Diane is a graduate from the University of Maryland, College Park and from the University of Richmond School of Law. She practices law in the D.C. area while owning her own law firm and title company. She employs over 170 people in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia at three locations and concentrates her practice in real estate and creditor's rights.
Diane has been involved in homeowner and condominium associates through work and her real estate ownerships. In the summer you will always find Diane relaxing at the beach, or taking advantage of D.C. attractions and spending time with her friends and family in her native city.
Diane's dog Scout keeps her out and about seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
Ken Hunter - Vice President
Ken Hunter: Ken and his wife, Maryann, purchased their Tower Shores place on Cove Road in 2009. He is in the second year of his first term on the Board. He is the Board secretary this year and is also working on the rules and beach easement committees. He retired from Kaiser Permanente in 2016 after 34 years as a senior executive in the finance, operations and health policy areas.
Dennis O'Brien - Facilities-Summer Manager
Catherine and I purchased our place in Atlantic Watergate in 2004 after renting for several years in the community. I have been coming to the Delaware shore since my college days at UD, back then in Dewey.
Presently, I am consulting, mentoring and working with start up companies in the DC metro area following a 35 year career in finance, operations and management of publicly held and privately held companies, most recently as the President of an operating subsidiary of Pfizer. I am a CPA and a CGMA (Chartered Global Management Acountant).
My primary interest in serving on the Tower Shores Board is to use my skills on your board to better manage the finances and operations (how things work) of the community. I am dedicated to making sure our collective dues are not only spent wisely during the busy months, but that we carefully and diligently proceed with community enhancements in a thoughtful and transparent manner. Additionally, I look to minimize community restrictions so that our community continues to be a retreat from the urban/suburban areas most of us reside in year round.
Bernadette Collins: Secretary
I have been an owner at Tower Shores since January 2016, after doing an extensive search for the right home in Bethany for me and my daughter. My background is entirely in Corporate Banking, having worked in the business for over 30 years. I have worked in Philadelphia, New York and London, having worked for PNC, Credit Agricole and TD Bank during that time. I have a soon to be 13 year old daughter, Maia, as wells a crazy golden retriever named Calvin and a cat named Popcorn. I wanted to get involved with the community in order to ensure we retain the warm and collegial atmosphere. I look forward to my term on the Board.
David Leach - Treasurer
We bought our place in Atlantic Watergate (number 55) in 2011, and in the intervening years we have come to love Tower Shores and have made some very nice friends. And that's really why I've agreed to serve – I want to preserve what we have here. In that regard I don't have an agenda other than working to keep it as nice as it is for as long as that's possible.
I have worked in the Congress for the first twenty years of my career. I left in 1997 to become a partner at a large New York law firm's Washington office. I left the firm in 2004 to go out on my own, and have had my own company since that time.
I will bring a parsimonious attitude to issues that come before the Board. None of us is rolling in dough, and keeping expenses in line with the Association's budget matters – a lot.
Pierce Bates - Social Committee
Bought in 1972 – 45 years ago. What do you see as the most pressing issues in the community? Matts Fish Camp parking and traffic issues.
Maintaining the peace and quiet of our community. What skills would you bring to the Board of Directors? I am a retired contracts attorney with a keen eye for details.
Tony Nerlinger - Board Member
I am the owner and President of Banner Construction, Inc., a Delaware-based property development and construction company, with over 24 years of custom and semi-custom home construction experience. I developed and built 29145 Ocean Road Units 1 and 2, selling Unit 2 and retaining ownership of Unit 1. Throughout the permit and building process, I worked closely with Sussex County, DNREC, and the Tower Shoes Beach Association Board. My background in construction, and more specifically, in construction of a duplex within Tower Shores, allows me to effectively address many of the topics of community interest and discussion.
Past professional experience includes: Job Developer, Counselor, and Construction Manager for the Community Improvement Company, a New Castle County Vo-Tech School District program, which helped students prepare for their GED exams and hired them to complete construction projects for non-profit organizations (3 years); licensed Real Estate Agent (3 years), completing course requirements for a CCIM commercial real estate designation; completed three architecture courses at Drexel University; BA degree in Biology, University of Delaware; taught science and coached football and wrestling, Salesianum High School, Wilmington, DE (5 years).
Joe Simeone - Communications Liaison
My mother purchased 52 Dune RD in 1989 and it has been in our family ever since. My Wife Claudia and I co-own the property with my sister Elaine Serpe and her husband Dominic. I previously served on the Watergate Board as a Director and was the Building E Coordinator for the exterior renovation project in 2008.
I retired from JPMorgan Chase in May 2015 and I provide volunteer services to small businesses with construction project oversight and mentoring services. I obtained my Project Management Certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI) in 2000 and continue to maintain that credential. I am an avid drive-on surf-fisherman and frequently fish the state park adjacent to the Tower Shores property line, and am always respectful of everyone who uses the state park land for their enjoyment.
What do you see as the most pressing issues in the community?
Keeping our pristine beaches private, clean and safe. From a safety and cleanliness perspective, we need to do everything we can and enforce the "No Dogs Allowed" on the beach policy.
Keeping unauthorized people off our beaches is another issue that should be addressed. Too often, we have carloads of people being dropped off at the end of Dune Rd and picked up later in the day because these people know we don't enforce our rules.
I feel that as a Board we should explore the feasibility of hiring uniformed security people to enforce our rules and regulations.
What skills would you bring to the Board of Directors?
I have strong Project Management, Communications and Organizational skills. I believe the way to solve problems is to identify the problem, determine the root cause, and implement policies or procedures to ensure the problem do not recur. Getting all problem stakeholders in a forum to identify solutions is an effective problem solving method.
Les Ulanow: Security