June 29, 2021 | By JAMES BEATTY
Which golf organization with 18,000 members in 78 countries recently launched their Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Initiative (D,E and I) Initiative?
Which organization’s CEO gave up his time for a day and a half to be involved in the meetings launching this initiative?
Which organization recruited six industry D,E and I leaders to serve on its Advisory Council?
Which organization dedicated a full-day to host a D,E and I meeting at its Headquarters?
Which organization had it Board President and Vice President lead and conduct the DE and I meeting?
Give up guessing???
It was GCSAA. Yes, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, headquartered in Lawrence, Kansas who had the temerity, audacity and courage to launch and host this powerful initiative at its facility on June 23 and 24.
Under the leadership of CEO J. Rhett Evans, Board President, Mark Jordan and Board Vice President, Kevin Breen with the approval and direction from their Board of Directors, GCSAA formally launched their 2021 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Advisory Council.
The agenda was a no holds barred session with a full slate of topics ranging from career mapping to meeting with the internal GCSAA Task Group. Bob Randquist, COO, also took his valuable time to lead the Council on a tour of the facility. GCSAA clearly is serious about not just talking about D,E and I but taking actions on this most important matter.
Perhaps Colonel John Morley, the founder of GCSAA, knew something of the inevitability of this activity as stated in his quote from 1926 which is emblazoned on the GCSAA main entry wall “No life is or can be self existent, we depend upon each other.”
In addition to GCSAA board and staff leadership previously mentioned, Shelia Finney, Senior Director of Membership Programs for GCSAA is a key member of the effort.
The Advisory Council is composed of:
- Jan Bel Jan, immediate past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and owner of Jan Bel Jan Golf Course Design Inc. in Jupiter, Fl,
- Craig Kirby, Founder and CEO of Golf. My Future. My Game. located in Washington, DC.
- Azucena Maldonado, Founder of the Latina Golfer’s Association in Anaheim, CA,
- Jamie Taylor, CEO and founder of the Black Golf Directory in Sanford, FL
- Desiree Walker, CEO of Road2Par and a founding member of the Black Golf Alliance in Bowie MD
- and your’s truly, James Beatty, Executive Editor of the African American Golfer’s Digest, President of Jim Beatty Golf Ventures in Omaha, NE and organizer of the African American Golf EXPO and Forum which will be held Aug 21 -24 at the Hilton Conference Center in Marietta ,GA.
GCSAA without hesitancy opened itself for scrutiny and constructive feedback on all of its activities, programs and marketing materials in an effort to ensure that it was genuine in its outreach efforts to underrepresented and underserved communities as well as to establish and maintain a pipeline for its current and future workforce needs.
A Really Real Discussion
The discussion was very real, the feedback was candid, the atmosphere was positive and the GCSAA responses were not defensive but accepting and understanding. I and the other members of the council applaud this bold move and ask that other golf organizations emulate this effort to continue to make D,E and I real and a part of their respective organizational fabric.
Case in point is the unique collaboration as previously reported in AAGD with Golf My Future My Game and GCSAA. Four college students of color are participating in a three-month internship experience at the Westfield Country Club located in Westfield Center, Ohio focused on Golf Operations and Golf Course Management. The participants are sophomores and include students from Albion College, located in Albion, MI and Howard University located in Washington DC. The primary outcome of the program is to create a diverse pool of future talent for the Westfield Country Club and the golf industry
As stated by CEO, Rhett Evans, also a triathlete and active adventurist, using a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to close the session: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” He is serious about leading GCSAA on this most important adventure. His actions and deeds are evidence of his commitment. Right on Rhett!
I am eager and anxious to see and hear others in the industry break that silence and express their commitment.
