The Circle Steering Committee
Stuart Weismiller
Chair
Art has been a central part of my life since childhood. I have studied and taught fine arts, art history, and art therapy, and I remain deeply engaged in the creative community. After relocating from Rowayton, Connecticut, to Vero Beach, Florida, with my husband, Chip, in 2021, I quickly became active in the local arts scene. Drawn to Vero Beach for its welcoming pace and intimate scale, I was delighted to discover its vibrant and growing arts community.
I have taken numerous classes at the Vero Beach Museum of Art (VBMA) and became a member of The Circle in 2022, serving on its Communications Committee. I am honored to serve as Chair of The Circle, where I aim to enhance the member experience through new programs, events, and enriching art-related opportunities
My professional background includes over 40 years of experience in Financial Services and business consulting. I have held senior roles at American Express, Merrill Lynch, and Accenture, and served as Managing Partner at Marketing Tactics, Inc., a firm specializing in business and marketing strategy.
Additionally, I have served on numerous nonprofit boards, including the Rowayton Arts Center, Norwalk Community College Foundation, Community Partners of CT, and the Harvard Business School Alumni Board.
Cindy Mochel
Secretary/Treasurer
Cindy is a former senior executive for a large global organization, specializing in policy and program development. She holds a Master of Arts in Management from Wayland Baptist University and a master’s degree in public affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
During her early career, she worked throughout Europe, while residing in Madrid and London. She recently relocated to Orchid Island, Florida after living in Hawaii for over 20 years.
Cindy is an amateur multi-media artist. She studied art and gallery management at the University of Hawaii, and completed an Atelier at the Academia del Giglio in Florence, Italy. She recently studied at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida.
Cindy interned at the Gallery Iolani at the university in Hawaii under the tutelage of the renowned Director. She was an Associate Director at the Gallery on the Pali, the Gallery Director at New Smyrna Plein-air Expositions, and has curated exhibitions for a variety of nonprofit art organizations.
She continues to take classes from artists she admires and that pique her interest. When not advocating art, she enjoys working in her vast gardens, engaging in various outdoor sports activities, and traveling.
Catharine Sturgess
Communications
Catharine and her husband, Jeffrey, moved to Vero Beach four years ago after more than 40 years in New Canaan, Connecticut, where they raised their two children, Cate and Christopher. Drawn by family connections, they made their home in The Estuary and were quickly impressed by Vero’s vibrant nonprofit community.
A Vassar College graduate with a lifelong love of art, Catharine immersed herself in the college’s renowned art history program and has since traveled extensively with Jeffrey to experience the art of Italy, France, Germany, and beyond. Introduced to The Circle by a close friend in 2024, she joined without hesitation.
Catharine’s career as an equity analyst was followed by years as a devoted mother and community leader. She has applied her skills in fundraising, event planning, and strategic development to organizations supporting children, families, the arts, and the environment.
As Communications Chair for The Circle, she is eager to strengthen member engagement and highlight the museum’s offerings, while also contributing to special events and membership initiatives.
Jean Spaulding
Membership and Special Events Co-Chair
I am a New Englander, raised outside of Boston. I attended Mount Holyoke College and after, life took me to Vermont and on to Maine, where I raised my two sons. Currently, I spend 6 months of the year in New Hampshire.
I have worked most of my career in management positions for non-profits as well as in education. Highlights along the way include Dartmouth College, the Maine Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and Babson College.
I volunteered throughout my working years, at my sons’ schools, our church, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and the Lake Sunapee Protection Association. I recently resigned from the board of the Center for the Arts in New London, where I served as the liaison to local schools, helping to enhance their art programs.
I am not an artist in any sense of the word, but I do appreciate art and all that it adds to people’s lives.
After searching the West Coast of Florida, my husband, Bob, and I found what we were looking for in Vero Beach, where we purchased a home in 2020. I joined Impact 100 in 2021, where I met June Fitzgerald as the head of volunteers. June introduced me to The Circle, which I joined in 2023.
I initially agreed to “help” June with Membership and then found myself chairing the committee! I have enjoyed getting to know many of the members and appreciate the efforts of The Circle and the amazing community outreach done by VBMA.
Joan Semmer
Programs Chair
Joan grew up in Minnesota and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1972. She splits her time between Minnesota, Vero Beach, the shores of Lake Superior, and traveling the world. She is single and is blessed to have one daughter, Anne Abel, a Neuro Ophthalmologist, two lovely granddaughters, and a wonderful son-in-law.
Over the course of her business career Joan built and owned her own strategic branding and packaging design company, Semmer Group. For 32 years she worked extensively on national and international brands, including Toshiba, Baby Bel, Laughing Cow, Scotch tape, Post-it notes, Littman stethoscopes, 3M, Land O Lakes, Pillsbury, General Mills, Target, Hormel, and Jennie-O.
In 2001, Joan established The Phillip Austin Semmer Internship Program at Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) in memory of her son Phillip. In 2013, Joan created The Phillip G. Semmer Fellowship in Advanced Prostate Cancer at the U of M Medical School in memory of her former husband Phil.
Joan is delighted to support several non-profits in Vero Beach, including The Circle, Impact 100, the Vero Beach Ballet, the Vero Beach Opera, and Keystone Education Center, a nonprofit tutoring center for neurodivergent students.
In Minnesota, Joan is a member of Les Dames d’ Escoffier, she sings with the 100-voice Edina Chorale and is a board member at Kairos Alive!. Her hobbies include singing, cooking, golfing, painting, reading, water fitness, and travel.
Joan will be Program Chair for The Circle in 2025-26.
