Club Leadership

President – Jeff Heeder - Jeff was born in Flushing, Long Island, New York, but grew up in Rochester, New York where he was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, and baseball).  His greatest achievement in High School was meeting the prettiest cheerleader in the school (Nancy) who is now his wife.  He received a BS in Accounting from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT).  His first job was with the Internal Revenue Service as an IRS Agent.  After ten years, he transitioned to banking as a Wealth Management Specialist and Relationship Manager with Chase Bank in Rochester.  He and Nancy moved to The Landings in 2004.

Currently, Jeff is a Partner, Senior Vice President, and Financial Advisor with the Umbel Group (founded by Past Kiwanis President Dan Umbel) at Morgan Stanley. The following are a few of the affiliations he has outside of work:  Past President and current member of The Rotary Club of Savannah East; Board member of The YMCA of Coastal Georgia; and Board Chair of the Savannah State College of Business.

Jeff and Nancy (who is also a Kiwanis member) have three grown children and five grandchildren.  He was introduced to Kiwanis in 2006.  As Jeff says, “Morgan Stanley is my career. Kiwanis Club of Skidaway is my passion.”

 

Past President and Current Board V. P. – Bobby Gillham:  Bobby grew up in Atlanta. After High School, he went to work for the FBI in Washington, DC. starting as a clerk delivering mail office-to-office. Later, he worked in the forensic laboratory.

He met his wife Elaine, who was also an FBI employee., at work.  They both resigned and moved to Atlanta where he worked as an agent with the GBI (Georgia Bureau of Investigation) and went to Georgia State University. He received his BS degree in 3 years.

Bobby then entered the FBI as a Special Agent and worked in several states in numerous management positions, finishing the last 15 years of his career as a senior executive managing regional field divisions of the Bureau.

The FBI had a mandatory retirement age of 57, so he retired in his early 50s and developed a second career managing global security for a major oil company with businesses in 55 countries.

After retiring from the oil company, Bobby opened a consulting business. Primarily, he worked for the Argonne National Laboratory. The Department of Homeland Security was formed and he worked reviewing and establishing work processes to protect critical US national infrastructures.

Elaine and Bobby had lived at the Landings in the mid 1980’s while he was assigned in Georgia with the FBI. It was natural to move back here, which they did in 2015.

 

Past President - Tom Stephens: Tom and his wife, Lynn, moved to The Landings in 2012.  He has been an active member of the Skidaway Kiwanis Club since 2013 and served as its president 2017/2018.

Prior to moving to The Landings in 2012, Tom spent thirty-eight years in the global aluminum industry, where he held several senior management positions serving the aerospace and automotive sectors.  He graduated from Georgia Tech, where he earned a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering and a Master of Science in Industrial Management.  Immediately after college and before his professional career in the Aluminum industry, he served in the United States Navy. He is a member of Skidaway Island Baptist Church and, when possible, enjoys spending time with friends on the golf course.

 

President Elect – Emily Trust:  Emily joined Kiwanis in 2021 at the urging of Jeff Heeder. Her motivation was to be a volunteer, hear the speakers and expand her network for business.  She is a realtor with Sothebys’ and truly loves her job. Jeff and Nancy were one of her first clients and a firm and long-lasting friendship developed.

Emily moved to the Landings in 1999 from southern Florida when her son was a one year old.  They chose The Landings because they were looking for a neighborhood with amenities and a strong sense of community. Her husband, Fred, had always been an entrepreneur and they were fortunate enough to have sold their telecommunications business, allowing Emily to take 10 years off to raise their son.

Emily has volunteered at Junior League, Memorial Health Hospital’s Waiting on a Cure, and many other charitable groups. When she realized that she was volunteering 40+ hours per week, she decided to go back to work.  All of her work experience has been in sales and customer service, whatever the product or service she was selling. Emily couldn’t be happier with the sense of community that is found at The Landings and the Savannah community as a whole making this her forever home.

 

V.P. Secretary - Tony Biegler:  Born and raised in Germany, Tony emigrated to the US at age 19. He holds a BS in Business Administration and MS in Information Systems from The George Washington University.

