The P.I.E. Board of Directors has a minimum of 9 and a maximum of 11 volunteers serving each year. Yearly elections are held at the Annual Membership Meeting in January. Ballots are included with our membership renewal forms.
2024 Board of Directors
Meryl Schaffer - President
I have been a resident of Don Pedro Island since 2000. In 2003, I began publishing "Spindrift -- the Island Times," which became the official printed newsletter of PIE for 3 consecutive years. I have been a volunteer in the community as part of the Turtle Patrol, a member of the Island Advisory Committee and served on the PIE Board from 2004-2007. Upon returning to the Board in 2012, I served as Vice President of the Board and designed the first update for the PIE website which was launched in 2013. I remained the "PIE Webmistress" through 2015 handling email correspondence to keep PIE in touch with members and Island homeowners. I love the Island and enjoy contributing to the community in any way I can. 
Susanne Stubbs - Vice President
I became a board member of PIE in July of 2022. I am the Chair for “Info Central" where information regarding, taxes, roads, dredging Stump Pass, beach renourishment, Fire and Police protection, Panama Road parking and other concerns have been addressed over the years. When PIE members are concerned about an issue, we attempt to have the person in charge come speak to us and answer our questions. We arrange town hall-style meetings with our local representatives like our West County Commissioner, the Fire Chief or the Charlotte County Sheriff. My concerns and interests while serving on the PIE Board will continue to be the environment, property taxes, insurance costs, police coverage during high occupancy times of the year, water rates and service, beach renourishment and our EMT/Fire protection. I hope to continue being on the board and providing information about the interests and concerns you might have while living here. 
Lindsay Yates - Treasurer
After many years of searching for “Old Florida” and thinking that it no longer existed, my husband Jon Goranson and I discovered this wonderful island in the late 1990s and purchased a vacation home in 2001. We were able to make the transition to full-time residency in 2008, leaving behind 40 long, cold winters (and cold springs and cold falls) in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. I have been fortunate to be able to continue working as an accountant for my long-time Colorado employer, a company with diverse interests in mining, ranching and land development. On the island, in addition to being on the PIE board, I currently serve on the Don Pedro & Knight Islands Street & Drainage MSTU board (more commonly known as the “County Roads and Bridges Committee.”) I am interested in not only preserving and protecting the natural island environment, but also in maintaining and strengthening the sense of community that has existed here for many years. I have long been a supporter of PIE, have been a volunteer worker for many PIE functions, and look forward to continuing to work on advancing the common interests of the island residents by serving on the PIE board. 
Amy McCully - Recording Secretary
I’m your neighbor Amy McCully and I live in what is best described as Merkle’s house at 61 Kettle Harbor Dr. My husband Mic and I, along with my 16-year-old son, Hunter, moved to Palm Island in November 2021. We also have three pups, Milo, Matilda, and Mable. Although we love Florida and everything about the island, life still finds us heading back to Illinois occasionally, to visit with kids and grandkids. Mic and I are still working. I have owned and operated a hair salon in northern Illinois for 13+ years, and I opened a salon suite, Rumor Mill Salon, in Port Charlotte this year. Two things that I love most about what I do are the sense of community and the ability to build long lasting relationships with others. I am a people pleaser, an entertainer, an organizer, and a community activist. I love to come up with new ideas, helping others embrace the change, all while keeping your best interest at heart. My job in life is to help and serve others, while having fun doing it. Hope to meet more of you in the near future. 
Deb Knighten - Corresponding Secretary
Like so many others, we had no idea what to expect when we rented a house on Don Pedro Island 4 years ago. Within 5 minutes of exiting the ferry we knew this was what we had been looking for. We bought a house on Bocilla Drive 2 days later. My husband Art and I are retired and now living on the island full time after recently selling our house in SC. I grew up in rural Iowa where no one locked their doors and we knew all of our neighbors within 10 miles. I was always very involved in community betterment projects. I missed that type of environment and immediately felt safe and like I belonged here on the island. During my career. I worked as a project manager focused on implementing corporate improvements in the financial industry. My skills include the use of tools that gather factual information, design solutions, and introduce change. While I don’t think there is much that needs to change on this island, I’d be interested in listening to new ideas. I also have a lot of experience in event planning and held the position of Activities Director in our office. My hobbies include DIY projects, boating. anything to do with water, golf, creative writing and reading. I would welcome the chance to get more involved in working with the other board members in making sure we continue to enjoy life in this paradise island. 
