The Club at Dunes West Staff

Membership/Social Director

 Candace Bailey   

Candace graduated from the College of Charleston in May of 2007 with a Bachelor of Science in Hospitality & Tourism Management and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. She interned with Something To Celebrate, an event planning company, while in college. After graduating, Candace went into the Medical Sales field for one year. Candace wanted to get back into the Hospitality field, so in July of 2008, she joined the Dunes West Team and has been enjoying her work here ever since! Candace is originally from Rutherfordton, NC. She has a background of 6 years as a Lifeguard, Water Safety Instructor and Lifeguard Instructor. Candace enjoys playing tennis and playing with her Great Dane, Bella, in her spare time.

Assistant Membership/Social Director

Elisa Quiney

Elisa began working as an intern at The Club at Dunes West in September of 2008. Elisa attends the College of Charleston and is currently majoring in Religous Studies & minoring in Mathematics. Elisa is now the Assistant to the Membership Director and is avidly learning new things every day. She is always a smiling face and is happy to assist the Members in every way possible! In her spare time, she enjoys listening to local bands downtown and hanging out with friends.

Club Hostess

Betty King

Betty has been a hostess at The Club at Dunes West since 2003. Betty is also a hostess for John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods at the John Wieland Sales Center. Betty has years of experience in the Hospitality industry and enjoys her work here at Dunes West. In her spare time, Betty enjoys crafting, chatting on the porch with good friends and playing with her cat, Star Kitty.  

Staff Tennis Pro

Cadill Maharaj

Cadill Maharaj graduated from the College of Charleston with Bachelor degrees in Biology and Spanish.  He is a USPTR certified teaching professional (Highest Level).  He was one of Charleston’s top ranked juniors before playing Division I college tennis at Wofford College.  Cadill began teaching at The Club in 2003 and has been full-time for the past two years; during this time he has worked with adults and juniors of all levels.  Cadill was one of nine tennis pros chosen from South Carolina to teach the All-Star Camp at Family Circle Stadium, where he worked with the top junior tennis players in the state.  Cadill has coached multiple teams and individuals to city, state and sectional championships.  He was also a member of the Charleston Professional Tennis League in 2007.  Cadill has been part of tennis at very high levels and looks forward to helping you improve your game or introducing new players to a sport that can last a lifetime. 

Exercise Physiologist

Dan Rechner, MS

Dan Rechner earned a Master degree in Exercise Physiology from Marshall University in 1991.  He also received an undergraduate degree in Adult Fitness from Marshall in 1989.  While at Marshall he competed for the cross country and track teams, earning all-conference honors in both.  Prior to attending Marshall, Dan was a competitive distance runner.  His most notable achievement was qualifying for the 1984 US Marathon trials.  Dan has worked for more than fifteen years in sports conditioning and rehabilitation.  Dan spent six of these years specializing in tennis conditioning for juniors up to the collegiate level.  Dan focuses on all aspects of sports conditioning which includes fitness, nutrition, and mental toughness.

  Staff Tennis Pro

  Kristen Whitehead 

Kristen Whitehead works with our junior and adults. She attended Francis Marion College on a four year tennis scholarship

 Cardio Sculpt Fitness Instructor

Originally from Danville, Indiana, Pam has been living in Mt. Pleasant for 11 years. She has 3 kids and likes most sports, including golf and skydiving. She has 19 years of experience teaching aerobics and 8 years as a Licensed Massage Therapist. Pam is also AFAA and ACE certified, and has been Personal Training for 10 years. She enjoys teaching step, sculpting, hi/lo and senior classes. She strives to make her classes and training fun but challenging so it doesn’t seem like too much work! 

Yoga Fitness Instructor

Jim McKenrick

 I am 44 years old, born and raised in Atlanta GA and a graduate of
Clemson University; in February of 2005 I moved to Charleston SC, I have
been a certified group fitness instructor for 26 years and currently
teach several forms of fitness at gyms, clubs and resorts throughout the
Charleston area. 

As part of my fitness training, I became very interested in nutrition
and as a result I have been a practicing vegetarian for the last 25
years.   I took my first Yoga class in Atlanta; back in the early
1990’s when Yoga first began to expand out of the Yoga studios and
into the gyms as a form of group fitness. I was already teaching
Aerobics, Sculpting, Step, Kick Boxing, and other forms of group fitness
and immediately became interested in expanding my certifications to
include Yoga. I attended some basic 2 day Yoga training sessions through
Fit Yoga, Fitour and the YMCA and then began teaching Hatha Yoga classes
in the Ashtanga style at the local gyms in Atlanta. I then became a
certified Spinning instructor through Mad Dog and in 2000 I started
teaching Spin / Yoga classes at several gyms in the Atlanta area.

