Marielena DiMatteo, President

Marielena received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Fordham University in New York. She was the Founding Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities in Valhalla, NY for seven years. She moved down south from New York in 2015. Lived in Savannah for two years before moving to the Lowcountry in 2017.

She was drawn to SOAR because of her desire to work with the Special Needs community. She has nephews who have special needs, so it is close to her heart and she wants to help to give special needs individuals every opportunity they can possibly have. She is passionate about providing support and advocating for these individuals as well as for their care givers.

Marielena has also been instrumental in raising funds for SOAR, and her company, Finance of America Mortgage, is one of our most generous sponsors!

In her spare time, Marielena loves reading, spending time with family and friends, and loves all types of music and watching live bands, especially at outdoor venues.

Cherie Taylor, Secretary

Cherie is a graduate of Clemson University and moved to the Lowcountry from Orangeburg, SC in 1982. She is the Co-Director of Area 8 Special Olympics which works directly with SOAR, so she is a perfect fit. Cherie continues her dedication to the special needs community by serving on the board for the Children’s Relief Fund and hosting several families for Hilton Head Heroes. Cherie also works full-time as an insurance agent at Kinghorn Insurance and is a member of Christ Lutheran Church in Bluffton, SC 

Cherie has been married to her husband Kirk for 41 years, has two children, and two wonderful grandchildren. Her biggest passion is travel.

Bill Hommes, Treasurer

Bill grew up in northern New Jersey and is a graduate of Lehigh University.  He raised his two daughters in Hockessin, Delaware, and bought a home in Hilton Head in 2011.  He moved to the island full time in 2015.  Bill and his wife Beth volunteered with Special Olympics first with the adult tennis program  Their enthusiasm for this activity led to expanding their involvement to coordination of the Hilton Head Middle School program and membership on the PTI Adaptive Tennis Committee.  

Bill was a Senior Fellow with DuPont based in Wilmington, Delaware, leading the development of new manufacturing processes.  After a long career he retired in 2015.

Bill enjoys both tennis and golf and most recently mentoring his granddaughter’s Sara middle school robotic team.

Lauren Nines

Lauren grew up in Philadelphia, PA so it was only natural that she became a “Nittany Lion” and graduated with a Management Information Systems degree from Penn State.

Lauren spent the large part of her career as an Executive at JPMorgan Chase. While there, she directed and led teams in Technology, Marketing, Operations, and Data Analytics. She also led the effort that launched the bank onto the social media platform Twitter. After a long and successful career, Lauren and her husband, Randy, both retired and moved to Hilton Head Island in 2019. Soon after that, Lauren became involved in the Public Tennis Organization here in the low country and started coaching Tennis for SOAR. Lauren’s nephew, Matty, has special needs and she has seen first-hand how valuable it has been for him to participate in recreational activities outside the home. It is rewarding for her to be able to be a part of helping people with special needs be fulfilled through being active.

Lauren has a zest for the outdoors and enjoys golfing, tennis, live music, and Penn State football. She also has a soft spot for her rescue dog, Lucas. For Lauren and her husband, moving to Hilton Head Island was a dream come true.

JB Trew

J.B. was born and raised in Chevy Chase, MD. He and his wife first vacationed to Hilton Head in 1972 and missed visiting only a few years before moving here in 2003. He became involved working with youth tennis and Special Olympics tennis in the greater Hilton Head/Bluffton area through PTI. 

J.B. was a Senior V.P. for CoBank in Denver and then V.P. for ACBS, a leading developer of banking software for large regional, money center and international banks.

J.B. plays both tennis and golf, and enjoys traveling with his wife.

Justin Warstler

Justin was born and raised in Canton, Ohio. Hilton Head Island was his family’s favorite vacation spot for many years before he finally made the decision to become a full time resident in 2011.

Justin works as a full time Real Estate Advisor at Engel & Volkers, which is where he met Kathy Cramer and became involved in SOAR. Engel & Volkers' charity of choice is Special Olympics and SOAR offers the perfect platform to help the local special needs community.

Justin enjoys traveling with his husband or attending local events. Both are self-proclaimed "foodies" and love trying new restaurants.

Sandi Reed, Past President

Sandi attended New Mexico State University and moved to South Carolina from Dallas, Texas in 1988. She worked as an office manager, got married to her husband John in 1999, and then focused on being a full-time volunteering mom. 

She has been involved with numerous local organizations such as Community Bible Study for 10 years and with the Children’s Relief Fund. When SOAR began in 2015 Sandi was one of the first volunteers and continues to work diligently for the organization today. She is called to help ensure that there are resources and Special Olympics in our area because she has two family members who are special needs.

 In her free time Sandi loves to work on her golf game, reading, volunteering, and hanging out with her grandchildren.