HOA Board Members - March 2023
Susan Staggs, President
Liaison to the Landscape Committee and Sidewalks & Driveways Committee, serving to 2024
My husband and I moved to Creekside Village on April 1, 2015. I retired in 2000 from a career in Human Resources Management in various high-tech companies in the Bay Area. Upon retirement, we moved to the Sierra foothills for 14½ years where I was very active in our community, serving in leadership positions on the boards of four nonprofits. Since arriving in Sonoma, I served for several years on the board of the Sonoma Valley Newcomers Club and on the Grants Committee for Impact100 Sonoma. I have also served on the Creekside Social Committee and am currently a Neighborhood Volunteer (Area 21) for the Emergency Preparedness Committee.
We are enjoying living in Sonoma and in Creekside Village. I felt it was time to step up and take my turn serving as an HOA board member. It is important that we ensure that Creekside remains a good place to live. That includes prudently maintaining our beautiful landscaping, irrigation system, common areas, and reserves while keeping our HOA monthly dues as low as possible.
Cookie Wong, Vice President
Liaison to the Facilities Commiteee and the Architecture Committee, serving to 2025
My husband Jim Chanteloup and I moved to Creekside Village full-time in 2019 but we’ve enjoyed coming here to visit Jim’s parents, Jack and Mary Chanteloup, for 30 plus years as they were the original owners of our home. We love the community and look forward to living here for many years to come.
In my professional life I have worn many hats which include being a professional musician and bandleader, an events producer, co-founder of the jazz venue “Jazz at Pearl’s” in San Francisco, program coordinator of Marin’s Bread & Roses, jazz writer for the Associated Press and Sr. Executive Assistant to the CEO and Board Chairman at Intuit Inc. With each role I sought to learn how to best contribute and add value to the organization. I hope to support Creekside Village with thoughtfulness and clear communications.
Sarah Lawrence, Secretary
Liaison to the Governing Documents Advisory Committee, serving to 2024
In March of 2021, I was catapulted into Creekside Village after two years of seclusion in Tahoe to escape from the pandemic in Oakland. When I saw the Lobelia property it felt like I had won the real estate lottery: a gorgeous private park backing up to the vineyard. I love it here.
Pre-law in Sacramento, I had various jobs: teaching high school English, president of the San Juan Unified District Federation of Teachers, director of the Sacramento Peace Center, first paid lobbyist for NOW (National Organization for Women).
During my second-year of law school, I was recruited by a civil rights law firm in Oakland where I worked for five years after which I started my own law office. I continued to litigate civil rights claims, adding wills and trusts and personal injury. I still maintain my law license but my caseload is diminishing as intended. My skill sets, then and now, include legal problem solving along with respectful and empathic communication with a diverse clientele.
My volunteer history includes serving on numerous boards: Sequoyah School board; Oakland Metropolitan Board for The Salvation Army; the Oakland Zoo board, with my husband; and the HOA of the Bellevue-Staten where I served as board president three different terms. In that HOA, as here at Creekside, the challenge was to balance the need for maintaining low dues with the ongoing needs for maintaining the aging building and landscaping.
My personal goal as an elected leader is to encourage open, transparent, empathic and respectful communication amongst board, committee leaders and homeowners, to ensure a kinder, gentler way of life in Creekside Village.
Liaison to the Governing Documents Advisory Committee, serving to 2024
In March of 2021, I was catapulted into Creekside Village after two years of seclusion in Tahoe to escape from the pandemic in Oakland. When I saw the Lobelia property it felt like I had won the real estate lottery: a gorgeous private park backing up to the vineyard. I love it here.
Pre-law in Sacramento, I had various jobs: teaching high school English, president of the San Juan Unified District Federation of Teachers, director of the Sacramento Peace Center, first paid lobbyist for NOW (National Organization for Women).
During my second-year of law school, I was recruited by a civil rights law firm in Oakland where I worked for five years after which I started my own law office. I continued to litigate civil rights claims, adding wills and trusts and personal injury. I still maintain my law license but my caseload is diminishing as intended. My skill sets, then and now, include legal problem solving along with respectful and empathic communication with a diverse clientele.
My volunteer history includes serving on numerous boards: Sequoyah School board; Oakland Metropolitan Board for The Salvation Army; the Oakland Zoo board, with my husband; and the HOA of the Bellevue-Staten where I served as board president three different terms. In that HOA, as here at Creekside, the challenge was to balance the need for maintaining low dues with the ongoing needs for maintaining the aging building and landscaping.
My personal goal as an elected leader is to encourage open, transparent, empathic and respectful communication amongst board, committee leaders and homeowners, to ensure a kinder, gentler way of life in Creekside Village.
Pete Tuana, Treasurer
Liaison to the Finance Committee, serving to 2025
I have been a resident since 2017 and previously served on the Board. Recently I served as Chair of the Finance Committee. Other areas of interest to me are: developing an assessment plan for our storm drains, seeking a long term replacement/renewal plan for pool furniture, and improving accessibility to our facilities.
I had a career in public education as a teacher, counselor and administrator as well volunteering to work and serve on service orientated boards and organizations. My wife, Rosemary, and I appreciate the tremendous work of our volunteers who spend many hours keeping our community active, well managed, and informed.
Tom Northen, Member-at large
Liaison to the Emergency Preparedness Committee, serving to 2025
Volunteer history: My Creekside 12 years of experience include work on the communications committee, budget committee, house committee (now facilities committee) and the board; I have physically worked on many of our clubhouse and outdoor systems.
Education: I started college in business and took accounting, finance, economics, marketing, management and advertising. Then the social sciences looked more interesting and I covered psychology, sociology and philosophy. But courses in medical physiology and pharmacology lead me to bio engineering. As a university employee, a free course each semester let me add more math, statistics, and just for fun advertising, Greek (don't ask:-) and philosophy courses.
Work: Business manager, business owner (café with 8 full time, 12 part time employees), facilities manager of a mountain top observatory, and senior java web developer in San Francisco. Plus I have done many building projects with glass, wood, concrete, electrical and metal. As the owner of the business for 12 years I had the responsibility for meeting payroll, calculating and making deposits for a variety of taxes and insurance, hiring, training, and closely watching inventory and costs.
I will be your representative, manage your money, and will always work for openness (transparency), two way communication and honesty.