The Club boasts a staff of dedicated professionals at the very top of their craft. Every one of our staff strives to create the very best experience for our members, with an attitude of professionalism and caring that is unmatched in the world of private clubs.

Chet Chicosky

General Manager

Chet Chicosky, General Manager, joined us after a successful 20-year career on Wall Street specializing in institutional equity sales. His hospitality start came at the only four-star hotel in Hartford, Connecticut, where he worked as a Banquet Manager and Food and Beverage Manager for four years. Chet currently resides in Madison, Connecticut with his wife and daughter.

Alicia Whalen

Controller

Alicia Whalen comes to us with 20 years in the club industry.  While this is her first tennis/city club, Alicia has extensive experience within golf and yacht clubs.  She resides in Fairfield with her son.

Devon Mackay

Event and Sales Manager

Devon MacKay has over seven years of event planning experience encompassing five years in higher education: two years at the Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and three years at the Yale Center for British Art. She comes to us from Market New Haven, where she planned New Haven’s First Food & Wine Festival at the Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament, New Haven’s Concerts on the Green and Restaurant Week. She holds an MBA from CUNY Baruch’s Zicklin School of Business and B.A. in English from UMASS Amherst.

Adam Soliwoda

Executive Chef

Adam Soliwoda is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, and received his BS in Food Service Management in 1988. He began at the Lawn Club in 1985 part time, traveled the world until 1994, then returned to the Lawn Club in 1995 and has been with us ever since. Adam was promoted to Executive Chef of NHLC Catering in 2005.

His affiliations include the American Culinary Education and National Ice Carving Associations. Adam currently resides in Clinton, Connecticut.

John Ruggiero

Banquet Manager

Before coming to the Lawn Club, John was previously employed by The Ritz-Carlton Company, Walt Disney World, and The Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club in Oyster Bay, New York. John is a transplant from Brooklyn, New York, and currently resides nearby in New Haven.

Clifford D. Skakle

Director of Tennis

Hailing from North Carolina, Cliff brings a Tarheel legacy to the Lawn Club, having earned honors at UNC, while playing for his dad, Hall of Fame coach Don Skakle. Upon turning pro, he played around the world, including Wimbledon, the French Open and was ranked in the top 300 players on the ATP Tour.  In senior competition, he has represented the US internationally and attained a career best of #3 in the ITF World rankings. He is a 5 time USPTA-Southern Player Of the Year and served a term as president of the NC chapter. Cliff takes special interest in mentoring to other young student athletes who have chosen to venture inside the fences, and he has a beautiful daughter, Danielle

Scott Butler

Pool Director

Scott Butler joined the New Haven Lawn Club staff in 2001.  In addition to coaching here during the summers, Scott also coaches the Boys and Girls High School Varsity swim teams at Branford High School.  He currently resides in Hamden with his wife and four children.

Wayne Nuhn

Grill Room Manager

Wayne Nuhn comes to the Lawn Club after a 45-year career with the Mory’s Association as Maitre’d and Assistant Manager. Wayne resides in North Haven with his wife, Sandra, and has two sons and two granddaughters.

Lynn Leong

Squash Pro

Lynn Leong, our head squash pro, came to us from the Apawamis Club (Rye, New York) in 2007 after working two years under the famed squash legend Peter Briggs. Lynn is a 2005 graduate of Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where she was a four-time first team All American and a member of two national championship teams. She achieved world ranking of 39 at the age of 16.

Scott and Michele Tenney

Personal Trainers

Scott Tenney has been a personal trainer at the Lawn Club since 2004 and his wife, Michele Tenney, has been a personal trainer here since 2006.  Scott has been in the fitness industry for the past 15 years.  Prior to the Lawn Club, he worked in corporate fitness managing various facilities for Pro Fitness/Health South.  Michele has been working in the industry for the past 6 years.  Scott and Michele currently reside in Orange, Connecticut, with their three sons.