The USGA has announced that its Executive Committee will again be led by Stu Francis, of Hillsborough, Calif., and by Fred Perpall, of Dallas, Texas, who will serve as president-elect.
In addition, Sinclair Eaddy Jr., of Baltimore, Md., and Kevin Hammer, of Boynton Beach, Fla., have been elected to three-year terms on the USGA’s 15-member Executive Committee.
The election took place on Saturday during the 2022 USGA Annual Meeting, which was broadcast virtually from Carlsbad, Calif.
The new committee members represent global leadership within their fields of expertise and lend critical business talent in areas important to the game’s future: promoting growth through programs that reach more diverse people, expanding golf’s reach through digital distribution, and broadening golf’s engagement with programs that support economic and environmental sustainability.
The USGA Executive Committee is a volunteer group of 15 people that provides strategic and financial oversight as the Association’s policy-making and governance board. Francis was elected to lead the committee two years ago and will serve the final year of his three-year term as president in 2022.
Eaddy and Hammer will each serve a three-year term beginning in 2022, with the possibility of being elected for a second and final three-year term in 2025.
“Sinclair and Kevin embody the values and mission of the USGA, and I am proud to work alongside them,” said Francis, who is serving his seventh year on the Executive Committee. “They bring a high level of passion, talent and expertise to the committee so we can deliver on our vision for the organization and the game of golf.”
Perpall, a native of the Bahamas who now calls Dallas home, will serve as president-elect, a position created in 2019 to provide Executive Committee leadership succession and continuity. He is currently completing his third year on the Executive Committee, chairs the Championship Committee and serves on the Amateur Status Committee.
“Fred is a terrific leader and his passion for the game is evident at every USGA championship and golf event he attends,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA. “He will continue to be a towering force for golf and for our association’s work to ensure the game continues to thrive long into the future.”
Professionally, Perpall is the CEO of The Beck Group, where he leads the firm’s domestic and international architectural design, planning, real estate consultancy and construction businesses. A registered architect, Perpall was elected to the prestigious American Institute of Architects College of Fellows in 2016. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Texas at Arlington and is a graduate of the Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. He played basketball and ran track in college and was a member of the 1994 Bahamian National Basketball Team.
Perpall was a member of the Board of Trustees who helped build Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas. The public/private partnership that led to the club’s creation has served as an inspiration within its underserved community. Trinity Forest has served as host to Southern Methodist University’s golf program, numerous charitable tournaments, and events for the Dallas chapter of The First Tee.
Eaddy serves as the president and CEO of the National Links Trust, a nonprofit organization focused on promoting and protecting affordability, accessibility and engaging golf course architecture at municipal golf courses across the U.S. Eaddy previously served as president and executive director of The First Tee of Greater Baltimore. He currently serves on the boards of the Maryland State Golf Association and the Middle Atlantic Golf Association and is a director of the Western Golf Association. He has served as a USGA committee member since 2018 and is a volunteer Rules official at the regional and national levels.
Prior to joining the golf industry, Eaddy, who earned a bachelor’s degree in business and economics at Franklin & Marshall College, had a successful career in the private sector at Legg Mason Global Asset Management and Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.
Hammer is currently in his 10th year as a member of the Florida State Golf Association Executive Committee and his second and final year as FSGA president. He was introduced to the game at a young age by his parents, both of whom enjoyed long careers in the golf industry. Hammer spent his early years working at multiple golf facilities and quickly developed a lifelong love, passion and respect for the game. A former first-team American Junior Golf Association All-American, Hammer played collegiately at the University of Florida and has qualified for multiple USGA championships. Driven by his desire to give back to the game, Hammer began volunteering with the Florida State Golf Association.
Professionally, Hammer is a managing director at Bank of America / Merrill Lynch. For more than 23 years, Hammer and his team have managed investments for individuals, families, foundations and professional athletes.
In addition to the two new Executive Committee members, Perpall, Tony Anderson of Chicago, Ill., and Deborah Platt Majoras of Cincinnati, Ohio, have all been elected to serve a second three-year term.
Current USGA Executive Committee members include Francis, Perpall, Eaddy, Hammer, Anderson, Majoras, Thomas Barkin of Richmond, Va.; Paul Brown of Brookeville, Md.; Chuck Brymer of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.; Cathy Engelbert of Berkeley Heights, N.J.; Kendra Graham of Winter Park, Fla.; Courtney Myhrum of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Tony Petitti of Irvington, N.Y.; Nick Price of Hobe Sound, Fla.; and Sharon Ritchey of Longboat Key, Fla.
Retiring from the Executive Committee are J. Michael Bailey and Stephen Beebe.
