Meet The Team
President
Nancy Prafke
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Originally from Springfield, Ohio, Nancy moved to Punta Gorda in 2005 from Evergreen, Colorado. Nancy was drawn to helping our community get back on its feet after Hurricane Charley and began volunteering with TEAM Punta Gorda, a grass-roots civic organization, in 2006. She became the volunteer CEO at the end of 2007 and provided leadership that resulted in the completion of many collaborative solutions for our community. She resigned her CEO position in April 2013, to run for the City Council position which she won. Nancy accepted the role of City Council liaison to the pickleball community in November 2016 and began working with what has now become the board of the PicklePlex. She and her husband John are avid pickleball and PicklePlex fans!
Vice President
Justin Turton
Justin, hailing from Nigeria, West Africa, was raised in London, England. His diverse experiences include serving as an assistant manager at Wal-Mart superstores, managing a personnel company, and eventually establishing an adult day care center for seniors. Currently residing in Fort Myers, he is happily married to Donna.
Secretary
Susan Rieger
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Susan Rieger, originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a proud alumna of the University of Michigan. Over the years, she has called various cities home, from St. Croix, US Virgin Islands to Indianapolis to Spokane.
Volunteering has been an enduring passion for Susan, dating back to her days as a 3rd-grade safety patrol. This commitment has persisted throughout her high school and college years, extending into her role as a devoted mother of three sons. While raising her family in Indianapolis, Susan dedicated her time and expertise to making a positive impact on the community. Her extensive involvement with the Conner Prairie Alliance, the fundraising arm for the Smithsonian-affiliated living history museum, spanned various roles, including membership, fundraising, strategic planning, Vice President and President.
In 2019, Susan and her husband, Rick, relocated to Punta Gorda. Formerly enthusiastic tennis players, they discovered pickleball, and the transition from racquets to paddles was swift. Susan finds PicklePlex to be a welcoming hub, offering abundant opportunities for play, improvement, volunteering, and personal growth.
Director - PicklePlex® Academy
Melissa Eichmeyer
Melissa was born and raised in Missouri but her dream was to always come to Florida. She started her career as a Registered Dietitian but soon learned that no one really listens to you concerning their diets. So, she moved to Technology training where people do need to listen or their programs will not work. After traveling extensively for work, she finally was lucky enough to settle down in Punta Gorda in 2011. Once arriving Punta Gorda, Melissa became addicted to Pickleball. She was an active founding member of Peace River Picklers and developed their first website and having an active role in all the tournaments. As Pickleball grew in the area, Melissa became a large supporter of PicklePlex®, giving up her a lot of free time to volunteer at PicklePlex®. One of her favorite volunteer activities is Friday Night Lights at PicklePlex® where fellow Picklers can have some fun together. Melissa has not stopped there as she joined the PicklePlex® board in the fall of 2021, to support the growth of PicklePlex® and Pickleball in our community.
Operational Manager
Scott Garber
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The PicklePlex Board of Directors are pleased to introduce our new (and first) Facility Manager for PicklePlex, Scott Garber. Scott has lived seasonally in Punta Gorda and was one of our favorite Ambassadors last season. He has been playing pickleball for about six years and is a USAPA Ambassador for Dare County in N.C.
Scott has already started working with various Board members to introduce him to the nuances of our organization and facility. He has much to learn, but he is a quick study and we know our members will help him in all ways possible.
Scott was also the President of his local club in N.C., has helped them to achieve a 501(3)c non-profit status and has lobbied his local officials to successfully approve a $500,000 budget for dedicated pickleball courts in their community.
And he recently earned his certification, Coach level from PPR.
Of course, Scott had a very successful life before pickleball, has been a Broadcast Engineer for 30 years, most recently with CNN. We are so lucky to have him on board!
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