Paul Reed

As Chairman and CEO of JC Resorts, Mr. Reed oversees all owned and managed properties. Since joining the company in 1986, Mr. Reed has led negotiations and the structuring of commercial real estate transactions, including resort and golf course acquisitions, as well as growing the portfolio of properties under management.

A key area of responsibility includes the company’s development and construction group, which successfully completed renovation and expansion projects at both Rancho Bernardo Inn and Surf & Sand Resort. Mr. Reed graduated from Stanford University, B.A. with Distinction, and the University of Berkeley, Boalt Hall, J.D.

John Doane

John Doane is President of JC Resorts and its affiliates. JC Resorts owns, operates and asset manages luxury southern California hospitality properties including Surf & Sand Resort, Rancho Bernardo Inn, and Terranea. JC Resorts also owns or operates thirteen golf courses in California and New Mexico, an office building in La Jolla, and a variety of other hospitality real estate. Mr. Doane oversees all aspects of the company’s strategic, operational, financial, development, and construction activities.

Prior to joining JC Resorts in 2018, Mr. Doane served as a Senior Vice President at Irvine Company, based in Newport Beach, California. While at Irvine Company, Mr. Doane was responsible for hospitality asset management, financial planning and analysis, accounting, sustainable capital planning, and project management. Mr. Doane was a member of the team responsible for the planning, construction, opening, and operation of The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, California.

Mr. Doane holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA in finance from Brigham Young University.

Joanna Bear

Joanna Bear joined JC Resorts in 2003 on the Rooms Operations team at Surf & Sand Resort, & became General Manager in 2010. In her role, she is responsible for all resort operations, financial performance, recruiting & retention, property programming (including outlets, food & beverage, retail, and spa), banquets & catering, commercial strategy, guest experience, & employee culture.

Joanna graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts – Business Degree. Soon after, she began her career in hospitality at the Buttes, a Carefree Resort in Tempe, AZ. While there, she managed the property through the transition from Carefree to a Wyndham hotel. After, she helped open Copperwynd Resort & Club, where she built the property team, installed the property management system, & created all employee SOPs.

Joanna has had a seat on the executive team for the Board of Directors of Visit Laguna Beach since 2013, & has served as Vice Chair & Chairman of the Board. She also sat on the Government Affairs Counsel for Laguna Beach, & continues to have an active advisory role to city leaders.

Rudy Benavides

Rudy Benavides oversees all revenue management and distribution for the JC Resorts portfolio, including developing and implementing the revenue and distribution strategies that lead to optimization across all revenue centers of each asset. He is accountable for all pricing, forecasting, and business evaluation, as well as all processes associated with demand, revenue, inventory, forecasting, business strategy, day-by-day budgeting, and opportunity analysis.

With over 25 years of revenue optimization leadership, Rudy previously held corporate leadership positions with KSL Resorts, Irvine Company, Bacara Resort and Spa, and Morgans Hotel Group NYC in key markets, including California, Florida, and New York City.

Jamie Lemon

Jamie Lemon began his career in hospitality as a glass collector and dishwasher at the Drumkeen Hotel in his hometown of Belfast in Northern Ireland. He quickly found passion in the hospitality industry, and moved to Edinburgh, Scotland to earn his degree in Hospitality and International Tourism from Napier University.  During his time in Scotland, Mr. Lemon worked in various Food & Beverage Management roles, and moved to the USA soon after graduating to join Carlson Hospitality as Food & Beverage Manager for Radisson Hotels in Miami, Florida.

Mr. Lemon then began a 17-year tenure with Loews Hotels and Resorts, working multiple operations roles at several diverse properties in Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, Atlanta, and Philadelphia.  In 2008, he moved cross-country to California to serve as Director of Food and Beverage at Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel and was promoted to Hotel Manager in 2010.  In 2014, Loews acquired Loews Hollywood, and Mr. Lemon helped lead the transition of the iconic Oscars hotel. 

