Board of Directors

My name is Ellen Carpenter and I am running for a second term on the Sandy Pines Board of Directors. I am currently the Chairperson of the Board, but also a member of the Safety and Security Committee, as well as the liaison for the 50th Anniversary Committee. I was also on the North Shore FEMA Building committee, which was very exciting and educational. I am involved in fund raising and placement of playground equipment for inclusive play for special needs children and adults. I am also working on establishing a Library Committee to assist our hardworking volunteers.

I became a member with my late husband in 2001, with our first site being in Phase 2. I was already an associate member, and later moved to my mother’s old site in Phase 3. My kids spent many summers here with family and friends and my grandson loves to visit. The community and family flavor of Sandy Pines makes this my Happy Place.

I retired from the United States Postal Service in 2017 with 29 years of service. I was also a steward and officer with the National Postal Mail Handlers Union, where I learned conflict resolution, contract compliance, and financial procedures for a non profit organization. These skills have helped me in my duties on the board at Sandy Pines.

As we celebrate 50 years at Sandy Pines, I believe it’s important to keep traditions, but to also work towards a solid future that includes financial stability and safe operating procedures. As a board member, I am charged with protecting the assets of the park, with the members themselves being the most valuable. The safety of the members and their associates and guests are very important to me.

If successful in the election, I will strive to continue to improve communication. I will also work towards developing more recreational opportunities. Safety will continue to be a top priority, but the financial security and the protection of the assets will be most important.

Bob

My name is Bob Deckinga and I am running for the Sandy Pines Board of Directors. My wife, Cheryl, and I have been members here for the past 11 years. We first lived in Phase 4 and made many good friends in that section near the North Shore Building. Currently we live in Phase 6 and have been there since 2018.

Why Sandy Pines?

My wife and I have 4 children and 10 grandchildren. Two of our children and five of our grandchildren live within 20 minutes of Sandy Pines. Our daughter and her husband also have a place here in Sandy Pines. We as a family enjoy value, the activities, and the positive atmosphere that Sandy Pines provides. Sandy Pines is a family oriented community that is unique, safe, friendly, and a “Happy Place” that one can relay or be as busy as they want to be.

Involvement

I was a member of the Sandy Pines Technology Committee several years ago and am currently on the Rules Committee and the Safety Committee. My wife and I were members of the Sandy Pines Chapel Committee for the past 3 years and served as part of the administration team.

Career

I am a retired educator from the Chicagoland area. I taught middle school students at Southwest Chicago Christian School for 17 years and then served as the school principal for 9 more years for a total of 26 years in Christian education. I was then given the opportunity to join a team of educators in the Chicago Public Schools to improve the lowest performing schools in the city and became the Director of Critical School Support and retired after serving 18 years.

Why Board of Directors?

I believe my experience of working with adults, children, and parents equips me to serve this community that we have grown to love. I don’t have all the answers, but I promise to have an open mind and listen to the concerns and questions of that may arise. I would encourage the board to see ways to provide additional recreational amenities for all the residents here at Sandy Pines. If elected I will continue to work for the good of all members and seek a sound financial foundation for Sandy Pines for years to come.

My name is Ginny Hager and I own Site D-99. Sandy Pines has been a part of my life since I was very young. My parents were members of the park for 20 years when I was growing up. My husband Kevin and I have been members since July of 2000. It was a great place to be in the summer with our three kids Allison, Courtney, and Isaiah as they were growing up. They participated in several park activities and also worked here on the recreation staff and at the ice cream shop. They still enjoy Sandy Pines as adults and spend most weekends here with us.

In my professional life, I am a self-employed accountant with over 30 years of experience. I have had a wide variety of clients over the years from a global IT consultation company, to a small engine repair shop, to a farm to table marketplace. My husband and I own a construction company where I have been the CFO for over 25 years. These experiences provide me with a lot of financial knowledge to offer the Board. I hold myself to a high degree of integrity, I am very motivated and I always see things through to completion.

I am very active in our church and community. I served as the treasurer of a local non-profit food pantry for several years. I was the treasurer for the school PTC when our kids were growing up. I have held several positions and served on many committees at our church. I was the Sunday School Superintendent, directed a puppet ministry, led Bible studies, been a youth group leader, served on the education committee, and I also love to sing. I am currently a member of the praise band and handle the finances for the youth groups at our church.

Throughout my years at Sandy Pines I have seen the park go through many changes. I’m excited about the future of the park and want to be a part of making sure it continues to be a great place for my family and yours. Utilizing my financial background and expertise, my aim is to preserve, update and improve the assets of the park. I am eager to see the park move forward and help to create solutions as it grows. I plan to be very transparent and to help the Board communicate with the members in the best ways possible.

