The by-laws of Northern Community Mediation stipulate that the board consists of a minimum of five and a maximum of 15 members. Each term begins on January 1 and ends three years later on December 31. A director may serve a total of two consecutive terms.
Kirstyn Horan, President
Community Health Coordinator
Hugh Conklin, Vice President
Retired
Mark Andresky, Treasurer
Certified Exit Planner, Business Intermediary & Business Appraiser
Suzanne Kanine, Secretary
Emmet County Clerk
Mitch Brown, Member-at-Large
Real Estate Agent
Jenny Brower, Licensed Insurance Agent
Bill Cattin, Retired Safety & Compliance Engineer
Phil Harmon, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa
Lisa Hoyt, Petoskey Chamber Membership Director
Harry (Hob) Ingleson, Attorney
Nikki LaDeur, Software/Human Resources
Cyndy Tonkavich, Retired 5th Grade Teacher
Judy Zorn, Executive Director
Kirstyn Horan, President
Community Health Coordinator
Kirstyn is a former case manager at NCM. She is a 2012 graduate of Grand Valley State University with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and Sociology. Although she is now a Community Health Coordinator for the Health Department of Northwest Michigan, she left a part of her heart with Northern Community Mediation.
Kirstyn is a 2017 graduate of Leadership Little Traverse and has an affinity for bettering our community.
When she is not working, she can be seen hiking or snowshoeing on one of the local area trails with her husband and dog.
Hugh Conklin, Vice President
Retired
Before leaving the workforce in October 2014, Hugh was program manager for the Boyne City Main Street Program for seven years. Prior to that he was involved in community journalism in Boyne City and Antrim and Kalkaska counties as publisher of Up North Publications, which included four community weekly newspapers. His wife, Susan, and he also owned The Boyne Citizen, the community weekly newspaper for Boyne City.
Prior to moving to Boyne City in 1994 to purchase The Citizen, Hugh worked more than 15 years in community journalism in Douglas, Wyoming and Whitefish, Montana. He currently serves on the Boyne City City Commission. He is a board member and volunteer for Challenge Mountain and a volunteer for Boyne City’s Good Neighbors Food Pantry. He also has been a volunteer mediator for Northern Community Mediation for 12 years.
Mark Andresky, Treasurer
Certified Exit Planner, Business Intermediary & Business Appraiser
Mark concentrates his practice on helping small business owners plan and execute their transitions out of their businesses through comprehensive transition planning and business sales. He is a Certified Exit Planner, Certified Business Intermediary, Mergers & Acquisitions Mark Andresky, CExP, CEPA, ABI, CBI, M&AMI is a Principal with Performance Business Advisors, LLC. Master Intermediary, Business Appraiser, and Licensed Associate Real Estate Broker.
Mark is the Past-President of the West Michigan Chapter of the Michigan Business Brokers Association, a Director of its state Board, and an active member of the Exit Planning Institute, International Business Brokers Association, M&A Source, International Society of Business Appraisers, and Business Enterprise Institute. He also serves on the Charlevoix Advisory Committee of the Charlevoix County Community Foundation.
Mark is a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Charlevoix, MI where he serves as the Treasurer and chairs the Endowment and Finance Committees. He is an Assistant District Governor and Trainer for Rotary District 6290, Past President of the Charlevoix Rotary Club, and serves on his club’s Board of Directors and as the club’s Rotary Foundation Chair. He was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, studying in Strasbourg, France in 1988 – 89.
Mark earned his Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Washington and Jefferson College. He writes and speaks regularly throughout the country on a variety of transition planning, business valuation, and real estate topics.
Suzanne Kanine, Secretary
Emmet County Clerk
Suzanne has served in the Emmet County Clerk’s office for almost six years and was recently elected to be the County Clerk. Previously, she served 16 years in the Air National Guard as Technical Sergeant in Aircraft Maintenance. After graduating from Central Michigan University, she worked with at-risk youth as the Outdoor Recreation Coordinator at West Midland Family Center.
Suzanne lives just outside of Petoskey with her husband, Jake, and three children, Brady, Jackson, and Addison. She spends a majority of her free time watching her children play sports. When she is not at the ball fields, she enjoys almost any outdoor activity with her family.
Mitch Brown, Member-at-LargeReal Estate Agent
Mitch graduated from Central Michigan University. He spent the majority of his career in Retail Management as a Store Director. In 2012 he brought the first Which Wich Superior Sandwich franchise to Michigan. He owned and operated the location in Petoskey until he sold it in 2018. Since then he has become a licensed Real Estate Agent. He currently is with RE/MAX Lighthouse in Petoskey.
