I was born in Charlotte NC at the Presbyterian Hospital to Alton and June Duckett and baptized on an Easter Sunday morning at the Salem Memorial Methodist Church in Charlotte. Being born into a Navy family meant relocating during my lifetime, so after growing up predominately in Norfolk, VA we moved to Newport, RI where I met my future husband, Richard Harris, and spent the next 35 years of my life. While in Newport I worked in the hospitality industry for 30 years as a Director of Sales & Marketing at several hotels and had the privilege of assisting the state and Washington DC delegations in planning the American Legislative Exchange Conference. I served on the Board of Directors for Rogers High School vocational school as well as a Board Member for our own HOA. I was also very active in The Order of Eastern Star and had the honor of serving as Grand Marshal for the Grand Chapter of RI.

After Richard’s retirement from the Newport Fire Department, we relocated to Jacksonville, FL to be close to my parents, who had retired in Ponte Vedra Beach. Shortly after our move, one of my dad’s friends introduced me to the owner of the insurance agency where he was a commercial insurance agent. This introduction was the beginning of my insurance career. I took classes at UNF Jax and obtained my Customer Service License. Two years later, after working directly under the tutelage of the owner, who had been in Commercial Insurance for many years, I sat for and successfully passed my insurance agents exam, got my license and specialized in homeowners and condominium associations coverages.

Summers were particularly special as we always found our way back to North Carolina to visit my family who were and still are scattered all over the state. After my parents were gone, we decided it was time for us to move to NC so I could be closer to my family, thus, our relocating to New Bern in February of 2022. Immediately after moving to New Bern, I applied and received my NC Property and Casualty Insurance License as well as Brokers and Agency License. I am in the process of retiring but do still maintain my insurance license in FL and NC as well as my agency license in both states.

In 2024 I was asked if I would fill a vacancy on the Board of Directors for Fairfield Harbour, which I gladly agreed to. My hope was that my years in the hospitality industry in Newport, RI with food service and hotel management, might be an asset to helping promote the Pointe Restaurant. I also felt that my 23 years in commercial insurance might be beneficial as I have found over the years that Property Managers are usually at the mercy of their insurance agent. Being on the BOD allowed me the opportunity to meet with the insurance agent for the Harbour and review the policies and coverage we had in place. It also allowed me the opportunity to work with the insurance agent as well as the Builder for the Harbour Club to negotiate the best price and coverage for the Builders Risk policy. In doing this we were able to save $30,000 and obtain much more coverage through the builder than through an independent agency. While on the BOD, I have been involved in the establishment of the Pointe Restaurant Advisory panel, under the chairmanship of Walter Littleton and the Board Advisory Panel, under the chairmanship of Phil Yandel. The Board authorized me to remarket our insurances to see if we had access to other markets that would offer equal or better coverage at better pricing, but unfortunately, with an active lawsuit against the POA we will be unable to obtain insurance quotes from any carrier for many years to come.

I fell in love with Fairfield Harbour years ago. My cousin has lived in New Bern for a long time, and we visited often. I knew this was where I wanted to retire. My husband of 42 years, being the great guy that he is, had only one stipulation – it had to be gated. So here we are. I have enjoyed my time on the board and feel that I still have much to offer this community. I think that there will always be challenges in managing our costs and budget, but I feel that this board has done an exceptional job in doing this.

I believe this community is at a turning point. Do we move forward and continue to grow or stagnate or worse, go backwards? I know of no reason why I would be precluded from being elected to the board and therefore would appreciate your vote. Please help Neil Watts and I continue to help move Fairfield Harbour forward.

6320 Albatross Drive

sdebharris.poaboard@gmail.com

(904) 476-8463