Board Members
Nancy Nevil - President
Nancy retired from the City of Plano a year ago after 30 years of service, where she was Director of Sustainability & Environmental Services. In that capacity, she initiated several environmental programs that established the City of Plano as the benchmark for other cities in the region, state and nation. She also served as President of the Solid Waste Association of North America.
She and her husband Rick moved to Gunter 6 years ago. They have 3 children and 7 grandchildren. Nancy was raised on a farm in Georgia and is glad to be living in a rural community again. Her hobbies include reading, gardening, cooking, and exercising.
Nancy started the non-profit organization to benefit the citizens of Gunter by lessening the burden on the City of Gunter since the tax base does not provide the financial capacity to invest in public parks and park improvements.
Lauren Miller - Vice President
Lauren and her husband moved to Gunter from Southern California in 2007. Both Texans, they were looking for land and a comfortable small town, and found that in Gunter. Lauren worked in orthodontics for almost 10 years. After moving to Gunter, her focus was on photography and art.
Lauren stays at home and raises their only daughter, Matilda. Having a 2 year-old has really put into perspective just how little recreational space Gunter has available for its children and their families. She is hoping for a fun, safe, and most-of-all comfortable space that her daughter and friends will want to spend their young years enjoying. The entrance into our town is such an important location and we want it to be welcoming to young families and to reflect the pride we have in our town. Attracting new families is vital to the positive growth of this community and it's economy.
Jan Pope - Secretary
Jan has resided in Gunter along with her husband Bob since 2002. She has over 30 years in the Logistics Industry and is currently employed as Vice President of NT Logistics/Frisco, TX, where she has been for over 13 years.
Jan also currently serves on the Board for the Gunter Chamber of Commerce and The Gunter City Parks Board in addition to the Gunter Parks Foundation.
Jan has 3 adult children as well as 4 grandsons and 1 granddaughter.
One of my personal goals for Gunter is to provide a beautiful, safe, fun filled spot for our children to play. My hope is for our new park to be a place that all families can go and enjoy with a beautiful new playground , eventually a walking path with new sport facilities.
Rick Cohagan - Treasurer
Rick retired as GISD superintendent after 27 years and 3 prior as high school principal and coach. He has lived in Gunter since 1978 with his wife Cheryl. They have 2 daughters: Shellye Gressett and Jill Bortzfield. Shellye and her husband Kevin have 3 boys: Austen, Kyle, and Finlee. Jill and her husband Dustin have our only granddaughter, Landry.
We are very invested in Gunter and will live here the rest of our lives.
Cheryl Cohagan - Member
Gunter, Texas has been Cheryl's home for 36 years. She proudly served as a teacher and elementary principal for 32 years. Her husband, two girls and 4 grandchildren are the treasures of her life. Her life-long passion is the lives of children. She is proud and excited to be part of this adventure to provide our children a quality playground.
Russ Leonard - Member
Russ was married to Julie Leonard in 2008, and blessed with two beautiful girls Lizzie (4) and Meredith (2). He graduated from Gunter in 1993 and Texas A&M-Commerce in 1997. Employed with Encompass Group, as a Managing Director of Corporate Accounts. He enjoys hunting, fishing and spending time with his family.
I would like to see Gunter get the park it deserves. A place where family and friends can gather.
Debbie Locke - Member
Debbie was born and raised in a suburban town in Canada. She has also lived in Japan and Mexico. She moved to Gunter with her husband in 1997 just before the birth of their first son. Since then, she has added to more kids to the Locke Clan and started teaching at the Gunter Elementary School. The playground at the Elementary School is small so we take our 4th graders across the street to the City Park everyday. The kids are usually happy to just be outside, but after 10 minutes they are bored of just running around. Their beloved slide is gone because it is too dangerous. They can't play on the monkey bars because they are extremely wobbly, so they are left with a few old swings and a merry-go-round.
"Being a kid at heart, I would love to see my students have a playground that they just can't get enough of. I don't want them to sit around during recess because they have nothing to do. I want to see them climbing, swinging, crawling, and hiding. I want to hear their laughter! These kids deserve an adventure everyday!"
Casey Gann - Member
Owner and Director of Operations of CAG Construction, Casey has been in the construction business for over a decade. Previously, he worked as a Residential Construction Superintendent for Pulte Homes and Onyx Homes. He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Animal Science and a Masters of Business Administration from Texas Tech University. He has lived in Gunter for 5 years with his wife, Ashly, and his two daughters, Alexis (8) and Alyson (4). He volunteers his time as a board member for the Home Builders Association of Grayson County, as a Gunter youth soccer coach, and in the chlidren's ministry at his home church, Legacy Bible in Sherman. He looks forward to being part of this opportunity to provide the community with a much-needed outlet for recreation, sports, and overall health.