Katie Spotz, from Cleveland, Ohio, has the distinction of being a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in 2012. She was sponsored in that endeavor by the Rotary Club of Chargin Valley, Ohio, and attended Goldsmiths University of London for Social Entrepreneurship during that year.
 
Katie describes herself as having been the “benchwarmer” throughout her life. However, there came a time when she made a discovery: you don’t have to be extraordinary to achieve incredible things, and she set about achieving them, one by one.
 
Katie will speak to us about some of her many accomplishments, including five ironman triathlons, running 100 miles nonstop, cycling across the USA twice, a 325-mile river swim, running across deserts and a solo row across the Atlantic Ocean. This wasn’t just any row; however, when Katie arrived in Guyana, South America, after 70 days at sea, she set a world record for the youngest ever solo ocean rower, one of many records to her name.
 
Throughout her row, Katie wasn’t just seeking to make history. She was also raising money, for safe drinking water projects around the world. As interest grew in Katie’s amazing exploits, donations came flooding in and, at the moment, the total stands at over $275,000.
 
Katie’s story has been featured on CBS Morning Show, CBS Evening News, World News with Diane Sawyer, Anderson Cooper 360, New York Times, NPR, PBS News Hour, and the Discovery Channel. In 2010, Katie was honored by Glamour Magazine as one of their “Women of the Year”, alongside people like Julia Roberts, Cher, and Queen Rania of Jordan.

This September, Katie is embarking on her latest challenge, Run4Water, will run across the entire state of Ohio covering a marathon a day for 10 days until completing the 260-mile journey. Her goal is to raise $26,000 for a school-based water and sanitation project in Uganda in support of the nonprofit organization Drink Local. Drink Tap.

Katie recently moved to the area and will be stationed here with the Coast Guard for the next couple years.