Retiring OA Board Member Joe Garvey looks forward to more time with Barney, his very lovable, 6-year-old Irish Terrier from County Wicklow, Ireland.
Successful businesspeople with hectic schedules often have trouble filling their free time when they retire from busy careers. Days full of meetings, deadlines and travel often become stressful, and a lazy day without such commitments seems a dream come true. That is, until it doesn’t.
Such was the case for Orinda’s Joe
Garvey. Formerly a vice president for United Airlines and executive for Royal Viking Cruise Lines and Hyatt Hotels before forming his own consulting company, Garvey looked forward to retirement. Thirty days later he was bored to death.
“I started looking around Orinda to see what else I could do, how I could fill the hours and be involved again,” said Garvey. “I thought it would be interesting to join The Orinda Association (OA). I liked the programs they did for Orinda and wanted to give back to this community my wife Linda and I love.”
Garvey joined the OA board in December 2014, and, not one to avoid leadership roles, became vice president in January 2015. He leaves the board at the end of December.
During his tenure on the board, Garvey coordinated the OA’s Public Forums, was the OA liaison to the City Council and spent countless hours planning and working the Fourth of July Celebration and the Orinda Classic Car Show.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my activities with the OA, which helped me round out my life. I encourage others to look into joining the organization and the board,” Garvey said.
Garvey leaves the OA Board and his position as vice president in “ship shape,” which is appropriate for a graduate of the Annapolis Naval Academy. He served in the combat information center aboard a destroyer in the early 1960s when he found himself in the Mediterranean and North Seas. “It’s where I learned the importance of discipline and honesty,” Garvey added.
After leaving the Navy, Garvey earned an MBA in marketing from New York University before starting his career in the travel and hospitality industry.
Garvey and his family have resided in NYC, New Jersey, Chicago, Portland, Denver and Orinda. He said, “Without question, Orinda has been the most enjoyable community in which we have lived. Residents are friendly, caring and involved.”
The Garveys have lived in Orinda for 33 years. They have two adult children and four grandchildren.
