BOARD OF DIRECTORS
ANNIKA
ANNIKA Foundation
Annika is the greatest female golfer of our generation and often regarded as the best of all time. During her
15-year Hall of Fame career, she rewrote the LPGA and Ladies European Tour record books, won countless awards and changed the way women’s golf was played, viewed, and covered. She amassed 89 worldwide professional victories, including 72 LPGA wins, ten of which are Major Championships. Annika stepped away from professional golf after the 2008 season to focus on her family and the ANNIKA brand of businesses, including the ANNIKA Academy, ANNIKA Financial Group, ANNIKA Course Design, the ANNIKA Collection of apparel with Cutter & Buck, signature high-end wines with Wente Vineyards and an online retail shop, shopannika.com. In 2007, Annika created the ANNIKA Foundation as a way to teach children the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition, and offer aspiring junior golfers opportunities to pursue their dreams. Learn more about Annika.
JAY BRENNAN
GrayRobinson
Jay Brennan serves as Chairman of the ANNIKA Foundation Board. Mr. Brennan is a partner at GrayRobinson, a full-service corporate law firm with more than 240 attorneys throughout 10 offices across Florida. His practice is focused on civil litigation, including both trial and appellate work, in both state and federal courts. Mr. Brennan’s experience includes all types of commercial/business litigation, including contract, corporate and partnership disputes, antitrust, healthcare litigation, banking litigation, mortgage foreclosure, commercial collections, commercial landlord/tenant litigation, business tort and trade secret litigation, employment contract and non-competition disputes, commercial products liability, franchise and manufacturer/dealer disputes and construction disputes. Jay has also represented professional athletes, including Ken Griffey, Jr. and Annika Sorenstam.
Mr. Brennan received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business/Economics from Rollins College and received his law degree, with honors, from the University of Miami. He has been named to the Florida Trend’s “Legal Elite” and recognized in The Best Lawyers in America and Florida Super Lawyers publications. Jay has also been named in Orlando Magazine’s list of “Best Lawyers in Orlando” and selected as a Leading Florida Attorney in Business Litigation.
CHARLES S. MECHEM, JR.
Commissioner Emeritus of the LPGA
Charles S. Mechem, Jr. is the retired Chairman of the Board for Taft Broadcasting Company, U.S. Shoe Corporation, Cincinnati Bell, Inc. and Convergys Corporation. He was a partner at the law firm of Taft, Stettinius & Hollister from 1955-1967, as well as Captain in the U.S. Army from 1956-1959 in the Judge Advocate General Corps. Mr. Mechem served as the LPGA Commissioner from 1990-1996. Under his stewardship, the LPGA Foundation was created to support junior golf programs, youth scholarships and provide financial assistance for members of the golf industry. In addition to serving on the ANNIKA Foundation and Annika Sorenstam Advisory Boards, Mr. Mechem currently serves on the Board of Directors for Messer Construction Company and Corr-Jensen Holdings LLC.
Mr. Mechem received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University and his law degree from Yale Law School. He also received Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Miami University and Ohio University.
DAN M. DUTTON
Stimson Lumber Company
Dan Dutton is the Chairman of Stimson Lumber Company, based out of Portland, Oregon, and former Chairman of the ANNIKA Foundation Board. He first joined Stimson Lumber Company more than 20 years ago as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and quickly became the company’s Chief Executive Officer.
He was elected Chairman of the Board in 2000. Mr. Dutton is Lead Director of Universal Forest Products, Inc.
and has held this position since 2003. He is the Chair of the Arnold Palmer Scholarship at Tradition Golf Club
in La Quinta, California as well as a member of the Board of Directors for Rombauer Vineyards in St. Helena, California and World Forestry Center in Portland, Oregon.
Mr. Dutton is a graduate of California State University in Chico, California. He has been a personal adviser
and friend to Annika for nearly 20 years.
THE HONORABLE TOM RIDGE
Ridge Global
The Honorable Tom Ridge is the president and CEO of Ridge Global. As the company’s chief executive, Ridge leads a team of international experts that help businesses and governments address a range of needs throughout their organizations. Following the tragic events of September 11th, 2001, Tom Ridge became the first Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and, on January 24, 2003, became the first Secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The creation of the country’s 15th Cabinet Department marked the largest reorganization of government since the Truman administration and another call to service for the former soldier, congressman and governor of Pennsylvania.
