THCA 2019 Nominees

Nominee for President:

Cody Doege, Resident, East Myrtle Street: Cody Doege was born and raised in New Berlin, TX, and earned his Bachelor of Science degree from SWT in San Marcos. Cody is an active Member of Christ Lutheran Church of Elm Creek and is employed by La Jolla Pharmaceutical.  He has lived in Tobin Hill for nine years and his focus in the community is to engage and encourage sound growth through each Resident’s wants and needs. Municipal accountability and Compliance Strategies are of utmost importance. Cody is running for re-election for his fourth term as THCA President.  

Resident Nominees (two positions available):

Michael Cepek, Resident, East Courtland Place: Michael has been in Tobin Hill since mid-2008, when he bought a 1927 house on East Courtland Place, in the historic district. He is a Chicago native and came to San Antonio to work as a professor of cultural anthropology at UTSA. Within six months of his 2007 arrival, he knew he would stay for a long time, which is why he moved from an apartment in Monte Vista to Tobin Hill. Michael enjoys frequenting the clubs and venues on the St. Mary’s strip with his wife Amy Rushing, who is Head of Special Collections at the UTSA Libraries. He knows many of the owners and workers of businesses along the strip, and believes he can be a good connection to that very significant part of our neighborhood. Many folks here have seen him walking his three dogs–a rat terrier, a chihuahua, and a chihuahua-poodle mix–along our streets, and a few others have already met his mother, Char, who recently bought a home in Tobin Hill to get away from Chicago winters. Michael has long been interested in various neighborhood issues: keeping our homes and streets safe; working to maintain a good balance between Tobin Hill’s history as a mixed residential and business/entertainment district; and helping to make sure the neighborhood remains open and affirming for our many LGBTQ residents, as his brother is gay and his family has a long history of involvement with Parents, Friends, and Family of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). Michael is running for re-election for his second term on the THCA Board. 

Michael Finelli, Resident, Paschal Street: Michael Finelli grew up in Miami Florida, received a Bachelors of Art History degree at Florida International University. After graduation moved to the great San Antonio in 2011. My wife Rachel and I moved to the Tobin Hill community at the end of 2016 and shortly after welcomed our first baby Francine.  Some of my hobbies are traveling, photography and always love attending local events. 

Larkin O’Hern, Resident, East Myrtle Street: Larkin and his wife Rachel bought a home in Tobin Hill in 2017 and (finally) moved in early 2018!  After spending eight years in the Army bouncing from place to place, they were ready to put down roots and loved the community feel of Tobin Hill, its proximity to downtown, and mix of historic preservation with exciting potential.  Larkin is a 2008 graduate of the United States Military Academy and holds a master’s degree from George Washington University-which he uses never.  When not working at USAA Larkin enjoys “walking” along the Museum Reach and biking the Mission Extension and is a proponent for sidewalk and bike-lane enhancements. 

Business Nominees (one position available):

Blayne Tucker, Owner – The Mix on N. St. Mary’s Street: Mr. Tucker has worked on virtually every aspect of the music and entertainment business for a variety of clients including Cyril Neville, Bobby Valentino, and Gary Clark Jr. On behalf of Gary Clark Jr., Mr. Tucker has participated in every aspect of his career: management, business management, legal affairs, tour management, booking, promotions, marketing, publicity, merchandising, fan club interaction, and publishing administration. He is the founder of the North St. Mary’s Business Owners Association, served as Commissioner on the Tricentennial Commission when appointed by then Councilman Ron Nirenberg, and is owner of The Mix on North St. Mary’s St. Additionally, Mr. Tucker is the managing partner for Do210.com. San Antonio’s premiere event calendar listing providing the most comprehensive event database for local and national events.

Mr. Tucker was in private practice handling a wide variety of cases that involved: business litigation, multi-district litigation, criminal defense, business transactions, international law, wills and probate, personal injury, divorce, child custody, adoption, and appeals before the Court of Veterans Appeals and Air Force Board for the Correction of Military Records. Mr. Tucker has practiced extensively in both state and federal district and appellate courts. Mr. Tucker completed his B.S. from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in just over two years, as well as attaining his J.D. from Texas Wesleyan University School of Law in Fort Worth, Texas. Blayne is running for re-election for his second term on the THCA Board. 

Beth Schleif, Director of Business Development, Metropolitan Methodist Hospital: Beth is excited for the chance to participate in the Tobin Hill Community Association as she grew up with parents very active in their own community association in her hometown of Clear Lake, outside of Houston, and experienced the benefits of residents and businesses working together. 

Beth attended Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, where she played basketball for the school and participated in Greek life. After completing her bachelors degree, Beth moved to San Antonio in 2008 and began work in fundraising and development with the McNay Art Museum. She later moved to Institutional Advancement for UT Health where she found purpose and inspiration in advancing research and treatment in medicine, particularly seeing the positive impact it had on patients. With a desire to do more in the healthcare world, Beth decided to pursue a Masters in Healthcare Administration at Trinity University. She found her home at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital when doing her Administrative residency year, and stayed on board as an Associate Administrator after completing her degree in 2015. In this operations role Beth had the chance to collaborate with many department teams while implementing the patient food services room service model, overseeing construction projects, and leading employee engagement initiatives. In 2017 Beth transitioned to the business development role and has enjoyed the work she now gets to do, partnering with physicians in both the hospital and community. 

Outside of the hospital Beth enjoys participating in the ministries of her church, Laurel Heights United Methodist, where she sings in the choir, volunteers with the youth group, and serves on the Staff Parish Relations Committee. 

Thank you to all of the members who are willing to serve as Board Members for the Community Association.

Prepared by the THCA Nominating Committee: Callie Flynn, Rachel O’Hern, and Anisa Schell