MARGARET JEAN CANNON
I have been a full-time resident of Siesta Key since 1997. My husband and I have owned property in Sarasota since 1984. I built my career around defining and solving problems and working with global teams to deploy IT solutions.  I have worked for large companies, small startup companies, non-profits, and as a part-time university professor.  I have been a coder, tester, consultant, a project team leader, and an educator and now I am an entrepreneur with my own startup Company (MyStartupSuncoast.com).  I hold an undergraduate degree in Information Technology (IT) and an MBA with a concentration in Information Management. I received certification in best practices for IT services, Project Management certification, and recently completed training in the Entrepreneurial Mindset.  I am a lifelong learner.

ROLAND CLARK
(insert Roland’s bio here…)

 

 

ELIZABETH GOMEZ-MAYO
Florida native and first-generation American, Elizabeth is the daughter of Cuban exiles. She studied culinary arts and worked in restaurants and catering for many years, including with Café L’Europe and Van Wezel here in Sarasota. She earned her B.A. in English Literature and Spanish Language from Florida State University. Later, she earned a law degree from Florida A&M University and practiced civil litigation corporate and product liability defense throughout Florida. Elizabeth met her husband George Anderson on Siesta Key at Sunset Point and has been a year-round local since. She now dedicates her time to representing non-profits in litigation with local governments and still enjoys catering for select private clients.

NATALIE GUTWEIN
Natalie was born and raised in Greencastle, Indiana where she spent her childhood learning dance, cheerleading, and gymnastics/acrobatics with her best friend and sister, Nikki, that frequently visits her here on Siesta Key. She graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington, where she studied Management through the School of Public and Environmental Affairs.  She is a mother of three; with two girls in their twenties and a young son who attends Phillippi Shores Elementary, where she is a member of the PTO.

Natalie is a licensed realtor with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty and is on the Judie Berger Team. She sells all over Sarasota, but focuses her business on the Key. She was previously licensed in Indiana and again in Georgia when her husband’s job moved the family. They are real estate investors and have had rental property in Sarasota since 2007.

One of the things Natalie is most proud of is the six years she volunteered as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate or lay Guardian Ad Lidem) for the Forsyth County Georgia Juvenile Court. She was appointed children who had been removed from their parents, deeply investigated each situation, and frequently appeared before the judge to make her recommendations on behalf of the children. She described it as “extremely time consuming, sometimes heart-breaking and frequently frustrating, but one of the most rewarding experiences of her life.”  Natalie and her family absolutely love living on Siesta Key where they frequently ride their bikes to the beach, snorkel for shells, and hang out in the Village.

JOYCE KOUBA
Joyce was born in Pennsylvania, raised in California, and is a graduate of UCLA. She has lived in many of the United States, most recently Virginia, as well as abroad.  Joyce is retired after 20 plus years in the computer industry. Joyce’s professional background also includes extensive experience in training and writing. Joyce and her husband, Joe, retired to Siesta Key in 1998 after exploring the Florida west coast. Joyce has served as Secretary on the SKA Executive Committee for several years. Joyce and Joe also volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and the Salvation Army. They work to preserve the wonderful quality of life on Siesta Key.  They enjoy sailing and photography. You will frequently find Joyce in her garden, traveling, and enjoying friends and her family of three sons and four grandchildren.

ERIN KREIS
After vacationing on Siesta Key for many years, Erin and her husband, Randy, moved to Siesta Key from the Detroit area in March 2015. Together they manage a vacation rental property on the Key. As part of this position, Erin is a licensed Community Association Manager.  Erin’s career was spent at General Motors in Detroit where she was a Manager in GM’s Public Policy Center. Her areas of expertise included corporate social responsibility, sustainability, corporate relations and philanthropy, corporate disaster response, and global employee volunteer and giving programs. Prior to these activities, she was a Legal Assistant on GM’s Legal Staff.

Erin strongly believes in community volunteering. Erin was on the Board of Directors, American Red Cross, Southeastern Michigan Chapter from 2005 to 2015, Chair of the Redford Township, MI Planning Commission, 1996 to 2015, Chair of the Redford Township Zoning Board of Appeals, 2010 to 2015, and Adjunct Instructor, Madonna University, Livonia, MI, 1996 to 1998. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Madonna University in Livonia, MI and a Certificate in Corporate Community Involvement Management, from Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, Carroll School of Management. Erin and Randy have one son who resides with his wife and daughter in Chicago.

GENE KUSEKOSKI

Gene Kusekoski, Siesta Key Association BoardGene and his wife, Judy, are native New Englanders who met at their alma mater, Northeastern University. They have been visiting Siesta Key as “a place to totally relax” since 1980. Judy had been visiting with her family since the 1950s, when Siesta Key was all canopy roads, and they decided years ago that it was where they wanted to retire. They realized their dream in 2011 when they bought their part time home here. They still spend summers in New England to be with family, which has deep roots dating back to the Mayflower.

Gene is a retired systems engineering manager and Master Technologist with a 31 year career at Hewlett-Packard and its merger partners, Compaq and Digital Equipment. He has enjoyed doing pioneering work in diverse areas ranging from electronic document publishing to Internet streaming media to modular building blocks for cloud computing.

Gene has been a speaker at major industry conferences and has helped to develop and deliver numerous corporate training events. As a corporate sponsor and then volunteer staff member, he delivered IT services to the Nantucket Film Festival for 10 years. Gene was a member of the governing board of First Church Nashua for 6 years and received the Kathryn Brigham Award for outstanding service.

