Meet 2028 - 2029 District Governor: Eva Marie Restel
Eva Marie Restel was first introduced to Rotary as a teenager, when her family hosted a Rotary exchange student. Thirty years later, she and her family continued that tradition by hosting a Rotary exchange student of their own, this time with four young boys at home, ages 5 to 9.
That experience began a deeper Rotary journey. Over the next 15 years, Eva Marie and her family hosted three additional exchange students. She also served for six years as a Youth Exchange counselor and spent several years as an Interact liaison. Eva Marie has attended several Rotary International Conventions. She finds inspiration for new projects and collaboration at these gatherings and returns to her club reinvigorated to find more ways to do good in the world through Rotary, especially by working with other clubs to increase their collective impact.
When she is not at a Rotary meeting, Eva Marie can be found at the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra, where she serves as Executive Director, or in her ceramic studio at home. Her artwork often includes “Rose People,” hand-built figurative wall pieces with roses as the heads. Her work can be found in cancer hospitals in Wisconsin, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Alabama.
Eva Marie creates her artwork intentionally, designed to build a connection with the viewer, reduce stress, and support healing. In that way, much like Rotary, her artwork is another expression of doing good in the world.