Our Team

Dave Duval

Executive Consultant

Dave Duval brings a unique scope of experience and impressive professional qualifications to his role as Executive Consultant for Club Benchmarking. Dave and his business partner Joe Abely co-founded Club Board Professionals in 2017 to provide financial planning and strategic governance training to private clubs and HOAs around the world. As “CB Pros,” the pair developed an annual governance survey that gained notoriety as a powerful tool for measuring awareness of and adherence to recognized best practices for club governance.

Duval and Abely joined the Club Benchmarking team as Executive Consultants in 2020 to lead expansion of Club Benchmarking research on the relationship between strong governance and a club’s long-term financial health. In addition, they provide in-depth analysis of club governance and financial models and facilitate board workshops and orientations.

Dave’s practical experience includes serving as a President, CEO and Trustee of Quechee Lakes Landowners’ Association and The Quechee Club in Quechee, VT. During his tenure he focused on upgrading governance practices; the completion of a membership survey and five-year business plan; improving communications with members; financing a $5 million aquatics complex; integrating committee and board activities; implementing more meaningful financial reporting; and developing a 10-year Integrated Funds Plan. He previously served on the Board of Governors of Charles River Country Club in Newton Centre, MA for eight years total including six as Treasurer where he was credited with planning the $20 million modernization of the campus and implementing best practices derived from a peer group he organized.

For more than 20 years of his professional career, Dave was a Partner in venture capital firms. He has served on numerous corporate and non-profit Boards. Dave is a Certified Public Accountant and earned his undergraduate degree from Bentley University and an MBA from Babson College.

An avid golfer, Dave enjoys memberships at Charles River Country Club, Turtle Creek Club, The Quechee Club and Portmarnock Golf Club. He currently serves on the Strategic Planning Committee for Charles River, the Long-Term Planning Committee for Turtle Creek, and the Nominating Committee at The Quechee Club.

Email: Dave Duval
Phone: 617-519-6281

Joe Abely

Executive Consultant

Joe Abely brings an extensive history of personal and professional experience to his role as Executive Consultant for Club Benchmarking. In 2017, Joe and his business partner, Dave Duval, co-founded Club Board Professionals to provide financial planning and strategic governance training to private clubs and HOAs. Together, Dave and Joe developed an annual governance survey that gained notoriety as a powerful tool for measuring awareness of and adherence to recognized best practices for club governance.

As a member of the Club Benchmarking Strategic Governance team, Joe's focus is on research aimed at analyzing and quantifying the relationship between strong governance and a club’s long-term financial health. In addition, Joe supports efforts to drive widespread adoption of governance best practices as a facilitator of board orientations and workshops.

His personal club experience includes serving on the Board of Directors of Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, MA for 12 years; as Treasurer for six years and President for three years. During his tenure, Joe addressed the service culture of the club and oversaw the return of the golf course to championship caliber, renovation of the main member dining venue and the pool complex and upgrading of the tennis facility to address growing family utilization. He instituted an annual membership survey to measure member satisfaction and priorities. Over the last decade of Joe’s tenure, Brae Burn undertook over $20 million dollars in capital improvements funded within the existing dues and fees structure with no borrowings or additional member assessments. Joe currently serves as Chair of Brae Burn’s Nominating Committee.

Joe is a Certified Public Accountant with an undergraduate degree from Boston College and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Over his 40-year career, he was a partner in a major international accounting firm and served as CEO/COO/CFO of public, venture-backed and non-profit entities. He has also served on the boards of a variety of public, private equity, non-profit and membership organizations. Currently, he is Chairman of the Board of the Hundred Club of Massachusetts and Finance Committee Chairman and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Braille Press. In addition to Brae Burn, Joe is also a member of the Wianno Club.

Email: Joe Abely
Phone: 781-953-9333