Dennis Durgan
Chairman
A Newport Beach resident since 1961, Dennis attended Harbor View Elementary, Horace Ensign Junior High, Newport Harbor High School, Orange Coast College and University of Hawaii. He lettered in Varsity Football, Tennis & Sailing.
Dennis is acknowledged as a world class yachtsman having won the America’s Cup, Congressional Cup, Trans Pac, Lipton Cup, Douglas Cup to name a few. He has sailed everything from Sabots in Newport Harbor to the world’s largest Maxi boats all over the world. In addition, he has cruised all over the globe visiting many harbors along the way. His hands-on knowledge of Newport Harbor is unsurpassed.
In mid-2017, Dennis was hired by the City of Newport Beach as a part-time Harbormaster to help with the transition of taking over the mooring management from the Orange County Sherriff’s Department. In addition, he was tasked with formulating a new Harbor Department and working with the Harbor Commission to work with the City Departments and bring the community together with the primary goal of increasing enjoyment of the Harbor by all. By the fall of 2018 all of this had been accomplished and he was replaced by a full-time Harbormaster.
As an entrepreneur, Dennis started and sold a Sailmaking Company, Manufacturers Rep. Company and Marine Electronics Company. Today he and his wife work in the Residential Real Estate Market.
Dennis and his family own several vessels with the smallest being a 12′ sailboat, 21′ Electric Boat, 25′ sportfisher & 55′ pilothouse offshore cruiser. He is a member of US Sailing, Newport Harbor Yacht Club, Long Beach Yacht Club, St. Francis Yacht Club, Cruising Club of America and Transpacific Yacht Club.
Dennis along with his wife Debi and daughter Kitt and their 2 Black Labradors reside in Newport Beach.
Edward ‘Val’ Lyon
Secretary / Treasurer
Val is a 57-year resident of Newport Beach and grew up cruising Southern California waters aboard his family’s 42’ sailboat. His competitive sailing resume includes crewing on multiple big boats and 20 years of racing in the Star Class. He participated in many sanctioned events, including the 1986 and 1994 Star Class world championships.
He earned a BA in Business Economics from the University of California (Santa Barbara) and is a CPA. His business experience includes financial management as CFO of both public and privately held companies. He specializes in financial and operational leadership, board and investor level relations, systems analysis and implementation, risk management, and regulatory and licensing compliance. He also serves as a court appointed trustee for several family investment trusts.
Val is married to a native of Newport Beach (Barbara Beek) and their son Ned is a licensed commercial yacht captain in Newport Harbor. The bay is in their blood.
Devon Kelly
Board Member
Devon was born and raised in Newport Beach and grew up sailing and cruising to Catalina. She attended Newport Harbor High School and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She is married to Gregg and have 2 children; both are married and live locally. Devon taught school at Carden Hall Elementary in Newport Beach, and coached field hockey at Newport Harbor High School. She has served on the Newport Harbor High School Educational Foundation and also was a Board member on the Lido Isle Community Association.
She recognizes the uniqueness of our Harbor, and wants preserve the jewel that makes the City of Newport Beach special.
William “Skip” Kenney
Board Member
William “Skip” Kenney, has been involved in the shopping center industry for over 40 years, many of which were spent at Donahue Schriber, a well known Southern California based shopping center developer. He formed The Kenney Company in May 1995 to pursue new development opportunities and challenges. He is a past Chairman, President, and Treasurer of the California Business Properties Association, and a past State Governmental Affairs Chairman for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). He currently is the Chief Financial Officer of Balboa Yacht Club and has been serving on the City of Newport Beach Harbor Commission since 2014, including 3 terms as Chairman.