MK Bansal is Paul Harris Fellow +1

Recently, MK Bansal was recognized as Paul Harris Fellow +1 of the Rotary International Foundation. Mahendra K. Bansal (“MK”) is a retired professional engineer (Emeritus) and former Head of the Data Bank at the Nebraska State Department of Natural Resources. A devoted husband and proud father of 3 successful children, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren, MK immigrated to the US as part of the earliest “brain drain”, pioneering wave of immigrants from India after the passage of the 1965 Immigration Act.  After receiving his Ph.D. and then beginning work with the State of Nebraska, he encouraged his wife to also receive her doctorate – reflecting a lifelong, pioneering commitment to the empowerment of all. Throughout the years, his family provided a “home away from home” to many international students and newcomers to Nebraska (including from China, Japan, India, Turkey) – offering dinners on weekends at the Bansal home filled with friendship, outings for shopping and sightseeing, support, and moral encouragement. MK was drawn by Rotary’s commitment to bridging cultures and connecting continents, and by Rotary Foundation’s service to goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. He cherished to be the past Chairs of the World Fellowship and Community Service Committee, and the Youth Exchange Committee of Rotary Club 14. MK and his wife are both active volunteers and philanthropists in Lincoln (their home for more than 50 years), as well as in the broader Indian American community in the United States.