Chris Poland
Board President
Email Board President Poland
Term: 2019/21 (2 year term)
Husband, Father, Grandfather, Native Californian, CEO, Structural Engineer, Earthquake Engineering and Community Resilience Specialist, Builder, member of the National Academy of Engineering, retired to Canyon Lake for the long haul
Barbara and I have been married for 48 years. We have three children, seven grandchildren, and a golden retriever. We have owned property in Canyon Lake for over 12 years and lived here for the last 4 plus. We returned to our Southern California roots for the weather and to enjoy the well-paced life. We were both raised in Big Bear Lake, married as high school sweethearts, lived in Redlands while I attended the University, moved to the Bay Area for my master’s degree from Stanford and then a 40-year career with Degenkolb Engineers in San Francisco.
Canyon Lake is a fascinating place we discovered when our son Matt and his wife Tanya lived here in the early 2000’s. We were drawn to the spectacular views, the lake and golf course, the inclusion of families of all ages and the organized and delightfully unique ambiance. We saw this as a place where people lived and worked together to create a special place that all could enjoy – each with their own favorite part. In 2006, we decided to buy our lot for the future. In 2014 we joined in when we retired and moved here, built our retirement home on Hole 14 and started participating in the clubs and committees. Maybe you visited our home on the 2016 Home Tour.
I began my career at Degenkolb as a designer in a small 15-person expert structural engineering firm and advanced to serve as the CEO the last 21 years of my time there. I facilitated its growth to a 180-person professional practice firm with 6 offices, over 30 partners, revenues in excess of $30 million a year and international recognition. I also served in leadership roles on many boards and committees for professional organizations and advisory committees to local, state and federal departments and agencies. I was on the Board of Trustees for the University of Redlands and lead their Campus Planning Committee. Finding middle ground and achieving collaboration while working with literally hundreds of people with different ideas and priorities is a skill I’ve acquired.
The POA owns nearly everything inside the gates except our houses and lots. We have millions of dollars of assets that need to be maintained to preserve and enhance all our favorite places – parks, landscaping and signage, recreation facilities including the Lodge, all meeting rooms, the Golf Course and Country Club, the Lake and of course all the roads, parking lots, infrastructure and administrative facilities. Working together for the benefit of everyone, to protect everyone’s piece of paradise and ability to use it is a challenge that should be the goal for all of us. Partnering with the City to improve our security and take full advantage of having our voice heard in our county and state is an opportunity to be seized. Our committees serve as a conduit of information from the people to the Board that provides a clear picture of what working together for the common good means. As a member of the Facilities Review Committee, the Dredge Committee, and the Men’s Golf Club Board, I know the intensity of their work and the value it brings to decision making.
- Honor the organizational structure of our community and work with our clubs and committees to maintain and enhance all our favorite places and their availability for use.
- Collaborate with the City and develop joint power agreements that eliminate overlap of services, improve public safety, planning, and code enforcement, and reduce costs.
- Develop and maintain annual budgets that efficiently meet our short-term needs, adequately provide for our long-term expenses, and seek new sources of revenue through economic development.