The Honorable Laura Frawley, president, of Hubbard Lake, Michigan, is a founding member of Inspiration Alcona and judge of the Probate Court of Alcona County. She and her staff have won several awards for their work with juveniles. She sits on the State Bar of Michigan’s Standing Committee on Judicial Ethics. She helps Inspiration Alcona with legal issues and operates the summer concert series Harbor Nights. She is also co-chair of the annual Alcona GospelFest event. Judge Frawley holds a BFA from Northern Michigan University and a Juris Doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
Will St. John, vice-president, of Lincoln, Michigan, a retired editor for the Detroit Free Press, is a founding member of Inspiration Alcona and originated its school programs. He is past president of the Alcona County Library Board, past vice president of the Alcona County Commission on Aging and past treasurer of the Harrisville Arts Council. He also served on the grant review boards of the Michigan Arts and Culture Council. He holds a BA from Rice University and a PhD from Johns Hopkins University.
Lynn VanderLinde, secretary, of Black River, Michigan, is a retired reference assistant for the Alcona County Library, where she was directly responsible for the library’s art-related programming for all ages. She is also an Alcona Historical Society committee chairperson and financial secretary for her church. She is cochair of the Alcona GospelFest event. She holds a BS from Central Michigan University.
Judy St. John, treasurer, of Lincoln, is a retired banker turned artist and a board member and treasurer of the Northeast Michigan Art Guild. She has taught classes for two local art guilds and for the Alcona County Library. She serves as co-chair of the Alcona Arts Retreat. Judy holds a BS from the University of Michigan, an MS from Johns Hopkins University and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University.
Lenny Avery, of Spruce, Michigan, board member, is economic development coordinator for the Alpena Area Chamber of Commerce, as well as a pastor and motivational speaker. Outside his professional roles, Lenny enjoys creative writing and poetry. He holds a BS from Southeastern Louisiana University. He and his wife, Kyla, have two young children.
Ilona Breitmeyer, of Harrisville, Michigan, board member, has been in the food business most of her life. She began in her family’s German restaurant, Muehlbeck’s, in Harrisville. She has also been a high school teacher, food and beverage manager, executive chef, and dietary manager at a nursing home. She maintains an active catering operation. Ilona has degrees from Bauder College and Lansing Community College.
Helen Hierta, of Greenbush, Michigan, board member, is a ceramic artist and author. While living in Los Angeles, she was a private chef specializing in organic farm to table cuisine, raw foods and fasting before those ideas became mainstream; built Noble Ideas, a natural dessert business distributing to Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s; raised four children, and published a book of poems. Helen has won awards for her ceramics in regional and national shows. Eight of her pieces are showing at Dow Gardens in Midland for the 2025-2026 year. For more about her ceramics, see instagram.com/helenhiertaceramics.
Helen founded the Huron Artist Residency Collaboration, of which Inspiration Alcona is proud to be a sponsor. This community outreach hosts visiting artists annually and this year is teaching ceramic arts to students at Alcona High School.
Tim Lee, of Ossineke, Michigan, board member, is principal of Alcona Elementary School. In 2019, he was named Regional Principal of the Year by the Michigan Elementary and Middle School Principals Association. Tim is the father of young twin daughters. Tim’s bachelor’s degree is from Central Michigan University and his masters is from Grand Valley State University.
Alice Sharp, of Lincoln, Michigan, board member, is a recently retired designer-illustrator specializing in scenic artwork using traditional and digital media. Alice is author of the book “Humphrey Suits Himself,” illustrated by her husband, Paul Sharp. She has been a creative director, art director and designer in the party goods, gift wrap and greeting card industries. Watercolor is her favorite medium, but she’s always open to exploring new visual arts. She and her husband, Paul Sharp, are founding members of the Bloomington (Indiana) Watercolor Society. With a BFA from Herron School of Art at Indiana University, she also studied creative writing and painting at Sedona Arts Center in Arizona.
Paul Sharp, of Lincoln, Michigan, board member, is a recently retired professional illustrator of characters for children’s books and commercial products. He worked as art director for Curtis Publishing, children’s magazines, the Random House Happy House group, puzzles and games. His honors include an Addy award, the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award, and ECPA Silver Medallion Book Award. When he’s not illustrating a project, Paul enjoys playing the guitar, drawing, painting outdoors, and kayaking. Paul is a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and studied digital art at Yavapai College in Sedona, Arizona.
Erynn Ziegler, of Ossineke, Michigan, board member,