Member Bios
Tracy Russell
After becoming empty nesters, Tracy and her husband moved to Vilano Beach in 2019 after spending almost 12 years in upstate NY. Both are originally from the southeast and have lived in many states and multiple countries with their careers.
Tracy is currently employed in the health IT industry in government relations, from her previous roles she brings more than 15 years of non-profit management experience to the board. She joined the NSIA board in 2021 to get more involved in the community that they intend to be a forever connection. In her free time she enjoys water sports, the beach and exploring the area with her husband.
Sacha Martin
Before coming to Florida, Sacha was a corporate planning and development analyst and manager of information resources for a Fortune 500 company, did shareholder relations for an American Stock Exchange company, and was Commodore of the Overseas Yacht Club.
Here she has served on the Board of Directors for several organizations: St. Augustine Yacht Club, St. Johns Audubon Society, the St. Johns County Civic Association Roundtable, and was appointed to the County Vision Steering Committee and Board. She served on committees for the Island of Abaco exchange program and was on celebration committees for the St. Augustine Trust for Historic Preservation, including as host director for visiting folkloric dance groups from Spain.
Currently an active member of the St. Augustine Airport Pilots Association, Sacha is on the board for Vilano Beach Town Center Main Street, the North Coastal Corridor Design Review Board, and has been Past President of North Shores Improvement Association.
Fran Windeler
Fran has been on the board for 7 years, holding numerous positions: Current Art Director, Previous Vice President and Vilano Bridge Run Director for 6 years,
After a long career in the financial industry, Fran retired as a Sr. Vice President in Corporate Banking. Her main focus was Program Management and Treasury Management product development. She managed large scale domestic and international projects.
Fran and her husband Doug are both from the northeast. After moving around the country for their careers, they moved to Vilano in 2012 to embark on their next chapter. They have 5 children, 8 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter.
Fran’s passion for art started as a child. She received a Fine Art Degree from University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. Fran freelanced creating portraits for several years until she moved on to her corporate career. Her portraits are housed domestically and abroad. She currently owns “FranScenes Designs”.
Fran recently donated the mural on the firehouse “All Things Vilano”, for the enjoyment of the community. The Vilano Beach Art Program recently published an art book “ARTISTS’ VISIONS of Vilano Beach and Norths Shores”.
Aleasha Burnell
Aleasha grew up in central Florida and moved to the St. Augustine area in 2017. Aleasha graduated from the University of South Florida with her BS in Chemical Engineering and later went to the University of Florida for her MBA. She works in the healthcare industry where she is able to apply her passion for making the world a better place. She joined NSIA in 2020 as Membership Chair to make an impact within the local community. Aleasha enjoys spending time with her family, all things beach, gardening and travelling!
Jean A. Miller
Jean A. Miller served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the early 80's doing navigation on an Antarctic icebreaker. Next, she worked restoring and turning historic houses into B&B inns in Charleston, S.C. while getting her bachelors degree from the College of Charleston. After many years*, Jean earned a PhD in Science and Technology Studies (STS)--focusing on philosophy of experiment-- from Virginia Tech.
As a graduate student she rediscovered a love of gardening and foraging as a way to stretch her budget and get outdoors! This love of gardening first brought her into the NSIA fold through the Vilano Community Gardens over 5 years ago. Jean has also taken up running, another interest she developed by working with NSIA on the always fun Vilano Bridge Run! Most recently she has publicly embraced her crazy cat woman status by taming and adopting 3 feral kittens.
* As she was also working full time tearing down & rebuilding a house, teaching, and doing various other odd jobs. (And yes, having a footnote is an irredeemable side effect of having a PhD!) :)
Elisa Hill
Elisa Hill is a native Floridan and grew up in Jacksonville. In 2001, she purchased a condo in Vilano beach the community she loved as a young girl surfing, swimming and spending time with her friends. Elisa and her husband Andy along with their two dogs reside in the Surfside neighborhood. Both Andy and Elisa have been very active in the community including creating and chairing Vilano Fest which celebrates the history and future of Vilano beach. Elisa has actively served as a board member of CASA, Cereal City and the Licensing Merchandise Association. She is the President of Sandhill Consulting Group, LLC which helps companies and organization GROW, FIX and PREPARE for the future.
Dawn Boston
A new job brought Dawn and her husband, Mark, to Jacksonville in 2010 from Northeast Ohio. After 10 years of living in Mandarin, they finally made their way to Vilano Beach in 2020. Although Dawn and Mark grew up less than one mile from each other in Ohio, they did not meet until 2009 and have been married for 5 years. They are both Cleveland Browns football fans and run the Jacksonville Browns Backers.
Dawn is currently employed as a VP of Advertising in the insurance industry and is looking forward to retirement to travel and spend more time with her children and their families. She joined the NSIA board in January of 2022 as Treasurer and has actively served as a Trustee for the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, Advisory Board Member for St Johns River State College, VP of Programming for American Marketing Association, Volunteer for St Johns County COVID vaccine distribution, and a Poll Worker for St Johns County General Election.
Cathy Aissen
After a career spanning 40 years in the Miami Commercial real estate market it was time for the next chapter. I enjoyed the art of financing these properties whether it was a million dollar deal or a hundred million dollar deal they all had their challenges. Renovating foreclosures, leasing space to improve cash flows, and managing properties were all very satisfying tasks.
We fell in love with Vilano in the mid 70’s and camped at North Beach Camp Resort every spring and fall. In the fall of 2012 moved to Vilano. Even with all the changes and growth Vilano is a very special place.