Jim Ditzel, Chair
Born and raised in New Jersey, Jim graduated with a degree in architecture from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and has lived in Atlanta since 1974. He retired as President of Warner Summers, Inc. an architecture and interior design firm specializing in corporate, office, medical, financial, non-profit, and community facilities located throughout the United States. Serving on the Foundation board is by no means Jim’s first venture in serving his community. He has served in volunteer leadership roles for The Salvation Army, The Outreach Foundation, numerous church organizations, and the Lake Toxaway Community Association.
Jim and his wife Jo are pleased to be a part of the Toxaway community for the last 20+ years. They spend as much free time in Toxaway as possible enjoying hiking, golf, the lake, and socializing with friends. Their children, Meredith and Drew, and their families make Lake Toxaway the choice for family vacations.
Frederic B. Hawley, Treasurer
Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Fred’s 40+year career in commercial banking brought him first to Miami, Florida until the early ’80s; then Houston, Texas became home until his retirement in mid-2019. A career in large corporate and real estate finance, and ultimately to small business and community lending, gave him a broad scope of lending at institutions as varied as 5th Third, Bank of America, and as an initial shareholder of Community Bank of Texas. Active in various community and charitable organizations, Fred spent the last five years in Houston as acting treasurer for a 501c6 non-profit.
Fred and his wife Cathy, married 35 years, first discovered Lake Toxaway and The Greystone Inn in the late ’80s as a Plan B vacation, when they were rerouted by a hurricane threatening Destin, Florida, their original destination. That fortuitous change of plans set the stage for many years of vacationing in the area and ultimately building a home in 2015. Since becoming a full-time resident, Fred has served with Meals on Wheels twice a week, enjoys skeet shooting as a member of Smoke Rise, and loves taking advantage of the nature that surrounds this area on hiking trails, daily walks, and canoeing our lake. He and Cathy are members of St. Jude’s Catholic Church in Sapphire and are excited to become active contributing members of this special place they now call home.
Pat Roberts, Secretary
Pat and her husband, Tom, are full-time Lake Toxaway residents. They have two adult children.
Pat retired from Southern Company in Atlanta in 2015 where she served as Vice President and Associate General Counsel. During her nearly 30 years at Southern Company she served in many capacities, including Corporate Secretary of many boards. Prior to working with Southern Company, she was in private practice in Shreveport, Louisiana.
While in Atlanta, her civic responsibilities included serving on the Boards of Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta and Georgia Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, including a stint as Chair of the latter. She also served as President of their Homeowners’ Association from 2013-2014.
In Lake Toxaway Estates, she served six years on the Architectural Review Board, including four years as Chair, and three years on the Property Owner Association Board. She is currently serving on the Legal Committee.
Current community volunteer activities include volunteering at Rosman Elementary School and serving as Treasurer of the Toxaway Falls Garden Club. She also volunteered at TC Henderson and the Business Alliance of Upper Transylvania (BAUT).
Other Board Members
Rich Cauthen
Since his retirement in 2024, Rich has been a full-time resident of Lake Toxaway with his husband, Wes Kenney. Rich and Wes had resided in Charlotte, NC for over 25 years. They purchased their home in Lake Toxaway in 2019. They have two children: Bekah Cauthen, residing in Frankfurt, Germany with her husband Alex Manning, and Patrick Cauthen, residing in Lexington, SC with his wife Katie and daughter Olivia.
After graduating from Clemson University in 1985 with a B.S. in Electrical & Computer Engineering, Rich began his career in enterprise systems and management consulting at Ernst & Young Consulting. With a career spanning 40 years in various management roles, Rich retired from Siemens Industries Software while serving as Senior Director of Industry Strategy.
While in Charlotte, his community service through Myers Park Baptist Church included team lead for its Regional AIDS Interfaith Network (R.A.I.N.) organization and its Habitat for Humanity team from 1998 to 2012. From 2016 to 2019, Rich served as President of the Mountain Meadows POA in Banner Elk, NC where he led the effort to rewrite its Covenants and Bylaws.
Currently, Rich is enjoying community volunteer activities including his role on the Grant Assessment Committee of Toxaway Charities. He enjoys hiking, fishing and most of all raising their Airedale pup, Winston.
Karla Deasy
Karla is an experienced leader and knowledgeable professional with a background in Nursing and Human Resource Management. She has worked domestically as well as internationally.
Upon obtaining a BSN degree from The Pennsylvania State University, she worked as a Registered Nurse for 10 years in the fields of Orthopedics and Labor and Delivery.
Subsequently, she pursued the Information Technology sector, leading to a lengthy, successful career in Information Technology staffing services. Karla was President of Venturi Technology Partners, managing a $66M East Coast division. Following Venturi, she was recruited and assumed the role of Business Account Manager for Kelly Services Corporate Division, in Troy, Michigan, and in London, United Kingdom.
Karla has devoted time to volunteering engagements. In New York, she assisted victims of domestic violence through a nonprofit organization called My Sister’s Place. There she worked with domestic violence victims accompanying them to various court appearances to obtain orders of protection, child support, and visitation arrangements.
While residing in Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia, which is a historically relevant part of Virginia, she volunteered as a Docent at a museum called the John Carlyle House. There she provided guided tours and taught guests about the background of the Scottish Merchant who owned the house in the mid-1700s.
Most recently, Karla has volunteered at Rosman Elementary and Rosman Middle school assisting children with various needs and proctoring exams.
