From The Blog

Member Director Nominees for the 2013 Annual Meeting

Larry Kreyling

Statement of Focus
Kiawah Island continues to be acclaimed as one of the most beautiful residential communities on the entire eastern seaboard. Its uniqueness is unparalleled, with over 10 miles of beach, a habitat for a variety of plants and wildlife, a beautiful resort, and an abundance of recreational opportunities for all ages. This is what attracted our family to Kiawah, and this is why we stayed.

However, as build-out continues and population density increases, we face critical decisions on how to replace our aging infrastructure. Projects such as revitalization of the West Beach area, renourishment for our beaches, road and bridge repair, and drainage issues, among others, become urgent needs rather than wants. KICA has a responsibility as stewards, to maintain, improve and protect this “special place” for current inhabitants and generations to come.

Prioritizing work to be done requires due diligence, sound financial management, a clear definition of roles and responsibilities, and a clear set of expectations on the part of all parties involved as we move from a planning phase into an implementation phase. My background as the principal of a large suburban public high school has provided me with 20 years of valuable experience in a not-for-profit enterprise. My responsibilities as an academic leader also required my management skills to maintain a complex three story plant, 40 acres of adjacent facilities, and to sustain an environment that was conducive to learning.

After retiring from a career in education, I joined the for-profit business community. For the next seven years, I worked in the Human Resources Department of Dierbergs Markets as their special projects coordinator. This second career in the business field gave me instant credibility with both organizational groups and led to the development of three regional school/business partnerships. Higher-level corporate and school officials, who had never attempted to gain access to each other’s domain, were now meeting and working in concert to identify and develop the skills high  school and college graduates need to compete for jobs in the work place.

A majority of our members are not full-time residents. They rely heavily on the KICA board and staff to make informed decisions that protect their property value. I would like to maintain a balance on the board by adding a full-time resident who sees the needs of the island on a daily basis, and can work with the staff to correct issues in a timely manner. After eight years of benefiting from the efforts of former board members, I now feel a responsibility to give back. For that reason, I am offering my time and talents for your approval.

Candidate Bio
• Family – Wife, Shirley Kreyling, and three adult children.
• History of Kiawah Property Ownership – Bought property in 1995; built current home in 2004.
• Full-time/Part-time Resident – Full-time resident for eight years.
• Hobbies – Fishing, golf, biking, roller skating, model trains (0 gauge).

Career Highlights
• Thirty years service Ferguson-Florissant School District.
• Ten years as industrial education instructor.
• Ten years as assistant principal.
• Ten years as principal of McCluer North High School.
• Successful implementation of court ordered desegregation (1975).
• Member/team leader Rotary Club Group Study Exchange (Scotland).
• Gold Star/Blue Ribbon School awarded by U.S. Department of Education.
• “Best High School in Missouri” awarded by Redbook Magazine 1994.
• Charter member of St. Louis Principals’ Academy.
• Special projects coordinator/human resources representative Dierbergs Family Markets 1995-2004.

Education
• Degree(s) – Bachelor of Science, Master of Science plus 40 credits
• Major(s) – Industrial Education, Secondary School Administration
• School(s) – University of Wisconsin-Stout, SE Missouri State U.
• Certificates/Awards – Business Person of the Year 1997 (North County School Business Partnership)

Military Background
• U.S. Army (18 months service – Early Out Program to return to teaching).
• Appointed Training Senior Drill Instructor on first day of boot camp.
• Passed the E-5 Board in 18 months.
• 2nd Armored Division Certificate of Achievement 1971.
• Army Commendation Medal 1971.

Volunteerism:
Kiawah Island Groups
• Hole Marshal UBS Golf Tournament
• Chairperson “Monster Board” Senior PGA Championship 2007
• Chairperson “Leader Board” USGA Mid-Am Championships
• Chairperson “Monster Board” PGA Championship 2012
• Habitat for Humanity House Build 2012

Nominator – Joan Avioli
From the day he was elected captain of his high school football team, through his time in the Second Armored Division of the U.S. Army, his decades as a key administrator in public education to his years in business as a special projects coordinator/human resources representative for Dierbergs Family Markets, Larry Kreyling has been a leader in all his endeavors.

I have known Larry for over 30 years starting with my entry into the English Department of McCluer North High School in North St. Louis County. Larry had risen rapidly in the district from teacher to assistant principal and eventually to principal of a school with an enrollment of 2,000 students. The school for which he was responsible was newly designed and constructed as the Ferguson/Florissant district became the first to be court-ordered desegregated in the state of Missouri. The challenges were many and required steady leadership, attention to detail, a talent for delegating responsibilities wisely, and firm courage. Larry met all challenges. On his watch, McCluer North was designated as a Gold Star/Blue Ribbon School and the “Best High School in Missouri” in 1994. He has been involved in developing programs such as Welfare to Work in St. Louis County and an inter-school Food Industry Management in which two high schools, one in St. Louis County and one in Rochester, NY, pioneered a video program designed to prepare students for employment.

Larry and his wife Shirley fell in love with Kiawah on their first visit and formed a plan to build a house and retire here. On Kiawah, Larry successfully served as a chair of both the Monster Board and the Leader Board for major golf tournaments on the island, most recently for the 2012 PGA Championship. For his skill at long range planning and his commitment to excellence, I nominate Larry D. Kreyling to be a director of the Kiawah Island Community Association.

