Meet the Board
The Lake Ellen Homeowners’ Association is supported by a board of directors, comprised of neighbors who assist in accomplishing neighborhood-related goals. Three officer positions – President, Secretary, and Treasurer – are supported by a small contingent of additional elected board members. All neighbors are welcome to serve on the LEHA board and its subcommittees. The LEHA board hosts an annual meeting of the full membership on Memorial Day, when new board members are nominated. The board also meets during the year to address issues as they come up. All board members serve voluntarily and, while it is beneficial to have consistent service for a term of a year or more, any member may resign at any time.
Cathy Lohmann
President
I moved here with my husband (Ken) in 1994. We are both biologists at UNC with a particular interest in sea turtles. Naturally, we love the turtles in the lake, the birds, and all the other wildlife nestled into this little spot in the middle of town. We are also delighted by the warmth of this community and hope to share it for many years. We raised two daughters here who have told us that we can never, ever move away. They love this neighborhood too much. You’ll see us walking our dog, out for a casual stroll, or admiring the lake just about every day.
Weejy (Eloise) Neebe
Secretary
My husband Alan and I moved to Chapel Hill in 1973, and our house on Lake Ellen was built for us in 1974. We have lived here ever since! Our children had a wonderful time growing up here, enjoying the lake, playing with friends and riding bikes around the neighborhood. I have been on the board since LEHA was founded, and I was president of the association during the time when the dam was brought up to state standards in the 1980s. This is a wonderful neighborhood, and we are very happy we live here!
Karen Caira
I moved to the neighborhood with my husband (Dave) and our 2 daughters (Kaylee and Zoe) in July of 2004. We moved to Chapel Hill for the schools but we were attracted to this neighborhood because of the lake, the variety of houses, and its natural beauty. Our daughters have since left this nest, but Dave and I continue to love it here. We enjoy walking the neighborhood with our dog, Ginger, who occasionally takes a swim in the lake and regularly runs through the creek! We are glad to have so many kind and talented people living in our neighborhood – including the children who built this amazing snowman!
Rob Monahan
I moved to the neighborhood in 2017. We'd visited Carlyn's sister who has lived in this area for over 20 years multiple times over the years, so we always thought we might relocate to be closer to her (and to the Mapleview Ice Cream dairy farm). We convinced Carlyn's parents to move here as well by building her mother a garden where she can work her horticultural magic. Fun fact: We keep our entire Halloween skeleton collection in the crawlspace during the off-season.
Philip Berke
My wife (Jane Sell) and I moved to Indian Trail in 1995. Our daughter and son grew up here and spent many days boating, fishing and sometimes swimming in the lake. We left for Texas for 5 years and thought that we might not return. But after 5 years, the pull to come back to the neighborhood was deep and strong. Lake Ellen neighborhood is home. I served for several years on the LEHA board before our stint in Texas, and co-chaired the Chapel Hill Stormwater Utility. Jane and I can be found walking along the dam and neighborhood streets enjoying the beauty and chance encounters with our neighbors.
Carol McDonnell
I and my husband, Jack, moved from New Jersey in the ‘70’s. We bought our house on Indian Trail in 1977. We picked this neighborhood because of the special feel of it. I worked for UNC Chapel Hill in administration for 27 years and have since retired. My 2
sons grew up here and they and I have made many neighborhood friends. There's such a variety of interesting people living here.
Carlyn del Rosario &
Rob Monahan
Michael Goy
I moved to the neighborhood in 1988. I came for work (a faculty position at the UNC School of Medicine), and I thought that my stay in Chapel Hill might be temporary. But now that I have retired, I realize that my roots here are deep, and this has become my home. As I stroll our tree-lined, gently curving streets, surrounded by amiable, community-spirited neighbors, I feel a strong sense of connection - and, on warm summer evenings, I get to hear the Symphony of the Frogs as it wafts across Lake Ellen. Thank you, friends (and amphibians!), for creating such a welcoming environment!
Cely Chicurel
Bill and I have lived in the lake Ellen neighborhood for 40 years. Both our
children grew up at 110 Buena Vista Way and both are now living only 5 minutes away from us!! The lure of our area is very strong!! For most of our years here I have had my pottery business here at our home. I also ran an arts afterschool for 10 years and now do weekend classes and arts
birthday parties. I am a member of the Orange County Artist Guild and part of the fall studio tour. I have served on the LEHA board for three different terms: first as a representative of our northern neighbors and later as the treasurer. Now I am the arts advocate and offer family tie-dye activities and provide a nice and safe place for our neighborhood to gather for our yearly meetings! Like many of our neighbors we have backyard chickens and bee hives and I enjoy being part of the neighborhood gardening group. Truly the Lake Ellen neighborhood has nurtured and supported us for all of
our years living here!!
Steven Warwick
I have a background in executive management and engineering, and prior experience in participating and running local community boards. As one example, I was a member, and then president of a private water system board in Santa Rosa, CA many years ago. The board was responsible for maintaining the wells, water storage, and water quality and water distribution to about 100 homes that were outside the city limits. During my tenure, we upgraded our water distribution lines.
Which required hiring and managing contractors, working with state water quality agencies and the community to ensure that projects are done correctly and with full community support. I continue to be enthusiastic about our Lake Ellen community and our continued work to keep the lake in excellent condition.