Contact

Your first stop for “Anything SMLA” is to call
or visit our Office.

The SMLA office is open three times per week, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. There are SMLA volunteers in the office some Mondays and Fridays.  You are welcome to stop by or call to make an appointment!

If you are interested in serving as an office volunteer, please call or email the SMLA office.

Board of Directors

Bill Butterfield – President: president@smlassociation.org. retired Executive Vice-President and Chief Technology Officer of Andritz, Inc. He and his wife, Carol, purchased their home on SML in late October 2016, sold their home in Frederick County, VA the summer of 2020 and are full time lake residents. They have 3 children, 8 grandchildren, 6 step-grandchildren and 2-step great grandchildren. They purchased here on Smith Mountain Lake after renting a home for a family retreat week during the summer of 2016.  The family fell in love with this beautiful lake.  Career wise Bill spent 43 years in the paper and associated industries as a supplier of consumable products used in paper making, textile, and plastic film.  Most recently he was responsible for Global Technology for Andritz Paper Fabrics and Rolls division. As the CTO, he had global responsibility for R&D, application engineering, quality, procurement/sourcing, marketing and IT. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Maine and the University of Illinois, and is a member of the BOD at the University of Maine Pulp and Paper Foundation. Bill is an active volunteer monitor of 3 sites within the water quality program and has served as chair of the Invasive Species and liaison to AEP on their Fish Habitat and Debris committees.  Bill is focused in making sure the entire Smith Mountain Lake community becomes familiar with the work of the SMLA members and their many volunteers that work hard to insure the beauty, water quality and recreational safety of our beautiful lake.  If you haven’t already, come join us.  

John Vidovich – Vice President: vp@smlassociation.orgJohn and his family visited SML in 2006, bought a home at the lake in 2012, and moved to Moneta full time in 2019.  John also serves as Chair of SMLA’s Membership and Fundraising Committees, and represents the association on the TLAC Board of Directors.   John spent over 30 years in the financial services industry with a focus on business development and education finance.  John worked for companies including Citigroup, Discover Financial Services and Sallie Mae, and served on a variety of higher education and consumer banking boards.  He was also the Commodore of Prince William Yacht Club.  John is a member of the SML Lions Club and enjoys time on the water as well as playing cards, bowling, and hiking.

Nancy Davenport – Treasurer: treasurer@smlassociation.org Nancy is a Certified Public Accountant actively licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  She first visited Smith Mountain Lake with her family in 2013. Nancy instantly loved the beauty and expansiveness of SML and the surrounding areas, so much so that in 2014, she and her husband Dave, purchased their first property at SML.  Nancy and Dave moved to the lake full-time in 2021.  Nancy has worked in the capacity of Senior Vice President and CFO in a variety of non-profit and for-profit organizations over the course of her career.  Nancy has extensive experience in strategic planning and execution, operations activities, as well as preparing financial and strategic materials for a variety of non-profit boards.

Robert Sanders-Corporate Secretary: secretary@smlassociation.org Robert has been a full-time lake resident in the Betty’s Creek area since June 2018 with his wife, Maureen. He is a retired chemistry teacher, coach, and assistant/associate principal from the Fairfax County Public Schools after 31 years of service. Since relocating he has been active with several lake organizations including the Discovery Shop and the SMLA Water Quality Committee. He enjoys being at SML, taking advantage of the lake for activities with family and friends, getting to know the community, and searching out places and businesses to visit. As a board member, he brings enthusiasm for teaching and learning, and looks forward to securing the future of the lake so that others can enjoy all it offers.

Roger Blankenship: wvwa@smlassociation.org Serves as Deputy Chief Operating Officer for the Water Quality division of the Western Virginia Water Authority (WVWA), a water and wastewater utility serving customers in the City of Roanoke and the Counties of Roanoke, Franklin and Botetourt.  He is a registered professional engineer with a BS in Civil Engineering Technology from Bluefield State College and a MS in Civil Engineering from Virginia Tech.  Roger began his career as an intern with Norfolk Southern then worked for Draper Aden & Associates, a consulting engineer in Blacksburg Virginia.  He spent several years with the Virginia Department of Transportation structure and bridge division before shifting his focus to water and wastewater.  Roger joined the WVWA in 2004 and quickly realized his interest in the environment and the treatment of water and wastewater.  He has been lake resident living at the lake in Franklin County since 2009.  In his spare time, Roger enjoys fishing, hunting, being outdoors, and spending time on the water with his family.

