LaJean Gould, President/Founder
of Women In Golf Foundation Appointed To
Editorial Advisory Board of African American Golfer’s Digest
NEW YORK, NY (January 27, 2008)–Ms. LaJean Gould, President and Founder of the Women In Golf Foundation of Atlanta, Georgia, was appointed on January 27, 2008 as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board.
LaJean’s professional skills and years of experience in the corporate and academic fields will bring a wealth of opportunities to each of our organizations and to the African American Golfer’s Digest.
LaJean Waller Gould is the founder and president of The Women in Golf Foundation, Inc. The organization focuses on creating opportunities for women in the areas of education, training, leadership and lifeskill development through golf. Her work is dedicated to supporting and training female youth golfers from beginning levels through college and entry into their chosen profession. The organization’s efforts focus towards the development of women collegiate golf teams, identifying career opportunities within the golf industry, and one day facilitating African American Women playing on the professional tour.
LaJean is the director for the organization’s annual signature event, The Women’s Collegiate Golf Classic, the championship event for Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Women’s golf teams. She currently is continuing to lead the effort to host the 14th annual Women’s Collegiate Championship event scheduled for April 2008.
LaJean is currently the Director of Marketing for Charlie Yates Golf Course at East Lake. She promotes play at the facility, manages customer and community relations, and leads the effort for player development, which includes planning and organizing golf outings and clinics for all ages.
Previously she was employed by SydMar Golf Management, Inc. for 4 years and served as the Director of Community Affairs and Marketing at Sugar Creek Golf and Tennis Club in Atlanta, GA. Responsibilities included customer and community relations, directing tournaments, planning and organizing golf clinics for all ages.
Through her work in the golf industry, she has created and manages a junior golf program that has gained a reputation for its’ strong leadership and life skills program and strong competitive golfers. The program supports female and males, but has a very strong emphasis on girls. The program has an LPGA/USGA girls group of African American juniors concentrating on developing golf, leadership and life skills. The program also is supported by a grant from the United States Golf Association and a PGA of America Growth of the Game Grant.
These girls are a feeder pool for the HBCU Women’s Golf Teams. She has begun the huge task of expanding this program to other facilities in metro Atlanta to increase the numbers of children that can benefit from it’s teachings. Her summer program not only includes participants from Metro – Atlanta, but includes participants from Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma.
Ms. Gould currently is a part time member of the faculty at Spelman College, teaching beginning golf and is the administrator for Golf For Business and Life for the Atlanta University Center.
In May of 2006, Ms. Gould was inducted into the African American Golfer’s Hall of Fame in Phoenix, AZ, for her work and support of women and youth in golf.
September 2001 was a milestone year for Ms. Gould. She retired from a 23-year career as a senior executive in the Communications industry, where she gained extensive experience in financial and operational management, productivity improvements, operational change, organizational motivation, team building and relationship development.
LaJean is adept at negotiating between business requirements and resource restrictions, managing outside vendors and enforcing fact-based planning to drive change within the organization. Her career in communications has enabled her to emerge as a leader in program deployment and operational management.
LaJean is determined; goal oriented, and is gifted with the ability to stay focused. As a result, she develops, motivates, and builds high performing teams producing extraordinary results. These skills have earned her rewards and recognition throughout her career and have been instrumental in her ability to manage and grow the Women In Golf Foundation and its programs.
Ms. Gould holds a B.S. in Mathematics with a double major in Economics from Fisk University and a M.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan. She has also received a Mini-MBA in International Business, studied Strategic Financial Management at Penn State and completed a curriculum on Women in Global Management.
She devotes a considerable amount of time to business, civic, and community organizations. She is a member of the Browns Mill Women’s Golf Association, the Executive Women’s Golf Association, the Divot Divas , and served for 7 years as the Secretary/Treasure of The Sugar Creek Women’s Golf Association. She serves on the board of the Georgia Black United Fund, and has served on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, Inc., Board of Directors -RES COM Financials, National Black Business Council and the Institute for the National Black Business Council and the finance committee for the Atlanta Business League.
While in the communications industry, she was a champion for diversity, leading a team of executive women in the Chief Financial Organization at AT&T and Lucent Technologies to create a strong voice for women’s equality. She also served as VP Fundraising – 100 Black Women Decatur/Dekalb Chapter and on the Board of Trustees of Jomandi Productions, but is most proud of her accomplishments as founder of the Women In Golf Foundation and director of the Women’s Collegiate Golf Classic.
Through her work with the foundation, over 500 girls and women have been impacted, over $70,000 contributed to Historical Black College and University women’s golf teams, 15 students obtained college scholarships, 6 participants received summer internships, and youth have obtained summer jobs. Her efforts have enabled the organization to gain credibility with the USGA, LPGA and PGA of America Foundation and in the golfing community as a whole. She was recently listed by the African American Golfer’s Digest as “One of the Amazing Black Women in Golf”.
LaJean is a wife, mother, and community activist. She is determined to make a difference in her company, her community, and the golf industry.
