Association Team

John Fornaro, CEO

John G. Fornaro is President & CEO of The Association of Private Clubs and Directors and the Publisher & Owner of Boardroom magazine LLC, which publishes BoardRoom magazine, a bi-monthly publication founded 17 years ago and aimed at educating and informing boards of directors in the private club industry. He is also CEO of Distinguished Clubs, LLC, and CEO & President of Boardroom Institute LLC, where the latter provides online training and orientation programs for private club boards of directors with the objective to help clubs operate efficiently by optimizing the relationship between the volunteers and the paid executives through collaborative governance.

Bill Thomas, Executive VP

Bill Thomas brings more than 25 years of senior management experience to the Association of Private Club Directors and BoardRoom Institute. His corporate experience includes responsibility for revenues in excess of $100 million annually for a NYSE listed company. His entrepreneurial experience includes founding several successful companies including BioScientific, Inc., the leading supplier of organic products for agriculture and golf course care. Mr. Thomas continues to serve on various boards and is responsible for member education at the APCD. He holds a B.S. degree from Arizona State University and completed his graduate studies at UCLA.

Gordon Welch, President

Gordon Welch has over 20 years’ experience in Private Clubs and 12 years of experience as an Association Executive and registered lobbyist. His experience includes oversight of the Club Management Institute (CMI), creating and directing professional development and Business Management Institute programs, writing education grants, developing and implementing educational programs, co-author of many books and other publications and organized the World Conference on Club Management. Welch was also responsible for the certification programs and served as Board and Committee Member of The Club Foundation, CMAA’s charitable arm. 

Josh Nuzzi, Web Manager

Josh’s passion for the private club industry originated the same year he learned to drive. He would start his first club-related job at a private country club in Southern California. It was at this point Josh knew he was fascinated by the private club industry. Today, Josh researches and develops techniques that allow clubs to provide their members with the most memorable member experience possible. Some of Josh’s most utilized skills are Web Design & Development (HTML, HTML5, PHP, CSS), Graphic Design (Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign), Search Engine Optimization, Marketing Collateral, and Strategic Planning & Consulting.