Doug Davidson: bp@smlassociation.org Doug has been living at Smith Mountain Lake since 2003 after 6 years in Roanoke.  He has 3 adult sons.   One of whom works at Mill Mountain Zoo as a keeper, one who was recently discharged from the Army after spending several years at Ft Campbell, KY.  Doug has degrees in Computer Science, Fine Art, Information Systems and an MBA from Virginia Tech.  He began his career with Texaco/Star Enterprise in Florida managing trucks and terminals before being transferred to the Montvale Terminal in Bedford County.  He then spent time working for Allstate before joining Norfolk Southern in the locomotive shops/corporate office.  He served in a variety of departments in Roanoke and then in Atlanta before moving on to USPS and then to Philips Healthcare where he works on a data transition project.  His desire is to maintain the safety, tranquility and beauty of the lake for all to enjoy and appreciate.

Gale Easter: events@smlassociation.org Gale and her husband Sam built a log home in Franklin County in 2003. They retired there, and became full time lake residents in 2012. They own Roanoke River Valley Log Homes and have been SML Chamber of Commerce members since 2005. They have a son who lives in High Point with his wife and their two grandchildren. Taking advantage of 26 years experience in the printing industry, Gale has served as editor of the SMLA newsletter since 2013. She is also an office volunteer, helping man the office when the secretary is not in. Along with Sam, she has previously volunteered with Take Pride/Lake Clean-up, manning the 4-H site, cooking, and serving hot dogs to the volunteers. Gale is interested in learning more about shoreline management, property owners’ rights, buffer landscaping, and whatever else will most benefit SMLA and the lake community.

Tom Hardy:  wqm@smlassociation.org Tom and his wife moved to Smith Mountain Lake in 2005. After working as an actuary in the insurance industry for 41 years, he retired in 2017. During his career he managed business units responsible for developing and selling investment products utilized by large pension plan fund managers and money market investment fund managers, both in the US and overseas. More recently, as VP and Chief Risk Officer for the insurance division, he managed the enterprise risk management team which was responsible for building complex mathematical models designed to evaluate capital sufficiency for the spectrum of risks faced by a multi-line international insurance business as well as setting risk guidelines for the various business units. Since retiring, Tom has spent much of his time sailing on the lake, hiking, gardening, and playing tennis. Out of a strong desire to protect this beautiful lake that we are fortunate to be able to enjoy every day, Tom joined the Water Quality Monitoring program in 2017, and he currently serves as Director of Water Quality Monitoring (WQM).

Pete Heyroth: vpop@smlassociation.org  Pete and his wife moved to Smith Mountain Lake in 2021 following his retirement after 40 years in the oil and gas industry. During his working career he was a safety, health and environmental professional giving him the interest and background to help support the Smith Mountain Lake Association (SMLA), and Pete is passionate about keeping the lake clean, safe and enjoyable. Currently for SMLA Pete leads the Vessel Pump Out Program (VPOP) which is a joint program with the Virginia Department of Health, the Tri-County Lakes Administrative Commission (TLAC) and the Smith Mountain Lake Association that provides free pumping for marine toilet systems. Pete and his Family love spending time on the water boating and kayaking, home brewing, hiking and fitness walking, golfing and many other outdoor activities.

Joanne B. Houpt: septic@smlassociation.org , sav@smlassociation.org  Joanne’s goal was to make SML her home in retirement, having fallen in love with the area in 1997. She and her husband Bob are full-time residents at SML where they enjoy boating, swimming and photography. Preserving the quality of the lake is important. She was raised on a large farm and chose an education in Business Management. She was fortunate to have had a 29-year career in the interstate pipeline industry where she retired as a Manager in 2012. This work gave Joanne exposure in dealing with the public, with multiple agencies such as FERC and executing work in an environmentally conscious and safe manner. Much of her exposure provides knowledge in areas that the SMLA focuses on. She is currently a SMLA member, SMLA office volunteer, President of the SML Newcomers and previously served as a Virginia Save Our Streams Monitor volunteer. Her background and expertise is valuable in supporting the SMLA’s goal of preserving the environmental health of the lake while supporting the community and economy of the area.

