Upon moving to Hot Springs Village in 2006, John Chapman and his wife Celinda enjoyed having four generations of their extended family living in the Village for several years. John retired to the Village after a 36-year career in video production and sales and started working at the local radio station, KVRE, where he is still employed part time.
John joined the VEBF board in 2020 after having been a contributor to the fund for many years. He enjoys helping the fund continue its mission of thanking Village employees for their hard work and dedication.
Before moving to Hot Springs Village in 2019, Donna Jared’s professional career included serving the nonprofit sector for 30 years in fundraising, management, and leadership roles for national and international organizations.
Donna and her husband, Donald, enjoyed raising their family in Conway, Arkansas and have extended family spread across the state.
Volunteering with the VEBF is an important way for Donna to give back to the HSV community and support our many wonderful HSV employees who make the Village a great place to live and work.
Born and raised in Chicago, Bill Luerssen graduated from Ripon College with a BA in Mathematics. He spent two years in the Army following graduation before pursuing his 35-year professional career in computers. He retired 25 years ago, moving to Scottsdale, Arizona, for nine years. In 2010, he and his family moved to Hot Springs Village and have been here ever since. In addition to serving as Treasurer of the Village Employee Benefit Fund, Bill is a member of Village United Methodist Church and currently chairs the Finance Committee. Bill and his wife, Susan, have been married for 40 years. They have a daughter and son and two grandsons.
Born Yankees, Carol Freeland and her husband, Howard, moved to Hot Springs Village in 2004, where they discovered their “quiet” place on Lake Balboa. Carol has an undergraduate degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology and a graduate degree in Public Administration. Early in her career, while raising their three children, she was Executive Director for Montessori schools. In 1986, she was licensed in the securities industry, and eventually became a partner in a Dallas-based company involved in the credit and debt resolution industry. She also served as an NASD arbitrator. She has been active, and board involved with Ouachita Children & Family Services, CASA, Mid-America Science Museum, AAUW, and Garland County Juvenile Court. Carol also served on the board of directors for the Hot Springs Village Concert Association and was chair for three years. She initiated the formation of non-profit, Sunshine Therapeutic Riding Center, and served as its chair for three years and now as a board member.
“What better way to say thanks to our great employees than through the offerings of the VEBF.”
Bill is a Business and Marketing graduate of Louisiana State University. Joining the US Navy, he was trained as a naval aviator in 1970. Retiring with the rank of Commander in 1989, he went on to fly for Continental Airlines until 2002. He and his wife moved to Hot Springs Village in 2006, "living the good life." He recognizes the hard work that our POA hourly employees perform, and is looking forward to working with VEBF board.
DC Reed believes one should work to make any job or organization better when you leave it than when you joined. His commitment to Hot Springs Village began when he moved here in 2002, and his dedication to doing what he can to improve the community through civic involvement is an ongoing priority. He “retired” in 2017 from a life-long career in technology sales, and has continued to share his ideas, expertise, and knowledge for the betterment of the Village. He joined the Village Employee Benefit Fund in 2018 and now serves as President, working enthusiastically to spread the word of our organization throughout the Village.
“Through my involvement with the VEBF, I now understand exactly how much effort and dedication our hourly employees provide to keep the Village the wonderful place we all call HOME. My hope is that every property owner will understand what a difference a simple donation of $1 per week ($52.00 per year) could make in the lives of our wonderful hourly employees.”
Lloyd Sherman has been a resident of HSV since December, 2014. He was born in Canon City, CO and through both his personal and business life he has lived in Oregon, Alaska, California, Maryland, Washington, Mississippi, Texas, Republic of Panama and has now made Arkansas his home. Lloyd and his wife first learned of HSV while living in Panama and upon their decision to leave Panama, HSV was on their radar. Once they drove into HSV, they knew they were home.
Lloyd has been actively involved in both business and community activities since his arrival. He is a former business owner of his own business consulting firm. Prior to that he left the corporate world after 28 years as an SVP and Division Mgr. for a Fortune 500 company. He continues to work as a Realtor and has remained active in giving back to the community. He has served on the POA board, HSV Realtor board, Evening Lions board and has now turned his attention to being an active participant in the VEBF board to assist in saying thank you to the employees of HSV who provide services day in and day out to the residents and visitors of HSV.
Ricky Middleton retired as Hot Springs Village Chief of Police in 2022, after serving in the police department and advancing in rank, for 37 years. During that time, he successfully completed a variety of law enforcement training programs from 4 institutions of higher learning. For five years prior to his start in the police department, he worked for the POA as a construction laborer.
Ricky has been married to his wife, Michelle, since 1980. They have two children and three grandchildren. He is a member of the Hot Springs Village Rotary Club and the Wuzz-A-Fuzz retired police officer group. As to serving as a board member with the VEBF, Ricky says: “As a former HSV POA employee and recipient of VEBF gifts, I know how important it is to support our employees with funds that may truly make a difference in their lives.”
Lee Ann Branch and her husband Jesse have lived in the Village since June of 2005. Both have been involved in community volunteering and donating financially since they arrived.
For many years Lee Ann was a business owner. She turned that into a corporate training opportunity teaching and facilitating corporate customer service, manager/supervisor skills, teambuilding, and diversity training. She has a skill set for communicating with people from all walks of life.
Since moving to the Village, Lee Ann has served as the Hot Springs Village Area Chamber of Commerce’s first Executive Director and sat on several POA Ad hoc committees. That is when she began to know and love Hot Springs Village even more--the community, its people, its beauty, its history, its many activities, and its leadership. She is a hospice volunteer, a member of HSVCF, the VCA, HS/HSV Symphony Guild, and the Rotary Club of HSV, just to name a few. Lee Ann is currently employed by Village United Methodist Church serving as its Community Life Coordinator.
In 2015 Lee Ann was named the HSV Voice Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 2015 for her commitment to volunteerism and dedication to the community. She was also recognized as The Rotarian of the Year.
“When Jesse and I gave our 2023 donation to the VEBF, it tugged at my heart that I wanted to do more to help raise funds for this important cause. We talked about it, Jesse said, ‘go for it’ and the rest is history. It is true! ‘Nothing happens in Hot Springs Village until a POA employee comes to work.’”
Sue Luerssen is a college graduate with a BA in Education, who spent most of her professional life in the data processing field working for two major corporations. She then started a data processing consulting firm with her husband Bill.
They moved to the Village in 2010, but have been visiting the Village since 1981.
She is president of the Village's local AAUW chapter, enjoys playing mahjongg, spending time with friends, traveling, and "being able to give back to our community."
Bob has a business degree from Bowling Green State University. He spent three years in the US Army after graduation, with a final rank of 1st. Lieutenant, and is a Vietnam veteran.
His 43-year business career in manufacturing included initial positions in marketing management, followed by 24 years as President and CEO of 3 different corporations.
Bob and his wife Linda moved from California to Hot Springs Village in 2013 and are very pleased with their decision.
"I look forward to the opportunity to serve on the board and help support and grow the VEBF".
Register now to receive our monthly VEBF e-Mail newsletter. You can really make a difference and increase POA employee morale in Hot Springs Village.
Village Employees Benefit Fund
P.O. Box 8503, Hot Springs Village, AR 71910
Copyright © 2024 Village Employees Benefit Fund - All Rights Reserved.
Some photos were donated by the Hot Springs Village Property Owner's Association.
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