Barry Rassin

Biography

Barry Rassin was the Chair of The Rotary Foundation for 2023-2024.  He previously served as World President of Rotary International in 2018-2019. His responsibilities involved leading and motivating the 47,000 Rotary and Rotaract Clubs in the 200+ countries throughout the world.

Mr. Rassin was named the first Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives in The Bahamas. He retired as President of Doctors Hospital Health System in Nassau, Bahamas, after a stellar 38-year career, where he remains as a Director.  The organization grew significantly from 11 employees to 600 and was the first JCAHO (International) accredited hospital in the region.

Barry has been a member of the Rotary Club of East Nassau since 1980, serving as President in 1987-88. He continued his Rotary service as Governor for District 7020 (10 countries in the Caribbean), Member of the Rotary International Board of Directors, Trustee and Vice-Chair of The Rotary Foundation, as well as Chairman of Shaping Rotary’s Future.  In The Bahamas, he was the founding Chairman of Volunteer Bahamas, a national program to create a culture of volunteerism in the country.  He was also on the National Consultative Vaccination Committee to coordinate all the volunteer efforts toward Covid-19 vaccinations.

Mr. Rassin is a founder of HANWASH - Haiti National Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Strategy, a collaborative program to bring potable water and satisfactory sanitation to all the citizens of Haiti. This is a multi-decade, US $2.3 billion initiative. Mr. Rassin was the Chair (until late 2022) of the US based 501(c)3 HANWASH Charitable Foundation.

Barry’s spouse Esther has always been a strong supporter of Barry’s humanitarian efforts and is a Lifetime Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of East Nassau.  Esther is a retired banker and a strong advocate for family values.  She is a recipient of the Sir Durward Knowles Humanitarian Award.

Mr. Rassin has been recognized for his humanitarian service by many organizations both within and out of The Bahamas. He received the Service Above Self Award from Rotary International and was presented with the National Award of Health Hero by the Bahamas Ministry of Health and PAHO. He was honored with the Healthcare Development Leadership Award from Healthcare Development Magazine and is listed in the second volume of Legends in The Bahamas.  He was acknowledged by the Order of Malta with the Grand Cross Pro Merito and granted The Bahamas Icon Award for Commerce.  In 2018 he was identified by The Government as an Officer of the Order of Distinction of The Bahamas.

Published author of The Rassin Story – Of Love, Loss and Leadership.