Board of Trustees

Jim was appointed to the LRSD Board by the KC Council in April 2008 when the District was initially formed. He and his wife Jane are year-round residents on Irish Lake. Jim graduated from South Whitley High School in 1970. He has an Associate Degree in Finance from Fort Wayne’s International Business College in 1972. In February 2018, retired as President from Wabash Valley Manufacturing, Silver Lake, IN after 17 years of service. Prior to joining Wabash Valley, held various leadership roles at United Technologies Corporation and Foamex International.

Joe Cleland joined the LRSD board in January of 2020 as a trustee. Joe and his wife Stephanie live off of South Barbee drive and own several properties on the Barbee chain of lakes. Joe is a graduate of West Noble high school. He has worked over 25 years in the RV industry and is currently a production manger at Gulf Stream in Nappanee where he has worked for the last 15 years.

Mike was born in Fort Wayne and graduated from the University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting degree in 1962 and passed the CPA exam later that year at age 21. He was employed by Dulin, Ward and DeWald, CPA’s, in Fort Wayne and served as managing partner for 12 years before his retirement in 2002. Mike held several local, state and national positions and committee assignments during his professional career.

Mike and Sandy were married in 1962 and have three children, all of whom have settled in Indiana and Ohio. They have four granddaughters who are frequent visitors to the lake.

Mike’s Dad was a strong advocate for sewers who never got to see his dreams realized. His service on the Board honors that memory.

Mark comes to the area after a 31-year career in the wholesale lumber industry where he served initially as a Sales Rep and ultimately became President and partner of K&K Lumber Company originally in Blue Island, IL and later moving to Riverdale, IL. He and his brother sold the business to Weekes Forest Products in 2001 where he stayed on as President and General Manager of the Chicago division.

The housing downfall offered another opportunity to start a transportation business which ultimately led to a position with the Chicago Division of Mannheim Auto Auction where he served as a Dealer Account Representative until the pandemic reduced staff.

Retired now since August 2020, Mark and his wife Connie live on Kuhn Lake after starting their tenure here in 2013 on Sechrist Lake. We thought the Kosciusko County lake communities offered so many amenities from restaurants to shopping to theater and entertainment. The short distances to the larger cities of Fort Wayne and South Bend/Mishawaka were also an added benefit.

They are proud members of the Barbee Lakes Property Owners Association (BLPOA) and have volunteered their time to help promote membership and help implement actions the association takes for the betterment of the lakes.

Mark and Connie have four sons and now a granddaughter. They enjoy traveling, playing pickleball, DYI home projects and entertaining family and friends on the lakes.

Jack and his wife Brenda moved to the Barbee Chain of Lakes in 2016. They currently live on Irish Lake.

Jack is a graduate of Highland High School in Highland, Indiana. He coached many sports for his 2 children while they were growing up.

He has volunteered for the Griffith Izaak Walton League where he was the vice president of the archery committee.

Jack has been working for the Chicago Pipefitters Union 597 for over 25 years. He enjoys hunting, fishing and boating with his family and friends.

Cullen grew up in Delaware County and spent countless weeks and weekends with his grandparents at their southern Indiana lake house during his youth where his love for lake life blossomed. In 2014 he bought a cottage on Barbee Lakes to establish the next chapter of lake life for his family and moved here full time in 2020.

Cullen is an Eagle Scout and served as an elected leader in district and council groups as well as various leadership roles in his troop developing an appreciation for the need of volunteer leaders in our communities. Cullen has an Associate’s Degree in heavy equipment maintenance, and has a BS in Management from Indiana Wesleyan. Cullen served for many years as a board member of his sons’ 501(c)3 swim club, and two terms as an officer with Alaska Swimming LSC. He has also been an officer in his K of C chapter, and is a director on the Barbee Lakes Property Owners Board since 2021.

Cullen is an eight-year USAF veteran. After studies in engineering at Purdue he joined the USAF, and was stationed in interior Alaska where he lived for 20 years before returning to Indiana in 2012. Cullen is a Product Service Engineer for Caterpillar where his problem-solving skills and ability to work problems to a root cause and find realistic solutions are invaluable. He brings this mindset to LRSD and is looking forward to helping the district continue to operate with functional and financial success into the future.