Whitney Pennell

Whitney Reid Pennell is the founder and president of the award-winning RCS Hospitality Group. She is a published author, contributing writer for trade publications, and a widely praised seminar leader, with over 30 years of club operations management and consulting experience. Whitney’s trademark is the presentation of lucrative and innovative strategy and marketing concepts, coupled with comprehensive alignment strategies and training programs.
She has extensive hands-on experience managing multi-million-dollar renovations and clubhouse remodeling projects, along with successful new club openings, and is highly skilled in special event management. Whitney has crafted and executed events from private banquets, luxurious dinner events over one thousand people, a U.S. Vice-Presidential Dinner for a University visit, to theater openings and cast parties as well as national PGA and LPGA tournaments.

Whitney’s nationally known for expertly facilitating management and staff workshops and is internationally recognized as an expert in club management. She has been invited to speak to managers around the world and has presented at the World Conference on Club Management, the Club Managers Association of Europe, the NGCOA National Conference, the Assistant Club Managers Conference, the Golf Inc. Strategy Summit and Innovation Day, and at the Business Management Institute (BMI) where she instructs the topics of event management and training and BMI International, hosted by St. Andrews in Scotland on the topic of food and beverage management.

In 2017, Whitney brought her unique training style and expertise to life in a virtual format by launching RCSUniversity, now offering over thirty educational hours that are accredited by CMAA and the PGA of America. She was requested to create other industry-specific virtual training for CMAA’s Club Resource Center and the NGCOA hospitality center, for which RCS is the founding partner. She developed and co-produced nine training courses combined for those industry associations.
Whitney received a Bachelor of Science degree from New Mexico State University, with a Major in Resort/Hotel Operations and a Minor in Business Management.