During his tenure, Secretary Ridge worked with more than 180,000-plus employees to create an agency that facilitated the flow of people and goods, instituted layered security at air, land and seaports, developed a unified national response and recovery plan, protected critical infrastructure, integrated new technology and improved information sharing worldwide. Tom Ridge served as Secretary of this historic and critical endeavor until February 1, 2005. Secretary Ridge continues to contribute to matters concerning our nation’s veterans and, along with Gen. Tommy Franks (Ret.), serves as national co-chairman of the Flight 93 Memorial Fundraising Campaign.
DAVE BOCKORNY
The Bockorny Group
Dave Bockorny is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Bockorny Group, Inc., a leading bipartisan government affairs consulting firm located in Washington D.C. He has been a principal in the firm for nearly
20 years—over which time he has guided the firm and cultivated it into one the largest independent lobbying firms in the nation’s capital. Under his direction, the firm has obtained an outstanding reputation in its dedicated approach to professional, ethical and individualized service. David has been recognized over the past decade
by numerous Washington publications as being among the top lobbyists on Capitol Hill. The Hill, a leading newspaper with the largest circulation of any Capitol Hill publication has consistently named Mr. Bockorny among the top “K Street” lobbyists – a designation determined through direct acknowledgments by Members
of Congress, key aides and other lobbyists.
MIKE MCGEE
ANNIKA Foundation
Mike is the Managing Director for ANNIKA, the business enterprise of golf legend Annika Sorenstam.
He oversees the ANNIKA brand, which currently includes ANNIKA Course Design and the ANNIKA Collection
with Cutter & Buck, a high-performance golf apparel line for women. Mike also serves as Annika’s agent and interacts daily with her many world-class partners. He creates and implements corporate opportunities for
Annika and has negotiated millions of dollars’ worth of deals on her behalf. Mike is also the Interim President
of the ANNIKA Foundation, which provide opportunities in women’s golf at the junior, collegiate and professional levels while teaching young people the importance of living a healthy, active lifestyle through fitness and nutrition.
Mike joined ANNIKA from International Golf Partners, a Sports Management firm where he was Vice President and directed the management of 20-plus players on the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour. In addition to day-to-day client management, he handled sponsor procurement, contract negotiations, corporate outings, and business development. Previously, he spent five years in professional golf tournament management with Executive Sports International and as Operations Manager for the Siebel Classic, a former Champions Tour event in San Jose, Calif.
ANNE BROHOLM
AHEAD
Anne Broholm is the CEO of AHEAD, LLC, a Massachusetts based headwear and apparel company providing merchandise to green grass golf shops, resorts, and professional golf tournaments nationwide. The company is also active in the corporate and collegiate markets. Ms. Broholm came to AHEAD with over 25 years of progressive management experience in the apparel industry with companies including Ocean Pacific, Liz Claiborne, and Imperial Headwear. Prior to being named CEO of AHEAD in 2012, Ms. Broholm was Vice President of the Golf Division of Cutter & Buck, a Seattle based apparel company. Ms. Broholm graduated with a B.S. in Merchandising from Colorado State University and received her MBA from the University of Colorado. Ms. Broholm has remained active with her alma mater, serving on the Colorado State University Alumni Board of Directors from 2001 – 2008 and currently serves as an appointed member of the Executive Leadership Council of the College of Health and Human Services.
In addition, Ms. Broholm was one of the co-founders of the Green & Gold Gala, which is celebrating its 14th year as the premier Denver based alumni event and whose proceeds continue to provide several metro Denver scholarships annually. Ms. Broholm currently serves on several golf industry boards including the Board of Directors for the Association of Golf Merchandisers and the PGA of America Merchandiser of the Year Selection Committee and she also is a trustee for the Colorado PGA REACH foundation. Active in the New Bedford Region, Ms. Broholm is a mayoral appointee to the Greater New Bedford Workforce Investment Board, a member of the President’s Council for Southcoast Health, and sits on the New Bedford CEO Council. Most recently Ms. Broholm received a gubernatorial appointment to the Massachusetts State Workforce Development Board and she also serves on the Board of Directors for the Associated Industries of Massachusetts and the Regeneration Committee of New Bedford. In 2014 under Ms. Broholm’s leadership, AHEAD, LLC was honored by The Commonwealth Institute and the Boston Globe as one of Massachusetts’ Top 100 Women-Led businesses in 2013.
BARRY HYDE
Wasserman Media Group
As Executive Vice President of Business Development at Wasserman Media Group, Barry Hyde drives a range of revenue opportunities to grow business.
Prior to joining Wasserman, Hyde became the first Chief Marketing Officer for the United States Golf Association (USGA) in May 2005, and was immediately put in charge of generating corporate support for the organization. In 2006, Hyde launched the USGA’s Corporate Partner program for which he negotiated the first two corporate deals in USGA history with American Express and Lexus. Hyde also later added Chevron, Rolex and IBM to the program.
