President
Mindy Theis considers herself a big-city girl who loves living in small towns. Originally from Mason, Michigan, she grew up spending summers in Traverse City. After graduating from Central Michigan University, Mindy spent a combined 13 years with a benefits consulting firm in Chicago and working in HR for Dow Chemical Company. She and her family were extremely excited to make Northern Michigan their home again when Mindy joined the Short’s Family as the Human Resources Manager in February 2016. Mindy is currently the Human Resources Director for TC Foods Inc & Grandview Restaurants Inc. in Traverse City.
Vice President & Treasurer
Sue was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan and spent her summers on Clam Lake at her family’s cottage. This area has a special place in her heart. She loves spending her time outdoors hiking and paddling, working in the garden as a master gardener, traveling and her many hobbies. Professionally, she is a medicinal chemist with a degree from Kalamazoo College. She worked for 30 years in drug discovery in pharmaceutical companies and is a certified project manager. She retired in 2018 and lives at her home on Clam Lake with her husband Kjell. Beside volunteering at Paddle Antrim, Sue volunteers for several non-profits is a board member and leads the invasive species team for the Friends of Glacial Hills.
Director
Haley Breniser is a passionate environmental advocate, retired organic farmer, and experienced nonprofit leader with over two decades of work rooted in conservation and community engagement. With a degree in Environmental Studies from Michigan State University, she has built a career connecting people to the natural world—from the rainforests of Maui to the waters of northern Michigan. Haley is the co-founder of Undertoe Farm LLC, a certified organic CSA farm. She currently serves as the executive director at Raven Hill Discovery Center. She brings to Paddle Antrim a deep commitment to protecting freshwater resources and a belief in the power of paddle sports to inspire stewardship through meaningful connections to our waterways.
Director
Gary is a retired landscape architect that lives with his wife Lisa in Williamsburg, Michigan. His professional career spanned four decades with two nationally recognized park and recreation agencies in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. Gary’s passion for building and creating “state of the art” recreational, fitness & aquatic facilities, community theme parks, sport complexes, golf courses, ice area and over 200 neighborhood parks & playgrounds earned him and his agencies national Gold Metal Award recognition. His passion for creating and building still exists in his retirement with his involvement as a volunteer with Paddle Antrim, Grass River Natural Area, Grand Traverse Land Conservancy and TART Trails. Gary enjoys gardening, cycling, paddle sports and experiencing nature especially in Northern Michigan. Gary and Lisa have two children, Jennifer who lives In Kansas and Christopher and his wife live in Chicago.
Director
Steve Sutton is a retired natural resource analyst with the Michigan DNR. His career included time in sand dune protection, soil erosion, natural rivers, real estate, and executive division focused on public land policy. Steve enjoys volunteering on the chainsaw gang at Glacial Hills, the Antrim County Community Emergency Response Team, and at Help From My Friends Pet Crisis Center. In his spare time, he enjoys chasing big fish all over northern Michigan, hiking, and mountain biking with his wife Cheryl. They live near Bellaire with their many cats and a dog!
Director
Rich Hannan is a retired research scientist who lives in northern Michigan. He spent much of his career with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service as a Research Leader within the National Plant Germplasm System, where he led scientific teams, conducted research, and published extensively, authoring 127 works including 65 peer-reviewed publications. His work focused on the conservation of plant genetic resources and included 13 expeditions across 10 countries.
Following his career with the USDA, Rich continued his work as a consultant focused on biodiversity and plant conservation. Since moving to Michigan in 2008, he has been an active member of the community, serving on the boards of the Grass River Natural Area and the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation, and as Executive Director of Grass River Natural Area in 2013.
Rich’s connection to Paddle Antrim goes back to its earliest days, and he brings a deep commitment to conservation, freshwater protection, and stewardship to his role on the board.
Director
Gary Chenoweth is a retired business leader who lives in Elk Rapids, Michigan. He spent 35 years with the global agriculture company Bunge/Central Soya before retiring in 2013 and relocating to northern Michigan. Raised on a farm in Indiana, Gary is a graduate of Purdue University. His connection to the area runs deep through his wife’s family, whose roots in Elk Rapids date back to the 1920s.
Since moving to the area, Gary has become an active member of the community. He currently serves as President of ACTS, the Acme Christian Thrift Store and Food Pantry, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Elk Rapids, where he also served as District 6290 Governor from 2021–2022.
Gary is drawn to Paddle Antrim’s mission of connecting people to the Chain of Lakes through accessible, nonmotorized recreation, along with its commitment to water protection and education.
Executive Director
Deana grew up in the Midwest before setting out to explore the western states for 13 years. She enjoyed eight years in Washington State while working in water resources policy and planning and exploring the waterways of the Pacific Northwest. She also spent three years coordinating a non-profit in the Mojave Desert of California focused on environmental and economic development projects. In 2012 she moved to Northern Michigan with her husband and two children. She enjoys being outside as much as she can hiking, kayaking, or gardening. She is a Level 2 Coastal Kayaking Instructor, certified by the American Canoe Association. In 2021 Deana was honored with the Quiet Water Society’s Verlen Kruger award at the 22nd annual Quiet Adventure Symposium for her work at Paddle Antrim and developing the Chain of Lakes Water Trail.
Outreach & Volunteer Manager
Ellie grew up in Kalamazoo while spending summers along Lake Michigan in Benzie county. She has over ten years of varied marketing experience in industries including furniture manufacturing, coworking, non-profit, and legal services. In 2020 Ellie moved from Grand Rapids to Elk Rapids with her husband and two young children, and is very excited to call Northern Michigan “home”! In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, skiing, running, kayaking, paddle boarding, camping, traveling, and generally being outdoors as much as possible.