After three years in the US Army, Tony enjoyed a 42-year career in Information Technology, with 30 of those years at the senior executive level. He led large teams of computer professionals and managed multi-million-dollar IT projects in several US States, Toronto, Canada, London, England and Hyderabad, India. After retiring in Minneapolis, he moved to Savannah in October 2013.

Tony enjoys giving his time to worthwhile causes. In addition to being a member of KIWANIS Club of Skidaway, he volunteers at the Village Library and is a member of the USO Team at Hunter Army Airfield. He and his wife Donna live in South Harbor, where he served on the board of the South Harbor Homeowners Association for eight years, initially as its treasurer, and for three years as the board president.  They have three daughters and one son - all grown up and on their own, living in New England with their five grandchildren. Their dog, Miko, is the “kid” in their house.

 

V.P. Treasurer – Bill Horne:  Bill Horne is a native New Yorker.   He spent 20 years in the hotel industry before switching careers to advise people on how to build wealth and achieve financial independence. He moved to Savannah in 2017,  He is married to Susan and has 2 children at Auburn University.  During his career, he spent time in New York, New Jersey, and London, where he attended London Business School’s Sloan Fellowship program.

Bill has been on the board of several non-profit organizations over the years, including Patterson Habitat for Humanity in NJ.  In addition to Kiwanis, he is currently serving as an active Volunteer Firefighter on Skidaway Island and is Treasurer for the Skidaway Island Volunteer Firefighters. In his spare time, Bill enjoys golf, pickleball, and cycling, and is a qualified sommelier.

 

Board Advisor - Michael Karl Klavon: Born in Germany, Michael immigrated to the USA in 1951.  He obtained his US Citizenship in 1968.  Michael lived in New Jersey from 1951-2008, when he moved to Savannah with his wife, Clare.  Clare passed away in 2011.  Michael never thought that he would marry again, but love struck again and, in 2013, he married June, who is also a member of Kiwanis.

He received a B.A. and M. Ed. From Rutgers University, followed by an M.A. from Harvard University.  He also received additional Graduate Credits from Columbia University.

Michael’s work experience is broad and varied.  His career was spent in education and served as State Director of Career/Vocation/Technical Adult Education, State Director of Innovative Programs, and State Director of Educator Licensure.  He was also the Mercer County Superintendent of Schools, supervising the education of 63,000 children Pre-K to 12^th grade.  Prior to these positions, he worked for New Jersey Department of Education, Kean University as an Adjunct Professor, Jersey City State University, and as an electrical contractor.

Since retiring, he began as a Sales Consultant/New Vehicle Software Orientation Specialist with Mercedes Benz of Freehold, N.J.  He moved on to become a Sales Consultant on Appliances with Sears Holding Corporation, a Realtor with Forest Fritzer Homes, Coldwell Banker, and Weichert Realty.  He has also been a consultant on Personnel Issues, Interviewing Techniques, Negotiations, Education, and Grant Writing.

In addition to Kiwanis of Skidaway, Michael has served on the board of Georgia Kiwanis, the First City Club, Mercer County College Board of Trustees, and numerous other educational and child-oriented organizations in New Jersey and Georgia.

 

Board Director - Janet Waite: Janet and her husband of 33 years, John Waite, came to Skidaway in 2018 from New Jersey to begin their post-retirement years. Janet graduated with a BA from Williams College in Western Massachusetts, having earned a double major in History and Economics. Post college, she spent 20 years in the insurance and reinsurance industry rising to a Senior Vice President at Minet Re, a subsidiary of the St. Paul Insurance Company. A sale of the Company allowed her to retire, become nanny-free, and focus her energy on raising their two children and volunteering in her local community of Bernardsville, NJ.

With her children in school, she became a frequent volunteer and, ultimately, officer of the school’s Home School Association, as well as a long time member of the town’s Recreation Committee and Environmental Committee. In addition, she coached recreational soccer and lacrosse for her two children for a number of years. Once her children were both in college, she served a term on the local Borough Council.

Janet joined Kiwanis in 2022 and has totally enjoyed the speakers and getting to know the greater Savannah area through volunteer opportunities. On island, she enjoys golf, pickleball, her weekly bridge games, and boating in Savannah’s incredible waters. Janet and her husband still maintain a home in Sweden, Maine where they escape to each summer and host friends and family.

