Bob Egbert: A Life of Service and Environmental Advocacy 

A Navy veteran, community activist and lifelong environmental advocate, Bob Egbert has spent decades working to protect Virginia’s environment and to strengthen citizen engagement in government.

He was born and raised in New Jersey, but made Virginia his home in 1975. After serving in the Navy for a couple of years during the Vietnam War, he built a career helping others while working as a therapeutic recreation specialist at Catawba Hospital until his retirement in 2013. 

His path to activism began in the early 1980s with the Virginia Wilderness Committee, which works to protect Virginia’s wild places for future generations. In the early 1990s, he became deeply involved in a local fight to stop a proposed 765,000-volt powerline from cutting through Roanoke County. That fight led him to join the Sierra Club in 1995, where he became the local representative for the Virginia chapter. 

Egbert began lobbying at the Virginia General Assembly in the early 2000s as a Sierra Club activist. He says those early trips to Richmond showed him firsthand how challenging it can be to meet directly with legislators — and how important it is to be prepared and determined.

He recalled one memorable lobby day where he tried to meet with now-retired state Sen. Bo Trumbo, but was told he was in a committee meeting. Later, he saw him outside the Capitol talking with someone else. After waiting for Trumbo to finish talking, Egbert introduced himself.

 “I delivered my message to Senator Trumbo, in person, there outside the Capitol building,” he says in an email.

That moment reinforced an important lesson: Access may not come easily, but citizens still have a right to be heard.

During last year’s Conservation Lobby Day, Del. Joe McNamara, Egbert’s representative,  wasn’t available to meet in person, but Egbert spoke to his legislative aide. The following summer, he was able to catch the delegate at McNamara’s Salem ice cream shop with members of his local church’s “green team.” 

“A meeting in the district is usually best,” Egbert says. “There, the legislators have more time to meet with you.”

While he’s traveled to Richmond for advocacy a handful of times, most of his work has taken place closer to home by serving on citizen committees for Roanoke County and the city of Roanoke. 

“Local engagement is just as important as lobbying at the state Capitol,” he says. 

As a member of the Sierra Club and organizer with his church, he’s worked on a wide range of issues like bringing Amtrak service back to Roanoke, fighting the Mountain Valley Pipeline, and promoting clean energy and environmental stewardship.

He doesn’t have plans to travel to Richmond to lobby in 2026. 

“This year, I will be doing my lobbying via phone and the U.S. Postal Service,” he says.

From decades of experience, he offers these lessons to anyone who wants to make a difference:

1. Contact your legislators whenever and however you can.
   “Don’t be intimidated by their titles — they work for you. Be assertive, but always respectful and polite,” he says.
   
2. Prepare carefully.
   Learn the facts, know the issues and rehearse what you want to say.
   
3. Use good resources.
   The Virginia Conservation Network offers excellent advocacy guides and videos to help citizens be more effective.
   
4. Be part of local groups and join larger movements.
   Work with established organizations like Appalachian Voices or others that share your values.
   
5. Lead by example.
   Live your values. Conserve energy and resources. Do less of the things you protest. “Be the change,” he says.