Announcing Michael-jon Pease as our District Governor Nominee Designate 2026-27
Tuesday, January 2, 2024
We are pleased to announce that Michael-jon Pease, has been selected as our DGND by the nominating committee.  Michael-jon Pease has been a Rotarian since 2011 and a Paul Harris Fellow since 2019. He served as President of St. Paul Rotary in 2019-2020, after serving as Sargeant-at-Arms and Events Team Lead. He is active on the St. Paul Rotary Foundation board, the St. Paul Rotary Club Board (Director Emeritus), St. Paul Rotary International Service Team and WinterSpark gala committee, as well as the District 5960 Camp RYLA planning task force. He attended the 2012 RI Convention in Bangkok when he husband, Christopher Taykalo, was President of Minneapolis-University Rotary, as well as the 2019 RI Convention in Hamburg.

Professionally, Michael-jon is Executive Director of the Saint Paul Parks Conservancy. His nonprofit career began in Lanesboro, MN as the first Executive Director Cornucopia Art Center (now Lanesboro Arts) and includes 15 years at Park Square Theatre in Saint Paul. A skilled fundraiser, Michael-jon taught fundraising at the graduate level at St. Mary’s University – Twin Cities and served as VP of Communications for the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Minnesota Chapter. As a volunteer, he serves on the boards of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts (Advocacy Chair). Dodge Nature Center (Development Chair), as well as the Advisory Board of Circus Juventas. For fun, he is the Emeritus Senior Captain of the University Club of St Paul Croquet Team, the “Varsity Blues” and a very amateur gardener.