As Yoga became more popular and more studios opened in the area, I
started practicing many different styles of Yoga including Iangar and
Bikrim (Hot Yoga) and wanted to learn more about Yoga and really grow my
practice. I then enrolled in a 200 hour Yoga Alliance approved
certification curriculum to become a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with
Yoga Alliance. Since completing my initial training to become a RYT, I
have taught an average of 5 hours of Yoga every week and after 2 years I
qualified to register as an "Experienced" Registered Yoga Teacher (ERYT)
with Yoga Alliance. In addition to teaching 13 hours of fitness each
week including Yoga, Step, Spinning, Sports Conditioning, and Body
Sculpting, I work full time at Heritage Trust Federal Credit Union,
managing their Default Administration Department.  Cross training is
very important and although I teach a lot of classes each week, they are
all very different types of classes, which allows me to train my body
mentally and physically in many different ways.  All the classes I teach
work together to keep me balanced and in good physical and mental
health.  My other hobbies include outdoor cycling, hiking, camping,
theater, movies, and getting together with friends.  I am energetic and
enthusiastic; I always work hard and play harder!  I enjoy life to the
fullest and always take the necessary steps to take care of myself. I am
passionate about fitness and currently maintain multiple fitness
certifications allowing me to teach many different forms of fitness.

You can find me on the Fitness schedule here at Dunes West as well as
Eco Fitness, Blue Turtle Yoga, Mount Pleasant Aerobics and Fitness, West
Ashley Aerobics and Fitness as well as the Resort at Wild Dunes,
teaching Spinning, Step Aerobics, Cardio Scultp, Body Sculpting, Yoga
and other forms of fitness.  I look forward to seeing you in class
sometime in the near future. 

Zumba Fitness Instructor

Jo Lavender

Jo has been teaching in the Fitness Industry for over 20 years. Her accomplishments are below:

Fitness Director & Aerobic Coordinator: Toledo, Ohio
AFAA Aerobic Instructor
ACE Personal Trainer
Johnny G., Spin Instructor
Body Pump Instructor
Zumba Instructor

Jo taught Spin Classes at The V in downtown Charleston, Primetime Fitness on Sullivan's Island & at LifeQuest. She was also a former fitness instructor at Thomas Lynch Hall.

Zumba Fitness Instructor

Marie Crosby

 Marie has been teaching group fitness classes for over 22 years.  Originally from Ohio, she began her fitness career there after her second child was born. “The weight didn’t just drop off like it did after the first child…I began taking aerobics classes and thought …maybe I could teach”. It developed into a true passion for fitness and she became ACE certified as a group fitness instructor and a personal trainer.

She moved to the Lowcountry 13 years ago, and worked as the Aerobics Director for Lifequest.  In addition to Lifequest, she has taught classes at East Shore Athletic Club, Mt. Pleasant and West Ashley Aerobics and Fitness, Primetime Fitness and Wild Dunes. Marie has taught about every class format including step, spinning, kickboxing, cardio sculpt, interval classes and most recently became certified to teach Zumba!

Deeply rooted in her love of group fitness is the belief that everyone can achieve their fitness goals with a little motivation and determination.  She strives to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable, and tries to bring energy and enthusiasm to every class, making it challenging but fun!

When Marie is not in the gym, you can usually find her walking in the Old Village of Mt. Pleasant where she lives with her husband.  She has 2 children and 2 step children …3 currently in college!  

Aqua Fitness Instructor

Lydia Pontius

Lydia Linton Pontius is a certified Red Cross Water Safety Instructor
and has been teaching for about 10 years. She also is certified with
WaterART International as a Water Fitness Instructor, Personal Water
Fitness Trainer and Arthritis Specialty Certification. Lydia is on her
way to become a Master Trainer with WaterArt International. She holds a
bachelors degree from UNC-Wilmington and is an entrepreneur, who with
her husband, owns and operates three local and International businesses:
Just Imagine, Inc a Web development and management business, Just
Imagine Vacations, Inc. a small personalized group travel business and
Sac-Be International, Inc. a web-based travel resource for the Yucatan.
When she is not working she enjoys traveling and hanging out by the pool
with her friends and family.