‘Tis the time of year when dreams of crisp air and bright twinkling lights bring in the holidays and fill our hearts with joy.  This month we are featuring a few communities that have captured the spirit of the season with their holiday decorations.  Join us as we take a look at Eilan, Bay Pointe, and Artavia.

Eilan (pictured top, left) is a Tuscan-inspired mixed-used community in San Antonio with a young, modern feel and an amenity-rich environment.  Christmas at Eilan is magical.  The giant Christmas tree is the setting for many beautiful holiday photos by residents and visitors. 

Bay Pointe of Clear Lake City just south of Houston (pictured top, right) is celebrating the season with a charming display at their entrances.  A larger than life "Little Drummer Boy" is on hand to greet residents as they enter the community.  At night, the lights that line their monument make for a spectacular display.  

Artavia, a developing community in Conroe, north of Houston (pictured bottom row), has an impressive Christmas tree displayed at their community center.  Their Christmas tree stands at 32 feet tall and is made up of about 50 individual metal balls of various colors that light up at night. They’ve also added several of the colorful balls along the lawn, lights to the roofline of the community buildings, and a beautiful display of holiday trees in the lobby of their Lifestyle office. 

James White of New Forest
by Adam Bruce

James and his wife Jo Ann-Seary White built their home in New Forest; a beautiful community located in east Houston, in 2005. He was appointed to fill an unexpired term on the New Forest Homeowners Association Board of Directors in 2016, and was elected to a three-year term in 2017. James has served three terms in the office of president.

Mr. White has also taken on additional roles as the needs of the association changed. For example, after growing concerns from the homeowners, the Board decided to gather a petition to install ‘no overnight commercial vehicle parking’ signs throughout the community. Mr. White, along with board members Genevieve Rosignon, Don Nesbitt, John Jones, Osborne Williams, and additional volunteers canvassed the community and surpassed the minimum requirement to have the signs installed by Harris County. Mr. White helped organize, direct, and manage this large-scale project for New Forest. The Association needed 25% of the homeowners to agree to the petition to get the signs installed.

James has been an ordained minister for over 40 years. He is Pastor Emeritus and founder of the Abiding Faith Church of Baytown. James served from 1997 to 2016 as Senior Pastor until his retirement. He grew up in Baytown, Texas where he graduated from G.W. Carver High School. Additionally, James graduated from Texas College, a historically black college in Tyler, Texas, where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science. He continued to further his education obtaining a Master of Arts degree in Christian Education from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. 

James also served as the first African American moderator of the San Jacinto Baptist Association, consisting of fifty-local Southern Baptist churches in spiritual fellowship. The Association covers Baytown, La Porte, Pasadena, Crosby and Tomball communities. Prior to accepting his call to ministry in 1985, White was employed as a journalist for over 10 years covering breaking news at several of Houston’s leading radio stations in the 70’s and early 80’s. He was employed at KPRC 95-AM, KTRH 740 AM, KYOK 1590 AM, and Majic 102.1 FM. During his illustrious career, White covered numerous noteworthy news stories of the day, including the death of billionaire Howard Hughes and the election of Barbara Jordan, the first African American woman from the south to serve in congress since reconstruction.  

White’s professional career continued with employment at the City of Houston. He served on the personal staffs of two of Houston’s former mayors: Jim McConn and Kathryn J. Whitmire. He later managed the appraisal section in the Real Estate Division. James retired from city employment in 2000 and entered fulltime ministry.  

James and Jo Ann Seary-White have been married over 51 years. They have one son, Jomar Christiaan White. They were honored to assist in raising their nephew, Bruce Henry, Jr. and considered him their very own son (now deceased). James and Jo Ann are the proud grandparents of four granddaughters, one grandson, and one great-great grandson.    

We are proud of every one of our communities!  We like to spotlight special and exciting happenings.  To see the full stories on these communities and many others, visit the Community Spotlight page on our site.

