First published in the Feb. 3 print issue of the San Marino Tribune.
Mike Driebe, a Rotarian for almost 30 years, has been designated to serve as district governor for the organization’s District 5300 in 2024-25. The unit includes the Rotary Club of San Marino, to which Driebe has been a member since 2010.
“I’ve made wonderful friendships through Rotary that I hope will last a lifetime,” Driebe said. “I have seen families and communities transformed by our work, traveled abroad and felt the amazing spirit of Rotarians despite the extreme poverty and hardship their communities face and learned firsthand about the power of a small group of people to change the world for the better. As District Governor, I want to help our members and others experience what I have through Rotary, and much more.”
Driebe is president of Methodist Hospital Foundation and has been a fund development professional since 1999, with more than 35 years’ experience in a variety of volunteer leadership roles with nonprofit organizations.
Prior to joining Methodist Hospital, he was president of Driebe & Associates, an independent fund development consulting firm, assisting nonprofits with management issues, recruitment, development audits and board training. Previously, he served as vice president for development at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center in Pomona and as vice president of development at the LeRoy Haynes Center for Children and Family Services in La Verne.
“It gives me great pleasure to see Mike selected to become our District Governor for the Rotary year of 2024-25,” said J.P. Mainguy, president of the Rotary Club of San Marino. “Mike is an outstanding community leader and has been an inspiration for me when I joined the San Marino Rotary Club. His enthusiasm and experience have helped many of us in our club make a difference in our community. Mike is a great communicator and a perfect master of ceremonies in our club and at the Rotary district level.”
Driebe received a master’s degree in leadership and management from the University of La Verne with dual concentrations in strategic and nonprofit management. Driebe served as president of the Pomona Jaycees and received the club’s Distinguished Service Award. He also served as secretary of the California Junior Chamber of Commerce, and as a member of the California Junior Chamber of Commerce Foundation board of directors. He was named an Outstanding Young Californian by the California Junior Chamber and is a member of the Junior Chamber International Senate.
Additionally, Driebe served as president of the Pomona Chamber of Commerce, president of Fairplex Friends, was a member of the board of directors for the Pomona Valley YMCA, the Pomona Economic Development Corporation, and was chairman of the Pomona General Plan Citizen’s Advisory Committee. He also served as a board member and studio volunteer for Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic-Inland Empire/Orange County Unit.
Driebe has also served as President of the Southern California Association for Healthcare Development, earning their outstanding leadership award in 2018. Currently, he serves as immediate past-president of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Greater Los Angeles Chapter. He became a member of the Los Angeles County Fair Association in 2005 and has served on its board since 2019.
On a national level, Driebe served as a member of the board of directors and governors for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, from 2005 to 2010 and as a national committee member from 1997 to 2005.
He became a member of Pomona Rotary in 1994 and served as club president in 2002-2003. In 2010, he joined the Rotary Club of San Marino, and was recognized as San Marino’s Rotarian of the Year in 2015. He became that club’s president for 2015-2016. He went on to serve as San Marino Rotary Charities president from 2018-2021.
He also held several positions with District 5300, including leadership trainer, public relations chair, Interact chair, TLC chair, RYLA committee member and chair, Rotary Foundation committee chair and currently as chair of the 2022 Peace Conference Committee among other positions.
Mike and his wife, Sylvia, are residents of Pomona and enjoy art, music, food, travel and frequent trips to Disneyland
Rotary District 5300 ranges from the western boundary of Pasadena to northern Los Angeles County and the desert cities of Lancaster, Palmdale, Apple Valley, Victorville and Hesperia. It also includes cities in Nevada, including Las Vegas, Caliente and Laughlin.
The District comprises 62 clubs and more than 2,000 members.
