District Leadership Bios
   
2023-24 District Governor Frederick J. Gellert
Fred hails from Detroit Michigan and served 30 years as a US Army officer. A teaching assignment to the Army War College brought Fred to Pennsylvania in 2012 and he now resides in Middlesex Township (Carlisle area). Fred retired from the Army War College as an Army civilian instructor in July 2023.
 
Fred’s Rotary journey began through his mother Judy Garver who was a District Governor in D6380 in Southeastern Michigan.  He joined Rotary in September 2012 and is a member of the Carlisle Sunrise club. In the club, he served as the membership chairman and as the club president (2018-2019). At the district level, he has served as the Area Membership Chair and later the Assistant Governor for Group A. He is presently the District Governor-elect for District 7390 (South-Central PA). He is a graduate of the Rotary Leadership Institute (2017) and has attended Rotary Zone and International conventions. He is a member of the Paul Harris Society, the Polio Plus Society, and is a Major Donor.
 
Fred holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Physics from Wayne State University, a Master’s Degree in Astrophysics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies from the US Army War College. He has been awarded the Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Service awards by the U.S. Army War College. He was awarded the Army's Pace Leadership Award by the Secretary of the Army in 2005.
 
Fred and his wife Donna have been married for 38 years. They have two adult sons, the oldest is an Army veteran and now in nursing and the youngest is in the molecular biology research field. Fred is involved in Boy Scouts and teaches firearm safety courses in the local community. He is an avid skeet shooter and enjoys woodworking as hobbies.
   
   
2024-25 District Governor Paul Thompson
Paul Thompson has served as President of the Hershey Rotary Club, a member of the District Global Grant Scholarship Committee, and has been extensively involved with the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.
 
Paul and his Rotarian wife, Maria, have four children who have all participated in community and global service projects. Two were outbound exchange students, and the Thompson family has hosted eleven inbound students. In community activities, Paul has served as President of the Hershey Historical Society and Chairman of the Hershey Area Playhouse.
 
Paul’s academic degrees include a Master of Security Studies, a Juris Doctorate and Master of Jurisprudence, and a Doctorate of Law and Policy. He has travelled to seven continents, resided abroad for extended periods, and is conversant in German, French, and Turkish.
 
Paul served in career military assignments as a Naval Officer on Amphibious deployment in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, as attache at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey, as a JAGC officer in trial and appellate military justice positions, as senior counsel to the Chief of Naval Operations, and as Executive Assistant to three National Security Advisors at the National Security Council.
 
Most recently, Paul served as a Professor of Law and National Security at the National War College, and as Associate Professor of Homeland Security at Penn State University.
 
Paul and Maria are Paul Harris Fellows and Major Donors.
   
   
2025-26 District Governor Mary Brunski
A Rotary member since 2013, Mary has worked in Employee Communications, Services Marketing, as a Pennsylvania Guest Teacher and now in Financial Services.  She owns Demeter Financial Services where she provides financial advice, health insurance and Medicare insurance guidance.  
 
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, she moved with her mom to Ohio where she graduated from high school and then attended The Ohio State University.  She earned a BS in Communications and Economics before moving to Dallas, Texas with her husband Paul. Much of her work there was in marketing for Architectural, Engineering and Construction Companies.  They moved back to Pennsylvania with their two children to be near family.
 
Mary has been active in the community since moving to Carlisle, volunteering and serving on the Boards of the Amelia S Givin Library, the Helen O Krause Animal Foundation, American Association of University Women and of course, Rotary.  She was an Assistant Leader for a local Girl Scout troop, helping four girls achieve the highest award of Gold.  
 
Her focus is now her business, Rotary and continuing to learn new things.  Her current favorite quote is:  "At the end of life, what really matters is not what we bought but what we built; not what we got but what we shared; not our competence but our character; and not our success, but our significance.  Live a life that matters.  Live a life of love."  Unknown
   
   
2026-2027 District Governor Rebecca Zalit
Becky is a proud native of the Lehigh Valley, hailing from Allentown, PA. She ventured to Central Pennsylvania for her college education and completed her undergraduate degree at Millersville University. Following this, Becky embarked on a professional journey that led her to public schools in Augusta, GA, before finding her way back to the Hershey Area, where she currently resides in Palmyra with her husband, Doug.
 
Dedicating her career to the service of children and families in the field of Early Childhood Education, Becky boasts over fourteen years of experience. Her professional trajectory has included various teaching roles and leadership as a childcare center director. Presently, Becky holds a Lead Teacher position with Catherine Hershey Schools for Early Learning.
 
Becky's involvement with Rotary began with an alternate meeting hosted by the Rotary Club of Palmyra in 2018. Since joining, she served as Club President for two consecutive years. At the district level, she currently holds the position of Assistant Governor for Group C. Additionally, Becky actively contributes to various committees, including the District DEI Committee, Safety Committee, and Four-Way Speech Contest Committee. She is a member of the Paul Harris Society.
 
Educationally, Becky is a graduate of Millersville University, holding a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She has also earned a Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Pedagogy from the University of Colorado. Her qualifications include Pennsylvania Teaching Certificates for Kindergarten through 6th grade and Nursery through Kindergarten, along with a Pennsylvania Director’s Credential.
 
