Retired General Manager
Bayou Club of Houston

Lectured November 5, 2015

Jonathan D. Shear, CCM, CCE (’80) has served as the general manager of the Bayou Club of Houston since 1995.

Prior to joining the Bayou Club—Houston’s most intimate and exclusive club—he held management positions at Golfcrest Country Club in Pearland and Houston Country Club. He’s also worked nearly every job in food & beverage—cooking, bartending and serving in various hotels, restaurants and a catering company in the Baltimore area.

Jonathan transferred to Hilton College after completing an Associate of Arts in Hospitality Management at Essex Community College in Baltimore. After graduating with his BS in 1980, he continued his education professionally within the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA), earning credits to maintain his CCM certification and joining the CMAA Honor Society. He is also a Certified Chief Executive.

An active member of CMAA, Jonathan has served the Lone Star Chapter by serving on the state board and as president of the Houston chapter. He’s also very involved with the University of Houston Alumni Association, has guest-lectured in club management classes and was honored to be the first speaker of the College’s Erik Worscheh Lecture Series.

Jonathan believes in nurturing and giving back to the future leaders of the industry. He serves as co-chairman of the Southwell, Steger, Brecunier (SSB) Scholarship Endowment, which provides scholarship opportunities for students interested in private clubs, and also as the chairperson of the Club Manager’s Alliance, a group that links University of Houston alumni who are active in club management with students looking for internships.

Jonathan and his wife, Marcia, have been married for 33 years. They have two sons—Micah, an analyst for Blackstone Minerals Company in Houston, and Ethan, a petroleum engineer at HJ Gruy Consulting in Houston. In his free time, Jonathan enjoys reading, collecting fine wine and gardening.