Our Board Members
Meet our current Poinsettia Heights Civic Association Board Members.
President
Alex Collazo
Alex moved to Poinsettia Heights in 2001. He grew up in the neighborhood attending Sunrise Middle and Fort Lauderdale High. He became involved with PHCA because of the traffic issues in the neighborhood. He has been volunteering on the PHCA Board since 2006 and Alex stepped in as President in the spring of 2006. Alex is active in his community, working on building a strong bond and solid communication between the neighborhood, the schools, and the City of Fort Lauderdale.
Vice President
James Labrie
James (Jim) Labrie has been a resident of Poinsettia Heights for 20 years, moving here from Boston Massachusetts in 2002. While in Boston, he earned his MBA from Boston University. Jim retired in 2017 following a successful professional career in the Healthcare field where he worked in various areas.
In addition to his volunteer work for Poinsettia Heights Civic Association, Jim serves on the City of Fort Lauderdale's Infrastructure Task Force Advisory Committee (ITFAC). Jim is also the Treasurer on the Board of Directors of the OUTshine Film Festival for Miami and Fort Lauderdale.
In 2019 he started a small company called "Swimming Fundamentals" where he provides swim lessons to adults who have never learned to swim. Jim enjoyed working in his yard, walking his dog, and swimming.
Treasurer
Robert Spagnola
Bob has been a resident of South Florida for 45 years, moving to Poinsettia Heights over 15 years ago, and has never felt more at home. He is a retired school teacher with a background in business management and has served as the treasurer for PHCA for several years. In his free time, Bob loves working on his classic cars.
"Collaborating with our valued community leaders and the leadership of our Poinsettia Heights Civic Association helps keep our neighborhood one of the most desirable places to call home."
Board Member
Michele Keesee
Michele moved to Poinsettia Heights from New York City in 2016 after 30 years working in Human Resources at large law firms. Before law firms, she taught school for several years and owned a dog grooming shop in Austin. Having grown up in Corpus Christi, on the Gulf Coast of Texas, Michele loves being back to the tropical plants, the beach, and yes, even the heat and humidity. She enjoys yard work and cooking, particularly baking, and loves dogs. She shares her life with her partner, George, and her Havanese, Lucy.
Board Member
Jonna Tuukkanen Baerga
Jonna was born and raised in Finland and has lived abroad several times. While in Washington, D.C. in 2010, she met her husband. They lived in Chicago together for 6 years, and during that time, she earned her MBA in Customer Experience Management. She owns a company that provides customer experience and marketing services, as well as content in English and Finnish.
During COVID, they moved to Florida to be closer to her husband's family and initially lived in Victoria Park. Poinsettia Heights felt like home when they decided to purchase a house, and they've lived here since June 2023. Jonna is a twin mom, and she loves baking banana cakes from their own bananas.
Board Member
Shantel Jairam
Shantel was born and raised in Fort Lauderdale. She currently serves as a board member of the Poinsettia Heights Civic Assosiation and as Vice Char of the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. As a Georgetown graduate and Neighborhood Leadership Academy alum, she is dedicated to enhancing communication and cooperation between neighborhoods throughout the city.
Thank you, Previous Board Members
We thank all of our previous Poinsettia Heights Civic Association Board Members for their time, commitment, and dedicated service to our neighborhood and our community. Your vision, service, and contributions to the Association & Poinsettia Heights is appreciated by us all.
