Superintendent of Fluvanna County Public Schools, Dr. Peter M. Gretz has been named the 2026 Virginia Association of School Superintendents (VASS) Region V Superintendent of the Year. According to a press release from Fluvanna County Public Schools (FCPS), Dr. Gretz will formally be recognized during the annual VASS conference in April.

“Dr. Gretz’s leadership has been essential to the success of our school division and students, and we are very honored to have him as a part of our school community,” said Andrew Pullen, Chairman of the Fluvanna County School Board, “On behalf of the school board, we congratulate him on his achievement of being selected as the 2026 Superintendent of the Year for Region V.”

During his tenure with Fluvanna, all Fluvanna County Public Schools have been fully accredited for the 11th consecutive year, and the on-time graduation rate remains one of the highest in Virginia. He has emphasized student-centered learning and a commitment to a balanced assessment profile that de-emphasizes the low-level, rote, standards-driven testing required by the state in favor of hands-on learning and authentic assessments that allow students to demonstrate their mastery of skills.

“This is a humbling recognition,” said Gretz. “I have been fortunate to have wonderful mentors throughout my career and am blessed to work with an exceptional team of inspiring leaders and educators in Fluvanna. Any success I’ve experienced is the result of having had the opportunity to learn with and from them,” he added.

The FCPS press release noted the following:

His leadership has been devoted to the development of a new strategic plan that focuses on transformational relationships and deeper learning across the division as well as enhancing communication throughout the school community. He is committed to building trusting relationships with all members of the school community and maintains an open-door policy, welcoming all conversations about how to best support, improve, and promote the work of the schools.

Doug Straley, Louisa County Superintendent and 2024 VASS Superintendent of the Year said “[Gretz’s] leadership within the region has been exemplary. Throughout his career, Pete’s leadership has consistently exemplified a commitment to innovation, fiscal responsibility, and most importantly, the well-being of the students and staff he serves.”

Before coming to Fluvanna, Gretz led the Middlesex School District to be the first district east of the Mississippi to be fully powered by renewable energy. He has since become an advocate of Power Purchase Agreements and was instrumental in helping Fluvanna adopt its school solar project and savings.

He has also advocated for increased state investment in school construction and renovation and was instrumental in revitalizing the general assembly’s commitment to making school construction funds available for localities.

A former Teacher of the Year in 1993, Dr. Gretz remains primarily focused on teaching and learning. His shared vision for the schools includes empowering students to cultivate a passion for lifelong learning and to equip them to have a positive impact. Dr. Gretz became Superintendent of Fluvanna Schools in 2021. Previously, he served as superintendent of the Middlesex County Public Schools for five years.

Now in his 34th year as a Virginia educator, Gretz has served in many localities across the state, including Goochland, Buckingham, and Orange, as a district instructional leader, principal, and English teacher. He was named Teacher of the Year in Washington County in 1993. Dr. Gretz earned a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Virginia Tech, a Master of Arts in Education Leadership from East Tennessee State University, and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Emory and Henry College. He is a graduate of the inaugural UVA School Finance cohort class implemented in partnership with the Virginia Association of School Business Officials.

Gretz has been an adjunct faculty member since 2014, teaching graduate master’s and doctoral studies in educational leadership for JMU, Longwood, and VCU. He is Chair of Region V, consisting of 20 school divisions in Central and Southwest Virginia, and is Vice President of the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools in Virginia.

He and his wife, Sara, live in Palmyra with their four children, two of whom–junior Jonathan Gretz and sophomore Turner Gretz–attend Fluvanna County High School.