Donor Spotlight | Lisa Curcio Gaston

November 17, 2022

Last night, Lisa Curcio Gaston was elected to serve as the 71st Commodore of the Chicago Yacht Club and will begin her term on New Year’s Day. Lisa fell in love with the water decades ago when she first started boating on the Chain O’Lakes. By the early 1990s, she was boating on Lake Michigan and joined the Chicago Yacht Club in 1997.

An active power boater, Lisa lives on her 1990 52-foot Jefferson motor yacht during the summer – accommodations she refers to as “my floating condo.” With a vision of expanding access to the lakefront and on-the-water activities to all of Chicagoland, the incoming Commodore has been a longtime supporter of the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation.

“I think it’s really important for the Club to be actively involved in the community,” Lisa said. “We need to be a good citizen of the city and the state. That means we do what we can to expand access to our gorgeous lakefront and all of the activities available on the water.”

Lisa believes the Foundation is well-positioned to do that. “We can reach out to underrepresented communities and underrepresented youth and help them learn about not only recreational activities available on the water but also potentially work and career opportunities,” she said.

That’s one reason Lisa is excited about the Foundation’s new Maritime Academy, a program designed to teach Chicagoland teens the skills they need to work on Chicago’s many commercial boats and other maritime opportunities. Lisa enjoyed meeting Eric Zirkle and Mark Singer, the two Maritime Academy graduates who worked at Belmont Station this summer.

“I think the experience expanded their thoughts about how they can be involved in boating in their lives and careers,” she said.

Another Foundation initiative Lisa finds compelling is the “Lead HER Ship” program which offers underrepresented Chicagoland young women, ages 14-17, an opportunity to learn to sail, lead, and work together as a team during a five-day cruise on a tall ship on Lake Michigan.  Lisa enjoyed meeting this year’s Lead HER Ship class during a June luncheon at Monroe Station designed to kick off the program.

“The Foundation's mission complements the Club's mission,” she said. “The Foundation is more youth-oriented, but the intent is to enhance the nautical arts across the community and to engage people who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance to take advantage of our lakefront. The Club’s mission is to promote the nautical arts to everyone – not just members – so I think the goals of the Foundation and the Club mesh well.”

Please click here if you want to join Lisa in donating to the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation.