Daniel Island Neighborhood Association to recap 2021, hold officer elections

The Daniel Island Neighborhood Association (DINA) will hold an in-person meeting on Thursday, Jan. 13, for the purpose of electing new officers. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at the new community center at Governor’s Park, 160 Fairbanks Drive.
 
Organizers encourage all Daniel Island residents to attend to learn more about the association, meet the candidates and vote. All residents of Daniel Island are eligible to be members and to vote and there is no fee to join.
 
DINA was founded by a group of citizens in 1997 to address common concerns in relation to the city and development and life on the island. It exists as a civic voice for Daniel Island residents within the City of Charleston and Berkeley County governments as well as surrounding communities. 
 
At the meeting, DINA will hold an election for all board offices, including president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer. Current DINA President Greg Taylor said there will also be a brief year end recap of all that DINA accomplished in 2021. “It’s actually pretty extensive, even given the long, exhausting COVID interruption,” he said. 
 
The main focus will be the election, Taylor said, with plans to announce the winners within 24 to 48 hours after the meeting.
 
Below is a brief description of each candidate. More information can be found on the Daniel Island property owner’s association website at dicommunity.org/announcements/dina-board-election-announcement/.
 
President
 
Running for president are Doyle Hopper and Andrea Sullivan. Hopper is a retired steel executive. He notes that he started at the bottom of the organization and, after 29 years, retired as an executive with the company managing a facility with $500 million in revenue.
Sullivan has over 20 years of experience as an educational facilities planner in the K-12 public school arena, which includes intergovernmental relations, design and development, and working with stakeholders. 
 
Vice President
 
Danielle Beer and Bob Michalak are the candidates for vice president. Beer has experience as an educator, in technology startups, and as a Realtor and real estate investor. Michalak has decades of experience practicing law in the construction and development fields, and has degrees in mechanical and chemical engineering.
 
Treasurer
 
Zach Hasseler and Kelly Stechmesser are seeking the treasurer position. Hasseler works as an executive at a health care company, oversees business operations for a local Fluor Corporation office, and has served as an officer on other boards and associations. Stechmesser, who is running for reelection as treasurer, has an accounting degree from Clemson and has lived on Daniel Island for 20 years. 
 
Secretary
 
The two candidates interested in serving as DINA secretary are Debbie Geilfuss and Steve Sarkees. Geilfuss has lived on Daniel Island for 20 years and most recently worked at Bishop England as a bookkeeper, administrative assistant and business manager. Sarkees is a commissioned officer in the Coast Guard and is a graduate of the Charleston School of Law.
 
Questions can be directed to the current President Greg Taylor at DanielIslandNeighborhood@gmail.com or Kelly Stechmesser at kstechmesser@yahoo.com.
 

Daniel Island Publishing

225 Seven Farms Drive
Unit 108
Daniel Island, SC 29492 

Office Number: 843-856-1999
Fax Number: 843-856-8555

 

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