Mitch serves on the Resort Bear Creek Fire Department Administrative Board. He is also a Bear Creek Township Planning and Zoning Administrator. When not working, you will find Mitch at the gym or spending time with his wife, Merry enjoying our great community.
Jenny Brower
Licensed Sales Agent
Jenny grew up in Petoskey and prior to being hired at her brother’s insurance agency in Harbor Springs way back in 1982, her early work experience included the following: she was first a baby sitter for his daughter Ashley (now owner of the agency), then a newpaper carrier for the Petoskey News Review. Next, she dabbled a few years as a popcorn girl for the down town Gaslight Cinema, and then she proposed and started a program for Harbor Cove modeled after the Bay View Boys & Girls Club, which she attended as a kid and was the activities director for Harbor Cove it’s first Summer. Lastly she was recruited to be a Toy salesgirl for Game’s Imported which was managed by the sister of her former boss at the Cinema.
Since landing years ago in her insurance career, her brother encouraged her to join the Petoskey Area Jaycees and thus began a long history of volunteering and local service in the community. A great believer in her mother’s teaching that “the more you do the more you can do” – Jenny strives to stay involved in good local causes and usually finds that to be a win/win proposition, much to her delight. She served many local organizations, including both the Petoskey and Harbor Springs Chambers of Commerce, The Little Traverse Bay Humane Society, Camp Daggett, Petoskey’s Downtown Marketing Committee, The Harbor Springs Lyric Theatre, and in 2022 began serving on the board of Northern Community Mediation. She is presently a member of The Petoskey Sunrise Rotary Club, and in 2011, was selected to serve as the Club’s President – the same year her friend and mentor, Jane Millar, of Northern Community Mediation served as the Rotary 6290 District President.
Growing up and living in the Petoskey and Harbor Springs communities has given Jenny many local ties and her father’s long ago advice to her that “it’s not what you know, but who you know” has also proven to be a valuable commodity for connecting people and causes and getting things done. As Jenny nears her 40th year in the insurance business, she credits her early co-workers, Doriene Cone and Meredith Arneil for much of what she has learned and been able to achieve. They would be the best example of relying on “who you know” for being able to grow into the insurance agent she is today.
In her spare time, Jenny enjoys being with friends – particularly dining with friends – and travel … which can never happen often enough but being able to live and work here is great consolation!
Mark is a member of Christ Episcopal Church in Charlevoix, MI where he serves as the Treasurer and chairs the Endowment and Finance Committees. He is an Assistant District Governor and Trainer for Rotary District 6290, Past President of the Charlevoix Rotary Club, and serves on his club’s Board of Directors and as the club’s Rotary Foundation Chair. He was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, studying in Strasbourg, France in 1988 – 89.
Mark earned his Bachelor of Arts degree summa cum laude from Washington and Jefferson College. He writes and speaks regularly throughout the country on a variety of transition planning, business valuation, and real estate topics.
Bill Cattin, Retired Safety & Compliance Engineer
Bill has a BS in Physics from Alma College, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from the University of Michigan. After a 20 year career at Ford Motor Company, he took early retirement in 2007 and moved permanently to Harbor Springs in 2010 where he owns and manages a retail property.
In addition to being a volunteer mediator at NCM since 2017, Bill has been a volunteer at the Lyric Theatre in Harbor Springs since it opened in 2016 and can be found behind the counter most Friday and Saturday nights.
Bill is single, but shares his home with Lewis, a three-legged cat he recently adopted from LTBHS. In his spare time, he enjoys adventure-based travel, photography, skiing, and mountain biking, hiking and snowshoeing in the beautiful woods of northern Michigan and the UP.
Lisa Hoyt, Membership Director Petoskey Chamber of Commerce
Phil Harmon Executive Director, Unit 1 of LTBB
Phil Harmon is the Executive Director, Unit 1 of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and is a Tribal Citizen. He grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and moved to Petoskey in 2001 to work for the Tribe as a Probation Officer. Over the years, he has held several positions with the LTBB Government. He has been in his current position as Executive Director, Unit I since November of 2016.
Phil considers it an honor and privilege to work for his Tribe. One of his duties and responsibilities as the Executive Director of Unit I is to help with disputes in the workplace. When he was notified about the opportunity to go through the mediation training, he was “super excited to get the training.” He successfully completed the mediation training in 2019 and was on track to start mediating before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. He is hoping to beginning mediating early in January 2021.
