2026 Nominations for the
Sea Shul Board of Trustees

Jeff Shapiro
Recording Secretary

I am honored to have been nominated for a position on the Sea Shul Board. When my wife, Andrea, and I moved permanently from Birmingham, Alabama, to the Emerald Coast three years ago, we felt there was something missing—a meaningful connection to our Jewish faith and community. Sea Shul has filled that void, providing us with a sense of belonging and an opportunity to celebrate our Jewish traditions, spirituality, and heritage alongside others.

I believe strongly in the importance of giving back to our congregation and helping Sea Shul continue to grow and flourish while expanding opportunities for Jewish tradition, spirituality, education, and fellowship.

A little about my background: I bring many years of business experience, both as a private business owner and as a successful professional in physician-focused sales. Throughout my career, I have developed practical skills in strategic business planning, business analysis, public relations, marketing, advertising, and relationship building.

I believe these experiences, combined with a practical, collaborative approach to problem-solving, would allow me to make meaningful contributions to the Board and our congregation.

Most importantly, I would welcome the opportunity to serve, listen, and work alongside others who share a commitment to Sea Shul’s continued success.

I would be happy to discuss my professional background or my desire to serve in greater detail.

Thank you for your consideration.

Steve Franco
Financial Secretary

Steven Franco is the Founder & President of Rodos Realty Partners and Rodos Realty Advisors. Additionally, he is the Founder & CEO of Beachworx and Co-Founder of Assurance Security Advisors. His professional career spans 32 years in commercial real estate and other entrepreneurial ventures. Steven is an expert in devising and implementing creative business strategies to maximize property and enterprise values.

He is passionate about elevating people and helping impact communities across the Florida Panhandle. Steven serves on the Advisory Board of Special Operators Transition Foundation (SOTF), Advisory Board of Walton County's Habitat for Humanity, as a Trustee Member of One Okaloosa Economic Development Council, and as a prior Board of Directors Trustee Member of the Sea Shul 30A congregation. Steven has also supported numerous other non-profit organizations over the years, including Aletha's Legacy, Mattie Kelly Arts Foundation, Chabad of the Emerald Coast, Shields of Faith (SOF) Missions, Destin High School, Destin Youth Sports, and Special Olympics.

I envision Sea Shul 30A as the feature synagogue and congregation for Northwest Florida. Our unique location, programming and quality of our congregants make Sea Shul a center of gravity for Jewish life on the Emerald Coast and a magnet for the congregation's long-term growth in this region.

I'll share 3 of my primary goals in priority: My first goal for the board is securing a permanent full-time Rabbi to live here and lead our community as its spiritual leader. The second goal is to continue the fabulous social programming, emphasizing the expansion of children's/adult's Jewish education and Torah study, alongside increasing Shabbat services to a regular weekly schedule. My third goal would be to begin a formal capital campaign drive, lasting as long as necessary, to secure funding to lease and/or acquire a permanent building to convert into a Sea Shul 30A synagogue as our permanent location.

It would be an honor to serve.

Susan Lutzker
Trustee

  • In my professional life as a lawyer, I have counseled many nonprofit organizations throughout their life cycle, from formation to dissolution and everything (including internal disputes) in between. I have also served on several nonprofit boards. In December I completed two three-year terms as a director (and five years as Board Secretary) of Young Artists of America (YAA), a Montgomery County Maryland-based regional musical theater organization, https://www.youngartistsamerica.org. I continue to participate as a non-Board member of YAA's Nominating and Governance Committee.

    Some years ago I also organized and served as Board member and officer of Cultural Treasures Foundation, which presented educational programs in partnership with the National Geographic Society and other organizations. Before that, I was an organizer and director/officer of the Palace Arts Foundation, which sponsored a major U.S. traveling exhibition of Treasures from the Ottoman Empire.

  • My prior experience has not been with Jewish organizations. Although Arnie and I belonged to a synagogue in Washington DC, we were not actively involved. For us Sea Shul has been a transformative experience — we were taken by surprise at the sense of belonging that we have developed and the fulfillment we are finding in being a part of this community. We had the pleasure of hosting and getting to know Rabbi Norry for the fall holidays. We find it a bit ironic that we had to come to 30A to make these experiences happen.

  • I would not presume to have specific goals for Sea Shul until I have done a lot of listening and asked a lot of questions to understand more deeply what the issues are.

    As far as a general goal, I believe that Sea Shul is at an inflection point in its young life. Thanks to the vision and hard work of its founders, it has grown quickly and now faces the challenges of transitioning to the next level. YAA was at a similar point when I joined the Board, facing significant decisions in adapting to our new reality. We had to institutionalize what had been ad hoc procedures, adapt our governing documents to new realities, refine or develop corporate policies (for example, document retention and conflicts of interest) and review our risk management tools. Likewise, Sea Shul needs to be sure its governance foundation is appropriately solid for the next levels. I enjoy delving into these nuts and bolts issues because I believe they are so essential to organizational growth.

