Donna Otis, CCM, CCE Chief Executive/General Manager – The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe

Donna started her career in hotels and was introduced to private clubs in 1994 as the Director of Food and Beverage at St. Francis Yacht Club. As a consultant, Donna assisted Lake Merced Club in 1998, then officially joined the Lake Merced team as the Director of Food and Beverage in 2000. Promoted to General Manager in 2007, Donna served Lake Merced and Bay Area communities for nearly 20 years.

She knew she wanted to give back to the game of golf, and set a path to do exactly that. She furthered her involvement with the golf community, working with the USGA to bring championship tournaments to the Bay Area. Due to her efforts, Lake Merced Golf Club was awarded the 2010 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. The championship was a success, highlighted by hosting numerous top golfers in the world, such as , Minjee Lee, and Ariya Jutanugarn. Donna left an impression with the USGA that she was the kind of leader that the golf community needed, and they asked her to lead the Best Practices Seminar for the northern golf clubs that were hosting various national championships. Her execution of this seminar led to the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) contacting Donna, asking if she and the Lake Merced Golf Club would be interested in hosting an LPGA event. After the Taiwanese Swinging Skirts Foundation agreed to be the title sponsor, she had only four months to plan a tournament of this scale. Donna enlisted the help of San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and Daly City Mayor David Canepa, along with the greater golf community, to plan and execute this event. In 2014, the successful inaugural LPGA tournament event drew over 50,000 spectators to Daly City, as well as a worldwide viewership of over 160 million. Thanks to Donna’s leadership, the LPGA returned to Lake Merced in 2015 and 2016, significantly boosting the Bay Area hospitality industry. Due to her efforts, National Geographic recognized Donna, Lake Merced Golf Club, and the LPGA tournament in a feature documentary.

Donna’s influence spans to other arenas, including her participation as a Board Member of the San Francisco Mayor’s Women’s Golf Council, where they are paving the way for women from all walks of life and diversity to learn and play the game of golf. This organization is creating a forum where all Bay Area women golf organizations can network and bond professionally, helping break the golf glass ceiling. Nominated by golf legend Sandy Tatum, Donna became the President of the Board for the Golden Gate Park Golf Development Foundation. She is steering accessibility for San Francisco’s youth to learn life skills and learn the game of golf. Together with the First Tee of San Francisco, they are leading the charge in offering golf to the underserved children in both the local community and Bay Area schools. As a Trustee for the Good Tidings Foundation, she is part of a group of community leaders that promotes art, education, athletics, and dreams. Good Tidings has gifted over $1.5 million in scholarships. She has supported the Northern California Golf Association Foundation (Youth on Course) since 2000, giving access to golf for young aspiring golfers, and volunteered many hours at NCGAF fundraising events as well as raising awareness amongst her peers. She has also served on the Board of the PGA Hope Board of Directors, raising awareness and creating access to golf for veterans with disabilities.

She was recognized in 2016 as Women of the Year by Senator Mark Leno’s Senatorial District 11. She was featured on the cover of the 2016 September issue of Golf Business Magazine, speaking about “Inclusionomics” in the club industry. Her leadership in the industry earned her a position as one of “10 People Who are Shaping the Future of Private Clubs” by Golf Inc. Magazine (April 2017). Donna was inducted into the San Francisco Honorable Golf Society in 2017.

In late 2017, Donna was selected to be the first female Chief Executive / General Manager for The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe in Southern California. Asked to speak at the LPGA KIA Classic during their Women’s Executive Day, Donna touched on her involvement in the private club world. Donna then served as a panelist at the Golf Summit Strategies conference at La Costa, touching on best practices and trends in the private club sector.

As she begins to leave her imprint in Southern California, she is volunteering her time with The First Tee of San Diego/ProKids and has served on their Women’s Golf Tournament Committee. They honored her earlier this year with the naming of a scholarship – the Donna Otis Scholarship Award. Donna was elected to the Board of Directors of the Golden State Chapter, Club Management Association. She also is mentoring rising leaders who are ready to graduate and move into the Private Club world.

In 2019, at its World Conference of Club Managers, the Club Management Association of America named Donna as one of 10 recipients of their inaugural CMAA Fellow Award. This honorary recognition program distinguishes those CMAA members who epitomize the leadership, integrity, involvement, and contributions of club management professionals. Those selected as a CMAA Fellow are recognized as highly engaged individuals for their contributions to the profession and are called to continued service as mentors, facilitators, thoughtful leaders, and champions within the club community. Donna has written multiple industry articles and recently wrote a piece about understanding your “why.” Click here to read article.