Larry A Lunsford, a member of RC Kansas City-Plaza, Missouri, US, has been chosen by the Nominating Committee as RI President for 2027–28. He will officially become the president-nominee on September 15 if no other candidates challenge him.
Lunsford attended Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri, on an academic scholarship, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting. His first brush with Rotary was when he received a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship to spend the 1981–82 academic year at the University of Newcastle in Australia.
A certified public accountant, he spent seven years working for Ernst & Young before joining a family-owned business, Bernstein-Rein Advertising, in 1990. He is currently executive vice president and chief financial officer for the Bernstein group of companies. He has held positions on the boards of the Kansas City Spirit Festival and the Variety Club and has served as director of a local bank and treasurer of the Epilepsy Foundation for the Heart of America. He has also served on Truman State University’s alumni and foundation boards and received the University’s Distinguished Service Award.
Lunsford joined RC Kansas City-Plaza in 1991. He served as RI director (2013–15) and trustee of The Rotary Foundation (2021–25, vice chair 2024–25). He also has served as the chair of RI’s Executive Committee (2014–15), Membership Growth Committee (2016–18), Nominating Committee for President of RI (2023–24), TRF’s Executive Committee (2023–24), Finance Committee (2022–23 and 2024–25), and Participant Experience Committee (2023–24).
Lunsford has been awarded TRF’s Distinguished Service Award, Citation for Meritorious Service, and the RI Service Above Self Award. He and his wife, Jill Lunsford, have two children and one grandchild. They are Major Donors, Bequest Society members, multiple Paul Harris Fellows, Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation, and Sustaining Members.
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