T. Peter Kristian, general manager of Hilton Head Plantation Property Owners' Association in Hilton Head, S.C., has been elected 2008 president of Community Associations Institute (CAI), a 28,500-member national organization dedicated to fostering vibrant, successful community associations across the country.
Kristian was elected to the post by members of the CAI Board of Trustees.
A member of CAI since 1988, Kristian has served on the Institute's Board of Trustees for five years. He has also served on CAI's Government and Public Affairs Committee, Large-Scale Managers Committee, an ethics review panel and a blue-ribbon task force that addressed the certification of community managers. Kristian has been active in both the Maryland and South Carolina chapters of CAI. In 1997, he was honored as "Volunteer of the Year" for his work as co-chair of the Maryland Legislative Action Committee.
In addition to earning his Certified Manager of Community Associations (CMCA) credential, Kristian holds the Large-Scale Manager (LSM) and Professional Community Association Manager (PCAM) designations, both awarded by CAI.
Kristian has been involved in community management for almost 24 years.
He joined the staff of Hilton Head Plantation as general manager in February 2000. With about 4,200 homes and close to 9,000 residents, the association encompasses almost 4,000 acres, featuring parks, pools, lagoons, lakes, marshes, two conservancies, a beach, tennis courts and acres of unspoiled open space. Kristian currently serves as vice chairman of the Hilton Head Island Board of Zoning Appeals.
Before moving to South Carolina, Kristian spent 16 years with Montgomery Village Foundation, a large community association in suburban Maryland, where he held the positions of facilities manager, director of community operations and executive vice president, a position he assumed in 1992. He was appointed to the Montgomery County Commission on Common Ownership Communities in 1995, chairing the commission in 1998-99.
Kristian holds a bachelor's of science degree from Manhattan College and a master's degree from Long Island University. He and his wife, Martha, have been married for 35 years and have three children and two grandchildren.
More than 57 million Americans live in almost 300,000 association-governed communities nationwide.
CAI is an educational and advocacy organization dedicated to helping homeowner and condominium associations meet the expectations of their residents, providing information, tools and resources to volunteers and professionals responsible for community association governance and management. More information can be obtained at www.caionline.org or by calling toll-free (888) 224-4321.