By Maggie Beamguard
Insider Editor
The Seven Lakes Landowners Association Board of Directors announced leadership transitions in July as the community prepares for major infrastructure projects and continues to address facility needs.
Doug O’Brien recently resigned from the board and Bob Hayes retired from the board effective July 25.
Succeeding O’Brien as Facilities Director is Eric Denfeld, a retired U.S. Navy commander and licensed professional engineer with decades of experience in engineering, facilities management and public works.
Denfeld and his wife relocated to Seven Lakes from Jacksonville, Florida more than a year ago. Board members said his background will be an asset as the association continues maintaining and improving community amenities.
The board also appointed Heather Guild to fill the remaining eight months of Bob Hayes term as Lakes and Dams Director.
Unlike the Facilities Director position, which was opened to community applicants, the Lakes and Dams position was filled by direct appointment. Board President Charlotte Kennedy said the decision reflected the unique circumstances surrounding the Sequoia Lake bottom drain project.
The $3.2 million drain replacement is scheduled to begin in Sept. and to continue into 2027. According to the board, the project has been in development for approximately seven years and requires close coordination among engineers, state regulators, local officials and the Lakes and Dams Committee.
Guild has served on the Lakes and Dams Committee and has worked closely with legislators, the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality, engineers and other stakeholders involved in the project. The board said her familiarity with the project’s history, funding efforts and regulatory requirements made her uniquely qualified to oversee the work during this critical phase.
In announcing the appointment, the board emphasized that the decision was intended as a project-specific exception and was not meant to establish a new practice for filling future vacancies. The directors said they believed maintaining continuity on one of the association’s largest infrastructure projects was in the community’s best interest.
Contact Maggie Beamguard at maggie@thepilot.com.