Pam Atkins
Trustee

I am a litigation and contract attorney practicing in federal courts throughout the country. I live primarily in Sandestin and spend part of my time at my home in Atlanta. Giving back has long been an important part of my life, through nonprofit leadership, community service, and advocacy. I am the proud mother of my son, TJ, whom I raised as a single parent and who attends Stanford University. Sea Shul has given me a wonderful sense of connection and belonging, and I would be honored to help support its future as a trustee.

  • I am a past president of the National Organization of Social Security Claimants' Representatives (NOSSCR) and served on its Board of Directors for more than 20 years. I am a founder of an ERISA attorney organization that has grown substantially with a full time executive director and staff and runs a large conference annually. I am also a longtime board member of the Captain Planet Foundation and am chairing its Concert for the Planet in 2026 and 2027. Locally, I have served at least three terms as president of my homeowners' association in Sandestin. These roles, along with service on other boards, have given me experience in governance, fundraising, organizing events, and bringing people together around shared goals.

  • I grew up actively involved in my temple. As an adult, my synagogue involvement has primarily been as an attendee rather than in a formal leadership role. My Jewish heritage and connection to Israel remain deeply meaningful to me. I have family in Israel, and during an extended visit in 2010, my son, TJ, celebrated his bar mitzvah at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Sea Shul has inspired me to become more involved and contribute to Jewish community life in a new way.

  • I have been so pleased with Sea Shul and the warm, welcoming community its founders have worked hard to cultivate. My priority would be to preserve that sense of belonging as we grow our congregation. I would support opportunities for members to connect through worship, learning, social gatherings, and service, while helping ensure that our growth is thoughtful and financially sustainable. Above all, I want people to feel welcomed, valued, and connected.

  • I would bring a willingness to listen, a collaborative spirit, and practical legal and board experience. Having raised my son as a single parent, I appreciate how meaningful a supportive community can be. I am grateful to have found that at Sea Shul and would welcome the opportunity to give back to the people who make it so special. I travel extensively and love to sail and belong to a world wide sailing club.

Ed Gutentag
Trustee

  • I was on the Board of Creative Visions | Empowering Creative Activists Worldwide (creativevisions.org). I implemented an editor and created content to make them not THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN THE WORLD.

  • In any city that had a JCC like Atlanta and New Jersey I was an active member of their organizations — including the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta (atlantajcc.org).

  • My vision is to grow our community of like minded people with creative content and bring more people into our incredible community.

  • I'm Ed Gutentag — and I didn't need to kiss the Blarney Stone.

    I'm an inquisitive storyteller at my core and a master photographer, filmmaker, and AI content creator with more than 40 years of chasing light, stories, and human connection.

    My career has taken me onto sets with Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, and Michael Mann, working on films including War of the Worlds, True Lies, Heat, Collateral — and some little boat movie called Titanic.

    Today, I bring that cinematic eye to Florida's Emerald Coast and beyond, creating beach portraits, business content, drone imagery, real estate photography, Matterport tours, and AI-powered films.

    Whether I'm photographing your family at sunset or creating a commercial for your business, I start with the same question: What will make someone feel something — and remember it?

    AI has handed this lifelong storyteller an entirely new box of crayons. Apparently, nobody remembered to supervise me.

    Behind every image are the same instincts I've spent decades developing: lighting, composition, timing, and knowing when a moment matters.

    New Yorker by birth. 35yr Topanga Canyon / Malibu California dreamer. Florida beach storyteller. Still curious. Still learning. Still willing to get sand everywhere for the shot.

    It's not the arrow — it's the archer.

    EdGutentag.com | EdGutentagAi.com | Film credits on IMDb |

Jeff Margaretten
Trustee

Jeff Margaretten, NCARB, has called Scenic 30A home since 2001, when he built his first house here after moving to Destin in 1999. A Tulane University architecture graduate (1989), he began his career on Miami Beach designing all-inclusive Caribbean resorts, then worked in Fort Lauderdale on custom residential and school board projects. In 1994, while in Atlanta, he became an automobile dealership design consultant to Ford and BMW, bringing prototype, experience-driven architecture to dealers across the US and Canada.

In 2003 he opened Margaretten Architectural, a boutique Santa Rosa Beach firm focused on client-driven residential and commercial design across the Florida Panhandle, with national retail clients in all 50 states.

Jeff currently serves as Sea Shul's Recording Secretary. He and his wife Lisa share a blended family of five children and seven grandchildren — plus Prince Archie, their King Charles Cavalier. A singer-songwriter for 40+ years, he's also known for his famous 30A Sushi Parties.