Meet our Board
Our community takes a lot of care to keep it safe, solvent and beautiful. It runs as well as it does because of the commitment of our volunteer leaders.
Whitney Beach is governed by a 9-member board which has broad authority to set policies, make operational decisions, amend governing documents and set assessments.
Board Meetings are generally held on the third Thursdays of each month, with the exception except July and August. Members may attend in person or by Zoom, and this is a good way to stay up to date about the challenges of the community and decisions being made. You will receive an email from our management company with the agenda for each meeting a few days ahead.
The purpose of the board meetings is for the board to conduct the business of the association, so it is important that residents do not interrupt the meeting. There is time at the end of each meeting for residents to make comments if they so choose.
Board elections are each February and board members serve 2-year terms. Terms are staggered so the entire board does not turn over every February.
Richard (Barney) Bauernschmidt
President
Barney brings a long career in business management and new business development at Sears Roebuck & Co. and IBM to the Whitney board.
He has served on the Whitney Board since 2017, as president from 2020-2023. He has been chair of the Building Committee since 2018, and his historical knowledge and dedication have been very valuable in maintaining and improving our property.
After playing lacrosse during his undergrad years at Denison University, he played in Chicago while attending Northwestern University for his MBA until shifting to refereeing the sport for 20 + years.
Barney’s wife’s (Betsy) mother bought her Whitney Beach unit pre-construction in 1969, with the Bauernschmidts visiting Whitney Beach shortly thereafter. In September 2023, the Chicago home of 40 years was sold making Betsy and Barney full time residents of Florida. Barney is also the proud parent of the Labradoodle, Gracie.
Joe El Hindi, Vice President
Ray Maloni, Treasurer
Ray is a long-time resident and devoted volunteer of Whitney Beach. He has been coming to Whitney for as long as he has been married to his wife Deborah–52 years. Deb’s parents were owners here and he vacationed here for 20 years before becoming an owner in 2008. He now lives in Whitney seasonally, spending the off-season in Plymouth, MI.
Ray brings long experience in engineering and business expertise to his four terms as treasurer on the Whitney Board. He has a Bachelor Degree in Engineering and an Master of Business Administration from Purdue University. He spent his career at Chrysler Corporation, working in finance, product planning and business management.
At Whitney, Ray also serves on the Finance/Personnel and Disaster Planning committees.
At Whitney, Ray also chairs the Finance/Personnel committee and serves on the Disaster Planning committees, as well as the Whitney Beach Conservancy Board of Trustees. Ray is always raising his hand to volunteer for community projects, for example, manning the grill at events hosted by our social committee, which is co-chaired by Deb.
Mike Chaplo
Michael J Chaplo is a proven leader with lifelong accomplishments in business, community, and most importantly his family. Married to Debbie for 44 years, and proud parents of three children, David, Courtney, and Ryan.
Mike served as the Vice President of AT&T, Senior Vice President of Priceline.com, ran several start up companies in NYC, before spending the last 13 years of his professional career giving back by serving as the Vice President of three Divisions of the American Red Cross. At the same time, while working, Mike pursued and attained his MBA. Mike has also served on several community and professional boards, including an AI company, to better communities and assist start ups with strategy and growth plans.
Mike has served on the Board at WBA, and is active in representing the owners of our community. Mike also serves as the Chair of the Disaster Planning Committee, and has finalized our plan and Certificate of As Built Conditions, which is now filed and recorded with the Town of LBK, which will benefit us all in the case of a catastrophic event. Mike is currently retired, and has been retained by the Red Cross as an advisor in a part time consulting role.
Bryan Forrester
Bryan has served on the Whitney board since 2020 and has served on the External Affairs, Pool, and Rules Committees. Bryan was also president during the extremely challenging year of 2023. He was on the board for The Harbor Community in Minnesota for eight years and served as president for two of those years, so he brings a lot of HOA management experience to Whitney.
Bryan has been a full-time musician all his life and has a degree in Music Education. He plays electric bass, sings, produces music, and has a solid fan base at Whitney for his rock band, the Bay Street Blasters. He owned a recording studio in Minneapolis for 11 years and was an instructor and administrator in the Music Production department of a small Contemporary Music College for 15 years.
Bryan and his wife, Kim, are avid Pickleball players and have put a lot of energy into promoting Pickleball at Whitney. Bryan and Kim have lived at Whitney full-time since late 2019 and are parents to the Italian greyhound, Ziggy. Their double yellow headed Amazon parrot Chewy passed away on February 13, 2025 and is sorely missed.
John Hatch
John had a 30-year career as a software engineer, before retiring in 2022. He worked at Microsoft, Oracle and several start-ups. He was often in the role of introducing new technology to groups, and persuading groups to adopt new technologies. For example, he led the transition when Microsoft changed the operating system on its handheld devices.
Beyond his professional career, John has done pro bono work such as helping develop an app for people with cognitive impairment.
John grew up overseas and has always been around people from all sorts of backgrounds, so he tends to understand and get along with different people.
At Whitney, John has assisted the Building and Conservancy committees with projects, and well as helping the community with its IT needs.
John and his wife Claire have lived full-time at Whitney since July of 2021.
Jim Jezewski
Jim heads up our insurance committee and is helping us navigate the increasingly expensive and complicated Florida insurance market. In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, this may be more than he bargained for!
Jim has been interested in insurance since he was in college. He has spent his career working on the industrial side, specializing in covering energy companies and is vice president of Starr Insurance for claims. Jim has overseen a lot of underwriting and claims for hurricanes, including Katrina.
Jim and his wife, Lisa, have also been active and hands-on with the landscape committee, and have helped to repair the storm damage done to our grounds.
Barry Levine
Barry and his wife, Donna, have lived seasonally at Whitney since 2015. He has served on the Board since 2022.
Barry owned a flooring business, BCW Ltd, in New York City from 1986-2016. He is currently a real estate investor and the President of Quest for Security, LLC. Barry’s expertise in construction, materials, budgeting and negotiating have been extremely valuable for planning the maintenance and improvement of our buildings, and obtaining materials in a cost-effective manner.
Barry always seems to be thinking ahead and finding ways to improve Whitney Beach, especially regarding our buildings and grounds.
Barry is an advanced Pickleball player, and led the way in getting our tennis courts scored for Pickleball and creating an active Pickleball community at Whitney.
Barry is also the proud papa of the Yorkies Ferlo and Finley.
Joe Sherry
Joe is finishing up a 40-year career in law enforcement with the California State Patrol, which included several management positions. He is now enjoying an ideal semi-retirement life working as a Sheriff Boat Captain on Lake Tahoe during the summer, and living in Whitney Beach during the rest of the year.
In the course of his work, Joe has taken a great deal of leadership training, including homeowner association management. He is the past president of his homeowners association in Lake Tahoe. He also serves as a Criminal Investigator and Terrorism Liaison Investigator for the State of California.
Joe currently serves as Dock Committee Chairperson (Dockmaster) and his marine experience has been very valuable to our community in maintaining and improving our waterfront and docks, and running our slip lease system. He also works with several local groups regarding marine issues on our island.
Joe describes himself as a family man and his wife Deborah have lived seasonally at Whitney Beach since 2019. They are parents of the Yellow Labrador, Duke.