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DIRECTORS/OFFICERS
President: Barbara “BJ” Newell
Unlike most of their colleagues, Barbara “BJ” Newell and her husband David are newbies to Belmont Shore. She didn’t discover Belmont Shore until her college days at UCLA and fell in love with it. BJ lived in the Heights for a year before she and David — then living in Seal Beach — married. They promised themselves they would return to the beach one day, which they did in 2003, after raising their three amazing daughters in Whittier. They have been “living the dream” ever since. Professionally, BJ was a high school English teacher at Bell Gardens High for 22 years. Besides being a part of Friends of Belmont Shore, she has done volunteer work at LB Rescue Mission, and tutors at Lowell Elementary and SATO High School.
Vice President: Kurt Schneiter
Originally from a rural area of Illinois, Kurt made his way across the country with stops in Idaho and Oregon before settling in Long Beach in 1989. Jennifer and Kurt have four daughters with two in college, one working in New York and the youngest in middle school. Kurt is currently the President of the Belmont Shore Business Association and formerly chaired the parking commission for 12 years. Kurt spends most of his working hours in the commercial real estate industry as well as expanding his labor of love, ICONIX Fitness. The design of the local Belmont Shore facility was inspired by his family, and they all utilize it.
Treasurer: Cari Kehr
Cari grew up in Belmont Shore, but between college and her career, she lived in different states before returning to her beloved hometown "the Shore” two and half years ago. She is married and the mother of two adult children. Her son lives in Memphis and her daughter also lives in Belmont Shore and is a pharmacist at the VA Hospital in Long Beach. Cari currently works as a senior contract administrator in Business Management for a Fortune 500 Aerospace and Defense Company. After returning to her childhood home, Cari became involved in her neighborhood hosting ice cream socials and participating in monthly beach cleanups. She is proud to be an activist for Belmont Shore and hopes to keep it safe and prosperous for our next generation.
Secretary: Malarie Sachtleben
After growing up in Whittier, Malarie moved to Belmont Shore after high school and has been here ever since. Family and friends are very important to her and she loves bringing neighbors and family together in her beach-sized front patio. Likewise, she enjoys being a part of FoBS because of her interest in knowing what's going on in our community and the people she has met. Professionally, she is the general manager of the newly opened NOW Massage at PCH & 2nd. Most excitingly, she married the love of her life, Christopher Sachtleben, this fall at a ceremony held in their Belmont Shore back patio -- of course! Malarie enjoys snowboarding, hiking, camping, and walking her dog Huxley through the neighborhood and is proud to serve as the FoBS Secretary.
DIRECTORS
Steve Donovan
Steve Donovan grew up in New Hampshire and graduated from UNH with an EE degree shortly before moving to California in ’91. Since that time, Steve has worked in telecom network instrumentation sales. His manufacturer rep business celebrated its 15th year in 2024 Steve has lived in the Shore since 1998, currently raising three teenagers - Ellie, Nate and Brooke – with wife Lexi, along with Oreo, a 5 year old Havanese. The Donovans enjoy beach days on the Peninsula, the fire pits at Bolsa Chica, and boating/floating in Laughlin, NV.
Theresa Spalding Grimaldi
Theresa was born in Minnesota and moved to California in her high school years. Her family decided to settle in La Cañada. When she married her husband Mike, they moved to Long Beach and have lived here over 30 years. Theresa and Mike have raised two daughters both who attended the great public schools of Long Beach Unified. In 2020, Theresa’s father moved to Belmont Shore to be closer to family and enjoy the beach lifestyle. Professionally, Theresa has been in media her entire career; she currently works at PBS in the Corporate Sponsorship Department.
Maria Hanson
Maria is a retired public school teacher with a Master’s in education. She has been a Belmont Shore resident since 1996, owns property in the Shore and is currently a casework volunteer with the American Red Cross and a volunteer in pastoral care at church. Maria is a grandmother of four, a former board member of Friends of the Library and a former member of her church board. She is a Spanish speaker and lifelong resident of the Los Angeles area.
David Link
David Link is a native Californian, raised in Glendora. He is an attorney whose work was mostly in government: as an advisor to state senators; Legislative Director for the California Department of Insurance; and Senior Counsel in the Government Relations office of a major health insurance/provider. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Sacramento International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. In 2021, he moved to Belmont Shore to retire, and after three decades of being involved in state and national political activities, he wanted to focus on the importance of involvement in the smaller and more immediate communities where we actually live
Keith Mason
Keith was born and raised in Monterey, California, went to college in the Bay Area and moved down to southern California for his first job. He met his wife at work, they married and had two children. They have lived in Oregon for a couple of years and in New York (Rockland County) for almost 7 years before returning to California in 2008. They eventually settled in a home Belmont Shore where they were able to enjoy much milder winters. Keith retired in December 2021 and he has been able to devote more time to skiing and traveling. Keith hopes to help facilitate better engagement by Third District residents with issues that are important to our community.
Adrienne Newell
Adrienne has been living in the shore since 2003, with one-year sabbaticals in both San Francisco and Portland. She is a freelance writer and social media content creator, as well as the manager of the ShoreFriends Instagram account. Adrienne is a CSULB alum and considers herself the unofficial and enthusiastic spokesperson for Iconix Fitness. She loves being so close to the beach and so does her black cat, Sunday.
Jim Ostach
Jim is a retired captain of the U.S. Navy, where he served 30 years with Navy Seal teams deployed at SE Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. As a civilian, he became a Communications Studies professor at LBCC. Jim's passion for giving back to the community comes in many forms: He served community service at the VA Medical Center, Long Beach Rescue Mission, and Pathways Hospice as well as the Veterans Memorial Pier - Lone Sailor Monument Committee, the LBCC Foundation Board of Governors, a trainer of guide dogs for the blind, president of the BSRA, and Neighborhood Watch. Ultimately, he received the City of Long Beach Prosecutor's Office IMPACT Award. As a 30 year resident of the Shore, Jim can often be seen swimming in the bay or walking the neighborhood with his beloved black lab Ollie.
Kathie Sitton
Kathie has Long Beach in her veins. She was born at St. Mary’s Hospital, attended St. Joseph’s Grade School, St. Anthony’s High School, and proudly graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School. Kathie currently resides in Belmont Park with her adorable dog, Paisley, and loves living near the beach where she enjoys attending bootcamp fitness classes, playing pickleball and paddle boarding. One of her favorite things about living in the Shore is that she can walk to her favorite restaurants and shops - she often parks her car in the garage on Friday and doesn’t take it out again until Monday. Professionally, Kathie is a Commercial Real Estate Sales Associate with Coldwell Banker Commercial Blair. Kathie enjoys giving back to the Long Beach community. In addition to being a Board Member of Friends of Belmont Shore, she has been a volunteer for Friends of Pathways/Pathways to Independence for over 27 years, is a volunteer and former Board Member for Kids Day/California Ski Race Foundation, a member of the Century Club and a member of Belmont Shore Business Association. In 2023, Kathie volunteered as a dancer in 14th Annual Dancing for Our Stars to help raise money for Long Beach Medical Center and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital and WON by raising $75,000 for the hospital! Kathie’s most proud of her two daughters Samantha (25) and Sydney (23), who both drop by to visit Long Beach when they aren’t off building their own careers!