Prior to the USGA, Hyde spent 15 years in golf marketing, including four years as Vice President of Global Sponsorships and Events for MasterCard International. In this position, Hyde developed MasterCard’s worldwide golf marketing strategy and directed partnerships with the PGA TOUR, European Tour, the R&A, Tom Watson, Golf Digest, ABC Sports/ESPN and others.
Hyde, a native of Palisades, New York, graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles. An avid golfer and gardener, Hyde and his wife, Katie, live in Neshanic Station, N.J.
JIM NUGENT
Global Golf Post
Jim Nugent is the Founder & Publisher of Global Golf Post, the leading golf news publication in the world. He is the longest serving golf media executive in the golf industry. Nugent has served on the Board of the American Junior Golf Association for two decades, and he currently serves as President of the Board. He was named the 2017 recipient of the AJGA's Digger Smith Award for service to junior golf.
A Chicago native, Nugent graduated from Georgetown University in 1979 and later earned an MBA from Northwestern University.
SUZY WHALEY
PGA of America
The first woman ever elected to serve as an Officer of the PGA of America, PGA Vice President Suzy Whaley is the PGA Director of Instruction at Suzy Whaley Golf in Cromwell, Connecticut. After serving two years as PGA Secretary, Whaley became the Association’s Vice President at the PGA Annual Meeting in November 2016. A member of the PGA Board of Directors from 2011-13, Whaley has also served on the Connecticut PGA Section Board of Directors and as the Section’s Vice President at Large. In 2018, Suzy became the first woman ever elected as President of the PGA of America.
Recognized as one of the country’s top instructors, Whaley enjoyed a five-year tenure at Jim Flick Golf Schools, before becoming the Head Golf Professional at Blue Fox Run in Avon, Connecticut, in 2002. From 2004-06, she worked as an LPGA golf commentator for ESPN.
A dual PGA of America and LPGA Teaching & Club Professional member, Whaley was a LPGA Tour member in 1990 and 1993. She famously qualified and participated in the 2003 Greater Hartford Open, becoming the first woman since Babe Zaharias in 1945 to qualify for a PGA Tour event. This occurred after Whaley became the first PGA of America woman professional to win the Connecticut PGA Championship.
A 1989 graduate of the University of North Carolina with a Bachelor’s Degree in economics, Whaley and her husband, Bill, are both PGA members. They have two daughters, Jennifer and Kelly.
ROBERTA BOWMAN
LPGA
Roberta Bowman is an experienced Board member and leader, both in business and in the golf industry.
She spent most of her career with Duke Energy, one of largest energy companies in the U. S. Over her 27-year career, she served in a number of executive roles, including Chief Communications Officer, President of the Duke Energy Foundation, and Senior Vice President of External Relations. She also served as the company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, leading Duke Energy’s comprehensive approach to balancing environmental, economic and social issues.
An advocate for women in business and civic leadership, Bowman is active in several organizations aligned with that goal, including Women Corporate Directors and the International Women’s Forum. She served on the LPGA’s Board of Directors from 2011-2017, chairing the Board from 2016-17. From 2018-2022, at the request of the Commissioner, she served as the LPGA’s Chief Brand and Communications Officer.
Bowman joined the ANNIKA Foundation Board in 2018. Additionally, she currently serves on the Boards of Directors of Blue Cross NC and UPL Corp. As founding principal of Bowman Strategic Advisors, she also provides counsel in strategy, sustainability, branding, crisis management and leadership to some of the world’s leading companies
JAY EPSTIEN
DLA Piper LLP
Jay Epstien is a partner in DLA Piper LLP, an international law firm with offices in more than 40 countries and resident in the firm's Washington, D.C. office. Mr. Epstien is a nationally recognized real estate lawyer and was named the 2019 Global Real Estate Lawyer of the Year by Who's Who Legal. He is a fellow of the American College of Real Estate Lawyers where he served as President in 2018. In 2017, Legal 500 named him to its Hall of Fame, which highlights individuals who have received constant praise by their clients for continued excellence and who are at the pinnacle of the profession. In 2013, he was one of only two attorneys recognized among 30 executives in Commercial Property Executives' "Most Influential People in Real Estate" feature celebrating those central to driving growth and innovation in the commercial real estate recovery.
Mr. Epstien is the recipient of the prestigious Judge Learned Hand Award from the American Jewish Committee in recognition of his exceptional professional achievements and dedication to civic and philanthropic causes and organizations. He also serves on the National Board of Higher Achievement, an organization that provides supplemental academic support to middle school students in communities that lack the resources to start all students on equal footing. Mr. Epstien is a graduate of Case Western Reserve University (B.S.) and Cornell Law School (1976).
