Friends of the Commodore Trail
We are a group of Coconut Grove and Coral Gables neighbors working together to create a world-class urban trail through the oldest neighborhoods on Miami’s waterfront. The Commodore Trail unites the full five-mile length of Coconut Grove to join the Coral Gables waterway neighborhoods. Starting at the Rickenbacker Causeway it includes South Bayshore Drive, winds past eleven parks, eight schools and the heart of The Grove’s business district. The Trail continues along the beautiful, canopied stretch of Main Highway and Douglas Road all the way to Coral Gables’ Cocoplum Circle.
For many Grovites, the Commodore Trail acts as the picturesque sidewalk in front of their home—a place where they stroll with friends, meet new neighbors, walk to school or play with their dog. The route is heavily used and enjoyed for walking, biking, running and recreation, and links us to our parks, schools, transportation hubs, historic sites, businesses, and community gathering spots.
Sounds ideal, but reality intrudes. Infrastructure issues and no cohesive urban plan undermine safety, accessibility and adequate space for all the ways we use the Trail every day. As volunteers, the Friends of the Commodore Trail advocate for near-term and long-term improvements to the Trail and we invite you to join us!
Founders
Mary Munroe Seabrook, Co-Founder
A fourth generation Miami native, Mary is the great-granddaughter of Commodore Ralph Munroe, for whom the Commodore Trail is named. She grew up riding her bike everywhere and has ridden with her daughters to school since they were one and three years old. Her background is in public health/health promotion, and she believes that riding bikes and exercising on the Trail is a wonderful benefit to the mind, body, and spirit. She understands first-hand how the Commodore Trail connects neighbors and businesses and how it builds a valuable sense of community while reducing traffic and carbon emissions from cars. Mary dedicates her time to improving her community through many local service organizations and schools, but her main job is improving the Commodore Trail, making it safe and user-friendly for all. She lives in Coconut Grove with her husband and two daughters just one-half block from the Commodore Trail.
Hank Sanchez-Resnik, Co-Founder
A dedicated activist working to improve the environment through a focus on carbon-free mobility, Hank Sanchez-Resnik lives in Center Grove with his wife Lucienne. He has led efforts to improve transportation and mobility options, particularly to improve bicycling infrastructure, in both Miami and Berkeley, Calif., where he and his family lived for several decades before relocating to Miami. Hank is the founder and executive director of Bike Coconut Grove and a member of the Miami-Dade County Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). A career journalist, editor, and media producer, he also publishes the Coconut Grove Spotlight.
Board Chairman
Mel Meinhardt
Mel Meinhardt is a civic entrepreneur who passionately applies his experience in business and strategy to serve neighbors. Mel began his career in public service as an officer aboard submarines in the Arctic and later as a strategist and technology manager for the CIA. He held senior strategy roles at major corporations before leading investments for New York based asset management firms. Mel is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the Wharton School of Business. He served as a national trustee of the USNA Alumni Association. With his wife Lauren Smith and their son Luke, he lives in Coconut Grove.
Board Of Directors
Carrie Jackson
Carrie Jackson is an artist, creator and businesswoman who envisions and executes many of the Commodore Trail’s signature happenings. Passionate about inspiring others to their own creative expressions, she has taught hundreds of Grovites and through her Secret Garden Tours inspired many to bring the best of nature to their homes.
Joseph S. Mensch, MD
A Miami native since 1952, he graduated medical school at the University of Miami and Completed his residency in orthopedics at UCLA. He returned to Miami in 1975, first entering private practice then retired from the University of Miami department of Orthopedics in 2016. Since then, he has run a charity clinic at Camillus Health Concern. He is a former trustee of History Miami.
As a medical doctor, having treated multiple injuries involving cars vs. bicycles and pedestrians, he is acutely aware of the safety/prevention issues surrounding the Commodore Trail. His past role as Commodore of the Coral Reef Yacht Club made him cognizant of the drainage, congestion and political challenges along the South Bayshore Dr. corridor.
Gloria Romero Roses
A long-time professional in housing and development, Gloria is a founding board member of Transit Alliance Miami, chair of the Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade, a member of the FIU College of Business Dean’s Council, treasurer of the global nonprofit Catholics for Choice, a member of the steering committee of the Catholic Call to Action Immigration Workgroup, and a proud Rotarian. Gloria is a passionate advocate for issues that include investment to reverse the trends of recidivism within our juvenile and adult justice system and educational programming to develop self-growth and effective life skills for incarcerated women, men, youth, and other at-risk populations in underserved communities. Gloria and her husband Tom have two adult children.
