a long time. I became involved in 2022, the year before Rotary’s 100th anniversary.”

She continued: “My dear friend Margaret Blohm was chair of the anniversary committee and told me, ‘Now is a good time for you to join Rotary because you enjoy planning things, and this will be quite the celebration.’ I worked on the committee and soon was invited by directors to become president-nominee.”

"I am delighted that Leslie agreed to serve as this year's president of Rotary,” said Blohm. “She exemplifies the Rotary motto of 'Service Above Self' and is thoughtful, creative, and a good listener."

Herrick’s goals as Rotary president

Becoming the president of Rotary is a 3-year process, explained Herrick.

• The first year, you are invited by the Rotary Board of Directors to become the president-nominee.
• The second year, you become the president-elect.
• The third year, you become the president.

Herrick spoke about her goals during her presidency.

“We’re focusing on things Rotary does around the world that are especially near and dear to me in Dearborn, such as how we can positively impact the environment. When we have poor air quality, many people struggle with asthma and other ailments. We’ll be looking for opportunities to make a difference,” she said.

Another goal is building partnerships with other nonprofit, charitable organizations throughout Metro Detroit. “We plan to work alongside other Rotary chapters on projects,” she said. “Unfortunately, around the world, Rotary and other service organizations are seeing declining membership. These relationships help us accomplish more, so we’re looking into developing partnerships. That’s why I encourage people to look at Rotary. Rotarians have been making an impact around the world for 100 years. It’s about service and developing friendships.”

Anderson expressed his support for Herrick.

“Leslie brings vast knowledge of the local community and civic members to our club and helps bring interesting speakers to our meetings. After serving as president, Leslie will be a trustee and eventually lead the Dearborn Rotary Foundation, the financial arm of our organization, which annually distributes about $70,000 in scholarships to high school students in Dearborn. We appreciate the time Leslie has volunteered to continue our 100-year-old club and are honored to have her serve as our 2025-26 president.”

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud was the guest speaker at the first Rotary meeting Herrick chaired as president.

“Rotary has a president who knows Dearborn quite well,” said Hammoud. “Some of the most active members of our community are in Rotary. The impact Rotary has made on the Dearborn community has been very beneficial.”

HFC prepared Herrick for her career and leadership roles

Herrick, who has an adult son, graduated from Dearborn High School. Afterward, she enrolled at HFC (then Henry Ford Community College), where she was in the Henry Ford II Honors Program. She graduated cum laude, earning her associate degree in liberal arts. Subsequently, she transferred to Wayne State University, earning her bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations, graduating magna cum laude.

Herrick completed some graduate coursework in advertising at Michigan State University and marketing and event promotion at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned her Accreditation in Public Relations credential through the Public Relations Society of America. In 2021, she was one of 14 elected officials in the state of Michigan to have graduated from the Michigan Municipal League Elected Officials Academy.

“I will always be in HFC’s debt because the College prepared for leadership roles in my work and in serving my community,” said Herrick.

A lifetime of service to Dearborn

For nearly 30 years, Herrick has worked in public relations. Some of her notable positions include what is now DFCU Financial in Dearborn, the Dearborn Public Schools, the City of Dearborn, and the Dearborn Community Fund. She is now working with the Intercultural Community Center in Dearborn.

In 2017, Herrick was elected to the Dearborn City Council, and is now in her second term.

“People asked me to run for office,” recalled Herrick. “I had been involved in the community – my neighborhood association, PTA, and the Dearborn Education Foundation. I worked for the Dearborn Public Schools and the City of Dearborn. People said, ‘We like what you’re doing and admire how dedicated you are to serving Dearborn. We’d like to see you work with our mayor on the future of our city.’”

HFC Federation of Teachers, Local 1650 President and HFC political science instructor Dr. Eric Rader served as Rotary president from 2019-20. He also served on the Rotary Board of Directors from 2015-21. Rader is confident in Herrick’s ability to lead Rotary.

“I’ve known Leslie for at least 10 years,” said Rader. “She has dedicated herself to improving the quality of life in Dearborn. I was thrilled when she joined Rotary, and am excited for her year as the president of our club and for her plans to expand our reach into the community.”