In accordance with the Bylaws of the Appalachian Region – PCA, the Appalachian Region Nominating Committee nominates the following for the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Region – PCA for terms beginning January 1, 2024.
- President – Jim Moore,
- Vice President – Yohan Sookdeo,
- Secretary – Dave White, and
- Treasurer – Jim Symington.
Each candidate has submitted a brief written report outlining their PCA background, qualifications and general information, and these appear below.
As specified in the Region Bylaws, the term in office for each member of the Board of Directors shall be for two years and shall end on December 31st, or until his or her successor for the following term is elected and takes office. The President and Vice President shall be limited to two consecutive terms (a total of four consecutive years) in the same office. The Secretary and Treasurer have no term limitation.
Any 10 active members of the Region may nominate in writing an active member of the Region for office with the written approval of that member. Such nomination must be submitted to the Nominating Committee (Don Therien, Charlie Hickey, and Bill Price) by October 15th, as posted on the Club’s website. Such nominations made will be included on the ballot.
Election Schedule
- September 15 – the Nominating Committee posts their nominations for Region officers on the Region Website.
- September 15 through October 15 – Any ten active members of the Club may nominate in writing an active member of the Club for office with the written approval of that member. Such nominations must be submitted to a member of the Nominating Committee during this period. Nominations made in this manner will be included on the ballot.
- November 1 – Region members will be notified by e-mail of the voting procedure, which will be done on the Region Website. Any member not receiving this notice should notify the Region President.
- November 1 through December 1 – voting takes place.
- December 7 – the elections results will be announced at the Region’s annual meeting and posted on the Region Website.
Jim Moore – Candidate for President
I joined PCA in 1998 when I purchased my dream car, a 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera. I still have that Meteor Gray 911, and celebrated 25 years with PCA this past year. I am passionate about Porsche; particularly driving Porsches in the mountains and on the track. In addition to the ’86, I have a 1968 Porsche 911HR (Hot Rod) and a 2009 Porsche 911Turbo. My career was spent advertising and marketing various car companies in Detroit and a stint in the tech sector in New York City. Since I had to drive my client’s cars while in Detroit, I never became active with PCA until we moved to Asheville in 2016.
My first involvement with Appalachian Region was handling tour staging for Treffen Asheville in 2017. I was then recruited to be Events Chair. During this time, I created the Luft Wasser Porsche Celebration in Brevard. In 2019 I was elected Vice President and continued in the Events Chair role. In 2021 I was elected President of the Appalachian Region. We have expanded events to run over 80 events a year for members with a 50% participation rate. Establishment of a public service program for club events has led to the Luft Wasser Porsche Celebration and the Oktoberfest MANNA fundraising events raising over $35,000 for those in need in the Western North Carolina area. We were recognized as the first runner-up in Region of the Year for our 2021 results but I still contend we are the best region in the country with the most active members and volunteer base. The goal for my next term, if elected, is to continue to deliver on our mission: “Having fun with Porsches!”
Linda, our Havenese dog Cody and I live in the Asheville area. We have five children and four grandchildren between us, located in Orlando, Detroit, St Louis and Columbus.
Yohan Sookdeo – Candidate for Vice President
My interest in cars started when I was about ten years old. I was born in Trinidad, a British island in the Southern Caribbean, where most vehicles on the island were made in Britain or Australia and had the steering wheels on the right-hand side and were driven on the left side
of the road. New cars were a rarity. The more common practice was to buy older used cars or even “rescuing” some from junk yards. The latter was my world of cars. My family “rescued” many and got them back on the road. Having several of these “rescued” vehicles but not
enough batteries for all of them, it was common for us to start one vehicle, remove the battery and use it to start another and run our errands without shutting off the vehicles since there was no battery in them. I never saw a new tire until I arrived in the United States as retreads and recaps were what we used all of the time. This type of experience was my introduction to vehicles (trucks, tractors and cars) and it inspired me to be an engineer.
