Board of Directors

Karen LaPensee graduated from State College of Florida with a nursing degree.  She spent 14 years working in emergency care, intensive care, surgery and as an Air Force Reserve Flight Nurse, prior to starting LaPensee Plumbing with her husband Michael LaPensee in 1985. Karen became the President of LaPensee Plumbing & Pools, after Michael’s retirement in 2009. She continues to run and expand the business with her son, Greg LaPensee and daughter, Shawn LaPensee.  Karen has been a long term active member of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, serving as Treasurer, Secretary, Chair-elect and upcoming Chairman. With the help of a very capable staff LaPensee Plumbing & Pools has been honored to receive the 2011 Manatee Chamber Small Business of The Year Award.

Lori is a certified public accountant at Walter & Associates, LLC.  She is a member of the AICPA and FICPA.  She grew up in the Traverse City area in Michigan and has been a resident of Anna Maria since 2002 except for one year when she lived on Lido Key.  She and her husband, Kirk, whom she has been married to since 1978, own a home in Anna Maria.  Her son, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren also live here on the island.  She’s been in public accounting as a CPA since 1996, and recently began working with CPA firm Walter & Associates LLC here on Anna Maria across from Publix.  She is thrilled to be building her business in the same community where she lives.  In addition to income tax return preparation, she is most interested in helping local businesses to be successful.  She enjoys helping them with their accounting, payroll, and tax needs.  As a member of the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors she hopes to support our business community by promoting tourism and helping to build good relationships between local residents and area businesses.

Barbara is partner/owner of Travel Now, LLC a full service cruise and tour travel agency in Bradenton. She has been in the travel and airline industry for over 40 years, having begun her career as a flight attendant for Eastern Airlines. Barbara was a member of the Manatee Chamber for 20 years and served on the Better Business Council and other committees. Her involvement with the AMI chamber spans 8 years, serving on the executive board for 5 years. Barbara is married to husband Dan for 45 years and has 4 children and 7 grandchildren. She has been a permanent resident of the island for over 20 years and is very involved with both the community and her church. Barbara is a graduate of both The State College of Florida and attended the University of South Florida. 

As owner of a Mortgage Company and a Settlement Services and Title company, and more recently a licensed Florida Realtor, I've had the opportunity to develop relationships working closely with professionals in all facets of the business community. I hold a paralegal certificate and have worked extensively with all forms of contracts and legal transactions allowing me to garner a well rounded knowledge of how to assist in getting things done. As Operations Manager of numerous companies over the span of my career I have experience working with industry software applications including Quickbooks, Loan Origination software and other essential technology skills I have utilized during my tenure on the Board of Directors. For the past 6 years I have served on the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce Annual Golf Outing committee, and served as co-chair, bringing members together for a delightful day of golf that supports the Chamber Scholarship fund for local high school students. I enjoy the relationships I have built within the community as a result of Chamber membership, and would consider it an honor to continue serving on the Board, should I be allowed the opportunity.

I specialize in listing properties in Manatee and Sarasota Counties. I have an extensive marketing plan that has been time tested and has produced a very successful track record. I am an aggressive agent and firmly believe that hard work and communication will get the job done. I am always looking to add properties to my portfolio. I specialize in residential, commercial and land listings. With over 12 years of sales experience in both commercial and residential real estate, I have developed negotiating skills that ensure a win-win outcome in all transactions. I am highly aware of local, state and federal issues that affect private property rights and have vowed to do all I can as a practitioner to protect those rights. I have been a key legislative contact for District 13 State Representative Congress, and Senate seats. I am the 2009 President of the Manatee Association of Realtors and a director for the Florida Association of Realtors.

Amy Tobin is the founding Principal of Ariel Marketing Group, LLC where she creates integrated marketing strategies for her small business clients.  She is also the owner of Ariel Screen Arts, LLC, a Promotional Goods company. Both companies are located in Anna Maria, Florida. Previously Amy spent her career in sales, eventually being promoted to VP of Sales, managing $56million in sales and the Eastern half of the US. Amy Tobin grew up at Milton Hershey School, and later earned an MA in Art History & English Literature from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland.  She is a past President of The National Association of Women Business Owners, NEPA, and is currently the President of the Milton Hershey Alumni Association.  Serving in both positions has given Amy detailed knowledge of how a functioning board operates, and a firm grasp on Roberts Rules, the standard for non-profit board operations. After visiting the Longboat Key/Anna Maria Island area for 5 years, Amy and her partner Joe Seeley purchased a house in Cortez Village in 2008.  In January of this year they made their long awaited move to become full time residents of the area.

When a mortgage discussion arises, many people in Manatee and Sarasota County can say that that they had an extraordinary home financing experience with a true Mortgage Banking professional.  This professional that many speak of is Wayne Gunter, Mortgage Loan Officer/Banking Officer for BB&T Home Mortgage in Bradenton, FL. Wayne’s commitment to superior client service along with his attention to detail has helped position him as a “Top Performer” within BB&T.  Wayne graduated from the College of Business at the University of Florida in 1995 and has been originating mortgage loans over the past sixteen years.  His high level of expertise, strong commitment to his community and dedication to his field are just a few things that set Wayne apart as a true professional as well as a highly sought after expert in his field.  Over the past 10 years, Wayne has focused his mortgage expertise on Anna Maria Island, where he has become well known in the real estate industry as the island’s local mortgage expert.  A native of Manatee County, Wayne and his wife Jenny are raising their two sons; Brycen and Brennen in the same neighborhood he grew up in.       

David Teitelbaum lives & works in Bradenton Beach, is a very active board member of the AMI Chamber of Commerce & received the 2009-10 AMI “Business Person of the Year” award. He is president of Anna Maria Island Resorts - functioning as an owner, developer, manager, marketer & realtor in the AMI real estate, hospitality & tourism marketplace. David developed & manages Old Bridge Village, Tortuga Inn Beach Resort, TradeWinds Resort & SeaSide Inn Beach Resort. David serves as Vice-Chairman of the Manatee County Tourist Development Council & serves as a board member for Manatee County Economic Development Council, Bradenton Beach Waterfront Florida Partnership (WAVES) & AMI Preservation Trust.

Scott E. Rudacille, Esq., is a Principal with the law firm of Blalock Walters, P.A. He concentrates his practice in the areas of land use, local government law and real estate and has served clients extensively in all three cities on Anna Maria Island. Scott serves as counsel to a wide variety of local government entities, including municipal, school district, community development district and inter-local government. He also represents private clients in all aspects of the permitting and development process. Scott is Board Certified in City, County and Local Government Law and holds the distinguished “AV” rating from Martindale Hubbell. He has been named Reader’s Choice for Attorney by the readership of Anna Maria Island Sun newspaper six times. Scott and his wife Janae are both natives of Anna Maria Island and currently reside in Holmes Beach.

Owner: CG&B Publishing, LLC of Bradenton

David moved to Bradenton with his wife, Cindy & son, Matthew in 1990 from Westbrook, Maine, where he worked in the printing, paper and publishing industries. In Florida, he continued in the printing industry, in sales, for Coastal Printing of Sarasota. He also owned his own company, Book Binders of Florida, Inc., a hard cover book binding firm. In 1996, he opened Book Binders Printing & Publishing, Inc. and in 2008 he opened CG&B Publishing, LLC of Bradenton. CG&P is the official Publisher of the Visitor’s Guidebook for the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, the 2011 Bayfest Booklet and the Manatee County Chamber’s monthly “Current” Magazine. David is very active in AMI Chamber events and volunteers at the AMI Chamber office.