It took my daughter-in-law a few years to talk us into coming out to Sandy Pines to see her families summer vacation place. They have had two places side by side for nearly 30 years. We were amazed from the moment we arrived and bought our own place on Site N-182, 3 weeks later. That was in 2013. We live on the east side of the state in the off season but with my wife Dee and I both retired we spend almost all of our time here from season opening to closing. We have 5 children and 9 grandchildren and they all love coming here.

Now a little about me. I am a retired fire fighter from Clinton Township, MI. I served as a firefighter, fire officer, fire inspector and as a fire/arson investigator. I also served as union steward for 16 years and served on and chaired several union committees over the years. I learned to solve problems by listening to the concerns and experience of others. Prior to my career with the fire department I spent 12 years as a long haul truck driver. The last 3 years I owned my own truck where I learned how planning and budgeting are vitally important for success in business.

I also served as president of my condo association for 3 years where I was involved in day to day operations, contract negotiations, long range planning and budget control. I did not run for reelection only because I could not be effective there and be able to spend my summer months here. I firmly believe in fully committing to any project I am involved with; that’s what I promise to do on the Board of Directors.

I believe Sandy Pines is a one of a kind facility and I would like to see it continue for generations to come. I would like to use my past experience to help Sandy Pines continue to be the premier facility that it is. I enjoy working with all the board members, the administration and all of the department employees.

Hello. My name is Kelly V. Johnson and I would like to start off by saying thank you to the 600+ members who placed your trust and confidence in me with your votes 3 years ago.

Serving on the Sandy Pines Board of Directors can be difficult and time consuming, however, the satisfying reward of seeing our amazing park grow and thrive makes this position worthwhile, in my opinion. With that, I feel there is still more work for me to do, so I am respectfully requesting your consideration to vote for me in August for my 2nd term to serve on the Sandy Pines Board of Directors.

FAMILY:

I grew up in Mattawan, MI where I graduated from Mattawan High School in 1975 and attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

I was lucky enough in 1981 when my best friend in life, Leslie, said “I do”. We’ve been happily married for 40 years this September and have been blessed with 2 children, our daughter Jamie and our son, Scott. We raised our family in Portage, MI.

Since the last Sandy Pines election, our twin granddaughters, Hannah, and Hailey got a new little sister, Hadley from their parents, Jamie and her husband, Ben. “Papa” is my new favorite title.

SANDY PINES LIFE:

We heard about this awesome park called Sandy Pines from a dear friend and decided to camp there in 2011. Like everyone else, we immediately fell in love with this park. After camping at Sandy Pines several times over the course of 2 seasons, it was a no-brainer in 2013 for us to buy our site and become members, rather than camping guests. Our love for the park grew in such a way that we decided to sell our home in Portage and buy a Sandy Pines condo in 2016 so we could live here and enjoy the park year-round. We just couldn’t get enough, and we’re happy to call Sandy Pines our permanent home.

CAREER:

In 1979, I began working for the U.S. Postal Service as a Mail Handler. Throughout my 33- year career with the USPS, I received several promotions and held the following positions; Supervisor of Mails, Tour Superintendent, Supervisor of Customer Service, Station Branch Manager, Postmaster Portage MI, District Safety Manager, and Transportation Manager before retiring in 2012.

EXTRACURRICULAR / VOLUNTEER:

Chairman, Kalamazoo County Combined Federal Campaign BOD, Kalamazoo Postal Federal Credit Union BOD, Access First Federal Credit Union BOD, Post Community Credit Union BOD, United Bay Community Credit Union BOD, Sandy Pines Condo Association Moderator, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Sandy Pines Rules Advisory Committee

SUMMARY:

There is one reason and one reason only that I would like to serve another term on the Sandy Pines Board of Directors; this community is our home and I love our home. I believe that my career and previous BOD experience has provided me with the skills and experience that make me qualified to serve as a member of your BOD.

I promise to continue listening to you, the members. I promise to be diligent in collecting and reviewing all pertinent information to make the best possible decisions for Sandy Pines. I hope that the decisions I have made, along with our team, thus far, has demonstrated my dedication and commitment to the membership of Sandy Pines . A vote for me is a vote to help Sandy Pines continue to grow and thrive for many years to come so future generations can experience the same pride, love and enjoyment we are all blessed with today.

As a family, our first visit to Sandy Pines was in 1975. My wife and I camped in tents with our young children as we enjoyed what Sandy Pines had to offered. We bought a membership in 1983. As members of Sandy Pines, we have seen many changes and improvements in the park. We have great memories of the time spent here. The oldest daughters worked at the ice cream shop and our son delivered messages from the guard shack to members in the park. Now that we are both retired, Sandy Pines is our summer home and we live here full time during the season. It’s time for me to give back to the park I love.

