Board of Directors Elections

Candidate Information:
Jim Austin is a new resident of Sea Pines that comes after 30 plus years of vacationing on the Island with his wife Barb and now grown daughters. We have been drawn to the outdoor active lifestyle made possible by the walking/biking paths, golf, boating and of course sunrise on the beach to sunsets at The Quarterdeck. Sea Pines is a special community to our family.

With more than 30 years of business development, marketing and event experience, Jim has served in a C-suite capacity for high impact non-profits in the Arts, Sports and Health industries as well as Director of New Business Development at SIMON, the nation’s largest shopping center developer. In addition, Jim has served his community as a committee volunteer, various board roles, and mentor to others.

Jim is a graduate of the Carey School of Business at Arizona State University and has been married to his wife, Barb, for thirty years. Currently, Jim and Barb live in Indianapolis, have two grown daughters and look forward to spending more time in their Sea Pines dream home.

Why I Wish to Serve the Sea Pines Community:
I have been blessed in my career and personal life to serve others, to build community and to collaborate with various corners of Indianapolis. This has all been intertwined into a vision of the future that has become Indianapolis today via national events, civic groups and community volunteerism. Coming from Chicago in 1996, Indy was a very small town just about to experience world class opportunity. I realized immediately how rare that opportunity was for me – right place, right time, I wanted to help shape the future. It’s not so much about growth, but creating the fabric of a community through it’s governing, organizations and infrastructure. Hilton Head is a very special place to my family that feels like nowhere else in the world. Our time spent on the Island over the past 30 years makes me want to help shape the future of HHI.

Candidate Information:
I was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and moved to South Carolina with my family at age 15. Following graduation from Summerville High School in 1996 I enrolled at The Citadel, where I was a member of the Honors Program, a member of the Summerall Guard, and a company commander. After graduating with a degree in civil engineering in 2000 I attended the University of South Carolina School of Law, graduating in 2003. I was enrolled in the South Carolina Bar Association in 2003 and the Georgia Bar Association in 2023, and I currently practice law as a civil litigation attorney. I have been a resident of Hilton Head Island since 2010, and a resident of Sea Pines since 2019, currently residing at 9 Baynard Peninsula. I am married and have a 6-year-old daughter.

Why I Wish to Serve the Sea Pines Community:
I would like to serve the Sea Pines community to assist with preserving and growing its unique status as an ideal community with the town of Hilton Head Island. I am a member of the Town of Hilton Head Island Planning Commission and in that role, I strive to preserve the uniqueness of the town of Hilton Head Island. I would like to volunteer with the Sea Pines Board of Directors to do so similarly for the Sea Pines community. As both a resident of Sea Pines and a working professional within Sea Pines I feel that I can contribute a meaningful perspective to the Board of Directors, and I am confident that the skills I possess as a practicing attorney with an engineering background will well serve the Board.

Candidate Information:
Originally from the New England states, I graduated from the University of Hartford with a degree in accounting. Over a 34-year career with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, including retiring as a partner in 2018, I gained extensive experience across multiple industries and four major metropolitan areas.

For eight months each year, my husband Michael and I, along with our golden retriever, reside in Sea Pines, an area for which we have developed a strong appreciation since our visits began in 2014. We became homeowners in Sea Pines in 2017, and spend the remainder of the year in Kennebunkport, Maine.

In Fall 2022, I was elected to the Sea Pines CSA Board and commenced my term in January 2023. At my inaugural meeting, I was appointed Treasurer, a position I have held to the present time.

Why I Wish to Serve the Sea Pines Community:
With my credentials as a Certified Public Accountant, prior not-for-profit board involvement, and ongoing service on the Sea Pines CSA Board since 2023, I am well-qualified for re-election to the CSA Board. Upon my election to the CSA Board in 2023, I assumed the role of Treasurer. My contributions to the community are detailed elsewhere within my application materials.

• Looking ahead, I have outlined several priorities for my continued service on the Board:
• Maintain a leadership position within the CSA Board.
• Enhance oversight of financial forecasting processes to ensure Sea Pines’ long-term fiscal stability.
• Further strengthen relationships with community stakeholders through transparent and consistent financial communication.
• Supervise the implementation of procedures that ensure Board reporting is process-driven versus being reliant on specific Board members.

At this critical juncture for Sea Pines CSA, prioritizing the allocation of operating and reserve funds toward key capital and infrastructure projects is essential, as is monitoring the punctual and on-budget completion of all initiatives. Upcoming challenges include addressing the reconfiguration of Greenwood Drive access and the Greenwood gate, which currently lack funding and will require attention in the near future.

Candidate Information:
Moved to Sea Pines 2020/Fulltime Resident.
Founder & CEO DIGS|RealEstate|Design|Construction|™

• Real Estate Representation (top 10 out of 6,000 agents)
• Architecture & Interior Design Construction
• Sold DIGS 2019.

Prior: SVP/COO at a Fortune-100 Media/Entertainment company and before that divisional SVP/GM at a global advertising agency.

Hilton Head: Sea Pines POA Board, Sea Pines ARB, Coastal Discovery Museum Board, Greater Island Council, Women in Philanthropy, World Affairs Council, Lean Ensemble Theater President’s Circle & Heritage Community Garden “farmers.”

Cincinnati: Board Member Cincinnati Parks Foundation, Enjoy the Arts & Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. President, Hyde Park Square Business Association. United Way Tocqueville & Cincinnati Art Museum Founders Societies. 2013 Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce Entrepreneur of the Year. 2012 Hyde Park Person of the Year.

Why I Wish to Serve the Sea Pines Community:
I want to help the CSA Board be proactive, engaged and united within our gates and in partnership with the broader island community.

We face real challenges. Traffic congestion on I-278 and around SeaPines Circle distresses residents and deters essential workers from taking island-based jobs.

We must fix this problem or risk losing the workforce that keeps our community running.

We must also be active partners in finding solutions for affordable workforce housing – collaborating with the Town, other communities, and major employers.

It is vital that we reconsider how we govern ourselves in Sea Pines including returning to in-person board meetings (plus Zoom for out-of-towners), community coffees with staff, and re-establishing the numerous CSA committees that once channeled property owner expertise and advice to the Board and helped prepare future Board leaders.

Owners should have easy access (via a secure online portal) to information on SeaPines governance, spending, and contracts that impact our property rights and how we live.

Finally, I support reinstating in-person “Meet the Candidates” events with constituent Q&A to ensure a more informed/engaged electorate.

I look forward to contributing to bold and enlightened solutions that enrich our quality of life and property values now and well into the future.