ELECTION OF DIRECTORS

Questions? Email Elizabeth Simpson at [email protected].

Candidate Videos

Board Candidates

Kelly Brown, 3-year term
28 Full Sweep

Kelly and her husband, Tim,  have been summering in Palmetto Dunes for over 20 years.   Their children have grown up playing tennis, building great friendships and working summer jobs on HHI.    In 2022  Kelly and Tim purchased a home so the family can enjoy the community year round.

Professionally, Kelly draws on a 13-year career in marketing and general management at Procter & Gamble, where she built brands such as Ivory, Joy and Mr. Clean (as well as P&G’s corporate brand) and worked closely with many of the nation’s top retailers.  After leaving P&G, Kelly immersed herself in corporate and organizational governance, serving on the Boards of Opal Foods, A. Duda & Sons, Cornell University, The Cincinnati Ballet, The Cincinnati Zoo Foundation, and Cincinnati Park’s Foundation.

Kelly currently serves on the PD New Member Welcome Committee and is a member of the Board, completing a one year term.

Why do you want to serve on the PDPOA Board of Directors? Is there anything in particular you would like to accomplish? 

Palmetto Dunes is a vibrant community, where friendships are built and memories are made.  We are also a significant business, with ~$11M operating budget,  ~$29M in reserves, an 11 mile lagoon system;  beaches; and 2,000+ residences.   Our partners oversee golf courses; tennis/pickleball; restaurants and hotels.  This  year, I have been co-leading (with the GM) efforts to refresh the strategic plan.   Looking ahead, I want to help ensure the resources and plans are put in place to bring the strategic plan to life, so this community remains a destination of choice for both homeowners and vacationers.

What do you see as the most important challenges facing Palmetto Dunes in the next 5 years? 

I believe the residential feel of PD contributes to its attractiveness as a vacation spot.  Additionally, the sense of community is important and should continue to be fostered. If we lose sight of this, PD will lose its magic!  Many “wish for’s” in our community have an equally strong opposing point of view.  There is also sometimes a misalignment between the needs of full time and part time residents. Our biggest challenge as a Board is determining how to navigate the passion and emotion which often surrounds an issue and identifying a sound solution and a clear path forward.

Kurt Faires, 3-year term
468 Captains Walk

I have had two careers, the first in business and the second in law where I have served professionally as the President of three POAs for an overseas client as well as providing legal counsel to several other POAs.  It is that particular experience which led me to again seek a PD board seat.  I have also served on the PD Hearing, Nominating and Security committees.  I attended Washington University in St. Louis for my law degree and Vanderbilt University for my MBA.  My business background includes investment banking and turnaround consulting before purchasing a manufacturing company out of bankruptcy and restoring it to profitability in the first year.

A sampling of my non-profit civic board activity includes the United Way, Rotary, Tennesseans for Student Success, the Salvation Army and various other education and arts groups.

We first came to HHI 28 years ago.  I am married to a judge and we have four children.  We are daily pickleballers and bicyclists at PD.   

Why do you want to serve on the PDPOA Board of Directors?  Is there anything in particular you would like to accomplish?

As noted in my bio, my professional experience as either the paid President of three POAs or legal advisor to numerous others provides a relevant skill set to offer to PD.  The particular goals I would like to see accomplished include ensuring best practices in terms of board and committee governance, consistency across the board, equitable treatment of all Members (parking security, for example), constructive, positive relations with Greenwood and our commercial partners and an overall feeling of friendliness and neighborliness in our community.

What do you see as the most important challenges facing PD in the next 5 years?

• Parking Security – With the Town of HHI continuing to increase parking fees, we must be much more vigilant about outsiders coming into PD for our beaches and illegally parking at St. Andrews Common, Queens Grant, Dunes House and RTJ golf course among other places.
• PDPOA Reserve Funds – These various accounts must be able to support our Infrastructure (e.g. bridges) and storm recovery efforts.

Cate Jarrett, 3-year term
143 Mooring Buoy

Cate and her husband Gregg bought their first home in PD in 2017.  They vacationed at and rented the home for 3 years.  While living in PD during Covid, they were fortunate enough to find their current home in the same area and became full time residents in 2023.  Previously, they lived in Larchmont, NY where they raised their two daughters.

Cate attended Duke and has an MBA in marketing from UT/Austin.  She has worked for a variety of for-profit (Pizza Hut, Chiat Day and J. Walter Thompson) and not-for-profit organizations (French Institute Alliance Francaise/NYC, UNICEF USA) .  Fun fact:  she lived and worked in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for 2 years in the mid 1980’s and speaks Portuguese and Spanish.

The last 20 years of her career she worked as a Real Estate Broker in New York.  She is now happily retired.  She is an active member of the PDWC and Women’s Association of Hilton Head and is looking forward to serving the PD Community.

Why do you want to serve on the PDPOA Board of Directors?

I am a full-time resident who has also rented out my home in the past.  I want to be an active participant in our community to help ensure the continued enhancement and ongoing preservation of Palmetto Dunes.

I have the time and feel it is important to serve the community. I currently serve on the New Owners’ Welcome Committee and the Safety and Security Committee and am involved with the PDWC.

I enjoy getting to know our neighbors in the PD Community and hearing different perspectives.  I intend to listen to the multitude of voices in PD and act in the best interest of the community as a whole.

What do you see as the most important challenges facing Palmetto Dunes  in the next 5 years?

1. Ongoing enhancement of the safety and security of the PD Community.
2. Ongoing continuity with the current planning. Continue to flush out a detailed Strategic Plan (both short and long term to benefit the community as a whole) and setting up systems as needed to implement a plan going forward.
3. Ensuring that PD continues to maintain its roots and value as a resort where extended families seek vacation and live.
4. Coming from a corporate background, I believe fiscal responsibility, transparency and overview should always be at the forefront of any planning and decisions made.
5. Continuing to build a sense of community across the various owners in PD.

Bob Talbot, 1-year term
66 Full Sweep

Bob and his wife Sue have owned three different properties in Palmetto Dunes over the 20+ years they’ve been visiting the island. As their three children have grown, they have invested in and improved each property while they moved around the world. Prior to retirement, Bob worked for the consumer products company Unilever for almost 30 years as a Vice President for Supply Chain and Finance in various business units and locations. Palmetto Dunes has been the constant in their lives as they have always vacationed here and rented out the properties when they were away. They plan to spend more of the year in Hilton Head, but the Chicago area is home as long as their growing family still lives there. They also maintain a successful real estate LLC based in Illinois. Bob serves on the PDPOA Finance Committee and has been Treasurer for almost two years.

He has six years of experience in various leadership roles on the Board of Literacy DuPage and on the ARMI Board for the Omni hotel, as well as being President of the HOA for his community in Illinois.

Why do you want to serve on the PDPOA Board of Directors — and is there anything in particular you would like to accomplish?
Our own investments in Palmetto Dunes have always been with an eye towards the long term. I want my children and grandchildren to enjoy Palmetto Dunes as much as we have. I would make certain that decisions we take ensure that it is around and in solid shape for them. My experience in strategic planning, capital projects, and financial management can help make good use of owners’ resources on the most important projects. In particular, let’s continue to invest in our infrastructure to make PD more resilient to sustain and recover from any climate events.

What do you see as the most important challenges facing Palmetto Dunes in the next 5 years?
We are coming off several years of very solid financial results. We should use these strong years to continue to build our reserves and to implement our Reserve Study. Also, we should continue to make Palmetto Dunes the best community for our owners, for all those who vacation here, and for those who work here to provide for their families.