November 27, 2020
The ballots have been counted and the 2020 Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Southeast Section Leadership Team will consist of Teacher of the Year Award Recipient Ashaunta Epps who will serve as President.
Epps is Director of Golf for the A Perfect Swing Golf Association and previously served as the LPGA’s Southeast Section Secretary. She’s an Instructor for the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship Clinics, a series of one-day golf clinics led by 27-time LPGA Tour Champion, Jane Blalock.
Epps will move up in her current role as Secretary for the Southeast Section. She also serves as an instructor for the LPGA Leadership Academy, the LPGA Golf Academy, and is an LPGA/USGA Girls Golf Site Director. The African American Golfers Hall of Fame Inductee has been recognized nationally as an Outstanding Leader in Golf by the African American Golfer’s Digest and won countless local and national golf competitions. She also leads a 50+ member PGA Junior League in-house league through her A Perfect Swing Foundation.
Jamie Taylor, Diversity Consultant, elected Secretary
Joining Epps on the 2021-2022 LPGA Southeast Section leadership team is Connie Capanegra who will serve as Vice President, Jamie Taylor, Section Secretary, and Karen Nicoletti, Section Treasurer.
“As an African American LPGA member, when I reflect on this team, I recall that the 13 original founders of the organization made a conscious decision to exclude the “Caucasian Only” clause which existed in the original PGA charter,” said Epps, CEO/Founder of A Perfect Swing on her Facebook post.
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“I’m proud to be an LPGA member. We are a collection of creative, innovative, talented, educated, humorous, loving, caring, and sharing women. We are moving in the right direction and I’m looking forward to doing my part to assist our national and local officers with continuing to make the game of golf available and accessible to everyone while fulfilling the overall mission of the LPGA organization.”
“This team represents how LPGA is changing the face of the game. You’re looking at the second Black president of an LPGA Professional section (the first since 1976, 44 years), and the most diverse leadership team in LPGA history!” commented Jamie Taylor of the Black Golf Directory.
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