Eli Meador: apco@smlassociation.org Eli is a lifelong resident of the Smith Mountain Lake Community. He currently serves as a Plant Support Specialist for Appalachian Power Company’s Shoreline Management team. Eli and his colleagues are responsible for managing shoreline development activities along the shorelines of Smith Mountain and Leesville lakes. Prior to joining Appalachian Power in 2018, Eli worked for six years as a boat mechanic at Parkway Marina on Smith Mountain Lake. During his time working as a boat mechanic, Eli obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Environmental Biology from Radford University in 2017.

Brian Key: brwa@smlassociation.org Brian grew up in the Roanoke Valley and spent most of his weekends at the Lake with a friend in his home in Indian Ridge. He worked for AEP for the summer of 1992, between his junior and senior year of college, working on the skimmer boat to remove debris from the Lake. He is a registered professional engineer who graduated from Old Dominion University in 1993 and worked for Anderson & Associates as an engineering consultant from 1993 until 2000. He went to work for the Bedford County Public Service Authority in 2000 and worked there until they consolidated into the Bedford Regional Water Authority (BRWA) in July 2013. He currently serves at the BRWA’s Executive Director. In his spare time, Brian enjoys home improvement projects, landscaping, woodworking, residential farming, and spending time with his wife and 3 children.

Jill Kurtz: communication@smlassociation.org Jill is a native New Yorker, turned Northern Virginian, turned SM Laker! She and her husband Bob live near R24 with their water-loving retrievers. (Everyone buys a lake house for their dogs, right?!?) She is the chair of the SMLA communication committee and also an ambassador for the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce. Jill is the owner of Kurtz Digital Strategy, which provides online marketing services for small businesses at the lake and beyond. Through her work and her volunteer activities, Jill hopes to make a positive contribution to the lake and surrounding communities.

Jeff Markiewicz: Water Safety Council Chair, wscchair@smlassociation.org Jeff and his wife first visited Smith Mountain Lake in 2010. In 2017 they purchased a Log Cabin on Leesville Lake at Old Woman’s Creek near Mile Marker 2 on the Pittsylvania County side of the Lake. Jeff also serves as the Chair of the
Water Safety and Education committee for the Leesville Lake Association. He is member and vessel safety examiner for the Smith Mountain Lake Sail and Power Squadron. Jeff is a retired engineer who worked for the US Navy for 34 years and has been a fulltime resident at Leesville lake since 2022. In his last five years working for the Navy he worked with a team of Engineers and other personnel on the Navy’s improvement program after the USS John S McCain and Fitzgerald collisions with Merchant ships in the western Pacific. Jeff has been a lifelong power boater and sailor who is enjoying spending his retirement years with his wife on Leesville and Smith Mountain Lakes.

Geoff Orth: sos@smlassociation.org Geoff has spent most of his life in Virginia. He and his wife Kathy built a vacation house near R26 in 1994, and it now serves as their full-time residence in retirement. His educational background is in the humanities, with degrees from Washington and Lee University and University of Virginia. Professionally, he worked as an academic administrator, serving most recently at Longwood University. On active duty in the Army, he was assigned as a tactical intelligence officer in Vietnam, after which he went on to serve over 20 years in the Reserve. In our Lake community, he is active in the Blue Ridge Foothills and Lakes Chapter of the Virginia Master Naturalists, and as a certified stream trainer, he has been the SML area coordinator for Save our Streams since 2016, directing the work of about forty volunteers assigned to twenty streams in Bedford and Franklin Counties. He serves on SMLA’s Water Quality Council and is responsible for gathering and sharing stream quality data with Virginia’s DEQ.

Robert Rayman: grants@smlassociation.org Bob is an attorney who practiced law in Pennsylvania for over 44 years with a concentration in the areas of commercial law, real estate/land use/zoning, municipal law, and Wills and Estates. He and his wife, Susie, live at the Waterfront Community. Bob is semi-retired and hopes to help SMLA with legal issues which may arise and also work with the buffer landscape committee. Bob currently volunteers at Lake Christian Ministries and continues to help organizations with their legal needs.