In my personal life I enjoy spending time with my son Peyton. He’s an 8th grader at Petoskey Middle School. We are two peas in a pod as we both enjoy sports, hunting, fishing, snowshoeing, and pretty much anything to do with the outdoors. It’s my greatest honor in life to be a dad.
Phil said, “I’m honored to be a member of the Northern Community Mediation Board. I’ll do my best to fulfill my duties and responsibilities and to help ensure a bright future for NCM.
Lisa Hoyt, Membership Director Petoskey Chamber of Commerce
Lisa joined the Petoskey Chamber in January 2007 as membership Director. Previous to this she worked at LexaLite in Charlevoix in Marketing and International Sales.
In June 2014, Lisa earned a Certificate in Nonprofit Organization Management from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and remains active on the Midwest Board of Regents. She received Michigan Chamber Professional of the Year designation in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Lisa has served on various local boards over the years and has enjoyed being a mentor of Leadership Charlevoix since 2011.
She began birding in 2013 and joined the Board of Directors of Petoskey Audubon Society the same year and helps with their marketing. Lisa was co-lead on the establishment of the Sunset Coast Birding Trail in 2017.
Lisa and her husband Dave have been married for 20 years and live in Charlevoix. Lisa enjoys exploring area preserves in search of different species of birds, cooking and travel.
Hob Ingleson, Attorney
Hob Ingleson is an attorney with the Bensinger, Cotant & Menkes Law Firm in Gaylord, Michigan. He received his J.D. degree from Michigan State University College of Law. Throughout his career his areas of practices have been varied, such as insurance defense litigation, medical malpractice and first and third party automobile claims.
In recent years, Hob has focused more on general civil litigation matters, business and real estate matters, and estate planning and probate litigation. He serves a very wide geographical area of clients throughout Michigan, often meeting in his clients’ homes or businesses.
Hob has been highly involved in community activities, . He is a former Camp Daggett Board of Directors member, served on the Kirtland Community College Foundation Board, belongs to Rotary, a past Hospice volunteer and a former member of the NW Michigan Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors to name a few.
Hob belongs to the State Bar of Michigan, Western District Bar Association, Emmet/Charlevoix Counties Bar Association, and the Otsego County Bar Association.
In his off-time, Hob enjoys maintaining the family farm, skiing, snow shoeing and hiking.
Nikki LaDeur
Software/Human Resources
Nikki LaDeur is a Customer Success Executive with SmartRecruiters. In her daily work, she consults with companies on their recruiting strategies to achieve Hiring Success. The last few months she has implemented a methodology and software to help her clients achieve quick time to value on their software purchase. Prior to SmartRecruiters she has worked in the areas of marketing, consulting, account management, and HR. She has a MBA and Bachelor degree from Quincy University.
For many years she was a customer advocate working to build relationships and bring to life the customer’s voice. While in these roles, Nikki facilitated discussions to develop and settle on solutions that met the involved’s needs. This experience is similar to the personal mediation strategies that NCM uses with their clients. With this experience Nikki is well suited to join the board of NCM.
She and her husband moved to the Petoskey area seven years ago when Scott accepted a position to teach at NCMC. New to the area Nikki was invited to join Noon Rotary. She’s served on their board for six years and led their marketing for the last five years.
Scott and Nikki have two children Izzy (5) and Ryan (8) and they currently live in Harbor Springs. In her spare time, Nikki enjoys photography and travel.
Cyndy Tonkavich
Retired 5th Grade Teacher
Cyndy and her family sailed the Great Lakes for years. It was their dream to live in northern Michigan. They found a perfect piece of land on the south arm of Lake Charlevoix where they built their retirement home.
Cyndy is a mother, a grandmother, and a retired 5th grade teacher. She understands that when conflict and anger interfere with life, families and children suffer. She believes mediation can help people through these difficult times.
After moving here, Cyndy became involved with the Boyne Valley Garden Club. She served as co-president for two years and now heads their annual holiday wreath and garland sale. She is proud to help at the Good Neighbors Food Pantry. This past summer, she got back on the water as a deck hand on the Ironton Ferry!
Judy Zorn
Non-Profit Executive Director
Judy is an accomplished non-profit Executive Director, experienced in promotional plan development, fundraising and event marketing. She is proficient in all aspects of Human Resources, including development of HR programs, drafting an employee handbook, creating job descriptions and conducting job evaluations. She is an energetic public speaker, as well as a professional musician who has worked with many Arts Organizations and Musical groups as performer, Board and Committee Member.
She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Music Education from St. Louis University and her Juris Doctorate Degree from the Detroit College of Law (Michigan State University College of Law). Her hobbies include musical theater, golf, cooking gardening and being a professional musician.