Mary Wright
Hospitality Co-Chair
Mary L. Wright’s journey from the heart of Texas to the shores of Vero Beach is a story of professional excellence and community devotion. With a career that spanned major cities including Houston, New Orleans, Miami, and the Connecticut coast, Mary brought her signature blend of innovation, leadership, and grace to every role she undertook.
A seasoned marketing professional, Mary’s expertise covered Public Relations, Customer Management and Business Operations across a wide range of industries. Her career included high-level responsibilities at Fortune 100 companies and global organizations, where she consistently led teams to success with vision and integrity. Her early roles in fashion—as a Buyer and later a National Manager—reflected her keen eye for detail and her ability to anticipate trends, both in style and in business.
After relocating to Vero Beach with her husband Doug, Mary transitioned her talents to the nonprofit sector, becoming a driving force behind several local charities. Her leadership has been instrumental in organizations such as The Circle, Hibiscus Children’s Center, VBMA’s Fashion Meets Art, Pillar Community Church, and Saint Francis Manor. Whether chairing events or serving as a director, Mary’s commitment to community and compassion continues to make a lasting impact.
Mary L. Wright exemplifies what it means to live a life of purpose—balancing a distinguished career with heartfelt service. Her story is one of elegance, dedication, and enduring influence. Mary looks forward to continuing as Hospitality Co-Chair for the Circle.
Leigh Sudbrink
Hospitality Co-Chair
Leigh was born in Richmond, Virginia, and grew up in Falls Church, Virginia. After graduating from The University of Richmond she began a job in sales and marketing at AT&T in Washington, DC. Her career spanned 16 years, taking her to New Jersey and numerous international locations.
In the summertime, Leigh and her husband, Craig, live in Manteo, NC. They have a son, Tyler, who is earning an MBA as a second-year student at Darden School of Business at University of Virginia. Before Vero, The Sudbrinks made Greensboro, NC home for 34 years. During that time Leigh held many positions in a range of volunteer organizations. She plans to continue volunteering in Vero.
Painting in oil is Leigh’s preferred medium. She believes anyone can learn to paint with commitment and good instruction. When she moved to Vero Beach in 2023, she enrolled in classes at the VBMA and continued to expand her skills. She was delighted to learn about the Circle and joined in 2024. She will serve on the Hospitality Committee.
Karen Nuccitelli
Special Events Co-Chair
Karen is a fervent advocate for women and children, committed to creating positive social change and empowering individuals through language, education, and gender equality. As a former highly decorated Air Force International Affairs Officer, with 25 years of honorable service, Karen experienced the world.
She fell in love with the people and culture of Morocco and now considers it her second home. As an ambassador, empowerment facilitator, and long-time donor and fundraiser for the Moroccan organization, Project Soar, she has spent her summers in Morocco to mentor and support teenage girls to learn English, overcome social inequalities, and stay in school and avoid child marriage.
Karen is also actively engaged in her local community as a volunteer, philanthropist, and patron of the arts. She volunteers at an elementary school, is a steering committee member for The Circle of Vero Beach Museum of Arts, and serves as a board member for Ballet Vero Beach. She is also a member of the American Association of University Women, where she serves on their scholarship and mentorship committees and facilitates their Foreign Policy Association Discussion Group.
She lives in Vero Beach, Florida with her husband, Kevin, and is a bonus-mom to his three sons. Karen loves to play tennis, horseback riding, and travel.
Diane Wilhelm
History and Culture Co-Chair
Diane and her husband, Larry, moved to Vero Beach about 25 years ago. Until 2 years ago, they were snowbirds, going back to Illinois for part of the year to see their five sons and grandchildren. Diane is a registered nurse and obtained her MBA from Lake Forest School of Management. She worked at Evanston Hospital for over 20 years in various positions, her favorite being an ER nurse. She ended her career as a Benefit’s Manager for a Fortune 500 Company.
A deciding factor for her in choosing Vero Beach was the Museum, hospital, and theater, all in close proximity, and in that order. She started volunteering at the Museum almost immediately and later joined the Friends of the Museum. She chaired many events and served as Vice President and President.
During her time as Vice President to the organization, she and Lyn Adams, President to the Friends of the Museum, were asked to start The Circle, formerly known as the Circle of Friends. It was through this transformation, and during her tenure, that the November Opening Tea, site visits, and The Eye Newsletter were introduced as regular activities of the organization. She is immensely proud of the continual growth of The Circle under the leadership of the Steering Committee members.
Volunteering is an important part of her life. Diane has volunteered in the ER at Cleveland Clinic for over 10 years and is a highly active Guild member of the Hibiscus Children’s Center.
She looks forward to contributing however needed in this position as The Circle Historian and working with a dynamic group of women support The Circle’s impact on the VBMA community.
Diane McGinn
History and Culture Co-Chair
Diane grew up in Ohio in a family where art and music were an important part of everyday life. She graduated from Wittenberg University and continued at Western Michigan University for her graduate degree. Diane eventually moved east to live in Georgetown while teaching in Fairfax, Virginia. It wasn’t long before she met her husband and moved back to the Midwest…this time to Wisconsin where she began her long and wonderful career with Houghton Mifflin Publishing Company working with children, teachers, and administrators in schools across the Midwest.
Vero Beach became a new chapter after her two daughters were married and four grandchildren arrived on the scene. After retiring and settling into Castaway Cove, making new friends was of great interest along with keeping up with the arts. Joining The Circle fulfilled both of these interests.
Work with The Circle has become an avenue for continuing involvement in education, not only for young children, but for adults of all ages. The goal of bringing the arts into all parts of the Vero Beach community has been a real inspiration along with making many new amazing friendships.