There are many autobiographies that are long and frankly boring. I intend to take the long part of that equation out of play. I was born and raised in northern Maine near the City of Caribou. As with all fortunate young people, I attended local schools. My parents were successful farmers and community leaders. Those attributes were passed down.

After attending New England College in Henniker, NH it became necessary for me to attend basic training at Fort Dix, NJ. I spent my required six years in the NH National Guard. New Hampshire seemed a wonderful place to live and raise a family. We lived in Contoocook Village, part of the Town of Hopkinton, for 47 years. While in Hopkinton I was fortunate to be appointed to many boards and elected to others. During those years, we also cleared land and created a certified organic blueberry farm. That endeavor was one of the most satisfying. Having your hands in clean living soil is good for the soul.

Victoria and I live in the Village of Pine Hills where we are fortunate to enjoy the many available benefits of living in The Villages. Here we continue to Live the Dream.

Dave and his wife Cyndi live in the Village of Hawkins. They moved here from Buffalo NY and also had a home in Bradenton Florida for seven years. They gave up both to be full time residents for the wonderful lifestyle of The Villages.

Dave had a varied career with 23 years of active/reserve duty as a U.S. Army Officer. After leaving active duty, Dave spent a significant time as a municipal manager in New York.  A second career developed as a performance improvement consultant after he obtained his PhD in training and performance improvement.

In addition to helping organizations achieve success, Dave served as a Senior Examiner for the Malcolm Baldrige Quality Award program. This is a presidential award administered by the Department of Commerce and is the highest level of recognition for performance excellence that a U.S. organization can receive.

Dave is an online professor teaching a variety of organizational leadership and human resource management courses for masters level students. He is also active as the co-coordinator for the Village of Hawkins AED program.

Bj hails from Pennsylvania, having been the youngest of six kids on a small dairy farm wherein all children labored in the barn and in the fields. Bj spent her working career in the areas secretarial, contract management, and office administration; she prides herself in organization and communication efficiency. She and her husband Ron raised a daughter and a son in NorthEast Philadelphia; they are blessed with three grandchildren. They retired to the Village of McClure in 2019. In addition to her involvement in The VHA, she enjoys reading books and magazines; she relishes the hours spent in the pool; and, she performs litter patrol while walking on the trails and parks throughout Central Florida.

Shawn and his wife Stephanie found their perfect retirement haven in The Villages after relocating from the Philadelphia area. They were drawn to the vibrant community, exceptional amenities, and commitment to a high quality of life.

A proud Army Veteran, Shawn spent 33 years in law enforcement, retiring as a Lieutenant from the Radnor Police Department.  He currently does consulting work focusing on policy and accreditation matters.

Shawn and Stephanie are involved with the VHA because they are passionate about preserving the unique spirit of The Villages and ensuring it thrives for future generations.

Dan Kapellen has been a full-time resident of The Villages since 2015 after part-time residency that started in 2008.  Dan moved here from Lisle, IL, a suburb of Chicago, after 40+ years of engineering and marketing in the automotive and commercial vehicle industry. Dan appreciates VHA’s contributions to The Villages community and appreciates his opportunity to be a participant.

A resident of the Village of Richmond since 2023, I am a native of Ohio.

I grew up on the west side of Cleveland and participated in 4-H and showed quarter horses. I was an America Field Service (AFS) foreign exchange student to Thailand in 1977. I went to The Ohio State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in agriculture.

I married my late husband who was a full-time farmer in 1984. I was widowed in 1997 and have two children and five grandchildren. I worked for the T. Marzetti Company in Columbus, OH for 39 years starting out in Quality Assurance, but also worked in R & D and for the last 25 years in Procurement. I was Director of Packaging Procurement when I retired in 2022. I raised my children in Marysville, Ohio where I was a 4-H Leader for many years as well as volunteering with Big Brother Big Sister, United Way, our local food pantry, and hospital auxiliary, and served as PTO President.

I was fortunate to be offered an early retirement package from my former employer in 2022 and decided to move to The Villages, where I have been visiting my sister and her husband for many years. Since moving to The Villages, I have been enjoying meeting my neighbors and becoming involved in the community. I started the Richmond Readers Book Club, joined the Richmond Caring Neighbors group, The Village Bonsai Club, The Villages Genealogy Club and The VHA. I love to garden, read, play cards and travel. I have always enjoyed traveling, but now that I am retired, I plan to travel even more. I have been volunteering with The VHA Helping Hands as the Tuesday Coordinator since November 2023, which I love doing, it is such a great program to be involved with. I have been the Richmond VHA Neighborhood Representative, and recently accepted the position of VHA Assistant VP. I love living in The Villages and look forward to serving its residents.