 

Board Director - Ken Mitchell:  Ken was born in Wheeling, West Virginia and moved to Marion, Ohio during high school.  There he met Betty Cole.  They became high school sweethearts and married after graduation. That was 66 years ago.

Ken received a B.S. from The Ohio State University and joined Diamond Shamrock Corp, a chemical company.  He rose to become a Group VP over four divisions.  While at Diamond, he served on corporate boards in Germany, India, and Japan.  He also attended the Advanced Management Program at MIT.

After 22 years at Diamond, he joined Oakite Products Corp. as President and CEO.  He retired 10 years later but continued to serve on three US Corporate boards for 17 years.

After 17 moves, Ken and Betty moved to the Landings 32 years ago.  They have 3 grown children, 5 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandkids.

Ken has also been active at the USO, Mighty Eighth, and Forest Gun Club.  He has been a member of Kiwanis for 10 years.

 

Board Director - Terry Overton:  Terry was born in Tennessee, and raised in Michigan and Northern New Jersey. He holds an undergraduate degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut. A master’s and a doctorate in business analytics from the University of Pennsylvania.

After some consulting work, Terry joined the pharmaceutical company, Merck, where he spent around 20 years heading marketing staff groups.

Terry and his wife moved to The Landings almost 25 years ago while also maintaining a small house on a river off the Chesapeake Bay. He has five children, all happily married and still pursuing careers in fields as diverse as hospital administration and yacht management. Collectively, they have seven offspring — ranging from high school students to television reporters.

 

Board Director - Dave Robinson:  Dave was born in Port Chester, New York. He started swimming at 8 at the YMCA and continued through college at Davis & Elkins College, where he won the Regional Breaststroke Championship. He graduated with a Business Administration degree and went to Georgia State in Atlanta for an MBA. He continued swimming breaststroke in the Masters’ Program until his mid 40’s.

Upon graduation from D&E, he joined Chase Manhattan Bank in NYC and started a 45-year career in banking operations. During that time, he was drafted and spent a year in Viet Nam in a 155 Howitzer Battalion. Back home, his career carried him to C&S Bank in Atlanta, MBank in Dallas, Wachovia in Charlotte, & First American in McClain VA.  His nitch as SVP was bringing a department/group up to the next level operationally, as part of a new management team in a bank that was expanding to the next level.

He then joined a ‘beltway bandit’ firm (SETA/Apptis) for 20 years, doing the same thing for government departments as a consultant (GSA, FEMA, VA). During this time, he was given the opportunity to be one of 5 consultants that worked with 25 new government managers to form the first new government agency in 50 years, the Transportation Safety Administration (TSA).

When in Atlanta in 1971, he married Sandy, and they were married for 50 years. Sandy passed suddenly in 2019. They have 2 boys. David and Brian, and 4 grandchildren.

Sandy and Dave retired to the Landings in 2011 and were very involved with Isle of Hope Methodist Church. When Sandy passed, he joined Kiwanis to volunteer and have more to do.  Dave thoroughly enjoys his “lifestyle in paradise” and being involved with all the activities in Kiwanis.

 

Board Director - David Little: David Little, Jr., is excited to support others in achieving their Medicare health plan goals.

Born in Asheville, North Carolina, he moved to The Landing in 1980. Following high school, he attended Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, Georgia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in economics.

After college, he worked in logistics for several years. He eventually fell into a job with a software company that was bought by Verisign. When Verisign sold the business, Gulfstream Aerospace hired David as an IT Business Analyst. His last project created the change management tool for the Gulfstream G700 certification that is in use today.

When Gulfstream downsized in 2019 and reduced their IT staff by 12%, David had the opportunity to launch a Medicare career full-time. He enjoys building relationships with people that he maintains throughout the year.

When not working, David enjoys physical fitness activities and serving as an officer at his church. He also loves spending time with his wife, April, and their three children.

