Jim Beatty, President, Jim Beatty Golf Ventures and EXPO Organizer Announces LaJean Gould, Founder, Women In Golf Foundation, as a Keynote Speaker at the 2nd Annual African American Golf Expo & Forum, August 27-31 in Charlotte, North Carolina. LaJean will speak and conduct a workshop on the Women In Golf Foundation.
JIM ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO REGISTER AND MAKE THEIR HOTEL RESERVATIONS NOW. RATE GOES UP AFTER JULY 1. Register at https://aagolfexpo.com/register-herehttp://JIM ENCOURAGES EVERYONE TO REGISTER AND MAKE THEIR HOTEL RESERVATIONS NOW. RATE GOES UP AFTER JULY 1. Register at https://aagolfexpo.com/register-here
LaJean Waller Gould is the founder and president of The Women in Golf Foundation, Inc. (WIGF), an organization that focuses on creating opportunities for women in the areas of education, training, leadership, and life skills development through golf. Her work is dedicated to supporting and training female youth golfers from beginning levels through college and entry into their professional careers. LaJean is the Director for the organization’s annual signature event, The National Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship, the championship event for Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Women’s golf teams. She recently hosted the 27th National Women’s Collegiate Championship in April 2022, at Eagles Landing Country Club.
Ms. Gould, a retired Senior Executive from the communications industry, was a part-time member of the faculty at Spelman College teaching Beginning Golf in the Physical Education and Wellness Department for 11 years. She organized an Atlanta University center-wide program to bring golf to the entire center – Get Golf Ready – PGA Tour University and was the administrator for Golf for Business and Life.
Her work through WIGF included the PGA program “Get Golf Ready” course curriculum, and now offers the WIGF program – “Golf – A Great Business Decision”, a career-enhancing tool for executive women. Ms. Gould has created and manages a junior golf program that has gained a reputation for its strong leadership and life skills, producing strong competitive golfers and scholastically strong students. The program is available to all youth, but, is recognized for its work with girls specifically the LPGA/USGA girls’ group. Over the past 17 years, the program has been supported by grants from the United States Golf Association, the LPGA Foundation, the Women’s Sports Foundation – Go Girl Go Program, Hank Aaron Chasing Your Dream, the PGA of America Growth of the Game Grants and Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority. Successful girls are a feeder pool for women’s collegiate golf teams. The program has facilitated college scholarships for a host of girls.
Ms. Gould has received much recognition for her work and support of women and youth, as well as for growing the game of golf. She was honored at the 2011 Trumpet Awards: High Tea with High Heels for her achievements, and in 2009, 2010, and 2011 she was recognized as a member of the Top 100 African American Women of Influence in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business League. She was inducted into the 2008 Class of the YWCA Academy of Women Achievers and in May of 2006, she was inducted into the African American Golfer’s Hall of Fame. She was featured in the African American Golfer’s Digest – 2004 Spring Edition, as “One of the Amazing Black Women in the Golf Industry”. Her Foundation was honored by the USGA and PGA as a member of the African American Golf Pioneers and the Atlanta Business League as the Non-Traditional Business of the Year for 2011. She was most honored to receive the Barak Obama Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring her achievements as a philanthropist and community volunteer. In 2019 she received the Browns Mill Women’s Golf Association’s Annual Award for the success of the WIGF programs and support of women and junior golf. In April 2022, she received the Farmers Insurance Community Service Award.
Ms. Gould holds a B.S. in Mathematics with a double major in Economics from Fisk University and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Michigan. She also received an Executive MBA in International Business, studied Strategic Financial Management at Penn State and completed a curriculum on Women in Global Management.
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 an 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 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.
She devotes a considerable amount of time to business, civic, and community organizations. She has been a member of the Browns Mill Women’s Golf Association, served for 7 years as the Secretary/Treasurer of The Sugar Creek Women’s Golf Association and is a member of the Divot Divas. She previously served on the Junior Golf Committee of the Georgia State Golf Association, the board of the Georgia Black United Fund, Editorial Advisory Board African American Golfer’s Digestmagazine and volunteered for the PGA FedEx Cup Tour Championship. LaJean has also served on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta, Inc., and a host of other non-profit Boards. She is an ambassador for Women’s Golf and Travel and an avid Solheim Cup fan. She is a very proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Lambda Epsilon Omega Chapter.
LaJean is a speaker, mentor, wife, mother, grandmother, golf and community activist. She is determined to make a difference not only in the golf industry, but also in the Women in Golf Foundation, and her community.
ABOUT THE WOMEN IN GOLF FOUNDATION
The Women In Golf Foundation, Inc., headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, is a 501-C3 organization that promotes women in golf. The organization focuses on creating opportunities for females by implementing programs that develop leadership and life skills as they learn to play the game of golf competitively for business and recreational purposes.
Support and training are provided for female youth golfers early through college and entry into their chosen profession. The organization’s signature focus is on the development of women collegiate golf teams and identifying career opportunities within the golf industry and other corporate positions. To keep this focus, young girls are recruited and developed as a feeder pool for collegiate institutions.
The organization has three core programs:
Women’s Collegiate Annual Golf Classic
The annual invitational event of selected women’s college teams participate and play for the Women’s Collegiate Championship. The trophy is the Renee Powell Cup, honoring Renee Powell, a pioneer African American Female professional golfer. The winning team is presented the trophy to reign as champions for the year. The event is officiated by Georgia Golf Association/PGA professionals/USGA volunteers and results are reported to Golf Statistics. Results are also reported via major sports publications and media forums.
The 3-day competition event, includes a weekend of learning, growing and networking opportunities;
- Day 1 includes leadership development education and a pro-am tournament with Business professionals inclusive of our generous program sponsors and partners
- Day 2 and 3 is the 36-hole championship tournament for the college women to culminate their season.
Youth Golf Leadership and Life Skills Program
WIGF youth programing is designed with the primary goal of developing leaders. The programs use golf as a focal point to teach critical leadership, competitive and social skills that are required for youth development. The programs focus on girls, but will accept boys if space is available.
The youth programs are made available to any youth applying and approved where ever they live. Over the twelve years of the program’s existence, students have participated across the United States.
The youth golf programs are supported by the USGA, LPGA, and the PGA Foundation.
Executive Women’s Golf Program
How many deals are made on the golf course? Why should men be the only participants networking making those deals utilizing golf as career advantage? Our world is continuously changing women now have more influence than any other time in our history. The roles of women are actively being re-defined this is recognized by corporate executives, business owners and the PGA. Now is as a good time as any to learn the game of golf and allow yourself that competitive career advantage.
ABOUT THE AFRICAN AMERICAN GOLF EXPO AND FORUM
The mission of the African American Golf EXPO and Forum is to promote the game, the business the industry the careers and the opportunities in the $84 Billion golf industry to African Americans.
The objectives of the EXPO are to :
1) Promote economic growth, diversity and inclusion in golf to African Americans and other underrepresented groups
2) Provide a friendly and welcoming environment for golf industry leaders to develop relationships with African Americans who are entrrpreneurs,community programmers and golf enthusiasts.
3) Help grow the industry by featuring subject matter experts in learning forums, seminars and networking opportunities
4) Provide funding to grassroots organizations involved in teaching and promoting golf to the African American community.
Register at www.aagolfexpo.com/register-here to attend the EXPO and make your room reservations
