Peter Fassbender

Clubhouse Operations Manager, The Cliffs at Glassy

Peter is a native of Chile and has been living in Western North Carolina for the past 14 years. He has over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry. He is a culinary graduate from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France and he also holds a B.A. in Business Administration from the Instituto de Los Andes in Lima, Peru. Peter has spent his career working in diverse restaurants such as Bohemia in Lima, Peru where he worked with the renowned Chef and entrepreneur Gaston Acurio. He has also worked as Executive Chef at Ibis in Santiago, Chile, Genzianella in Formazza, Italy, and Henderson Village in Georgia.

More recently, he has served as the Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage at Season’s at Highland Lake, the on-site restaurant of Highland Lake Inn & Resort. Peter and his wife, Kim are looking forward to his new career with The Cliffs. They have two lovely children, Nicco and Bella. Peter enjoys woodworking, travel and exceptional food.

Anna Schell

General Manager, The Cliffs at Keowee Springs

Anna brings 18 years of experience in hospitality to her role as General Manager of The Cliffs at Keowee Springs. Prior to joining The Cliffs team, she worked at such notable luxury destinations as the Forbes Five-Star Sea Island Resort and Waldorf Astoria hotel. Anna is also a certified Level 1 Sommelier with an extensive food and beverage background.

Anna is most inspired by her close-knit family and the simple joy her two dogs — Jaxson and Tink — bring. She loves that The Cliffs exists in such remarkable natural settings and the dynamic differences between all seven communities.

Matt Payne

General Manager, The Cliffs at Walnut Cove

Both a former golf professional and head restaurant chef with a background in club management, Matt brings a wide variety of experiences to his role as general manager of The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. He is dedicated to providing members with an unparalleled club experience.

Matt is inspired by his two young daughters to be the best he can be, a goal that permeates into his daily duties at Walnut Cove.

Jeff Tyrell

General Manager, The Cliffs Valley

Jeff oversees all aspects of operations within The Cliffs Valley, home to the largest membership within The Cliffs’ collection of communities. Prior to joining our team, Jeff competed on various professional golf tours across the country before turning his attention to private club leadership. He has since served in various roles in the industry, from General Manager and Chief Operations Officer to Membership Marketing and Sales Director, and Golf Professional.

Kyle Caudill

General Manager, The Cliffs at Keowee Falls

Kyle comes to The Cliffs after fourteen years at Haile Plantation Country Club in Gainesville, Florida, a ClubCorp property. During his tenure with ClubCorp, Kyle held several management positions including Food and Beverage Director, Events Coordinator, Head Golf Professional and Fitness Center Manager. Kyle also has extensive experience in food and beverage training, as well as golf operations. He has played an integral role in membership growth programs and has strong accounting and business system skills. Kyle has won eight national awards out of ClubCorp’s 300+ clubs.

A recent transplant to Upstate South Carolina, Kyle spent much of his life immersed in the ClubCorp and Disney cultures and is inspired by their commitment to unparalleled service and attention to detail.

Jim Killion

General Manager, The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards

As General Manager for The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards, Jim is responsible for the daily and long-term operation of the club’s facilities, including the clubhouse, golf course and Equestrian Center. Jim has been involved in the world of private clubs and hospitality for nearly 25 years. He began as a server in 1992 and has been a General Manager since 2002. He achieved the Certified Club Manager designation from the Club Manager’s Association in 2005.

An extrovert through and through, Jim draws energy from engaging with those around him and finds getting to know The Cliffs family tremendously rewarding.

Brian Peeples

Director of Golf & General Manager, The Cliffs at Mountain Park

Brian joined The Cliffs in 2004 as an Assistant Golf Professional at The Cliffs at Glassy and was soon promoted to Head Golf Professional at The Cliffs Valley. While at Valley, Brian hosted the BMW Charity Pro-Am, a PGA Tour sanctioned event. In 2007, Brian opened our second lake community, The Cliffs at Keowee Falls. In 2012, Brian was promoted to the position of The Cliffs’ Director of Golf Operations and he became General Manager of The Cliffs at Mountain Park in early 2018.

