Naples Yacht Club appoints first woman commodore

Reporter: Valentina LaFranca
Published: Updated:
Naples Yacht Club Commodore
Credit: Naples Yacht Club

After 78 years, the Naples Yacht Club has appointed its first woman commodore. Kathy Parks King is her name.

“My husband and I became members of the Naples Yacht Club in about 2011,” said King. “We were boaters at that time and loved boating and loved Naples. And the more you get to know Naples, the more you want to be part of this community.”

She served as chairman of the Humane Society of Naples, and the club took interest in King.

“Caught the attention of some people here, and they were looking for, unbeknownst to me, another director,” said King. “I was very happy when they asked me to be on the board of directors, and I have served six years in that position.”

She continued to work her way upwards within the Naples Yacht Club to commodore.

“And after 78 years, I think that’s a good thing,” said King.

The commodore sets the direction of the club and club management.

“We are in such a unique position,” said King. “We are currently the number one yacht club in Florida. We are the number five yacht club in the nation, and we are now ranked globally in the top 50 yacht clubs around the world. To maintain — while building that– is going to be just a great experience.”

King hopes to inspire other women, as there are still so many firsts to make.

“I think anytime we see someone new in a position that you haven’t seen before, it inspires all the people coming that way,” said King. “If they have an interest, they noted that they can pursue it, literally anything is possible if you just stick with it and build relationships along the way.”

Saturday will be King’s debut as commodore when the Naples Yacht Club hosts its annual fleet review and commissioning ceremony.

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