Hi, my name is Larry Munger and I am running for the Sandy Pines Board of Directors. I am married to my wonderful wife Janet and we will celebrate our 50th anniversary this November. We have four grown married children who have blessed us with 17 grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

I am a veteran, having served in the US Army from 1970 to 1972. I went to Muskegon Community College where I received an Associate in Science (AS) in 1970. I graduated from Calvin College in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE). Finally, I was elected to serve on the executive board of the UAW Local 730.

I am asking for your support and your vote in the August election. Members should have a voice in the future of the Sandy Pines and not be dictated by a few with their own agenda. I support the members rights to vote on large construction projects. I support a vote by the members on the PA-330 issue (making the PSO police). This should not be hidden away as a part of operations. I want to be the members voice on the board. I will listen to your concerns and take them to the board. In decisions that affect our park and our money, I will be fiscally responsible. In rule changes, I will use a common sense approach that benefits the members as a whole. I will fully support any decision made by the Sandy Pines members in a vote by the majority.

I am committed to the community of Sandy Pines. It is time to put new people on the BOD. Thank you in advance for your vote. I would be honored to serve the members of this park as their representative on the Board of Directors of Sandy Pines.

It has been a great honor and a privilege to serve on your Sandy Pines board of directors since 2019.  We’ve accomplished and overcome a lot these past three years and there is plenty more to get excited about in the near future.  With your blessing, I would love the opportunity to continue in this capacity, to help provide servant leadership while focusing on overall park and member needs.

My qualifications for this position include an 11-year stint as Vice President of a West Michigan school board as well as serving as the school’s band booster president.  In addition, 20+ years experience as an automotive service manager has reinforced my firm belief in the Golden Rule which I use as daily guidance both personally and professionally.

Our two grown children, their spouses, and our four grandchildren relish their time here, and it’s my passion to help preserve our happy place while making necessary and sometimes difficult decisions as we adapt and embrace inevitable change.  I truly thank you in advance for your support.

My name is Stephanie, I have enjoyed Sandy Pines my whole life. My family has been in the park for forty five years and now my husband and I are raising our kids here during the summer months. We live in Holland with our two girls, Adelyn and Emmi. They attend Holland Christian schools, this next school year Adelyn will be a sophomore and Emmi will be in seventh grade.

Adelyn is working two jobs this summer at the Dairy Dip and the rec department. She plays varsity lacrosse and is working towards getting her driver’s license. Emmi loves to fish and is developing a love for volleyball. She is preparing to take the golf cart test and is excited for the new freedom that will bring. My husband works in Grand Rapids and commutes during the week. He loves to fish and boat when he isn’t working on a project. I work at a hospital in the emergency department and locked behavioral health unit.

I have been in the emergency department for fourteen years and the behavioral health unit for four years. I have served on various committees in the hospital with the most recent being an expansion in mental health services provided in the emergency department. I am a student at Davenport, forever learning and growing. I was chair of the lake committee last summer and then was appointed to the board in December. The vacancy was left by Chad’s unexpected passing. I didn’t know him personally but his friendly waves on the golf cart are certainly missed.

I know I will never fill his shoes, but I hope that I can represent the voice of the park from members of all ages. I love our little slice of heaven at Sandy Pines and I am excited, if elected, to continue to be a part of the board of directors.

Hello my name is Scot Wyman, I’m running for the board of directors this year. I was first introduced to Sandy Pines in the early 1990’s when my mother and brother bought places in Phase 3, I purchased shortly after that in 1994 (I believe). I was amazed at the size of the park and the amenities they had to offer back then and have seen the park evolve to the great place it is today.

I retired from the East Lansing Fire Department after nearly 30 years serving as a Firefighter/Paramedic, Lieutenant, Captain and Deputy Fire Chief. I also served in different capacities within our local union as well. I attended Lansing Community College obtaining a degree in Fire Science, and a certificate as an A-EMT (Paramedic). And then received my Paramedic License from the state of Michigan.

I am currently on the Long Range Planning committee, I served three years on the Chapel Committee, and also served as an arbitrator for Sandy Pines.

My wife Jamie and I have a place in Phase 6, prior to that we were in Phase 3. My three children have had the pleasure and great experience of Sandy Pines for many years. We have been so blessed to have such an amazing place at Sandy Pines.

My reason for running for the BOD is to help continue making and keeping this place an affordable, great experience for years to come. I support transparency for the board while realizing some issues must maintain strict confidentiality.

I look forward to serving you and appreciate your support in the upcoming election.