Eric Cooperman

Director of Beverage

Eric manages the beverage program across all seven of The Cliffs communities. He is the curator of The Cliffs’ annual WINE + FOOD festival, oversees the Wine Consortium program and is president and founder of The Cliffs Chapter of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. Eric is an Advanced Sommelier and Master Sommelier candidate through the Court of Master Sommeliers and is a Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators. He also has degrees in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University and Hospitality Management from Florida International University.

In his free time, Eric enjoys cooking and listing to vinyl records. On occasion, he has been spotted taking the stage at karaoke bars. Eric’s grandmother — his bubbie — was a talented cook and passionate host who inspired him to pursue his passion, which he is now delighted to share with 7,000 members of The Cliffs.

Francis Turck

Senior Executive Chef

Chef Francis Turck’s culinary career spans more than 25 years. Early on, Francis trained under Michelin Star Chef Jean-Gorges Vongeritchen at Jean-Georges in New York and then James Beard award-winning Chef Larry Forgione. Francis has also worked for such prestigious facilities as the Peabody Hotel in Orlando and Ta-boo in Palm Beach, Florida. Upon joining The Cliffs Valley team in 2006, Chef Francis was quickly promoted to Executive Chef of The Cliffs at Keowee Vineyards in 2007. In 2018, he assumed the role of The Cliffs Senior Executive Chef, supporting six other Executive Chefs and the diverse culinary programs across all seven of The Cliffs communities.

Francis is inspired daily by local, seasonal ingredients and his cuisine has been described as American with regional flair. An honors graduate from the Culinary Institute of America, Francis is passionate about not only food but exquisite wine and recently achieved his Certified Sommelier designation through the Court of Master Sommeliers. Francis is also passionate about health and wellness and recently collaborated with The Cliffs’ wellness and culinary teams to update The Cliffs Wellbeing Program menu guidelines, which expand the variety of nourishing options on all menus.

Francis also serves as the Vice Conseiller Gastronomique of The Cliffs Chapter of Chaîne des Rôtisseurs.

Jim Evans

Director of Agronomy & Superintendent, The Cliffs at Keowee Falls

Prior to joining The Cliffs as Superintendent for The Cliffs at Keowee Falls and Senior Agronomist, Jim Evans served for four years at The Dormie Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina, leading the construction process, grow-in and opening of the course. Prior to that, Jim spent 10 years at Augusta National Golf Club, eventually serving as Senior Assistant Superintendent where he was responsible for the daily operations up to and including The Masters Tournament.

Kim Campbell

Senior Golf Events Sales Manager

Kim is responsible for all large group golf sales across all seven of The Cliffs communities. She has 30 years of experience in the hospitality industry and has worked in 16 states, from the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts to the Indian Wells Country Club in Indian Wells, California. What has kept her at The Cliffs for over a decade are the members, executives and fellow associates she has the pleasure of working with each day.

Ryan Kamszik

Director of Wellness

As Director of Wellness for The Cliffs, Ryan guides the direction of wellness and outdoor exploration programming across our seven communities, in addition to managing the acquisition and continuous development of talented health and wellness professionals and the growth of impactful services and amenities to enhance our members’ lives. Ryan’s five years of service in the United States Marine Corps founded his passion for health, nutrition and fitness, leading him to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and Nutrition. He has further expanded his knowledge of the human form through certifications of the National Strength and Conditioning Association and Gray Institute of Functional Science.

Ryan finds constant inspiration in helping members achieve goals they previously thought to be impossible, and the prolonged determination it creates toward expanding their boundaries through a greater belief in self.

Lisa Wiznitzer

Lifestyle Concierge Manager

Lisa brings over two decades in the hospitality industry to her role as Lifestyle Concierge Manager. In this role, Lisa’s primary goal is to improve members’ lives by offering personalized services tailored to individual needs through The Cliffs’ Lifestyle Concierge Program, including sourcing concierge partners and coordinating services.

Lisa is the proud mother of three teenage boys and future basketball stars.