Here are the most recent selections:

• December - Reserve at Clear Lake Community Association Houston
• November - Lake House Community Association Houston
• November - The Community Association of Cielo Rio San Antonio
• October - Walker Ranch Homeowners Association San Antonio
• October - Aliana Community Council Houston 
• September - Cinco Ranch Southwest Community Council Houston
• August - Stable Gate Homeowners Association Houston
• July - Yaupon Ranch Homeowners Association Houston
• July - Magnolia Heights Homeowners Association San Antonio

Every month we appreciate the communities that are celebrating their anniversaries with us. Here are the clients that started with us in December.

• Lincoln Green Estates Community Improvement Association - 28 years
• West Bend Community Improvement Association - 7 years
• White Oak Ranch Homeowners Association - 5 years

Our goal has always been to create a positive, long-term relationship with all of our client communities. We are very proud to be managing all of these communities.

Employee Anniversaries

We love to celebrate special milestones with our employees. In the Employee Corner of each eNews issue, we will list all employees that have reached their first anniversary with our company. Additionally, once employees reach five years and become a company stockholder, we recognize them each year on their anniversary month.

Dawna Woods, Maintenance Coordinator out of our North Houston office, is celebrating her silver anniversary.  Congratulations to her on 25 years with our company! Dawna is the queen of organization and running a tight ship. When she is not at work, she focuses on her family which includes her husband, 3 sons, and 3 granddaughters.  She also loves on her 2 dogs, 5 "grand" dogs, and a "grand" cat!  Dawna enjoys live theater and finding the perfect bargain.   

Kimberly Cowart is celebrating her 8th year with the company! Kim is a General Manager at our North Houston office managing one of our largest communities.  Kim is known to handle the many complexities of community management with calm and grace.  She is frequently the go-to peson when you just need someone to talk to.  When the work is done, Kim loves spending time at the beach all year round and is known for her love of animals and having a house full of rescue pets.  

Compliance Coordinator Alicia Adams is also celebrating her 8-year anniversary this month! Alicia works out of the North Houston office providing needed documentation for home sales within our communities.  She was previously an Adminsitrative Assistant and is fully capable and always willing to step in wherever help is needed.  During her free time, some of the activities Alicia enjoys include camping, baking, sewing, and knitting. 

Administrative Assistant Alyssa Moore is celebrating her 1-year anniversary this month! Alyssa works out of our San Antonio office and helps keep the community managers organized and on schedule.  She is witty and hilarious, enteraining everyone in the office.  Her and her husband recently welcomed their first child Kayson in September.

Stay Plugged in With Webcasts

We offer each of our seminars in the form of a recorded webcast on demand for you to watch at any time! If you are interested in one of our seminars, they are available on our YouTube channel. The following seminars are now available:

• Board Member Orientation
• Practical Deed Restriction Management
• Understanding Collections and Financial Reports
• Meetings and Records - The Legal Requirements
• The Essentials of Architectural Control
• The Super-Budgeting Process
• Advanced Topics for Board Members

To watch any of the webcasts, simply click on the links above.

Associations in Practice Series

Our Associations in Practice Series is an offering of short videos with very specific topics.  Our newest video is Texas 87th Legislative Session.  The 2021 session of the Texas legislature produced significant changes to the Texas Property Code affecting property owners’ associations. This video explores those changes and provides specific follow-up recommendations. 

C.I.A. Services, Inc. has a long and proud history of providing up-to-date news on our company happenings, industry news, and association governance.  Each month, we are pleased to share with you our eNews Monthly.  Each issue is loaded with great information! 

We have broadened our social media presence to include LinkedIn and Facebook. With these additional layers of communication, you can always find the latest information about our company, employees, association management, and other related news.  

If you are not already following us, please ”Like” us on Facebook and “Follow” us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all things C.I.A. Services and beyond.

Every month, we issue an electronic newsletter, eNews Monthly, to keep clients informed about Association items, spotlight clients, answer frequently asked questions, and let you know what is happening with the company. Old issues of eNews Monthly are available on our Library page.