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Rancho Mirage Chamber Board of Directors

Marilyn Bauer,
Dyson & Dyson, Sotheby’s Real Estate
Marilyn is a well-respected, hard working residential realtor specializing in the Rancho Mirage area. She is a longtime resident of the desert, and a top producer with Dyson and Dyson. Her background includes being a business founder and owner of the Dakota Bar & Grill on El Paseo, and other businesses designed to serve the community. Marilyn currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors and has been the Board Secretary and Vice Chairman. She resides in Rancho Mirage and is a member of the Historic Preservation Commission.

Colleen A. Charrette, CPA, CVA
Colleen has been a member of the Rancho Mirage Chamber of Commerce since 1990 when she opened her accounting practice at Bob Hope and Highway 111 where The River is now located. She has been a member of the Board of Directors since 1991 and has held all officer positions including Chairman in 1996 and 2005. Colleen is very dedicated to accomplishing the Board of Directors’ goals for the Chamber, as well as setting new goals for the continued growth and success of the Chamber. In her free time, Colleen works as a race official for various organizations, plays pool in a local billiard league and walks her dogs, Cody and Lucky.

Michael Crandal,
Thunderbird Country Club
Michael began his career in private club management at The Carriage Club in Kansas City, Missouri in 1973. With just a few stops along the career path, Michael accepted the offer to become Thunderbird’s General Manager / Chief Operating Officer in June 2005. Prior to joining Thunderbird he was with Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park, Illinois for over 10 years. Exmoor celebrated its Centennial Year in 1996 and achieved “Platinum Club of America” status during his tenure. Michael and his wife Kim were married two years ago in Chicago.

Bary Freet,
Weil Institute of Critical Care Medicine
Bary is the Liaison for the Community CPR Program of the Weil Institute of Critical Care Medicine in Rancho Mirage. After 14 years working for the Federal Government in Forestry and Land Management, Bary began a career with the Palm Springs Fire Department in 1986, eventually serving as the Fire Chief for Palm Springs from 1994 until his retirement in 2004. He is a member of the Palm Springs Rotary Club and served on the Board of the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce. Bary and his wife of 33 years have a grown son living in Las Vegas.

Art Gregoire, Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate
Art is a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate. Prior to his career in real estate, he worked in healthcare for over 35 years. He was the Director of Nursing at Rancho Mirage Healthcare from 1995 – 2002. This facility was the recipient of the “E” award for Excellence during his tenure with the company. Originally from Rhode Island, Art and his partner Terry moved to the valley permanently in 1995. Art likes to give back to the community by volunteering to entertain residents at several nursing and retirement homes as “The King,” Elvis Presley. Art has been a Board Director for three years, and is currently the Chairman of the Board.

Leanna Hofmann, Agua Caliente Casino
As the Director of Marketing for the Agua Caliente Casino in Rancho Mirage, Leanna oversees the advertising, marketing of special events, promotions, player’s club and entertainment. She started with the casino when it was first under construction seven years ago. She is very excited for the new resort to open at the casino early this year. In her spare time she enjoys visiting with her parents and watching sports.

Kathleen Hopp, Union Bank of California, Private Banking
A long time Chamber member, Kathleen is vice president and relationship manager for The Private Bank - Union Bank of California. She has held all officer positions with the Chamber, including Chairman of the Board in 1998 and 2006. She serves on the Board of Trustees for the Children’s Discovery Museum and is a member of the Palm Desert Rotary Club and the Women Leaders Forum of the Coachella Valley. She was named Rancho Mirage Business Woman of the Year in 1996.

Rancho Mirage Chamber Board of Directors

Chris Jack, Black Angus Steakhouse
Chris moved to the Palm Springs Valley three years ago to escape the congestion and smog of Los Angeles. Chris was born in Oklahoma City and attended the University of Oklahoma. Chris has been working for Black Angus for nearly 11 years. He rose through the ranks of Black Angus and is now the General Manager of the Rancho Mirage location. He and his wife Michelle are parents to a 2 year old daughter and a 5 year old son.

Linda Long, Lamar Outdoor Advertising
Linda moved to the desert seven years ago after a 23-year career as a stockbroker for Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley in Cleveland, Ohio. Linda is married and is the mother of two daughters; her eldest recently finished medical school and serves with the Navy in San Diego, and her younger daughter is a senior at Palm Desert High School. Linda grew up in Uniontown, Pennsylvania and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Business Administration. She is married and makes her home in La Quinta.

Pat Manhart, Advanced Hearing Systems
Pat and her husband Joe have owned Advanced Hearing Systems at the Rancho Las Palmas Shopping Center for eight years. She has been serving the hearing impaired since 1959. Pat served as president of Los Angeles County’s hearing aid dispenser’s organization for four years and was the vice president of the California State Association. Pat taught hearing aid dispensing at Cerritos Community College for three years. She has two children and one grandson, who is following her footsteps in the hearing aid business. Pat and Joe Manhart live in the Thunderbird area of Rancho Mirage.

Missy Poirier
Missy Poirier was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Missy attended culinary arts school and took an internship with the Disney Corporation in Orlando, Florida. After her internship, she followed her parents to California and worked for a large hotel corporation in the San Diego area. She gained management skills and learned many different cuisines while there preparing food for the seven different restaurants at the resort. She moved to the Palm Springs Valley four years ago and worked in restaurant management. Missy has been an active member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Restaurant Association since coming to Rancho Mirage.

Sheldon Robinson, Robinson Marketing Enterprises
Sheldon operates Robinson Marketing Enterprises, which markets products and develops property. He was formerly Senior VP for stores and Senior VP for marketing of Home Department for RH Macy Inc., where he merchandised and developed the “cellar” concept at Macy’s West in San Francisco. Sheldon is a former member and Board Director of the Sacramento Chamber of Commerce and served as President of the Sacramento Downtown Merchants Association for over three years. He is a member and past president of the Rotary Club of Rancho Mirage. Sheldon is the author of the recently published book Wake Up America, your alarm is ringing! He co-founded and is the CFO of the Nurses Crisis Foundation, a group formed to help solve the nursing shortage in the Coachella Valley.

Kristen Seddon, El Paseo Bank
Kristen Seddon began her banking career over ten years ago, initially working for Valley Independent Bank and Union Bank in Palm Desert. She is currently an Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager for El Paseo Bank. Ms. Seddon, who has held marketing and business development positions with the bank during the past five years, is running the bank’s temporary office in Rancho Mirage and will manage the new facility when it opens in early 2008.

In her free time, Ms. Seddon is an experienced horsewoman, winning many national championships and top world rankings riding in the American Paint Horse circuit as an amateur.

She has served on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Desert, is a member of the Desert Contractors Association and a past member of the Junior League.

Charles Townsend,
Charles Townsend Collection
Charles Townsend has been a resident of Rancho Mirage for the past 11 years. He moved here from Pasadena where he lived and ran The Charles Townsend Collection, a furniture and accessories store, for 25 years. Charles and Gordon Moller, his partner of 35 years, opened their business in Rancho Mirage seven years ago when they purchased the property for their store. Charles is a supporter of many local charities and a past board member of the Desert Rainbow Foundation, an educational scholarship program. Charles has served as a director of the Chamber Board for the past year and a half.