NAPLES YACHT CLUB ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS

NAPLES YACHT CLUB ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS, WHICH
INCLUDES FIRST FEMALE COMMODORE IN ITS 78-YEAR HISTORY

Naples Yacht Club, the first and oldest private club in Naples, announced its incoming officers and directors, which includes Kathy Parks King as Commodore. In electing Parks, Naples Yacht Club becomes one of the few yacht clubs in Florida and nationwide to have a woman in the club’s highest-ranking leadership role.

“I am honored and privileged to be elected as Commodore of Naples Yacht Club,” Parks said. “I want to honor the club’s traditions while maintaining its reputation for excellence and service to the community through the Blue Gavel Scholarship program. We are a unique organization steeped in history, interwoven with the development of Naples.”

Originally from York, Pennsylvania, King and her husband Tighe have maintained a home in Naples since the early 1990s. She holds an undergraduate degree in Education from Millersville University and taught in Pennsylvania and California. After completing her Master’s degree at the University of Maryland, King founded a private academic school with a focus on early childhood development. Her community involvement includes serving as Chair of the York County SPCA and the Humane Society Naples.

King was invited to join the Naples Yacht Club in 2011. She was elected to the Board of Directors in 2018 and was named Rear Commodore in 2020. During her tenure, King has served on the Naples Yacht Club House Committee; Chaired the Building, Grounds and Docks Committee; and led the board and staff in the development of a strategic plan.

Other community leaders joining Parks on the Board of Directors include John H. Tisdel, Vice Commodore; Franklin W. Carson, Rear Commodore; Richard P. Del Bello, Treasurer; Bradford L. Cowgill, Secretary; Preston B. Bradford, Director; Mathew Brainerd, Director; R. Robert Funderburg, Jr., Director; and M. Marnette Perry, Director.

Located at the southern end of Seventh Street in the Aqualane Shores section of Naples, the Naples Yacht Club was founded in 1947 by three friends – Stephen Briggs, Benny Morris and John Glen Sample. In 2019, the Club completed a $10-million-dollar
renovation and expansion that completely updated the clubhouse that was built in 1960.

In November, Naples Yacht Club announced that it once again achieved the coveted Platinum Clubs® of America recognition. In the latest ranking of the nation’s top private clubs by The Club Leaders Forum Advisory Board, Naples Yacht Club is ranked as the number five yacht club in the United States and the top yacht club in the state of Florida.

In electing Naples Yacht Club as a Platinum Club® of America, a distinguished panel of industry experts, historians and connoisseurs considered the Club’s Universal Recognition, Respected Membership, Excellence in Amenities and Facilities, Exceptional Service Standards, and how the Club has Adapted to Changing Times, Management and Operations, and the Overall Experience. In total, there are only 300 Platinum Clubs® of America, comprising the top 200 golf and country clubs, 50 city clubs, 30 yacht clubs and 20 athletic clubs.

Naples Yacht Club also has qualified to maintain its Distinguished Club status for year 2024. To be a Distinguished Club is to be one of only a few, highly select private clubs that are recognized as providing a member experience at a level attained by only the finest clubs in the world as determined in a process conducted by BoardRoom magazine.