There are some big shoes to fill on the Moorestown Business Association Board. After seven years, Tom Sheckels is stepping down to pursue other goals, but not without leaving a positive mark on the organization to which he devoted so much time. The MBA is grateful for the countless hours of hard work that Sheckels put in as a board member, treasurer, and web master, and will continue to benefit from the many improvements he made throughout his tenure.
Sheckels’ work for the MBA came after serving as an environmental engineer for Naval Facilities Engineering for 30 years. His job took him to U.S. Naval bases and facilities throughout the Northeast, determining environmental deficiencies and working with Navy personnel toward solutions for the problems he identified. When the government initiated the Base Realignment and Closure process, Sheckels’ department was consolidated and he had to make the hard decision in 2005 to relocate his family to Virginia, or remain in the area where his wife Lydia’s career was flourishing. He chose to retire from his engineering position and pursue his passion for photography, but his commitment to improve the world around him stayed intact. With the same brand of dedication he brought to his former job, he turned his eye on Moorestown where he and his wife chose to move in 1981 because of its charm — particularly historic Main Street.
After launching Sheckels Creations Photography in 2006, he joined the Moorestown Business Association and right away began to volunteer for the group by lending his technology skills to help improve and develop content for the organization’s new website. He wanted to become more involved, and in 2007 he ran for and was elected to the board of the organization, embarking on a seven-year term of community leadership.
For the last three years, Sheckels served as Board Treasurer, and contributed his expertise in upgrading and streamlining the organization’s accounting systems. He also became the MBA webmaster, keeping it up-to-date, training other board members, involving social media, and sending out other forms of communication. And there was one other service he performed for the group — whenever there was a need for a high-quality photograph, Sheckels was indisputably the best man for the job. His images have been used on the organization’s website and directories, and served to illustrate articles about the MBA in magazines and newspapers.
Sheckels decided to step down from the MBA board at the end of 2015 so he could spend more time perfecting his photography, a hobby he has cultivated since childhood when he snapped pictures with his Brownie Instamatic and developed the film himself in his father’s darkroom. After college and a stint in the Navy, the advent of digital photography rekindled his interest in the medium and he began to seriously pursue this avocation, specializing in panoramic shots. Dynamic photos of Moorestown, as well as journeys to Antarctica, Africa, Alaska and other stunning locales around the world, are featured on his website www.sheckelscreations.com.
Although no longer on the board, Sheckels remains a dedicated member of the MBA — and has spent time helping new board members transition into their positions. At the year-end MBA luncheon in December 2015, Association President Don Powell presented Sheckels with a plaque commemorating his years of service.
“The MBA and I personally will sincerely miss Tom’s guidance and steady hand. As the MBA has grown, Tom has been instrumental in making necessary upgrades and changes but more importantly providing a structure around which that growth could evolve. His quiet, steady council has been wonderful and will be sorely missed. I wish him only the best and am grateful for his friendship and service to the MBA,” Powell said.