I emigrated to the United States in 1970 before my 18th birthday and started my pursuit of a Bachelor’s degree in Electro-Mechanical Technology from City University of New York in 1972 while working full-time at Xerox starting in 1973. I followed that by earning a Masters in Computer Science from Iona College, while still working at Xerox, followed by a new job at Pitney Bowes as a software engineer in 1984. Continued my career in various engineering, sales and account management roles with companies in publishing, technology and real estate over the years until my wife Nalini and I moved to Asheville in April of 2021. I started, and currently own, a boutique real estate brokerage (Hillview Realty) in Arden to remain connected to the residential real estate business on a part-time basis.
Because of my extensive exposure to old, “rescued” cars in my early life, I have an aversion to owning old cars! My first ten cars in the United States were all new. I started with a ‘71 Mercury Capri (made in Australia and imported by Ford’s Mercury division). Other new ones that I owned were ’72 Mercury Cougar Convertible (great car for a young single guy in New York!), ’73 Pontiac Grand Prix, ’79 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, ’84 VW Rabbit GTI, ’95 BMW M3, ’04 VW Touareg, then a couple of Jeep Grand Cherokees, Chevy Suburban, Mercedes and others. My introduction to Porsche ownership began with a used ’96 993 C2 followed by a ’99 996 C2, an ’07 997 C4S and now my ’14 991 Turbo S!
Becoming a member of our club was one of the best things that I did since arriving in Asheville. I have enjoyed the many benefits of membership and I wish to give back to the club in the form of volunteering to help with club activities and service on its leadership team.
Dave White – Candidate for Secretary
In 1992 my wife, Peggy, and I, having experienced five years of rain and snow in Upstate New York, decided to look for a place to live that had better weather. We had always heard good things about Asheville, and after a brief visit and a job interview (and offer), we decided to move here. Most of my professional career was spent in higher education administration. After stints at Syracuse University and Ithaca College, I spent 28 years at A-B Tech serving as the Executive Director of Research & Planning. I retired in March 2020.
Over the past 30 years, I have been active in the community volunteering at Asheville Parks and Recreation, United Way, Habitat for Humanity, as well as serving on the board of Eblen Charities in a number of capacities, including Board Vice Chair and Chair.
Cars have been a big part of my life since I was a teenager. I grew up in Watkins Glen, NY and was fortunate to see nearly all the top drivers and cars throughout the decade of the 1970’s. I purchased my first Porsche and joined the PCA in May 2019. I coordinated the Region’s App Café (Porsches and Coffee) for two years and began serving as Concours Chair in 2023. I have served as Region Secretary for the past two years and would be honored to continue serve as a member of the Board.
Jim Symington – Candidate for Treasurer
After working for a CPA firm in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan for 6 years, I “took the leap” and purchased an accounting firm in Flint, Michigan. Shortly thereafter, I established a branch office in Birmingham, Michigan. Both offices, which I had for 20 years, were sold to my employees in 2005. In 2006, I semi-retired and moved closer to my daughter and grandchildren who were living in Davidson, North Carolina.
In 2010, after deciding that retirement was not for me, I had the opportunity to purchase an accounting firm in Brevard, NC and another in Cashiers, NC in 2013. Both offices are doing well -- I just wish that I was 20 years younger!
Living in the small town of Brevard has been wonderful—It has allowed me the opportunity to give back a little to the community. During the past 11 years, I have been on numerous Board of Directors and have also served as Treasurer for The Haven of Transylvania County, and Free Rein. Both entities are non-profit corporations. Living in Brevard has also given me the chance to take my Boxster on enjoyable rides all around the mountain roads of Transylvania County,
Born and raised in the Detroit area, I have always been interested in cars, with some of my early vehicles being a 1957 Chevy Convertible, 1965 Mustang and a 1970 Camaro. I was always “cruising Woodward Ave” and have attended a dozen or more yearly “Dream Cruise” events. My daughter and I attended 10 consecutive Detroit Grand Prix races—we both love the sound and speed!
It has been a real pleasure being a member of PCA. I have attended many of the activities that have been planned—they are well organized and I am thankful for the people that volunteer their time and efforts to make these events happen.
I also appreciate the friendships that have come from these outings. I look forward to future outings, meeting new people and supporting the continued growth of the PCA Appalachian Region.