CRAIG ANNIS
Craig is the former Chief Brand Officer for the USGA where his oversight included promotional and growth efforts for the organization’s 14 annual championships, including two of golf’s most prominent majors, the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open, the USGA’s governance role, and growing the USGA’s connection and reach with avid golfers through its Members Program, the U.S. Open Victory Club and the World Handicap System, as well as various national junior participation programs.
Within the golf industry, Craig serves as a vocal advocate for women’s golf and a more inclusive game. He is a board member of SheIs, and was a steadfast champion for enhancing the USGA’s influence in the women’s game, as exemplified by his creation of a sports industry first, Driving Equity Grant Program providing the opportunity for more rich storytelling which more closely connects fans with players driving tune-in, attendance, and general awareness and appreciation for their talents.
Prior to joining the USGA, Craig had a distinguished 11-year career at Mars, Incorporated, where he most recently served as the Global Vice President of Corporate Affairs with Mars Food.
Outside the office, Craig competes in triathlons with his wife Kate and shares his passion for golf and other sports with his four sons.
CALVIN G. BUTLER
Exelon
Butler oversees Exelon’s six local electric and natural gas companies – Atlantic City Electric, BGE, ComEd, Delmarva Power, PECO and Pepco. Together, they form the nation’s largest utility company by customer count, serving approximately 10 million electric and gas customers in New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois, Delaware, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia, respectively. Butler serves as vice chairman of each utility’s board and is a member of Exelon’s executive committee.
Before joining Exelon in 2008, Butler held senior leadership roles in external affairs as well as manufacturing with the print, digital and supply chain solutions company RR Donnelley. He spent his early career with CILCORP (Central Illinois Light Co.), where he held positions in government affairs, legal and strategy.
Butler has been recognized by several organizations for his leadership and community commitment. In 2020, he was named among Black Enterprise Magazine’s “Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America.” In 2017, he was named among Black Enterprise Magazine’s “300 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America,” and “Industrialist of the Year” by the Baltimore Museum of Industry. Three times The Daily Record named Butler one of Maryland’s “Most Admired CEOs” and one of its top 35 Influential Marylanders, while Baltimore Magazine named him as one of its “Top Ten Baltimoreans.”
JOESPH N. BIER
Richards Manufacturing Company
Joseph N. Bier is the President and Chief Executive Officer of Richards Manufacturing Company. Under Bier’s leadership, Richards manufactures and sells gas and electric utility products to utilities throughout North America and South America. Bier has been instrumental in leading the company, which has a strong reputation for innovation and quality in the sector.
Throughout his career, Bier has contributed to several patents, including those for enclosures for submersible network protectors, socket assemblies for cable joints, and gas meter assemblies. His leadership and technical knowledge have helped Richards Manufacturing maintain its position as a leader in the industry
In addition to his professional work, Bier has served on a variety of Boards. He is a past board member of The Valerie Fund, which raises funds to fight childhood cancer. He also is a national trustee of The Foundation Fighting Blindness, which raises money to cure retinal degenerative diseases. Bier also served as the Chairman of the Board of Golda Och Academy from 2010 to 2012. Golda Och Academy is a private school, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, with approximately 550 students. Additionally, Bier is a board member of Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center (Livingston, N.J.), as well as the current president of the board of The Greenwich Lane in New York City.
TOM RILEY
AssuredPartners
With more than 30 years of experience in finance, leadership, and strategic growth, Tom Riley brings a wealth of expertise to the table.
A former collegiate golfer at the University of Kentucky, Riley earned both a Bachelor of Science and an MBA in Accounting. He began his career as a certified public accountant with Arthur Young and later Ernst & Young, before moving into the insurance industry, where he built a remarkable track record over two decades at Brown & Brown, one of the nation's leading insurance brokerages. During his tenure, he held key roles, including Regional President, Chief Acquisitions Officer, and Chief Financial Officer, making significant contributions to the firm’s growth.
Riley’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to co-found AssuredPartners in 2011, where he was instrumental in the company’s expansion, leading day-to-day operations and executing strategic initiatives. Under his leadership, AssuredPartners completed over 200 acquisitions, growing the firm into a multi-billion-dollar business with over 8,000 employees. Riley held various leadership roles throughout his career, ultimately serving as Chief Executive Officer before retiring in 2021. Outside of his professional endeavors, Riley enjoys spending time with his family—his spouse, five children, and four grandchildren—and pursuing his lifelong passion for golf.