HAPPY HOUR WITH OUR DISTRICT GOVERNOR GEORGE MCKINNIS - NOVEMBER 11, 2021 AT 7PM

JOIN VIA ZOOM: 

 https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89018215402

Judge George C. McKinnis took over as District Governor on 1 July 2021.  He was born and raised in Oklahoma.  He graduated from Oklahoma University with a BA in English Literature and Philosophy and served in the US Army as an Infantry Officer.  After receiving a JD from the University of Michigan Law School, a Wall Street Law Firm brought Judge McKinnis to New York in 1967.  Four years later, he became Vice President and General Counsel of a British merchant bank, living and working in Nassau, Bahamas.  Judge McKinnis married his wife, Marlene, in Nassau and returned to New York City to join the ITT Legal Department.
           
When Judge McKinnis joined ITT, it was run by Harold Geneen and was the premier US international telecom company with a high market share in Europe and Latin America. George became responsible for many of the legal aspects of ITT’s international telecom operations worldwide and contract administration in the US.  In addition, he was General Counsel of ITT’s Advanced Technology, Programming and Semiconductor Centers in Connecticut.  Judge McKinnis was a member of the small ITT legal team that negotiated and closed the two and one-half billion-dollar sale of all of ITT telecom and electronics to a French national company now known as ALCATEL. 
          
After the ALCATEL closing in late 1986, ITT sponsored George to go back into private practice as a telecom and technology lawyer representing ITT and ALCATEL.  Ever since then George concentrated in high technology companies and transactions, including telecom, semiconductor, RFID and computer science companies.  
 
He concentrated in aiding many high technology start-up companies as an entrepreneurial lawyer, three of which became public companies and has been a director of multiple companies.
 
Judge McKinnis is now retired from commercial law practice and from the Bench.   He concentrates on pro bono legal services principally for Rotary. 
 
George McKinnis and his wife have lived in Bronxville, NY for over 40 years. They have two grown sons.  He served two tours of duty as an Infantry officer and is now retired from the US Army Reserves.  He has performed various services for his community from being legal counsel to the Zoning Board of Appeals, to serving as Village Counsel on a pro bono basis for three consecutive Mayoral terms to becoming and serving for twenty four years as the Chief Justice for the Bronxville Justice Court with criminal, civil, landlord tenant and traffic violation jurisdiction.  He was President of the Bronxville Beautification Council for nine years.  This Council is responsible for all of the plantings in the Bronxville commercial district.  Judge McKinnis is a member of and a former President of The Bronxville Working Gardeners. 
 
He is a member of the Bronxville Rotary Club, which has been very active in international projects, and has been President of this Club three times. He is a Director of his Bronxville Rotary Club, was District Counsel for his Rotary District 7230 for a number of years and was elected District Governor of Rotary District 7230 to take office in 2021.  In addition, he is Secretary for the Rotary Global History Fellowship, an organization within Rotary dedicated to collecting and preserving the history of Rotary International.  In 2019, he received the Community Service Award which was jointly awarded by the Bronxville Rotary Club and the Bronxville Reformed Church and served as Marshal of Bronxville’s Memorial Day Parade.  Judge McKinnis is a member of the University Club in New York City and the Bronxville Field Club.