Seconder – Fred Peterson
I am very pleased to be able to second the nomination of Larry Kreyling for director of the KICA board, as he will be a strong contributor to the strategic planning and goals of our community association. Larry’s background in education, particularly the first successful integration of a Missouri high school, show his leadership ability and problem solving skills. I know him best from the golf course, both as a strong competitor and as a willing volunteer for many of the tournaments held on the island. Larry has chaired a scoring committee for the last three championships, which shows his organizational and interpersonal talents. As some may remember, I had the privilege of serving on the KICA board about 10 years ago, and it is from that experience that I know Larry will be an excellent addition to the current board. Please join me in supporting his candidacy.

 

Will Lehder

Statement of Focus I believe in service to the community as demonstrated by my 12 years on the school board in our New Jersey community. I was prompted to run for the KICA board at this time because of my participation in the Amenities and Services Task Force and my desire that the recommendations of this task force be given fair consideration and representation. I view open two-way communication with the community as a priority. I believe that my background will contribute to me being an effective director in the following ways:

• My experience with KICA committees in my 11 years of residence here has given me a good knowledge of our community and of the KICA staff, and of some of the challenges that we face.
• My 12 years as a member of a community board of education taught me how to be an effective board member.
• My work experience at AT&T Bell Labs as an engineer and manager taught me how to analyze problems, collect the necessary background information, and reach reasonable judgments and conclusions.
• My comfort with, and interest in, technology may give me the opportunity to see ways to apply new technology to improve KICA processes and results.

Candidate Bio
• Family – Wife, Diane Lehder and two children, Todd Lehder and Dana Lehder Roberts. Each of our two children is married with one child each – both five years old.
• History of Kiawah Property Ownership – Bought our lot at 306 Palm Warbler Rd at the end of 1998. Built a home on that lot for occupancy in January of 2002. We had sold our home in New Jersey and retired prior to this, so in January 2002 we became full-time residents of Kiawah and South Carolina

• Full -time/Part-time Resident – Each year we are at Kiawah from late September to the middle of June. During the summer months we are at our cottage in Vermont.
• Hobbies – Primary hobbies are golf (Governor’s Club), contract bridge, exercise, volunteering, and travel

Career Highlights
• Staff of the Tulane Biomedical Computer Center 1966 to 1967.
• Engineer and manager at AT&T Bell Laboratories from 1967 to 1999.
• Consultant to Lucent Technologies from 1999 to 2001.

Education
• Degree(s) – B.S. (1962) and M.S. (1967)
• Major(s) – Electrical Engineering
• School(s) – Tulane University
• Certificates/Awards – Engineering School Honor Society at Tulane

Military Background
• Ensign and Lieutenant JG in the Navy’s Civil Engineering Corp
• U.S. Navy 1962 to 1966 Volunteerism

KICA Committees/Task Forces
• Member of the Governance and Planning Committee in 2003 and 2004.
• Member of the Community Center Committee (CCC) from 2004 to the present. Chaired this committee for about a year during the period when it was run by an association member.
• Coordinated a CCC subcommittee planning for the purchase of exercise equipment for the renovated Sandcastle gym facilities (2006).
• With KICA member Art Jones, originated the idea of the Our World series (2009). Served since then on the planning subcommittee to select, schedule and host speakers for the Our World sessions.
• Member of the Amenities and Services Task Force (2011 and 2012) serving on the Comparison and the Current Use subcommittees.

Other Kiawah Island Groups
• Member of the Kiawah Seabrook Exchange Club since 2005 and past member of its board of directors.
• Update the Kiawah property owner records for the Exchange Club phone book (2005 to present) and also created and maintain the club’s website (2008 to present).
• Member of the Kiawah Seabrook Duplicate Bridge Club.
• With my wife Diane ran the POPS Progressive Dinner group for eight years from 2005 through 2012.

Community Service
• Math tutor at Haut Gap Middle School on Johns Island from 2010 to the present.
• Elected member of the Rumson, NJ School Board for four terms (12 total years). Served one year as president of that Board. Led teacher contract negotiations for two years during that period.

Nominator – Arthur E. Jones
I have had the opportunity to work with Will, and observe his interactions with others, on KICA committees (Sandcastle Community Center and Our World Program Planning subcommittee), and on the Exchange Club Board of Directors. In each instance he has shown himself to be a serious, articulate and positive contributor. He approaches problem solving and decision making in a very methodical and results-driven manner, consistent with his engineering training and experience.

Will has most recently served as a member of KICA’s Amenities and Services Task Force, and like all tasks he undertakes, he approached his assigned role in a responsible and forward-thinking manner. There is no doubt in my mind that he is committed to maintaining and advancing Kiawah as a premier retirement/resort community, and that he cares deeply about our island and its future.

For the reasons delineated above, I hereby nominate Will Lehder as a candidate for the KICA Board of Directors.

Seconder – Thomas J. Fetter
I have known Will Lehder for over five years. During the last several years I have joined him as a math tutor at Haut Gap Middle School. Will is very committed to his students’ issues and always looks for ways to help his students succeed. Also he is a very active, involved member of the Kiawah community. Will is well known on the island and is respected by many, partly because of his participation in numerous leadership roles in various Kiawah organizations, such as Sandcastle committees, the Kiawah-Seabrook Exchange Club and the Governors Club golf program.

Will has experience volunteering on a number of committees within the KICA community over the past several years, e.g. the Community Center Committee, as well as the Amenities and Services Task Force. As a successful engineer, Will brings a thoughtful, well-organized approach to problem solving, which will be an asset to the KICA board. Since he lives on Kiawah from September until the middle of June with his wife, Diane, he would be available most of the year to fulfill his board member duties.

It is an honor for me to second the nomination of Will Lehder to the KICA Board of Directors.