Linda Cotherman - Director
Born in a small town near Buffalo N.Y., I discovered the Island in 1974 and moved with my husband and two children into our almost finished, before the ferry, self-built house in 1979. My daughter Kelly was 10 and son Cory was 8. They both graduated from Lemon Bay High School and continue to visit with their children. I’ve had many occupations over the years, including being a general contractor, septic tank and drain field designer/installer, day care operator, project manager for a local engineering and surveying firm, pub owner/operator, and charter fishing captain/mate on Boca Grande and in Key West. I attended college in Buffalo as well as Edison and Gulf Coast Universities in Fort Myers, receiving an AS degree in Paralegal Studies. I am presently pursuing a degree in psychology. I have also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity International, Red Cross Disaster Preparedness and am now a Guardian ad Litum for Children in the foster care system in Charlotte and Lee County. I was honored to be recognized by the United Way of Charlotte County by receiving a 2016-2017 Community Spirit Award and Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. Here on the Island, I was involved in establishing the Island Fire Brigade and was in the first class of volunteer firefighters; and the establishment of PIE, being on the original board of directors. I went with two other islanders to Tallahassee to testify before the Public Service Commission in protest of the proposed water rate increase. I participate in our Gopher Tortoise Team. I am presently a board member of the Bocilla Islands Conservancy and the Chairperson of the Charlotte County” Road and Bridges” Advisory Committee. I love our Island and hope to continue my involvement to keep it our little bit of Paradise. 
Kelly Lube - Director
I moved to Palm Island as a child in the late 1970's. Our family lived the old style “island life”, going back and forth by boat. We had only well water and no county services at the time. No fire services, road maintenance, mosquito control, garbage, or cable. I feel very lucky to have seen the beach before there was a single house on it. I have been fortunate to have seen how PIE has helped shape the Island community throughout the many years. After graduating from Lemon Bay HS in Englewood, I moved to Gainesville and became a registered nurse. I met my husband, Matt, and we moved to Orlando. I became a dedicated full-time mom to our 4 children. Visiting my mom throughout the many years on the Island, my family also fell in love with the Island and its beauty. The kids are grown, and Matt & I purchased our Island house 3 years ago. It’s amazing seeing the transformation of the island from the “old days” to current times. I love the sense of community this island offers, along with all the natural beauty. I hope to continue working alongside my mom, Linda Cotherman, to help maintain the beauty of the island community for future generations. 
Kathy Sickles - Director
I look forward to my role as Social Director on the PIE board for the upcoming year. My husband and I bought on the island 20 years ago and never looked back. We enjoyed many years together in this beautiful paradise before he passed. He was a member of the Men’s Group and served on the PIE board for a short time. I continue to enjoy the many friendships through the years and new ones to come in this great community. I spend a lot of time reading, boating, swimming, walking the beaches and entertaining. I love nothing more than cooking and spending hours of conversation with friends! I have a degree in Psychology and a degree in teaching. I taught Special Ed in high school for 30 years in Manasquan, NJ. I was chairperson of my department for 10 years. I was also involved in supervising my students in the Special Olympics for many years. Now that I am retired, I am a resident of Florida, but spend a couple of months in the summer in NJ where my sons Sean and Alex live. Most of my time is spent enjoying everything this natural oasis has to offer. I am honored to be a part of PIE and a community of such special people! 
Amanda Small - Director
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. I’ve lived in a few different states over the years but spent most of the last 20 years in Colorado. My husband, Ed, and I met at the beach in North Carolina, when we were both living in Pittsburgh. It’s a long story and funny story that usually gets told after meeting a few times and a cocktail or two. While living the dream life in Colorado and building a successful IT Consulting company, Red Rocks Technology Partners, we were lucky to have long time Islander, Mike Riley, as a client then and now a dear friend. Mike is the one responsible for letting us in on “The Secret of The Island.” We fell in love with The Island immediately (as many of you reading this probably did too!). We rented a few times, until we found Small Beach House in 2019 and became owners of our own slice of paradise. We moved ourselves and our business here full time in 2023 and now live the Island Dream Life. You’ll most likely spot me around the island on my daily bike rides, shark tooth hunting on the beach, entertaining and being entertained by our Islands Friends, and adding to my circle of Island Friends. Hopefully, you will never see me again in post-hurricane mode chasing the FEMA trucks with my rake making sure ALL of the debris disappears! The Island is very special to me, and I believe all Islanders would agree. We fell in love with The Island for what it is and how different it is from anywhere else we have been. I will work to keep The Island “as-is,” while protecting it from the things that could adversely affect its charm and help implement the things that can only make it better. 
Ember Harker - Director
I joined the Palm Island Estates Board to help preserve the special sense of community that makes this place so unique. In particular, I’m looking forward to focusing on enhancing the PIE website as part of the Communication Committee. As the owner of a digital marketing agency and over 20 years of experience in web design, I feel I’m well suited to the task. My goal is to make the website work harder for us and become a hub that residents will want to visit regularly. My wife and I had been coming to Palm Island for decades as renters. We were even married here in 2016. In 2022, we built our dream house on Kettle and moved here full-time. Not a day goes by where I don’t feel incredibly fortunate to live in such a magical place. In my free time, you can usually find me at the beach, looking for shark teeth, floating in the waves, or riding around in the golf cart. I look forward to giving back to the community and helping make Palm Island an even better place to live. |
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