CAI-CV Election of Directors Meet the Candidates

The Annual Election of Directors for the Coachella Valley Chapter of CAI has been scheduled for Tuesday, October 25, 2022, at 3:00 p.m., at the CAI-CV Chapter office, 75410 Gerald Ford Drive, Suite 102, Palm Desert, CA 92211. Nomination forms are due on September 1st. The election will be held online by The Inspectors of Election in September. There are five seats up for election, each for three-year terms, serving from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2025. Here are the candidates who have filed nomination forms through August 31st. Please call the CAI-CV office at (760) 341-0559 if you would like additional information or if you would like to serve in a leadership position.

JOLEN ZEROSKI, CMCA

Vice President-Regional Account Executive, CIT Bank

BUSINESS PARTNER MEMBER

Hello my name is Jolen Zeroski. I am Vice President-Regional Account Executive at CIT Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank. I have been in the community association industry for 23 years. In that time, I have served on numerous committees and two boards in the five CAI chapters in Southern California. I served on the board and as treasurer for CAI-CV for five years and CAI-Greater Los Angeles Chapter for six years. I bring a wealth of knowledge to the Chapter and I am very familiar with what it takes to be a good board member and contribute to our successes. I have always enjoyed serving the Coachella Valley so I hope you will vote for me to continue helping shape the future of CAI-CV.

BRUCE LATTA, CMCA

Property Manager, Indio Properties Incumbent (Currently serving as a Director on the CAI-CV Board)

HOMEOWNER LEADER MEMBER

I would like to continue to serve on the CAI-CV Board. I am currently serving the remaining one-year term from a former board member who moved and vacated their position.

I recently served as Chair of the CAI-CV Homeowner Leader Committee and continue to serve on the committee. I also serve as a member of the Communications and PR Committee, and the HOA Living Magazine Committee. I was awarded the CAI-CV 2018 Homeowner Leader of the Year award and have completed CAI’s new national board member certification course.

I have been a Homeowner Leader member of the Chapter since 2016 and served four years on the board of directors of the Parc La Quinta Homeowners Association, and as board president two of those years. I first joined CAI-CV in 2003 as a commercial CID association manager. CAI-CV has provided me with outstanding educational opportunities as a manager and as a board member.

I have also worked for a commercial developer, serving as the startup manager for the Jackson and Monroe Master, Commercial, and Residential Associations. Previously, I served in two elected positions — two terms on the Citrus Community College Board of Trustees and following that, two terms on the Azusa City Council.

Currently, I am a sole proprietor providing commercial property management services for commercial land developers in north Indio.

I have been an active member of the Indio Rotary Club community service organization for 25 years.

STEVEN SHUEY, CMCA, AMS, PCAM, CCAM

Community Association Consultant, Personalized Property Management (Retired) Incumbent (Currently serving as a Director and Treasurer of the CAI-CV Board)

MANAGER MEMBER

I am asking to be reelected to the Chapter Board of Directors because I believe I can provide "aged wisdom" to the board. I am a long-time member of the Coachella Valley Chapter of CAI, having joined in 1978. I was elected to the Chapter board in 1996, and subsequently became president of the Chapter in 2001. I was elected to the Association of Professional Community Managers board (at the National level), now referred to as the Community Association Managers Council, where I served for four years. I joined the National CAI faculty in 2010 and currently teach CAI’s M-100 and M-206 for CAI chapters all over the country.

I was asked to join the Quorum Committee in 1994 and shortly thereafter became the editor of the newsletter, which transitioned to the full magazine you see today. I have remained on the Quorum Committee (now HOA Living Magazine Committee) ever since. I have served as a delegate to the California Legislative Action Committee (CLAC) and continue to serve on the Legislative Support Committee for the Chapter. I currently serve the Chapter on the Education Committee (Chaired that committee in 2017), the Professional Managers Committee, and the Homeowner Leader’s Committee.

With my years of experience on-site at Desert Island, followed by the most recent years as the Operations Manager and Community Association Consultant for Personalized Property Management, along with my years of CAI experience locally and nationally, I believe I can continue to bring appropriate wisdom to the Chapter Board of Directors as it propels into the future. Thank you for your support.

MARK DODGE, CMCA, AMS

Regional Vice President, Associa

MANAGER MEMBER

I would like to ask for your vote and the opportunity to serve on the CAI Coachella Valley Board of Directors. I have worked in the community management field for 12 years. I began my career in our industry in 2010 as Chief Financial Officer at Desert Resort Management (DRM) and have served as Chief Executive Officer of DRM since 2012. I currently serve as a Regional Vice President for Associa and I am responsible for a portion of the company’s operations throughout Southern California. I believe what I bring to the table as a potential director is expertise managing growth and change. I am a firm believer our industry needs to continue to evaluate itself and to change and evolve rapidly. Each year we are becoming more hobbled by the legal framework in which we need to operate, and I do not believe the industry is addressing the root behaviors which are causing the circumstances creating the legislation. We need to address these problems quickly before the calls for certification of managers and board members progress further. Change needs to come from each of our represented groups, Homeowner Leaders, Business Partners, and Management Companies and we must all actively work together to professionalize our industry.