Beyond her professional pursuits, Becky enjoys cooking, gardening, hiking, volunteering, and exploring new facets of her community. 
   
   
2022-23 Immediate Past District Governor Juliet Altenburg RN, MSN
Juliet was born and raised in Palmerton PA and currently resides in New Cumberland PA with her husband Rob.  From 1984 – 2003 she worked as a critical care nurse, educator, and Trauma Program Manager at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) in Allentown PA.  She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Nursing at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA.  During her time at LVHN Juliet spearheaded many community outreach activities involving staff throughout the hospital. These included injury prevention programs focused on burns, elderly falls, motor vehicle crashes, and risky teen behaviors involving dating, alcohol, and drugs. Since 2003 she has served as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Trauma Systems (PTSF)—the accrediting body for trauma centers in Pennsylvania. Her work involves building partnerships with hospitals, healthcare associations and researchers throughout the state and nationally to enhance care provided to injured patients.  Through her work at PTSF she serves on multiple boards including the Pa Division of the American Trauma Society, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Health Services Council. She is a strong advocate of the STOP THE BLEED ™ program and is building partnerships between hospitals and Rotary clubs to teach bleeding control techniques and provide hemorrhage control supplies to teachers, and first responders.
 
Juliet’s passion for Rotary is fueled by her membership in the Rotary Club of Mechanicsburg-North (RCMN) since 2013.  From 2014 -2021 she was a member of the RCMN Board of Directors and served as the Club President in 2019/2020.  Her contributions have included service in every aspect of club operations including Youth Exchange, Philanthropy, Communications, and fundraisers. She and her husband Rob are Major Donors, Paul Harris Society Members, and Polio Plus Society Members.  In 2020 she formed the District 7390 Safety Committee in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which acted as a role model for other districts.  The work of the committee was featured in  Rotary International’s Zone newsletter and blog.  
 
Juliet and her husband Rob are members of St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus Church in New Cumberland, PA. When not involved in Rotary, they enjoy time volunteering with the Central PA Medical Reserve Corps, Civil Air Patrol, and the Keystone Trails Association.  Rob is employed at PennFuture and is an environmental attorney and Senior Director for Energy and Climate.
 
   
District Rotary Foundation Chair Anna-Mae Kobbe
Anna-Mae Kobbe she has been a Rotarian since 2000 when she was inducted into the  Rotary Club of College Park, Maryland.  She served as club president 2008-09.  She held several club offices and committee chairs including Club Foundation Chair.
 
In District 7620 (Central Maryland and Washington, DC), her involvement included District Paul Harris Society Chair, member of the District Scholarship Committee, Assistant Governor, and District Governor 2016-17.  She was the district 7620 Foundation Chair 2018-19.
 
Anna-Mae is retired from the Federal government.  Her career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Land Grant University System included tenure with the University of Missouri and University of Tennessee Extension Services and at USDA Headquarters in Washington, DC.  Following retirement from the Federal government, she was a Visiting Professor at the University of Kentucky.
 
She is a native Iowan and a graduate of Northwest Missouri State University (B.S. Degree in Secondary Education), the University of Missouri-Columbia (M.S. Degree), and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville (Ph.D. in Human Ecology-Family Studies with a minor in Higher Education Administration & Supervision).  Dr. Kobbe has been recognized for her professional and volunteer service by USDA, the University of Tennessee College of Human Ecology, the Mount Ayr, Iowa Education Foundation (Hall of Fame Induction-2018), and the National Extension Association of Family & Consumer Sciences (Hall of Fame Induction 2020).
 
Dr. Kobbe and her husband, Rotarian Doug Newell, moved to Fairfield, PA in 2019 and transferred their memberships to the Gettysburg Club.  They are Rotary Foundation Paul Harris Fellows, Paul Harris Society members, and Level II Foundation Major Donors.  Anna-Mae is a member of the District PolioPlus Society.  Anna-Mae serves as Club Foundation Chair for the Gettysburg Club and serves on the District Safety and Communications Committees.
 
Dr. Kobbe began her term as District Rotary Foundation Chair July 1, 2021. 
   
   
District Executive Secretary Melissa M. Kopp-Smith
Melissa began working for Rotary District 7390 in April of 2007. Her job includes supporting the District Governor and District Leadership team, working with Youth Exchange, RYLA, all Club Presidents and secretaries, website updates, event planning and so much more! Prior to working for Rotary, she worked as a church secretary and the secretary to the principal at a local high school.  
 
Melissa is a PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) official for Track & Field and served as the White Rose Chapter president in 2002-2004. She is a member of VFW Post 8896 Auxiliary in East Berlin and has served as President five times. Melissa is the Wreaths Across America Location coordinator for East Berlin Union Cemetery and chair of the Wreaths Across America committee at East Berlin VFW. She was the Charter President of the District 7390 Passport Rotary Club where she served from 2020-2022. Melissa is also involved in Cub Scout Pack 94 as the Cubmaster. 
 
Her interests include riding motorcycles, hiking, gardening, running and reading books. Melissa lives in York with her husband Brian and son Andrew.