Mr. Lemon joined JC Resorts in 2017 as General Manager at Rancho Bernardo Inn in the North County region of San Diego, a role he continues to serve today. Mr. Lemon serves as a board member of SDTA and the North San Diego Business Chamber. 

Diane Li

Diane Li provides 26 years of experience in the information technology industry. During her 18 years with JC Resorts, she has developed strategic planning and vendor relationships and executed company global IT initiatives, including information security, systems software upgrades, and standard systems integrations. She manages the overall IT capital and operations expenditures and implements long-term IT strategies. Diane leads a highly efficient team leveraging technology and standard processes to maximize productivity in IT operations.

Prior to joining JC Resorts, Diane was Director of Information Technology with Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Northern California Region. There, she was responsible for a mixture of owned, managed, and franchise Starwood properties, managing and implementing Starwood IT infrastructure standards, Information Technology security compliance standards, systems upgrades, support, maintenance and documentation of infrastructure, systems, local and wide-area networks, data center, telecommunications, and end-user operations.

John McNair

With over 28 years of experience in the golf industry and 23 years with JC Resorts, Mr. McNair is responsible for managing all aspects of JC Golf’s operations, financial performance, and golf business development.  His expertise includes the operational establishment of new golf facilities, construction management, training, and development of golf course staff, developing and executing sales, marketing, and advertising programs, and creating and implementing membership programs.  He oversees golf course operations for thirteen courses, including course maintenance, food and beverage, and golf shops. 

Prior to joining JC Resorts, John worked for Valley Crest as Director of Golf Management where he built five new golf courses and oversaw six golf properties and 400 employees.

Mr. McNair is an active PGA Member and a regular contributor to various golf publications, including PGA Magazine and Golf Inc.  He has been actively involved in industry-related associations, including his role as Chairman of the San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau’s Golf Committee, President of the Southern California PGA, Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation Board of Directors, and currently serves on the National PGA Board of Directors.

Ryan Miles

Ryan Miles joined JC Resorts in April 2017 and is responsible for providing strategic direction for financial functions including accounting, insurance, regulatory and tax compliance, and treasury. He also oversees and manages all payroll functions, and has a CPA.

Prior to joining JC Resorts, Ryan spent over 10 years at Relational Investors, a $6 billion activist equity fund. As the Director of Finance, he was responsible for all Finance, Accounting, and Tax reporting. He also has several years of experience working at a CPA firm that specialized in providing tax consulting and advisory services in real estate and entrepreneurial business.

Chris Newton

Chris Newton leads all marketing efforts for the JC Resorts portfolio, including demand generation, customer acquisition and retention, guest experience, and communications, as well as the corporate marketing strategy. Key functions Chris oversees include digital marketing, user experience, online media, market segmentation strategy, channel development, customer relationship management, branding, campaign development, content, partnerships, and public relations. Chris focuses on growing topline revenue by creating and managing strategic initiatives to boost brand visibility, reputation, and sales.

With nearly 20 years of marketing leadership and innovation, Chris previously oversaw marketing efforts in the hospitality space for Irvine Company, Stonebridge Companies, Marriott International, and Hilton Worldwide. He also has several years of experience running marketing teams and programs for B2B software and tech companies.

Tracie Stender

Tracie Stender oversees legal and regulatory compliance for JC Resorts, with an emphasis on labor and employment matters. Her key responsibilities include drafting personnel policies, procedures, and forms, providing advice and counseling to human resources professionals, overseeing workplace investigations, conducting trainings and audits, drafting and managing contracts, and overseeing all litigation.

After obtaining her Juris Doctor from UC Hastings College of the Law and passing the bar in 2011, Tracie worked in general civil litigation and compliance. As an associate with Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, LLP, Tracie counseled organizations on governance, operations, and conflicts of interest, and she defended employers in single plaintiff litigation, grievance arbitration and administrative proceedings on subjects ranging from breach of contract to wrongful termination.