Westport GOP to Honor Jim Marpe, Bob Zappi at Spring Gala

All Westporters are invited to the Westport Republicans Spring Gala on June 14 to honor two members of the community who "go above and beyond the ordinary" to serve and improve the town, according to a Republican Town Committee release.  

The RTC will celebrate the contributions of former Board of Education Vice Chair Jim Marpe and former RTC Chair Bob Zappi at the Westport Inn.    

“Jim Marpe and Bob Zappi are two truly outstanding Westporters who donate their time and talents in service to our community,” Brandi Briggs, co-chair of the 2013 Westport Republicans Spring Gala, said.  

“They epitomize leadership, self-sacrifice and commitment to our town, and we are proud to have them as leaders in the Republican Party.”     

Marpe, a Westport resident for 24 years, served on the Board of Education from 2005 to 2012. He retired as a senior partner in the New York City office of Accenture, a global management consulting company, after a 32-year career with the firm.  

Besides the school board, Marpe has been active in several community organizations, including on the board of directors for the Westport Rotary Club, the Green’s Farms Congregational Church, The Westport/Weston Family Y Board of Trustees (Chairman), and the Stamford Symphony Orchestra.   

Zappi, who has lived in Westport since 1988, served as chair of the RTC from 2007 - 2012. He is the CEO and founder of Catalyst International and has been an adjunct professor of marketing at New York University since 2003.  

Zappi's community activism includes the role of Cub Scout Pack Chairman, coach of his sons’ Little League baseball and rec basketball teams, and in various capacities at St. Luke Roman Catholic Church in various capacities. Bob has been an Adjunct Professor at NYU Center for Marketing since 2003. In 2010, Bob and his son Mark published a coffee table book titled: "Westport: A Classic New England Town."  

The gala will be held from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, June 14 at the Westport Inn. Contact event co-chair Joe Sledge at joseph.sledge@snet.net or 917-597-0311; or Brandi Briggs at brandibriggs12@yahoo.com or 303-475-0734 for tickets.  

Tickets for the event, which includes beer and wine, dinner and dancing, cost $125 per person, according to the release.