Investing in community: the story of David and Jane Kretzmann

When Dave and Jane Kretzmann decided to move to Carlsbad By The Sea, they were driven by a specific goal: they wanted to make the move while they were still young enough to participate fully in community life. They had been living in a large home that required constant upkeep and they saw a better way to spend their time. With children and grandchildren living nearby, the couple joined the waiting list and eventually moved in 2018.

It was the start of a highly active chapter for a couple accustomed to a busy, global life.

Dave spent 28 years as a Navy cryptologic officer, managing foreign signals collection systems from submarines to satellites. After logging a total of seven months submerged — a period he still counts as one of the most exciting of his life — he enrolled in a master’s degree program at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. There he met Jane, a civilian employee in the computer center. Both were single parents at the time, each with a girl and boy of overlapping ages. They married before graduation and then moved their blended family to rural Scotland for the next 3½ years. Subsequent duty assignments alternated between Washington, D.C. and California, with a short stint in Naples, Italy.

After retiring in 2000, he and Jane moved back to Monterey, where Jane continued working at the Defense Manpower Data Center and Dave joined the faculty of the Naval Postgraduate School, teaching in the Space Systems Academic Group.

Since arriving at Carlsbad, they have made good on their intention to remain active. Dave recently completed six years on the Resident Council and five years on the local Philanthropy Committee and represents his community on a pickleball advisory board. Looking for a new challenge that utilized his past experience on national nonprofit boards, he recently stepped up to serve on the Front Porch Communities Foundation Board of Directors.

Jane has focused her efforts on the day-to-day quality of life within the community. She founded a new Conservation Committee, focused on recycling, reducing plastic waste and facilitating a campus-wide composting program. Her dream of installing rooftop solar panels is finally coming to fruition. She also organized a “Pet Club,” helping residents coordinate veterinarian information, supplies and pet-sitting support.

Their commitment to the community extends to their financial support as well. The Kretzmanns utilize a donor-advised fund (DAF), a vehicle they established 13 years ago as a tax strategy to “bunch” their charitable gifts into even years. While the fund offers them flexibility and tax advantages, their reason for directing some of those funds to Carlsbad By The Sea is grounded in their daily reality. “There are several worthy recipients for our fund,” Dave explains. “But we are deeply invested in Carlsbad By The Sea. We want it to remain the best community that it can possibly be.”

Originally published in the Spring 2026 edition of Community Matters