Since retiring to Sarasota, Gene has revived his love of bicycling and is a member of the Rails to Trails Conservancy and People for Bikes national advocacy organizations, as well as the Friends of the Legacy Trail in Sarasota. He is actively working with the Siesta Key Association on a bike safety program for the island. Gene is currently a member of the Pierian Spring Academy Board of Directors and serves as their Technology Director. He has recently joined the Board of the SunCoast Alliance for Lifelong Learning (SCALL) to continue his work on providing lifelong learning opportunities for adults seeking new intellectual challenges.

CATHERINE LUCKNER
Siesta Key became forever home in 1989. Catherine is a native Floridian, with Florida family dating to 1888. Her family military service relocated them throughout the United States and Europe, eventually home to St. Petersburg, Fl. 

Catherine provided mental health treatment in a variety of setting for more than 40 years. She’s a graduate of Mercer University, Florida State University and internship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.  She’s retired from Sarasota Memorial Hospital and a Group Practice.  Catherine and her husband, Bob, have been members of SKA for over a decade. They both volunteer through Sarasota Audubon.  Interests include support of educational opportunities, especially through Virginia Tech, coastal environmental protections and Siesta Key improvements which keep everyone safe and protect coastal waters and beach habitat. 

ROBERT LUCKNER
  Bob Luckner is a native of Ohio and worked 35 years for Exxon Mobil  in Baton Rouge, LA;  Houston, TX; Anchorage, AK; and Fairfax,VA. Upon retirement in 2005, he began a private consulting business. Bob has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Virginia Tech. He’s been active on behalf of Siesta Key since permanently residing here. He served on two Sarasota County Citizen Advisory Committees, was named Volunteer of the Year for Sarasota Audubon (2011), served for 8 years on the Environmental Committee of the Siesta Key Association. Bob has provided expertise for SKA efforts to protect Big Sarasota Pass, monitoring of water quality associated with decommission of the former SKUA waster treatment plant, is a volunteer for the Shorebird Alliance and protected species of beach nesting birds. His interests include bird watching and associated wildlife travel with Catherine.

DANIEL LUNDY
Dan and his wife, Janet, are transplants from New Jersey and have been permanent residents on Siesta Key since 2012. Dan practiced law for 35 years. Since retiring he has engaged in community activities focused on helping families living in poverty. Locally, he is involved with Legal Aid of Manasota, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, and Siesta Key Kiwanis. His legal, accounting, business, and managerial background will be an asset to SKA.

BOB MILLER

Bob and his wife Joan both grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia where they still spend the summer. Wintering in Sebring for the past 13 years, they were trying to help their son find a place on the west coast for the winer — they found Siesta Key, fell in love and moved in three months later in 2013. They now spend eight months here and four months in PA.

Bob was in the retail automobile business for 28 years until semi-retiring in 1990 and turning the business over to his sons. He also spends time in the commercial property rental business. He was elected to the Board of the Key States Jeep Advertising Association, serving for 10 years and as president for 6 years. He also served as a member of the Springfield Rotary Club for 28 years and as treasurer for 12.

MARILYN ROMANUS
Marilyn moved to Siesta Key 15 years ago with her husband Tony and their daughter Jonell. They moved here from Louisville, Kentucky, but Marilyn is originally from Denver, Colorado. Her career has taken her from the oil industry to the finance departments of major retail and health care companies in the corporate world. Marilyn and Tony have been married for 41 years. They’re very proud of their beautiful daughter, Jonell, who completed an Iron Man event when she was 4 months pregnant! Marilyn loves spending time with their 3-1/2 year old grandson, Triton, who is a total blessing.

 

TOM SURPRISE
My wife has owned property on Siesta Key for 25 years.  Prior to retiring we spent summers and the Christmas holidays here.  Seven years ago we decided to become full-time permanent residents.  With my background in land planning and development, construction, sales, and maintenance, I found the reoccurring challenges on Siesta Key irritating.  This led me to the Siesta Key Association, where my talents for finding solutions to problems can best be utilized.

 

JOE VOLPE
Joe’s first visit to Siesta Key was in August, 1967. With no condos in the Village area at that time, Joe recalls a family member describing an uncle who occasionally would land his crop dusting airplane on Siesta Beach. After many years of visiting Siesta, he and his wife Lana bought their home on the Key in 19xx? and became full time residents in 20xx?.   Joe, a native of the Philadelphia, PA. area, graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He initially worked at Borg Warner Corp. in Decatur, IL., for two years, was then hired by Chrysler Corp. in Detroit. He took charge of the hemi race engine development. After 5 years at Chrysler, he started his own companies, J-R Engineering, Detroit Hitch Co., and MV Software Co., all of which are located in suburban Detroit.  Having built his first boat at 13, he has been an avid boater for over 50 years. He also obtained his IFR Pilots License along the way. No longer flying, he still enjoys l boating, fishing and playing with cars.  His experience in dealing with the public and community relations expanded with his co-founding of the Grand Canal Communities Citizens Patrol. The patrol is in the Treasure Boat and Higel area, covering over 250 homes. This neighborhood Citizen’s Patrol , in conjunction with the Sheriff’s patrol, has been successful in the elimination of petty crimes and vandalism.  Joe and Lana are also active participants in the Life Long Learning Academy.  Joe works diligently to advance and preserve the quality of life here on our island. Lana is the “cookie lady” at the SKA monthly public meetings.

EDDIE WARD
Eddie Ward was born and raised on Siesta Key, graduated from Riverview High in 1986, and from Florida State University in 1990.  Eddie loves siesta Key and all our visitors.  He has owned a limousine service for many years on the Key. Through the years he has worked for hundreds of celebrities.  He was valet for some former Key restaurants including:  Inn Between, Summerhouse, and Chez Med.  Eddie is single, well traveled, and looks forward to helping the Siesta Key Association.