 

Board Director - Jim Thornton:  Jim arrived in Savannah in 1988 when he and his wife Beth were both recruited by Savannah employers.  Beth currently works as an administrator for St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System.  Jim left hospital administration in 2005 to open his own insurance agency.  The Thorntons have two sons who both work for their dad in the insurance business.

Jim holds a Bachelor of Science with a minor in Commerce/Business from Armstrong (now Georgia Southern).

Jim and Beth love to travel, spend time on their boat, and babysit for their 4 grandchildren.

 

Board Director - Mark Toth:  Mark’s home state was Michigan, but now he considers himself a Dawg. He received his BS and MBA from Michigan State University and is a very enthusiastic Spartan.

Mark’s corporate career began with Rockwell International and PepsiCo in labor relations/human resources working/negotiating with United Steelworkers and Teamsters. He moved from collective bargaining to human resource development with Comerica Bank.

While working for Comerica Bank in Executive Development/Succession Planning, an opportunity presented itself to purchase a business unit of the Bank and take it private. During the next six (6) years, Great Lakes Strategies (GLS) competed in the BPO/Outsourcing space and earned Ernest & Young's "Entrepreneur of the Year" designation. As a result of that attention, GLS was sold to publicly-held Ceridian. The last chapter of his Michigan career was with the consulting firm AON/Hewitt as their Michigan Market Manager.

In 2011, he retired and he and his wife Mitzi moved to the Landing, where they had been part-time residents since 2002.  Retirement was short lived, however, as he became the Head of School/Headmaster from 2012-2016 at an International Baccalaureate School, Saint Andrew's in Savannah. Since 2016, in the “final” chapter of his career, he has been the Director of Strategy, Development and Major Gifts at Union Mission.

Mark has been the Speaker Chair for Skidaway Kiwanis since 2019, and served on the Board.

Mitzi is from Perry, Georgia and UGA. Their son, Chase, was a student-athlete at Michigan State and has worked in Savannah for Port City Logistics since 2016.

Mark’s interests are golf, pickleball, fitness center, movies, music and books. We are blessed to be in the Hostess City with world class film, music and book festivals available for our families’ enrichment.

 

Board Director - Melissa Emery:  Originally from Chicago, Melissa graduated with a BS in Economics from Purdue and an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Northwestern.  She and her husband Jim met at work in Greenwich, CT, and started a marketing research business doing focus groups.  The business later morphed into a consulting practice for Jim, allowing Melissa to retire and become active in the Savannah community.

She helped to found the Savannah Philharmonic and spent 10 years on the board, and 5 years as Chairman.  She turned next to the Greenbriar Children’s Center, where she was Board President for several years.  Currently, she serves as a board member for the Media Research Center in Virginia and Board Chairman of the American Institute for Music and Healing.

Melissa joined Kiwanis in 2003, and served as President 2013-2014.  She has spent many years as a board member and has enjoyed the camaraderie and opportunities to bring hope to children in need.

 

Board Director - Larry White: Larry was born and reared in Savannah and graduated from Savannah High School. He attended night trade school for 5 years, majoring in HVAC, and then worked for a commercial HVAC company for 10 years as a technician doing projects ranging from a one-ton unit to repairing Georgia power’s 100-ton centrifugal. Other jobs were drawing isometric piping prints for the Elba Island natural gas plant and installing pneumatic controls at Georgia power.  He moved to the Landings in 1985.

Larry was previously married and has a son and daughter, four grandchildren and two great grands. He married his “soul mate” and “best friend” Sandra Edenfield in 1999 and they have been happily married for 25 years.

In 1978, Larry founded Comfort Air Corporation and grew it to over 50 employees.  They were the first company in Savannah to install Geothermal HVAC.  He retired in 2021.

Larry’s personal interests include music.  He sang & toured in a gospel band for 5 years and recorded 4 records.  He presently sings tenor with a band part-time.  He rides a 10 speed bike about 150 miles a month. After enjoying racket ball, tennis, and league softball, he now plays only golf.

Larry was President of the Skidaway Rotary club from 2000-2001 and a member for 25 years.  He attends Compassion Christian Church where he sang in the choir and praise team.

Sandra and Larry love to travel, and have taken over 35 cruises. They are also very active in the Emmaus community.