POA Board Member Bios

Leonard Critcher*, BA, MA, CLU, ChFC. CWS


Experience

2006-2013 Senior Wealth Planner, Comerica Bank
Comprehensive Wealth Planning for affluent bank clients and extensive Business Succession/Continuation Planning. Leader in generated revenue for the entire national Wealth Planning Team each year for six consecutive years. Developed comprehensive program for integration of Wealth Planning into various bank business units with emphasis on Middle Market. Developed and implemented Business Succession Planning seminars for business owners. Personally organized, planned and participated in numerous seminars. Scripted, produced and recorded over twenty, one-half hour educational broadcasts on a variety of Wealth Planning issues. Author of numerous technical articles posted on bank’s internal website.

1989-2006 President, The F.I.R.M., Dallas, TX
Financial Planning firm with emphasis on Wealth Preservation and Asset Protection. Developed and marketed nationally The F.I.R.M.plan, a strategy designed to protect physicians’ A/R from malpractice litigation. The F.I.R.M.plan was utilized and endorsed by numerous national marketing groups, well known insurance carriers and was the only plan utilized by Merrill Lynch.

1982-1989 Regional Marketing Director, Philadelphia Life, Shreveport, LA & Dallas, TX
Managed brokerage operations that marketed a variety of company products. Consistent top producing office each year.

Prior to 1982 Financial Services producer and manager


Education

Centenary College, Shreveport, LA
B.A., Dean’s List, Outstanding Graduate

Ohio University, Athens, OH
M.A., PhD study

American College, Bryn Mawr, PA
Chartered Life Underwriter, Chartered Financial Consultant

Cannon Financial Institute, Atlanta, GA
Certified Wealth Strategist


Published Books

Drawing The Line, Crossing The Line, It’s Greek To Me, How to Sell Annuities, A Woman’s Guide to Money, COVERING YOUR ASSets, Welcome To The Metroplex


White Bluff Property Owners Association

Board of Directors
        Vice President-  2015-2016
        President-         2016-present
Homeowner since 1999



John Bass
Vice President

Born in 1954 in Orleans, France of a then retiring captain in the U.S. Army. I grew up in Boise, Idaho but graduated high school in Nyssa, Oregon about 50 miles away. Like many military families, we thought nothing of sudden moves to new locations.

Upon graduation from high school I moved to Phoenix, AZ to attend DeVry Institute of Technology and pursue an education in engineering. My first employment just prior to graduation was with Lockheed Missile and Space (now Lockheed Martin) in Sunnyvale, CA. I continued my education in engineering at California State University, San Jose, while employed at Lockheed.

Several years into my engineering career, I was introduced to sales and marketing, which I had a much greater affinity for than engineering. In 1980, I was introduced to a start-up company headquartered in Los Angeles and was asked to be one of the first sales distributors outside of the State of California. I was responsible for building a nutrition product sales organization in Texas and ultimately internationally. During this time, I met and married my wife Rhonda in 1990 while living in Dallas. We opted to semi-retire in 1997 and started spending weekends in the Whitney area. In 1999, Rhonda and I started a manufacturing business in Whitney. We design, build, and install dump truck equipment on large Class 8 trucks, as well as build dump trailers towed behind those same trucks.

In 2004, we sold our remaining properties in the Dallas area and moved to White Bluff where we continue to reside and run our several enterprises. In 2008, I was asked to participate in a committee for the purpose of validating the necessity of a water/sewer rate increase of about 45%. Our committee, with the help of many concerned WB Ratepayers who donated to the cause, were able to hold the rate increase to just a little under 10%. Again in 2016 the utility company requested another rate increase of about 45%. I, with the unwavering dedication from Marshall Snyder, Scott Shelton, and many WB Ratepayers who donated hundreds of thousands of dollars, was able to successfully cut White Bluff water/sewer rates virtually in half. In so doing, the utility company agreed to sell out, and the new company will be responsible to repay to you, the WB Ratepayers, nearly $700,000 in overcharges. In my seven-year tenure on this Board, White Bluff has gone through many dramatic changes. A change of ownership, two management companies, rebuilding of the golf courses, refurbishing of Mulligan’s, the Condos and Log Cabins, just to name a few. We are not that far away from making White Bluff into the dream we all want it to be.



