Bret Hrbek Becomes District Governor, Leading Rotary Clubs in Virginia and Tennessee

Following two decades in the Rotary Club of Front Royal, in which he became club president in the year 2019-2020, Bret Hrbek, on Monday, June 24, became the top Rotarian in the region.

His appointment as District Governor – head of all Rotary clubs in a two-state region, Virginia and Tennessee – came at a lavish dinner hosted at the Shenandoah Valley Golf Club attended by former district governors and Rotarians from various clubs in the area. Those included past district governor and court judge Ron Napier of Front Royal, who performed Hrbek’s installation.

In his introduction to his Rotary colleague, Napier said: “Having excelled as a club leader and club president, Bret envisioned a larger role in Rotary. He started to understand that community needs are not all local but exist worldwide.” Napier described Hrbek’s 2017 visit to India, his coordination of a water project for the needs of Uganda, a more recent visit to the Rotary International convention in Singapore coupled with later visits to Dubai and, again, Uganda.

Rotarian and retired judge Ron Napier traces Hrbek’s history with Rotary leading up to his Monday, June 24 installation as Governor of District 7570 as Hrbek listens to Napier’s right, along with his wife Jessica and incoming FR Rotary Club President Holly Rhodenhizer. Below, the supporting line has grown to include a string of supporting Rotarian officials. Ring that bell, Ron! Royal Examiner Photos Roger Bianchini

“Bret is teaching his next generation the importance of service,” Napier told a packed crowd of diners. He noted that in 2021, Hrbek received his district’s (7570) “Douglas A. Newton Excellence in Communications” award for elevating the Front Royal club’s weekly newsletter.

According to his lengthy (and impressive!) biography, Hrbek, a financial advisor with Edward Jones in Front Royal for the past 24 years, has earned a plethora of community awards: among them, he won the Front Royal-Warren County Chamber of Commerce “Citizen of the Year” award in 2018; the Front Royal Methodist Church Service Candle (2014); the aforementioned excellence in communications award (2021); and the Ted Jones “Spirit of Caring” award (2019 and 2021).

Hrbek received his BA in Political Science and Economics from Virginia Tech and a Master’s in Financial Planning from Bentley University, Waltham, Massachusetts.

In his address, Hrbek said, “We live in a world where conflict and division are all too common, but we, as Rotarians, have the power to be agents of change. Through educational programs, peace fellowships, community-building projects, and so on, we can foster an environment where dialogue and understanding replace hostility and mistrust.”

The crowd, including family members front and center, rises to applaud Hrbek’s installation as District 7570 governor. Below, during his acceptance remarks, Hrbek looked hopefully toward a “peaceful” and “free” future in which Rotary International can help contribute to increasing “dialogue and understanding” in place of “hostility and mistrust” on the global stage. But that effort must always begin locally on the home and regional front; the new district governor reminded us. But there were lighter moments too, as outgoing officers were urged to open farewell gifts so all present could see what they found in there.

“Promoting peace doesn’t mean we have to solve global conflicts … peace starts at home. When it comes to peace, think globally but act locally,” he said. To his family – wife Jessica, children Noah, Annie, Hunter, and Luke, he said, “You are my ‘why,’ and I want to ensure we continue to live in a peaceful and free country.”

The writer and fellow Rotarian share a congratulatory moment with the incoming district governor before the official start of Hrbek’s installation as Rotary District 7570 governor. Below, a series of Rotary banners begins from the left, with the Rotary 4-way test, an important one to apply at all levels, as Hrbek would remind us during his acceptance comments.