Karla and her husband, Dana, their dog Zoe and their 400-gallon marine reef tank are full-time residents of Lake Toxaway.
Julie Heinitsh
INFO TO COME
Kelly Holdbrooks
With decades of experience in Western North Carolina’s vast horticulture, Kelly Holdbrooks, Executive Director at Southern Highlands Reserve, demonstrates her passion for fostering a human connection with nature. For more than a decade as executive director of Southern Highlands Reserve, a nonprofit native plant garden and research center in Lake Toxaway, Kelly has built a network of conservationists and advocates for preserving the unique ecosystem of the Southern Appalachian mountains. Kelly’s research in experiential methods and the humanism of nature earned her a Master’s degree in landscape architecture, with honors, from the College of Environment and Design at the University of Georgia. She also earned Bachelor degrees in international studies and political science from Rhodes College and was a three-sport NCAA athlete. She is on the steering committee for the Southern Appalachian Spruce Restoration Initiative (SASRI), an organization formed from a partnership of diverse interests with a common goal of restoring spruce ecosystems across the high-elevation landscapes of the Southern Blue Ridge. Kelly enjoys hiking, gardening, yoga, and playing in nature with her family. She is proud to call Western North Carolina her home.
Nory LeBrun
Nory is the President & Founder of TwoBlueRhino (TBR), a media management consulting firm focused on the traditional and digital programming, broadband, marketing and distribution sectors. Established in 1998, TBR’s client list includes the WB & CW Networks, UP & Aspire, the Sportsman Channel (cable/digital/print titles), Carbon Media, and InterMedia Partners. Prior to TBR’s formation, Nory was part of the leadership teams at Scripps-Howard Broadcasting, Turner Broadcasting (TBS, CNN, HLN), Home Shopping Network, as well as the founding/launch group of The Food Network.
Nory is a native Atlantan, and together with his partner, Susan Grant, discovered Toxaway in 1985 through the initial opening of The Greystone Inn. After many Greystone visits, tales told by Tim Lovelace, and magic on the Miss Lucy, our own “One Particular Harbor” was purchased on Lake Toxaway in 1997.
Both Susan & Nory serve and have served on both for-profit and non-profit boards, among them HSN, Turner, Zoo Atlanta, Heifer International, and The Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta. Nory currently serves on the Boards of the Brevard/Transylvania Chamber of Commerce, the Transylvania County Schools Education Foundation, and the Housing Assistance Corporation (a non-profit focused on workforce and affordable housing).
Daniel McNeely
Daniel and his wife Heather are both lifelong residents of Transylvania County and now live in the Quebec community with their children Ella Grace and Denver. Heather teaches Agricultural Sciences, Natural Resources, and Horticulture at Rosman High School. Daniel’s greatgreat-grandfather, C.R. McNeely, moved to Lake Toxaway to work construction when the Toxaway Inn was being built.
After graduating from Clemson University with a degree in Agricultural Mechanization and Business, Daniel began working for and is now a co-owner of LBM Industries Inc, a construction material supply company headquartered in Sapphire NC.
Daniel is also the Pisgah District Representative for the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Council (FWCC), a conservation group dedicated to creating and improving wildlife habitat on public lands in Western North Carolina.
John L. Nichols, III
John Nichols was born in Lake Toxaway to the late Isabel and John Nichols, and is the grandson of Isabel and Reg Heinitsh Sr, Reg being one of the pioneer developers in this beautiful area. He is the founder of The Nichols Company, Inc. a commercial real estate firm in Charlotte, NC, and has over thirty years of experience in real estate development. He has continued to be thoroughly involved in the revitalization of all of the Charlotte Center City Communities. He was the President of Plaza Central Development Group, and serves as a member of the Independence Citizens Advisory Committee for the Charlotte Department of Transportation, served on the Board of the Charlotte Commercial Board of Realtors, the Johnston YMCA, and Big Brothers Big Sisters. In early 2007. John is currently renovating a number of historic buildings in Brevard and Lake Toxaway.
John was recognized by the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors (CRCBR) with The Nichols Company winning the Top Independent Brokerage Award for a Large Firm and Top Producer Land – 1st Place. The Nichols Company has been named as one of “Charlotte’s Best Places to Work.”
Debi Whitmire
Debi is the president and a founding member of Headwaters Outfitters, a paddle sports and fly-fishing guide company in Rosman, NC, established in 1992. With over 40 years of experience in the outdoor recreation industry, she has been recognized nationally for her success in the paddle sport industry and received the Friend of the River Award from the French Broad River Foundation.
Debi is currently the HR Director at Skyterra Wellness. Over the years, she has been actively involved in various outdoor recreation boards and committees, including the US Forest Service Region 8 Recreation Resource Advisory Committee, Transylvania County Recreation Advisory Board, President Reagan’s Commission on Outdoor Recreation, CEO of the Professional Paddlesports Association, Blue Ridge Mountain Host, Riverlink, Brevard Chamber of Commerce, and President & founding member of the NC Professional Paddlesports Association.
In addition to her role at Headwaters Outfitters and Skyterra Wellness, Debi serves on the boards of directors for Historic Toxaway and Conserving Carolina.
Debi resides in the Lake Toxaway Community with her husband David. They have two daughters, Jessica and Taylor. David, Jessica, and her husband Chris, along with son Waylon, manage the day to day operations at Headwaters Outfitters. Taylor works with Duke Power, and she and her husband Matthew live in Stokes County, NC. Debi and David’s grandson Waylon represent the 9th generation of Whitmires in Transylvania County.