Jeffrey L. Williams, CFA
Treasurer

After spending 33 years in banking and investment management, my wife and I retired to White Bluff in 2015. 2021 represents my fourth year of service on the WBPOA board, and I currently serve as Board Treasurer.

I hold a BBA in finance from the University of Texas at Arlington, and I am a Chartered Financial Analyst.



James E. (Jim) Fletcher
Secretary

Education
Texas A&M University, B.S. (Magna Cum Laude, 1973)
Texas Tech University, M.S. (1976)
Michigan State University, Ph.D. (1978)

Professional Experience
Seasonal Ranger, National Park Service, Canyonland National Park (Summer 1972)
Superintendent of Parks, City of Montgomery, Alabama (1973-1975)
Research Assistant, Texas Tech University (1975-1976)
Instructor and Research Assistant, Michigan State University (1976-1978)
Assistant Professor, Texas A&M University (1978-1984)
Retail Hobby Shop Owner in College Station, Texas and Chico, California (1983-1990)
Associate Professor (1984-1988) and Professor (1988-2010), California State University, Chico
Academic Department Chair, California State University, Chico (1986-1995; 2005-2010)
Director, Survey Research Center, California State University, Chico (1994-2002)
Director, Program for Applied Research and Evaluation, California State University, Chico (2002-2010)
Private Consultant - Research, Policy Evaluation, Planning, and Maintenance Operations (1992-2010)
Contributing Faculty, Walden University (2011-2016)

Volunteer Experience
Chico City Planning Commission (1988-1992); Commission Chair (1990-1992)
Chico City Council (1992-1994) and Vice-Mayor(1994-1996), City of Chico, California
President of the Board of Directors, American Lung Association of Northern California
President of the Board of Directors, California Park Homeowners Association (1994-2005)
Member and Secretary of the Board of Directors, White Bluff Property Owners Association (2016-2021)

Personal
White Bluff homeowner since April 2010; resident since December 2010



Mark Hepworth
Director

  • 2nd year on P.O.A. Board
  • 44 year career as a Financial Advisor
  • Wife, Deborah, 3 handsome intelligent sons, and 6 adorable grandchildren
  • City Council for City of Grand Prairie. Served and chaired numerous commissions, civic boards, and charitable boards
  • Interests: USS Master Swimming, Tae Kwon Do, Gathering with friends, and, most importantly, assisting in contributing to our White Bluff Community


Teal C. Lang, Esq.
Director

My husband, Bill, and I began bringing our family to White Bluff Resort for golf vacations over 15 years ago. We always enjoyed our time in White Bluff and became owners in 2015. We now split our time between our Dallas home and White Bluff.

We are thrilled that White Bluff is on the rise again with the property owners in charge. Before the ownership change, we stayed in the Range Condos, Trailwood Condos, log cabins, Bluffpoint Condos and the hotel. We dined at the Lighthouse Restaurant and Trophy Grill and enjoyed the deck at the Lighthouse. We also chartered fishing trips on Lake Whitney. Did I mention we played lots of golf? sometimes twice daily. I serve on the Board to be part of creating a fun vacation destination and resort, as well as a great place to live and relax.

I have been a lawyer since 1984 with experience in commercial and residential real estate development and related lending. This type of work requires negotiation, attention to detail, and working towards a common goal for all involved. I worked in Houston for 5 years and then Dallas. I have been a shareholder in Munsch Hardt law firm in Dallas and am now practicing part time at that law firm.

I grew up in Austin Westlake and then attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa on academic and tennis scholarships. I hightailed it back to Texas for law school at the University of Texas, Austin where I earned my J.D.

I continue to play tennis and enjoy competing locally and nationally. I served on many committees at our home church in Dallas and chaired many of them. I continue to serve on the Board of Meadowmore Condominiums in White Bluff since 2016. These experiences involve working within a group and dealing with a wide variety of personalities.