Juhi Saigal-Shah
Juhi Saigal-Shah is a clinical psychologist working in the nonprofit sector. She has double masters degrees in clinical psychology from the New School of Social Research in New York and in applied psychology from the University of Bombay, India. Her clinical interests include working with adults with schizophrenia and children diagnosed with brain tumors. She serves as co-chair of United Way of Miami-Dade Florida’s Education II Impact Council. She is actively engaged with urban development issues and serves on the board of Historic Philadelphia in addition to her civic involvement in Miami. She divides her time between Miami, New York, and Philadelphia. Juhi is member of the Florida Council of 100, along with her husband Neil, and lives with their two children, Simrin and Arhan, in Coconut Grove.
Jonathan Truppman
Jonathan Truppman is a second-generation Miami native and business executive helping scale tech startups from early stage through public operations. He is passionate about engaging with local community-based organizations and civic issues, focusing on the intersections of community, education and arts.
Jonathan is also the Co-Chair of the Board of Directors of Artists in Residence in the Everglades (“AIRIE”) and a supporter of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation. Growing up in Miami, Jonathan also worked with numerous local organizations and community leaders including the Super Bowl Host Committee, the Miami Herald, the Hon. Scott J. Silverman and Rodney Barreto.
He is a graduate of Ransom Everglades School, Columbia University, and Harvard Law School. Jonathan began his career at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP in New York City and clerked for the Hon. Victor Marrero (S.D.N.Y.). He currently lives in Coconut Grove, with his wife, Tilé Allemann.
Volunteer Leaders
Hortensia Aguirre
Hortensia Victoria Aguirre is originally from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and relocated to Coconut Grove 25 years ago because it reminded her of her upbringing in the neighborhood of San Isidro with its proximity to the water, wild foliage, and the pedestrian and bicycle closeness to downtown. She lives in the West Grove, where she raised her two boys. Hortensia bicycles everywhere she goes!
Hortensia is an entrepreneur with a vision. She enjoys helping in her community and making friends with neighbors. She has a long trajectory as a private swimming instructor and she is certified in several aquatic therapies and is also a local realtor interested in preserving the richness of Coconut Grove’s nature, beauty, history, landscape, and architecture. She is a lead volunteer on our “TrailBlazers” team, serving as the eyes and ears of the Trail to identify issues, report them, and advocate for solutions.
Hortensia’s mom taught her the gift of being able to volunteer. She is forever grateful for her lesson and so are we.
Nicole Lopez – Carell
Nicole joined our Board because of her children and family life. She is a mom of 3… Twin 6-year-olds and a 5-year-old. She lives in the Grove and was looking for fun ways to be part of the community while involving her little ones. Nicole found that as wonderful as the Grove is, there were few family-friendly activities that involved her neighborhood, nature, history, and family. She was excited to join forces with Friends of the Commodore Trail to help build an active, family-friendly community within Coconut Grove.
Originally from Puerto Rico, Nicole moved to Miami in 1992 but has lived in South Miami/ Pinecrest most of her life and has been a resident of Coconut Grove since 2014. Nicole is also a Pilates Instructor teaching one-on-one sessions at her home studio, Sundara Pilates.
You can meet Nicole on the Trail every Thursday during the weekly Commodore Family Promenade.
Lotte Purkus
As coordinator of the biannual Coconut Grove Bike and Walk to School event, Lotte Purkis believes strongly that safe routes to school benefit the whole community. Each year she actively engages schools, residents, local sponsors, government, and non-government organizations to promote safe, healthy ways for children to reach school. As a community advocate, Lotte helped develop the GroveConnect Mobility Action Plan which demonstrates the shared stakeholder vision of a safer, more inclusive, walkable, bicycle-friendly environment.
Lotte, her husband Sam—both British, and their two daughters are committed Coconut Grove cyclists. Hence, the Commodore Trail forms an integral part of the family’s daily routine. As a career cartographer, Lotte brings to your Friend’s Board her unique perspective and vision for a safer and more inclusive, accessible, multi-modal connected community.
Trail Blazers
Trail Blazers are the voice of Trail advocacy and receive training and practice to influence policymakers, the press and community groups using their own authentic voices.
Hortensia Aguirre
Steven Bessellieu
Jeremy Calleros Gauger
John Dolson
Melissa Dynan
Emily Getzenberg
Ralph Jimenez
Kristen Lynch
Sady Wagner
Paris Wallace
Trail Leaders
Friends of the Trail who give their time, talents and expertise to move our mission forward
Amy Agramonte
Etain Connor
Ben Glatzer
Stacie Gray
Iris Guzman-Kolaya
Cena Hackler Jackson
David Marc Harris
Barbara Lamb
Miriam Maer
John Palenchar
Maria Prorok
Janice Pruett
Alyn Pruett
Teresa Sarnoff
Leni Sender
Melissa Shuffield
Eleanor Williamson
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You already know that good things don’t ‘just happen’. Good people, working together, help create a better life for us all.
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