Heidi Morris, Chair

Heidi Morris has lived in the Lower Keys since 2017, when she opened The UPS Store on Big Pine Key. The mother of three, along with her husband of 25 years, vacationed here and fell in love with the islands. Heidi has a business degree from Westin College and climbed the corporate ladder at Radio Shack until opening her own successful business in Colorado which she ran for over 10 years. Heidi is a graduate of Leadership Monroe County Class XXVIII, and served as president of the Lower Keys Rotary, president for the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce, is a founding volunteer for the Monroe Emergency Reserve Corps and is an emergency shelter manager. She is an amateur radio operator, and her hobbies include scuba diving, snorkeling, and quilting.

Bill Becker

Bill Becker has lived in the Lower Keys for 50 years. He is happily retired on Sugarloaf Key after four decades as news director at US1 Radio 104.1 FM. Bill is well known for hosting US1’s 90-minute “Morning Magazine” each weekday morning and upon his retirement, the studio was named the Bill Becker Studio. A native of New York, Becker earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in marine biology. After graduation he moved to the Keys to teach marine biology at the Newfound Harbor Marine Institute at Sea Camp in Big Pine, where he worked for 10 years. Bill is co-founder of the annual Underwater Music Festival and a past president of the Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce. He enjoys gardening and spending time with his wife Bernadette, two daughters and four grandchildren.

Susan Eanes

Susan Eanes is a member of the Community Foundation of the Florida Keys’ Legacy Society.  She has lived in the Keys for 35 years and was the owner of Big Pine Liquors for 19 years. Susan was an active volunteer on the Habitat for Humanity of Key West & the Lower Florida Keys’ family selection committee for many years, helping prospective homeowners through the application and selection process. She is a founding member of the Lower Keys Rotary Club and has long served as its Sergeant-at-Arms. Susan has volunteered with many organizations since retiring and is an avid supporter of many local charities. She is a proud member of Class XI of Leadership Monroe County. Susan is an avid reader and animal lover and enjoys the beauty of the Keys.

Josephine Gueverra

Josephine Gueverra has been a resident of Big Pine Key since 2012. While living in Massachusetts, she worked for Mass Health, helping provide long-term support for people in need but not living in nursing homes and facilities, and managed her town’s youth soccer team uniform program. At the State University of New York (SUNY) at Canton, Josephine worked as a counselor in the Equal Opportunity Program and served as the SUNY Canton gospel choir manager. While in Alexandria, Virginia, she volunteered for three years helping youth navigate the Fairfax County court-appointed special advocates’ program. Josephine has volunteered for the National Key Deer Refuge and helps College of the Florida Keys students build trash corrals for Big Pine residents, to help keep Key deer safe.

Nancy Noblitt

Nancy Noblitt has lived in Summerland Key since 2006. She spent years as a teacher and an avid parent volunteer. She is active in numerous personal philanthropic endeavors, ranging from environmental conservation to improved access to higher education, and has served as a mentor for Keys to Be The Change. Nancy is most passionate about her family and is a dedicated grandmother. She is often found helping with her grandchildren – both human and canine! She loves reading, crafting, and spending time with loved ones.

Lainie Plotnik

Lainie Plotnik brings an important perspective to the group as a new full-time resident of Cudjoe Key in 2021. She is a Certified Public Accountant and currently works in the accounting department at Keys Fisheries in Marathon. She moved to the Keys from Fort Myers, and prior to that, Lainie lived in Minnesota and worked for ALLETE-Minnesota Power in various roles. In addition, she was a long-standing board member of the United Way, where she served on the grants committee, and she volunteer with numerous other organizations. In her spare time, Lainie enjoys shelling, biking, cooking, and fishing with her husband Paul.

Rita Troxel

Rita Troxel has lived in the Keys for nearly 50 years and is author of Home at the End of the World, a compilation of first-person, non-fiction stories of Key West in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. She worked for 22 years as the Tourism Development Council’s Film Commissioner for the Florida Keys & Key West. In addition to movies, Rita was closely involved with television productions including the Netflix original series Bloodline. Rita was born in Washington DC and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Theater from Virginia Commonwealth University. After moving to the Keys in 1974, she was a founding member of Greene Street Theatre, when Tennessee Williams was actively involved with its first play. Rita is an actress and painter and serves on the board of The Studios of Key West. She is married to dentist Fred Troxel and enjoys spending time with her daughter, four stepsons, and grandchildren.

Jeremy Wilkerson

Jeremy Wilkerson has lived in the Keys since 2008 and is a 2012 graduate of the Community Foundation’s Leadership Success Academy. He manages long-term rentals for Key West residents and is Treasurer of the Florida Keys Scenic Corridor Alliance. For 10 years, Jeremy worked in Key West-based nonprofit leadership positions, including five years as Director of Community Development for Wesley House Family Services, following roles at AH Monroe and Take Stock in Children, where he was a volunteer mentor for seven years. Jeremy is a past president of Key West Sunrise Rotary and a graduate of Leadership Monroe Class of XXVI. Prior to moving to the Keys, Jeremy and his wife Kimberly were owners of Primrose School of Lake Houston in Texas. Jeremy and Kimberly have four children and enjoy boating, fishing, and international travel.

To contact the Advisory Council, email lowerkeys@cffk.org