Joseph V. Manders, Jr.
Director

Birth Place:   New Orleans, Louisiana

Education:    B. A. Economics, Juris Doctorate, Law
                    Louisiana State University

Military Experience:   United States Air Force, 20 years of service, active duty and reserve, Judge Advocate General branch (retired Lt. Col.).

Civilian Work History:   34 years in the oil and gas industry with major and independent oil and gas companies. I served in land and legal positions with increasing responsibility over the years. My career was focused on negotiation of exploration and production joint ventures.

I retired in 2012, moved to White Bluff and built my retirement home.

Activities at White Bluff:

  • Criminal Defense work, Hill County, 2016–present (represented over 400 defendants)
  • Commissioner ESD-2 (ambulance service for the county) (4 years: 2017-2020)
  • White Bluff Property Owners Association:

    1. Chairman Litigation Committee 2 years
    2. Director WBPOA 4.5 years

Greatest accomplishment as a WBPOA Director: Assisting in the acquisition of the White Bluff assets and the separation from Double Diamond Corp.

As I serve another term as Director, I'll help manage the tremendous growth we all see coming to White Bluff.



Gerry Mayer
Director

White Bluff Owndership

My wife, Linda and I have been property owners since 2003, and we built our home at 42056 Crooked Strick Drive in 2007. From then until 2017, we enjoyed White Bluff on weekends with family and friends. In 2017, we sold our home in Dallas and moved full time to White Bluff. For 10 years, we enjoyed White Bluff as weekenders, but it wasn’t until we moved here full time that we came to know how great this community is and the many great people who live here.

Like many, we have seen the best and worst of times and are 100% behind the acquisition of the amenities and the rebirth of White Bluff. A tremendous amount of work has been done by the Board, but the work continues, and the next generation of White Bluff is happening now.

Education

B.A., Traffic & Transportation Management
Spencerian College, Milwaukee, WI

Affiliations

National Transportation League – Washington D.C.
Chairman of the Board 2002-3

Experience Summary

Mayer & Associates                                                                 November 2008 - 2020
SVP-Sales
Advertising sales for B2B publications including client management, marketing and sales activity and marketing campaign implementation.

TranSystems Corporation, Dallas, TX                                April 2006 – October 2008
Senior Consultant
Responsibilities included business development, client management and project direction, analysis and solution. Worked in the Management and Supply Chain Line of Business with focus on large retail and industrial clients

JCPenny, Plano, TX                                                         January 2004 – August 2005
Director Retail Operations
Various positions of management and leadership in the Logistics Division for this major retailer. Directed strategic and daily operations of eight distribution center facilities, supplier compliance organization, EDI support group, and Logistic Strategic Planning organization.
Responsible for global transportation services, network consolidation operations, and administrative support service. Corporate and field departments total 152 associates that managed an annual spend of $729M. Contract for services and manage all modes of transportation including UPS, LTL, Truckload, Intermodal, Ocean and Air. Responsible for all transportation, regulatory, and postal affairs for the corporation.

Military Service
1969 - 1971

U.S. Army – Sargent E5

Vietnam 1970



Marshall R. Snyder
Director

  • Moved to Dallas, Texas in 1968 after graduating from Purdue University with a Degree in Electrical Engineering
  • Enjoyed a 40-year Career in the Defense Electronics Business, with assignments in Design Engineering, Systems Engineering, Program Management, and Executive Management. My breadth of experience included elements of Electronics Design, Electronic Systems Design, and Managing all aspects of complex, High Technology Programs for the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corp, and other Government Agencies.
  • Purchased a Townhouse in White Bluff in 1996, where I also served 6 years as President, and Treasurer of our local POA, Bluff Villas, Council of Owners.
  • Subsequently built a Home in White Bluff, where my wife, Linda, and I have committed to spending the rest of our days, living at White Bluff.
  • For the past 4 years, I have served as a Director for the WBPOA.