(Washington, D.C., May 25, 2017) – The National Club Association (NCA) recently held its annual meeting in New York City in conjunction with its National Club Conference where it elected new board members and officers to govern the Association. The mission of NCA, a Washington, D.C.-based trade association, is to protect, defend and advance the interests and well-being of private, social and recreational clubs.
The new directors elected to the NCA board for three-year terms are Tom Bennison, Senior Vice President Business Development, ClubCorp USA, Inc., in Dallas; Luke O’Boyle, CCM, CCE, General Manager and COO, Chevy Chase Club in Chevy Chase, Md.; Nick Sidorakis, CCM, General Manager and COO, Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.; and Robert L. Smith, II, Senior Legislative Advisor, Venable, LLP in Washington, D.C.
Tom Bennison, an experienced and successful dealmaker in the private club and golf industries, has consummated more than 100 acquisitions, leases, joint ventures and management contracts for ClubCorp USA, Inc., and prior to that for Club Development Interests where he was a partner for ten years. In 2011 he sourced investment capital, which led to the formation of Fore Golf Partners. Bennison has completed deals with organizations such as The Nicklaus Companies, The Hyatt Corporation, ClubLink Corporation, Pulte Homes, Shea Homes, The Tower Company, AEW, Kettler & Company, Corcoran & Jennison, Sequoia Golf, Stratford Golf, Traditional Golf, the PGA Tour and the Hugh Bacroft Trust.
Luke A. O’Boyle has been the General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of Chevy Chase Club for more than 13 years. Previously, O’Boyle held management positions at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, Southampton, N.Y.; Greenville Country Club, Greenville, S.C.; Houston Country Club, Houston, Texas; and the Vicmead Hunt Club, Wilmington, Del. O’Boyle serves on the advisory board for the Hart School of Hospitality and Sports Management at James Madison University and as immediate past chair of the advisory board for the Hospitality Management Program at Widener University, his alma mater. O’Boyle was recognized in 2016 by the Hospitality Business Management Program at the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics as that year’s Champion of Club Education. He is a past CMAA national director.
Nick Sidorakis has been the general manager and COO of Southern Hills Country Club for more than 22 years. Sidorakis has overseen two major golf course renovations and a $22 million facility renovation project and is currently leading the club through another facility master plan. Under his leadership, the club has hosted the 1995 and 1996 TOUR Championships, the 2001 U.S. Open, the 2007 PGA Championship and the 2009 U.S. Amateur Championship. Sidorakis attended The University of Houston Hotel and Restaurant Management School and Florida State University’s Hotel and Restaurant Management School. He serves on the USGA Regional Affairs Committee and the NCA Government Relations Committee. Sidorakis is co-founder of The First Tee of Tulsa and The First Serve programs, and currently serves as president of The First Tee of Tulsa program and is chairman of the Oklahoma Golf Hall of Fame.
Robert L. Smith, II is one of Venable’s top senior legislative advisors, representing and advising a diverse lobbying client base. His clients include influential stakeholders in the financial services, defense, pharmaceutical, health care, environmental and transportation industries. A veteran of Capitol Hill, Smith draws on his extensive experience to assist his clients in all aspects of federal advocacy. In addition to advocating for his clients before the legislative and executive branches, Smith often assists his clients with navigating requirements to, among other things, obtain federal funding or sell their products to federal agencies. Smith is politically active and serves on the steering and finance committees for many federally elected officials. He is a member of Congressional Country Club and Caves Valley Golf Club in Maryland; Calusa Pines Golf Club in Florida; and Old Waverly Golf Club in Mississippi.
The new officers of the National Club Association include NCA Chair, Kevin P. Vitale, General Manager and COO of Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., with Frank J. Vain, President of McMahon Group, in St. Louis serving as Vice Chair. Terra S. H. Waldron, CCM, CCE, ECM, Vice President and COO of Desert Highlands Association in Scottsdale, Ariz., was elected as Secretary and Malcolm MacColl, President of the Board of Governors, The Westmoor Club on Nantucket, Mass., was elected Treasurer. The Immediate Past Chair is Ted M. Benn, Partner at Thompson & Knight LLP in Dallas.
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About NCA
The National Club Association (NCA) has been the advocate for the private club industry in Washington, D.C., for more than 55 years. As the voice of private clubs on Capitol Hill, NCA ensures that club concerns are forefront when legislative and regulatory issues affecting the industry are being decided. In addition, NCA provides club leaders an outstanding array of resources on club industry trends, governance best practices, legal and operational matters and ways to strengthen club leadership. For more information on NCA, visit nationalclub.org.