Trustees

Lorelei Kusin –Trustee

Lorelei Kusin has been part of the Bocas Town business community for the past twenty years. She has developed, operated and sold three successful businesses. Two in Bocas del Toro (Super Gourmet Bocas and U-Stor-It) and one in Panama City (Super Gourmet Cask Viejo).

Lorelei's primary reason for living and working in Bocas del Toro, rather than other known locations in the northwest Caribbean, are the people. She has and continues to be impressed, by their ability to live together harmoniously despite their wide range of nationalities and ethnicities. Lorelei and her husband have been intimately involved in many fundraisers, charity events, and promote and participate in various non-profits.


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Arlene Runkel – Trustee/Treasurer

Arlene brings to The Foundation's Office of Treasurer a diverse background of entrepreneurship, being raised in a family John Deere Farm Machinery business. This taught her finance, business, common sense and the rewards of volunteerism from early on. She and her husband Roger, of fifty-two years, have been real estate developers & landlords for thirty-six years. Arlene is a pilot with multi-engine, Instrument/Commercial/Instructor ratings. She's run her own Shaklee Health & Wellness Consulting business for thirty-six years and has been a piano music teacher for over fifty years. And she's smart enough to leave the farming business to Roger. Arlene and Roger were on the second Red Frog Exploration tour in 2004, when there were just goats and mud. But where they now have two villas (one with partners). Hard work has taught them to appreciate what it's taken to build Red Frog Beach and to respect the dedication seen in the native people of Bastimentos and Bocas del Toro, and their effort to better their island lives. She sees that it's time to pay it forward in helping these people and their communities, not just with our money, but with our respect and varied backgrounds of knowledge.


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Bob Tiedeman – Trustee/Marketing & Communication

Before retiring in 2010, Bob worked for the US Army Materiel Command. For twenty-five years he served as a Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer at Fort Monmouth, NJ where he was responsible for the acquisition of a wide-array of communications and electronics equipment. Then, he served as a contracts manager for the Program Executive Office - Solider (PEO Soldier) at Fort Belvoir, VA and The Pentagon where he was responsible for the acquisition of logistical services and supplies necessary for a soldier in the battlefield; everything from moisture wicking underwear to sniper rifles to computers and night vision equipment. Bob made several trips throughout Central America before discovering the wonder of Panama and the beauty of Bocas del Toro in 2011. When he is not in Panama, or otherwise traveling, Bob resides in Peapack, New Jersey.


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ANN ROESS - Trustee

Ann is currently a partner with her husband Mike at iMetroProperty.com, Inc. iMetro was founded in 1999 and is focused on Real Estate management and development.  This success has been the result of 20+ years marketing residential and commercial properties for rent and for sale. iMetro currently writes or renews 55+ retail and office leases per year and all of our properties are 98% occupied.

Ann has over 25 years of experience in financial markets. During her career Ann spent twelve years at GMAC/RFC and was an executive in the Capital Markets Group before joining the Target Corporation in IT/Enterprise Architecture. Most recently Ann completed her corporate career at a non-profit assisting homeowners through the financial crisis during the Great Recession at the HomeOwnership Preservation Foundation as S.V.P. of Operations. 

In 2015, Ann and her husband purchased a lot on Turtle Beach and spent the next two years and monthly trips to Bocas planning and building a villa.  After getting to know the area, the communities and the people we continued our investment in the community by supporting financially the acquisition of La Loma Chocolate Farm. Ann looks forward to continuing to support this beautiful community through her work with The Foundation.


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Daniel Heffron - Trustee

Dan Heffron resides in Afton, Minnesota. He spent thirty years selling cardiology products. His last seventeen years selling life improving and life saving medical devices for Guidant/Boston Scientific. Currently retired, he spends his time traveling, spending time with family and friends. When not traveling, he is a member of Rotary International, donating his time to local and international causes. He is also on the board of directors for his local Hospital Foundation and the Home Owners Association of the Red Frog Beach Club Resort, in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

Dan and his two partners invested into the Red Frog Beach Resort in 2004. During his many trips to the Bocas Del Toro region he has fallen in love with the beauty of the land and the people. Having made many close friends in Bocas del Toro, he has seen how development of the area has impacted the local community. The Foundation at Red Frog Frog allows him the opportunity to give back to community he enjoys so much.