Board Profiles

Executive Board

Cynthia “Cindy” Torppa

President

Cindy and her husband, Alan, moved to Pinehurst on December 3, 2019 – their 25th wedding anniversary – just weeks before the world closed due to Covid-19! She became active with Newcomers and several other local organizations the moment vaccinations were received and she has remained active ever since. She and her husband have family here in Pinehurst (Alan’s brother and sister-in-law) which made the move to Pinehurst all the sweeter.

Cindy earned her doctorate from The Ohio State University and spent most of her career as a university professor, teaching Communication Studies at the University of Delaware, Penn State and Marshall University, ending her career in academic administration back at her alma mater, OSU. Since moving to Pinehurst, Cindy has volunteered for the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities and has participated in several other community and philanthropic organizations.

Cindy has been active in many Newcomer activities including a book club and wine group. Because of her love of cooking and sharing food and wine with friends and loved ones, she started and continues to organize Newcomer’s cooking groups. She has co-chaired our coffee group and lunch bunch, and has worked with many other members on multiple pop-up events including two Murder Mystery Dinner Theaters, and several annual events including the Spring Picnic and the upcoming holiday dinner dance. She currently serves as NOPA’s vice president.

Carol "CJ" Buck

Vice President

Carol “CJ” Buck moved to the Pinehurst area in 2014 to be closer to her military kids who transferred to Fort Liberty (Bragg). Her husband was Military, her son and son-in-law are Army Rangers. She was born and raised in Dallas, Texas, married and moved to Colorado for 25 years, raising her twin sons and daughter while working in the legal and commercial construction arenas. CJ returned to college and became a Practical Nurse 18 years ago, specializing in cardiac and infectious diseases. After losing her husband of 35 years, she left nursing and became a full-time grandmother of 9. Her love of caring for people, especially children, led her to various volunteer opportunities in our community. Such ventures include, girls travel softball, First Tee of the Sandhills, US Kids Golf, Senior Enrichment dance classes, US Open 2024 and various other projects. She has recently taken up golf herself. CJ volunteers with Moore County Elections and continues her commission as a Notary Public furthering her education in the Loan Signing Agent/Real Estate Signing Agent and Electronic Verification duties.

CJ loves cooking and entertaining. She is known in the neighborhood as “Ranger Mom” and supplies the troops with goodies. She enjoys anything outdoors, swimming, hiking, fishing, dancing and now golfing.

She loves meeting new people and taking up new endeavors including joining Newcomers. Even though not exactly a newcomer per se, she has found new places and new things to do after leaving the workforce. “You don’t have to be new to the area to enjoy new and different things in all stages of life”, she says. So many events and activities are available, she is never bored these days. Some of her favorite Newcomer events from amongst the wide variety offered include “Lunch Bunch”, “Dining Out”, and “Coffee Club”. She is loving her new stage by taking on a plethora of new adventures.

Bill Good

Secretary

Bill and his wife Karen moved to Foxfire in 2017 to escape the long winters in New Hampshire after raising their two daughters. Bill is a Project Management Portfolio Manager for a commercial healthcare services company. Karen recently transitioned from an Art teacher for Richmond County schools to a part time position mentoring new teachers in the district.

Enjoying the milder winters and wildlife found in the Sandhills, Bill is a member of the North Carolina Bluebird Society and part of a team that monitors bluebird boxes placed across the Foxfire golf courses.
Growing up in Pittsburgh, Bill is an avid Penguins, Steelers and Pirates fan, a member of Raleigh’s Official Liverpool Supporters Club, attends stock car races and works on his golf game as time allows.

Bill & Karen enjoy traveling. Often going to Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Leesburg to visit family, to NH to see friends and visiting Carolina’s beautiful beaches during the Summer. They have had the opportunity to travel to Europe a couple of times in recent years, visiting Scotland and Ireland, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Bill and Karen enjoy membership in NOPA. They have launched wine groups, chaired Fermented Fridays, organized popup social gatherings and enjoy meeting other Newcomers while attending a variety of NOPA events.

Bill Kerman

Treasurer

Though Bill moved to Pinehurst in 2019 from Ohio (he’s definitely NOT a Buckeye), he is not really “new” to the area. Bill’s parents built a house in the area in 1976 so he has been coming to the Pinehurst area for many years. During this time, he has witnessed huge changes to the area over the last 40+ years, mostly for the better.

Originally a civil engineer, through several transformations he became a golf course architect over 30 years ago. He has had the opportunity to work on the design of golf courses throughout the US and also Asia, Europe, and South America. This career also afforded him the opportunity to travel extensively – which he loved. Now semi-retired, he still works with several other golf course architects preparing plans for projects all over the world.

Bill had hoped his move to Pinehurst would improve his golf, but he laments that after 60 years of playing, it just keeps getting worse. Fortunately, NOPA has helped him see that there is so much more to enjoy in the area.

Always having thought of the Pinehurst area as a golf mecca, he is surprised how many non-golfers he has met. Bill has met so many wonderful people to enjoy social events, travel and even golf through NOPA.