Meet Our Board
Dr. James C. Komendera
Dr. James Komendera has been a homeowner on Old Mission Peninsula for the past 13 years. He became actively involved in the effort last summer to oppose the 81 on East Bay as it was proposed, citing conflicts with the local zoning ordinance and master plan of the peninsula. “If you read Sec 8.3.1(3)(f) of the local zoning ordinance, the conflict is obvious. The conflict is even greater with the Master Plan,” he states. After approval of this project by the township board, Dr. Komendera and many other homeowners felt it necessary to have an advocacy group for the Peninsula beyond the local governing body, and above any personal or financial interests that are attached to these projects.
Michael H. Dettmer
Since 1975 Mike and his spouse have lived and raised their 2 children on the remaining 3 acres of the old Buck Taylor farm off S. Mathison Road. Mike has practiced law since 1972. He is a trial lawyer, having had great Traverse City partners over the years including Jim Olson, Dean Robb, George Thompson and Grant Parsons. Mike has served as the 59th president of the 40,000 member State Bar of Michigan and in 1994 President Clinton nominated and the Senate confirmed his appointment to serve as United States Attorney for the 49 counties of the Western District of Michigan.
John Jacobs - Treasurer
John Jacobs began spending summers in Old Mission as an infant. Mostly retired as a CEO/founder of IT technology businesses, John is now able to spend a six month “summer” here. Preservation of Old Mission’s special character and quality of life is one of John’s top passions. He believes that Old Mission is one of the rare remaining places where children can explore and play safely, people take care of their neighbors and even strangers, and people can walk to the beach or in the woods protected from the onslaught of modern life. John feels we have an obligation to future generations to preserve this unique spot and its way of life. A special interest of John’s is development of public policy promoting carefully considered development that retains community character. In addition to serving on POM’s board, John is a board member and past president of the Leffingwell Forest Preserve, which maintains a tract of near-virgin forest in Old Mission.
Mark Nadolski
In 1979, Mark was one of the founders of Protect The Peninsula and currently serves as its President. In 1988 he sold a 507 acre farm with 2 miles of water frontage at the end of the peninsula to the Department of Natural Resources which was then added to an existing 150 acre park. In 1988 he co-founded the Old Mission Conservancy which merged with the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy in 2002. Mark has served on multiple township committees since 1989, including the Purchase of Development Rights (PDR) committee. Mark also has been the recipient of multiple environmental awards including the NMEAC Environmentalist of the Year award.