Albany’s Katrina Baranko elected to serve as Kiwanis International president
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From staff reports
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — Katrina Baranko of Albany was appointed recently to serve a one-year term as president-elect of Kiwanis International. She was elected as a trustee of Kiwanis in 2018 and as vice president in 2021. Baranko will serve as president of Kiwanis in 2023-24.
Baranko has been a member of Kiwanis International for 29 years and served the Kiwanis Club of Albany as distinguished president and secretary. She also served as membership chair and as a member of the board of directors. Baranko was a distinguished governor and lieutenant governor of her Kiwanis district, and she has served the organization in numerous leadership and committee roles. She is also a Certified Club Leadership Trainer, has presented at three Kiwanis International conventions and chaired the Georgia District Convention.
As a supporter of the Kiwanis Children’s Fund, Baranko is a George F. Hixson Fellow, a Walter Zeller Fellow, a Dr. Wil Blechman Fellow and a recipient of the district’s Leadership Medallion. She was The Formula chair for the Southeast Area and the Georgia District and is a member of the Kiwanis Leadership Society.
“Kiwanis is all about making communities safe, healthy places for children — providing them an opportunity to succeed in life,” Baranko said. “On top of that, when you join a Kiwanis club, you become part of our worldwide family.”
In her community, Baranko has been a member of the boards of directors of the Albany Area Chamber of Commerce, Liberty House, March of Dimes and the Albany Technical College Foundation. She has served as past chair of Lee County Heart Association and past president of Lee County Association of Educators and Women in Network. She is past district director of the Georgia Association of Educators. She was a finalist for Small Business of the Year and was named Junior Women’s Club Family of the Year, Georgia Business Teacher of the Year and Future Business Leaders of America Advisor of the Year. She is the owner of Merle Norman Cosmetics and Gifts in Albany.
Baranko holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in education from Georgia State University.
Founded in 1915, Kiwanis International is a global organization of clubs and members dedicated to serving the children of the world. Kiwanis and its family of clubs, including Circle K International for university students, Key Club for students ages 14-18, Builders Club for students ages 11-14, K-Kids for students ages 6-12 and Aktion Club for adults with disabilities, annually dedicate more than 18.5 million service hours to strengthen communities and serve children.
The Kiwanis International family comprises more than 537,000 adult and youth members in 85 nations and geographic areas. Visit kiwanis.org for more information.
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