Conservancy Friends of Aquarina Board
Scott Messel – President
Scott Messel is originally from the Midwest but has always been fascinated by the great outdoors. He was a financial professional for Fortune 500 companies for over 36 years until he and his wife retired and moved to the Brevard County area in mid 2016.
Mr. Messel has been involved with many non-profit organizations that promote environmental sustainability, feeding the less fortunate and helping others in developing countries to have access to clean water. He believes that we all should be investing our time and efforts in conservation, preservation and education efforts to protect the wildlife and the world that we live in. Florida is a great natural state and he believes that we need to be stewards of our land and take responsibility of keeping the Barrier Island in its pure and pristine condition.
Mr. Messel enjoys playing golf on Aquarina’s Audubon-certified golf course and enjoys playing tennis as well. He and his wife frequent the Indian River on kayaks to enjoy the birds, manatees, dolphins and fauna.
Bill Sinnott – Vice President
Paul Dickenson – Treasurer
Paul is an active outdoor enthusiast, nature lover, hiker, backpacker, kayaker and photographer. His strong appreciation for conservation and preservation is reflected in visits to 48 of our 64 wonderful National Parks and numerous Florida State Parks.
As a long time Florida resident it has been alarming to envision the decline in our local habitats since his earliest visits to our barrier island/lagoon surroundings. Our children and grandchildren have a growing appreciation for environmental conservation and preservation. It is painful to describe how thriving the lagoon and ocean once was.
Preservation awareness is truly a family matter and one that he would love to share, educate, restore and protect with everyone who lives and comes in contact with our diverse barrier island environment.
Diane Coleman – Secretary
Diane grew up on the water. The beach and sailing were her weekend activities. At a young age the Ocean had a special place for her. “The sound and smell are part of me”.
Honestly until she moved to Melbourne Beach, she was not that involved with the environment, the beach, the ocean, the plant life nor the wild life. However, after living here for six years, she has grown to appreciate it as well as hoping to protect it. Everyday, she sees something new. Either a bird or flower. Or an insect. Even sitting on the beach. The ocean is different everyday and that needs to be protected.
After six years of being landlocked, Diane has returned to the Ocean and the Beach. She currently resides in Melbourne Beach. Daily walks, swimming, and floating the Ocean are on her to-do list.
Diane’s advice: “when walking on the beach bring a bag for trash”. Diane has retired to Melbourne Beach and her hobbies include reading, history, golf, baking and travel and she also loves walking on the beach.
She has a goal to visit all 50 states, and only has four to go, as well as visiting all Presidential homes/libraries. Diane started volunteering with Boy Scouts of America as a unit leader and merit badge trainer. Eventually Diane went on to become an Eagle Scout Chairperson. At present she is involved in volunteering in her community for Safety and Security, the Welcome Committee and the Conservancy.
Nancy Crawford – Board Member
Nancy Crawford was born in Warren, Ohio. She has lived in Florida since 1948. She began her art career in 1970 after attending Brevard Community College and the Eliot McMurrough School of Art. Later, she was the Faculty Director and Instructor at the Eliot McMurrough School of Art where she taught classes in drawing, painting, sculptor, and art history.
She is the founder of the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, Melbourne, Florida and has been an active owner/member for over forty-five years. Her experience in the gallery has given her a broad understanding and exposure to fine art and crafts. She has studied and worked in printmaking, ceramics, photography and jewelry, but her true love is painting. Nancy’s watercolors have been featured in major national exhibitions, including the prestigious Watercolor USA, Southeastern Watercolorists III and IV, Florida Watercolor Society, Coconut Grove, Winter Park and Gasparilla, winning many top awards.
Nancy finds an abundance of inspirations for her paintings in the diverse ecosystems of the barrier island where she resides in south Melbourne Beach, Florida. Her images capture the richest of nature’s gifts, beauty.
Sally Lynn MacDonald – Board Member
Sally Lynn MacDonald has returned to Florida again after living in Connecticut for 25 years.
Sally Lynn is a geek and an artist. She has spent years both consulting in the high tech industry and subsequently using those skills to bridge the craft and hobby and fine art supply world. She is completely captivated by the mysteries of art mediums, techniques and surfaces; and yet loves coding, analytics and a good spreadsheet too.
A traveler by nature, her goal as an artist is to convey her experiences of time and place through the layering of art materials and surfaces. It is her hope to help others see their daily lives through a new lens of creative expression and limitless possibility.
Those possibilities extend to technology and using it in ways to connect our common goals and enrich our environment.
On a daily basis you will find her attempting to capture the beauty of the sunshine and local wildlife on her canvas here in our lovely community. In the many moments in between, she is behind-the-scenes working at keeping the geeky parts of the Conservancy running.
“Conservation is a cause that has no end. There is no point at which we will say our work is finished.”
Advocating Education, Conservation,
Restoration & Preservation
ON THE BARRIER ISLAND