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Josette Wheatley
Wheatley is originally from Moncton, a city in southeastern New Brunswick, Canada.
She and her husband, Bob, raised four children in Howard County, Maryland before moving to Ocean Pines full time in 2019.
The family purchased a home in the community in 2014 to be closer to family. Wheatley said her in-laws live next door and have been homeowners since 1996.
Wheatley’s professional background includes 25 years in civil engineering, with much of that time spent as a Maryland State Highway consultant working for an engineering firm in Ellicott City. Today, she runs American Engineering Solutions, which is certified by the Maryland Department of Transportation as a woman-owned small business.
“My husband and I have been business owners for the past eight years, providing drafting services for new home construction and renovation plans, including permitting for both residential and commercial projects within Maryland, Delaware and Washington, D.C.,” she said. “My experience includes storm water management, roundabouts, and bridge and road designs,” she said.
Since moving to Ocean Pines, Wheatley has been an active volunteer. She previously served on both the 50th Anniversary Committee, and the Communications Advisory Committee, where she served as the committee secretary.
“I have learned that the committees are the pulse of our community, and the people who volunteer are passionate in our success,” she said. “In the past, I was president for my homeowner's association in Howard County for four years. During those years, we worked on creating a financial reserve for our aging infrastructure. I also served as a liaison of CERN, a community emergency response network, which worked closely with our communities.”
As an Ocean Pines Board member, Wheatley hopes to be a unifying force. She will serve as the Association Secretary, and the liaison to the Communications and Elections committees.
“My focus for this year is to help bring the board of Directors together and to meet the needs of the community,” she said. “I intend to listen to the community and get their voices heard. This includes the drainage issue – as it affects so many of our neighbors – as well as the proposed Northgate roundabout, and the environmental impact on our ponds, canals and our overall water quality.
“Promoting our community is also a top priority,” she continued. “We live in an amazing part of the world, where the beauty is impeccable and so are the people who live here.”