CAI’s mission is a solid one and we have accomplished much, but there remains untapped potential for growth in membership. I am a firm believer our organization needs to become more assertive and pervasive, and a source of information and education for our homeowner leaders. My principal goal would be continued growth and expansion of membership and education.

I believe the combination of my experience in the industry, my affiliation with the largest management company in the country, and my leadership skills place me in a solid position to be an effective board member and leader for CAI Coachella Valley. I thank you in advance for your vote.

BRIGADIER GENERAL (RET) GUIDO PORTANTE

Director, Mira Vista at Mission Hills HOA

HOMEOWNER LEADER MEMBER

I am a fulltime resident in the Coachella Valley and serve on the board and as treasurer of Mira Vista Homeowners Association in Rancho Mirage. I am a retired U.S. Army Brigadier General, having served our country for 37 years. I had many different assignments throughout the world during this time. I bring the following skills to the board: Organizational abilities, leadership skills, fiscal and budgetary know how, planning and execution, and developing both short and long-range goals. Before my military career, I was involved in a family restaurant business, and the casualty and life insurance profession. I also have experience serving on other nonprofit boards here in the Coachella Valley. I was on the board, and then president for four years, of the World Affairs Council of the Desert. I am on the board of Guide Dogs of the Desert, and on the board of the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission. I am also involved with Veteran activities in the Coachella Valley supporting Veteran’s needs. I enjoy giving back to our community.

I currently serve as the chair of CAI-CV's Homeowner Leader Committee and thoroughly enjoy participating in the Chapter's efforts to bring education to community boards.

I would like to contribute to improving ways to operate and communicate to those Homeowner Leaders serving in our HOA communities throughout the Coachella Valley. Serving on the board of directors of CAI-CV would be a great honor.

BRIDGET NIGH

Regional Account Manager, The Behr Paint Company

BUSINESS PARTNER MEMBER

As a CAI-CV business partner through The Behr Paint Company, I wish to run for the board of directors, in the 2022 election, because I believe that I would offer a fresh outlook from an industry professional perspective. I have lived in the Coachella Valley for 25 years and have been a member of CAI-CV for the past 13 years. The last six years, I have been actively marketing to Chapter members through tradeshows, volunteering on committees, and attending networking events. Currently, I chair the Oktoberfest Committee where I have been a member for the past five years. I was awarded the 2019 Above & Beyond award for my efforts with Oktoberfest. I also was appointed by the Chapter board of directors to the 2021 Nominations Committee. I have been featured in HOA Living Magazine as a Time-Honored member twice, once in March of 2020 and again in June of 2022.

In the last year I went from a company that was a Bronze Level Corporate Sponsor, to a Gold Level Corporate Sponsor. With more investment in CAI-CV, I have been able to support the Chapter by exhibiting at more monthly tradeshows and sponsoring many of the Chapter’s networking events. In addition to contributing sponsorship dollars, I also attend these events, which I feel is very important for any board candidate.

I would be honored to serve on the board of directors for CAI-CV, a chapter that is near to dear to my heart. I am confident that I would offer a fresh outlook and have a positive impact. Thank you for your support!

MICHELLE LOPEZ, CMCA, AMS

Director of Community Management, Powerstone Property Management

MANAGER MEMBER

I am seeking to serve the CAI Board of Directors after four years of serving on CAI committees such as Education, Professional Managers, Awards as chair and co-chair, and most recently being invited to serve on the Homeowner Leaders Committee and as a Professional Manager Committee member. In addition, I serve as a committee member of the California Association of Community Managers (CACM) 2023 Law Seminar. Given my nine-year background in the HOA Industry where I began as a customer service representative and now hold the Director of Community Management position for Powerstone Property Management, I know about hard work, dedication, and perseverance. As a lifelong resident of the Coachella Valley, I understand the needs of owners and board members in our unique desert community. Having earned my associate's and bachelor’s degrees, I continue my education through courses offered by CAI and CACM. I have earned the distinguished credentials of Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA®), and Association Management Specialist (AMS®), and I am an active member of the California Association of Community Managers as a Certified Community Association Manager (CCAM®).

I have been honored with several awards throughout my career including Powerstone’s 2013 Employee of the Year and their 2018 Portfolio Manager of the Year. I was also awarded CAI-CV’s 2020/2021 Portfolio Manager of the Year, and was the recipient, on behalf of Victoria Falls HOA, of the Chapter’s 2020/2021 Community Association of the Year, as Victoria Falls’ manager.

I am very proud of my accomplishments and believe that the only way to continue our current success in elevating this industry is to put in the work. I was lucky enough to have amazing mentors myself and feel strongly about paying it forward. I am ready to do what it takes and thank you for your consideration and vote!