The Cliffs hires Gayle Starke as General Manager at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove

January 14, 2025

The Cliffs announced its newest General Manager, Gayle Starke, who will head operations for The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. Gayle has spent the last five years working at The Cliffs’ Asheville-area community, where she started as the Member Services Director and steadily took on additional responsibilities, most recently serving as The Cliffs at Walnut Cove’s Clubhouse Manager.

“We are very excited about Gayle’s promotion to General Manager at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove as she is already a vital and respected part of The Cliffs’ family,” said Rob Duckett, President of The Cliffs. “Her passion for creating vision, setting course, and aligning people, resources, and relationships to deliver operational excellence to a club’s membership is the embodiment of our mission at The Cliffs.”

A visionary and performance-driven private club professional, Gayle is a thoughtful leader and transformational manager with a demonstrated ability to streamline operations, identify and correct inefficiencies, and deliver strategic initiatives that improve processes, systems, and profitability. Prior to joining The Cliffs, Gayle gained valuable member and guest relations experience in concierge positions at Troon Golf – Champion Hills Club in Hendersonville, NC (earning Employee of the Year in 2019); The Spa at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC; and Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort on Hilton Head Island, SC.

Born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, Gayle pursued her lifelong love of dance by moving to London at age 16 to attend Laine Theatre Arts College, graduating three years later with teaching qualifications and a diploma in musical theatre. She then toured the world with the award-winning Spirit of the Dance Irish Dance troupe before performing for over five years as a dancer at Walt Disney World where she immersed herself in world-class hospitality.

Gayle lives in Asheville with her best friend and husband, David, a disabled veteran of the U.S. Air Force who is her biggest cheerleader and support. Together, they share their home with son, Carter, and their beloved rescue dog, Bear, a senior West Highland Terrier who is the family’s pride and joy. When not at work, Gayle can be found at home with Dave, likely watching British TV, catching up with friends and family across the pond, or just hanging out with the dog—her favorite place to be!

The Asheville Region — home to The Cliffs at Walnut Cove — is a scene of unparalleled natural beauty inspired by the ageless villages of Europe, nestled in a lush valley, bordered by the Pisgah National Forest and Blue Ridge Parkway and just minutes from downtown Asheville. The town is on top of every travel writer’s list in no small part because everything thrives there – the fine arts, music, crafts, cuisine, and especially, craft brewing. Residents enjoy the convenience and excitement of living in one of the nation’s best small cities, with the calm and ease of a private golf community including nationally acclaimed golf, dining, and a state-of-the-art Wellness Center.