John Rupnik : pastpresident@smlassociation.org , buffer@smlassociation.org  John retired from two separate careers – first from the U.S. Navy and then from the environmental services industry. John retired as an aviator from the Navy in 1992 and commenced his second career managing environmental research, development and demonstration programs for the Department of Defense. John retired from HGL in 2012 as Corporate Vice President. John and his wife Patsy purchased their residence in Cedar Key Estates in 1992 to vacation with their two children. Now with 3 grandchildren, they have lived here full-time since 2013. John is an active volunteer monitor with the water monitoring program. Previously, he was SMLA Treasurer and launched the SMLA website. Most recently John served as SMLA President from 2020-21. 

Lorie Smith: fcva@smlassociation.org Lorie and her family have lived at SML since 2013. She is married to husband Bert of 42 years and has two children. Lorie has spent the last 30+ years giving back to her community in various public and non-profit capacities. Currently, Lorie is Vice-Chair of the Franklin County Board of Supervisors, serving on the Community Policy & Management Team, Chairman of Broadband Authority and School Board Liaison; Virginia Association of Counties (VACO) Vice Chair, General Government, Economic Development and Nominations Steering Committees; Smith Mountain Lake Association Board of Directors; SML Regional Chamber of Commerce Legislative Affairs Committee; Vice-Chair, Roanoke Alleghany Regional Commission; Chairman, Tri-County Lakes Administrative Commission and support to various non-profit organizations. Lorie considers it a distinct privilege to serve the citizens of the Gills Creek District and Franklin County. She is highly committed to preserving the rural character and beauty of Franklin County while protecting our valuable asset, Smith Mountain Lake and driving proactive economic development initiatives that will promote and sustain County’s economy for the future. Lorie will proudly continue to serve the County with integrity, accountability and transparency.

Edgar Tuck: bcva@smlassociation.org Edgar is a lifelong resident of the Smith Mountain Lake Community and the 4th generation operating family farm in Moneta. He served as a Mortgage Loan Specialist for Suntrust Bank having 30 years of banking experience. He now serves in his 1st term on the Bedford County Board of Supervisors, representing District 2, which covers a majority of the Bedford side of lake. Edgar is married to Alison Tuck, who is a pharmacist with Roanoke Memorial Hospital. They have three children: Aaron, who works at Interstate Batteries in Salem; Davis, who is currently serving in US Army; and Laura Lee, a freshman at Staunton River High School. Their family attends Eastlake Community Church. Edgard received his BBA from James Madison University with a major in business management, concentration in human resources.

Vicky Wuerfel: education@smlassociation.org Prior to moving to the lake full-time two years ago with her husband, Roger, Vicky was an English teacher, and she continued in this role for two years at Franklin County High School. She currently works for an organization AtomicMind, which helps students gain acceptance into the world’s most prestigious universities. Vicky hopes to bring some of her expertise in education to SMLA as Chair of the Education Committee. Some of Vicky’s past volunteer efforts have included serving as PTA President and serving as a Host Mom to two foreign “daughters”. Currently, Vicky is a member of the SML Charity Home Tour Home Selection Committee. Vicky and Roger purchased their first home here in 2018. They feel blessed to call the SML area home and will strive to help preserve the lake for generations to come.

Committee Chairs and Contact Information:

Buffer Gardens: buffer@smlassociation.org
Business Partners: bp@smlassociation.org
Communications: communication@smlassociation.org
Debris: debris@smlassociation.org
Education: education@smlassociation.org
Erosion: erosion@smlassociation.org
Events: events@smlassociation.org
Fish Habitat: habitat@smlassociation.org
Fundraising: donate@smlasociation.org
Grants: grants@smlassociation.org
Lake Quality Council: lqcchair@smlassociation.org
Membership: membership@smlassociation.org
Office Administrator: theoffice@smlassociation.org
Past President: pastpresident@smlassociation.org
Recreation: recreation@smlassociation.org
Save Our Streams: sos@smlassociation.org
Sediment: sediment@smlassociation.org
Septic Systems: septic@smlassociation.org
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation: sav@smlassociation.org
Vessel Pump Out Program: vpop@smlassociation.org
Water Quality Monitoring: wqm@smlassociation.org
Water Safety Council: wscchair@smlassociation.org
Webmaster: webmaster@smlassociation.org