Tyler man elected governor of Kiwanis International district

Published 5:22 am Wednesday, August 26, 2015

Erby Eikner of Tyler has been elected governor for the Texas Oklahoma District of Kiwanis International for 2015-2016 year. The district includes 290 Kiwanis clubs in the states of Texas and Oklahoma. Mr. Eikner is the Business Manager of Maddox Residential and Commercial Services in Tyler.

Mr. Elkner is married to Francine Eikner, has two children and five grandchildren. He is a 32 year active member of the Tyler-Rose City Kiwanis Club. He has served as club President (two terms), Distinguished Secretary, Treasurer, Board of Directors, Chairman of the annual Kiwanis Turkey Shoot, as well as Chairman of the Bringing Up Grades program. He served as Lt. Governor for Division 34, and as Chair of the Division 34 Past Lt. Governors Association.

At the District level, Mr. Elkner served as Chair for the Young Children-Priority One program as well as the Chair for Children’s Miracle Network and Inter-clubs. He served on the Board and as Treasurer of the District PLGA. He also served two terms on the TX-OK District Foundation Board, two terms on the District Long Range Planning Committee, and four terms as District Treasurer. Erby has served for 13 years on the Board of Directors of the Camp Tyler Foundation with four of those years as President of the Board. Honors Mr. Elkner has earned are: Life membership Texas Oklahoma District, Life membership Past Lt. Governors Association, George F. Hixson Fellow, C. T. Bush Award recipient, Walter Zeller Fellow-Diamond Level, Centennial Award. He is a donor in the TX-OK Kiwanis “Own Your Future” Project.

The House of Delegates elected Mr. Eikner at the 97th Texas Oklahoma District Convention held in Texarkana, Texas, in August. He will assume office on October 1, 2015, and serve for one year. As Kiwanis governor, Erby leads the district by implementing organizational goals, developing and leading a strong district leadership team, communicating the vision/messages of the organization to the members in the district, and aligning followers by motivating and inspiring the members to take action.

Mr. Elkner will also serve as a member of the Texas Oklahoma District Board. Founded in 1915, Kiwanis is a global organization of member-volunteers working to change the world one child and one community at a time. Kiwanis International and its Service Leadership Programs-Circle K, Key Club, Key Leader, Builders Club, K-Kids, and Aktion Club-dedicate millions of volunteer hours and invests $100 million annually to strengthen communities and serve children. For more information, please visit www.kiwanis.org or call 800-KIWANIS or locally www.tylerkiwanis.org.

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