Cottage Home Board of Trustees – 2017 slate
Elections for the Cottage Home Neighborhood Association (CHNA) will be held at the General Membership Meeting on 5 December 2016. The slate proposed by the Nominating Committee appears below with brief biographies of the candidates. Additional nominations from the floor for write-in candidates may be made at the meeting before the election. The election this year will before three classes of candidates distinguished by the length of terms. This will established staggered elections in future years so that continuity and experience may be preserved instead of replacing the entire board each year.
Class One (one-year term):
Scott Moore
Scott has been an Indianapolis resident for 17 years and a Near Eastside resident since 2001. He has lived in Lockerbie, Fountain Square, and St. Clair Neighborhoods prior to moving to Cottage Home over 3 years ago with his wife, Andrea. They enjoy raising their son Blake in Cottage Home. Scott has been in the financial industry for 15 years and looks to help the community with fundraising, neighborhood participation, and defining the goals of the Cottage Home Community Space as it continues to evolve. Scott has been involved as a board member with University of Indianapolis Alumni Association and Alpha Phi Delta – Midwest Alumni Association as well as a Volunteer for KIB, Indycog, St. Clair Neighborhood Association, Lockerbie People’s Club, and the Salvation Army. He looks forward to serving Cottage Home Neighborhood.
Cheryl Rettig
Cheryl Rettig has been a resident of Cottage Home Neighborhood for nearly 3 years. She is a Manager of Culture and Employee Communications for Verizon Wireless and for the past 13 years, has lead the internal communication strategy and employee culture for thousands of employees at Verizon. Cheryl and her team deliver turnkey programs that enable employees to stay informed, serve customers and build solid relationships. In 2013, she was the recipient of the President’s Award for Employee Communications. Cheryl’s goal as a member of the CHNA Board of Trustees is to make a positive impact on the Cottage Home community as well as other Near East Side communities.
Jessica Teipen
Jessica Teipen is hoping to be elected to her third year on the board where she wants to continue to serve as Secretary. She has lived in CH with her husband Andy, their 8-year-old twins and dog, Malley, for 11 years. She has been active in the playground, block party, and membership committees, including oversight of the food and art vendors, and loves living in this community. She works as a Speech-Language Pathologist.
Class Two (two-year term):
Amy Gastelum
Amy Gastelum is Co-producer of Mother: A Podcast. She’s lived and worked in Indianapolis, New York City and Providence, RI. Gastelum earned her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Indiana University in 2008. She began her nursing career at the county hospital in Indianapolis and has continued to work in underserved communities since. She has specialized in mother/baby care, primarily as a public health nurse, making home visits. In 2012 she graduated from the eight-week intensive Transom Story Workshop for radio storytelling. She has reported for PRI’s The World, NPR News, Side Effects Public Media, WFYI, Guernica Magazine, and This Land Press. She currently teaches Audio Storytelling in the Media School at Indiana University in Bloomington. Gastelum became a mother herself in 2014.
Heath Hurst
Heath Hurst has lived in Cottage Home for 6 years and is a member of the board and Conservation Committee. He is a landscaper and lives on 9th street with his wife and two kids.
Crystal Rehder
Crystal Rehder has lived in Cottage Home since the summer of 2009, and began serving on the CHNA Board in 2012. She coordinates the distribution of the Urban Times. Last year, she participated in the organization of the Block Party, securing permits for the event and coordinating volunteers. This year she served as President of the Board and Chair of the History and Archives Committee. Crystal is thrilled to be a part of this community and would value the opportunity to serve on the board another term.
Bob Renaker
Bob Renaker has lived in Cottage Home since 2002 and has served on the NESCO Board and helped create the Feast of Lanterns. He’s a former CHNA Board member who helped create the block party and community space. Bob remains active on the Greenspace, Conservation and Fundraising Committees. He also helped bring us the iconic entryway doors and garden spots.
Class Three (three-year term):
Nancy Bain
Nancy has been a resident of Cottage Home since 2007, when she moved from Chicago. She chose this area because of the residents’ commitment to creating and sustaining a vibrant and connected neighborhood. She has served on the CHNA Board of Trustees for one year and is Chair of the Greenspace (formerly Habitat) Committee.
Andy Beck
Andy and his family have lived in Cottage Home for ten years. They live about 100 feet from the Community Space and their two sons love being close enough that they can hear when other kids are playing. Andy has donated his time and talents to several fundraising events in the neighborhood over the past several years, including Jungle Gym Jam and Block Party. He has serve on the Board of Trustees for one year as Chair of the Conservation Committee. He believes Cottage Home is an amazing community, and he hopes to have the opportunity to contribute positively toward improving the neighborhood as it grows.
Martin Coleman
Martin Coleman has lived with his family in Cottage Home since 2006. He appreciates the close community of friends and neighbors and being able to ride his bicycle to pretty much everything he needs. He has enjoyed helping to organize Block Party and other fundraising activities for several years, and he is pleased to be able to help maintain neighborhood goods like the community space, the playground, and the micro-library. After serving one year on the Cottage Home Neighborhood Association Board of Trustees, he is eager to continue as a member of the board at this exciting time of opportunity and growth.
Charlie Turk
Charlie has been an Indianapolis resident 4+ years now with permanent residence in Cottage Home. He is business focused finance professional and a people focused neighbor. He serves as chairman of Navient Foundation’s Central Indian Community Outreach Committee, currently serves as Treasurer on the CHNA Board of Trustees and is an active member of the community.
