Leadership Profiles

To help familiarize you with GCSAA's elected and executive leadership, these leadership profiles provide a quick overview of each individual's professional and educational background, as well as a look at the role each person plays in the organization.

GCSAA Board of Directors

President

Jeff L. White, CGCS, was elected president of the GCSAA Board of Directors at the association's 2024 annual meeting in Phoenix. He was first was elected to the board in 2018 in San Antonio.

White is the director of agronomy at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kan., where he has worked since 2013. He previously held superintendent positions at Lake Quivira (Kan.) Country Club and Falcon Ridge Golf Course in Lenexa, Kan., and assistant superintendent positions at Lake Quivira CC and Alvamar Country Club in Lawrence, Kan. White earned a degree in horticulture/turf management from Iowa State University.

A 33-year GCSAA member, White has been a GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador since 2014 and is a seven-time representative of the Heart of America GCSA at the Chapter Delegates Meeting.

White is a board member of the Kansas Turfgrass Foundation. He also belongs to the Kansas GCSA and Heart of America GCSA, serving as president of the latter in 2005.

Vice President

T.A. Barker, CGCS, was elected vice president of the board at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Phoenix. He was first elected to the board in 2018 in San Antonio.

Barker is the superintendent at Fore Lakes Golf Course in Taylorsville, Utah, where he has been since joining the grounds crew in 1995. He has been superintendent since 2006.

A 20-year GCSAA member, he is a member and past president of the Intermountain GCSA (now Utah GCSA). He has served on several GCSAA committees and as a chapter delegate since 2013.

A third-generation superintendent, he became exposed to GCSAA at a young age when his father, GCSAA member Todd Barker, would take the family to the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show each year.

He has an advanced turfgrass certificate from the Penn State World Campus.

He and his wife, Natalie, have three sons and live in Taylorsville, Utah.

Secretary Treasurer

Paul L. Carter, CGCS, was elected secretary treasurer at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Phoenix. He was first elected to the GCSAA Board of Directors in 2019 in San Diego.

Carter is the superintendent at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay in Harrison, Tenn., and also serves as director of agronomy for the Tennessee Golf Trail, a division of Tennessee State Parks. He previously served as director of agronomy for the Tennessee Golf Trail and as golf course superintendent at The Medalist at Avalon.

A 31-year GCSAA member, he is a member of the Tennessee GCSA and a member and past president of the Tennessee Turfgrass Association. He has served on several GCSAA committees and as a chapter delegate.

Carter is well-known for the environmental programs at Bear Trace. He was the overall winner in the 2013 GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards and in 2015 was honored with GCSAA’s President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship.

He graduated from Auburn University in 1993 with a degree in agriculture sciences.

He lives in Apison, Tenn., with his wife, Melissa, and daughter, Hannah.

Immediate Past President

Kevin Breen, CGCS, was elected the 86th president of the GCSAA Board of Directors at the association's 2022 annual meeting in San Diego and was elected to serve a second term in 2023. Breen was first appointed to the board at the 2015 annual meeting in San Antonio and elected in 2016 in San Diego.

Breen has served as the superintendent at La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, Calif., since 2011. Prior to that, he served as the director of maintenance at Lahontan Golf Club in Truckee, Calif., and as the superintendent at Los Alamos (N.M.) Golf Course. He has bachelor's degrees in horticulture/turf from Colorado State University in Fort Collins and in meteorology from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.

A 33-year member of GCSAA, Breen has served on the Environmental Programs, Nominating, Research Proposal Review and Strategic Communications committees, as well as the Board Policy Oversight and Competency task groups.

Breen is a member and past president of both the Sierra Nevada GCSA and the California GCSA. He has also previously served as a superintendent representative on the California Alliance for Golf and the Nevada Golf Industry Alliance.

Director

Douglas D. Dykstra, CGCS, was elected to the GCSAA Board of Directors at the association's annual meeting Jan. 30, 2020, in Orlando.

Dykstra is the director of agronomy and facilities at White Mountain Country Club in Pinetop, Ariz. He previously served as superintendent at Raven Golf Club at Snowshoe and The Pines Country Club.

A 31-year GCSAA member, he is a member and past president of the Cactus and Pine GCSA. He also previously served as president of the Nebraska GCSA and secretary/treasurer of the West Virginia GCSA. He has served on several GCSAA committees and as a chapter delegate.

Dykstra graduated from South Dakota State University in 1981 with a degree in landscape architecture design.

Director

Marc E. Weston, CGCS, was first elected to the GCSAA Board of Directors at the association's annual meeting in 2021.

Weston is the certified golf course superintendent at Indian Hill Country Club in Newington, Conn., where he started in 2003 as assistant superintendent. He previously held the assistant superintendent position at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn. He has an associate’s degree in horticulture from the University of Connecticut and Turfgrass Certificate from the University of Massachusetts.

Weston is a 26-year GCSAA member and has served on the Certification Committee, Scholarship Committee, Environmental Awards and Education Task Group. He is also a delegate and Grassroots Ambassador. He is a member and past president of the Connecticut Association of GCS.

Weston lives in Wethersfield, Conn., with his wife, Wendy, and daughters Leah and Libby.

Director

Steven J. Hammon was first elected to the GCSAA Board of Directors at the association's 2022 annual meeting in San Diego.

Hammon is the superintendent at Traverse City (Mich.) Country Club, where he has worked for 25 years. He was previously superintendent at Indianwood Golf and Country Club near Lake Orion, Mich, and was assistant superintendent at Crystal Downs Country Club in in Frankfort, Mich. Hammon earned a turfgrass management certificate from Michigan State University.

A 35-year GCSAA member, Hammon is a past president of the Michigan GCSA and has served as both a delegate at the Chapter Delegates Meeting and GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador. He also served on the USGA Green Section Committee for 20 years.

Hammon lives in Frankfort, Mich., with his wife, Sue, and sons Evan, Luke and Elliott.

Director

H. Scott Griffith, CGCS, was elected to the GCSAA Board of Directors at the association's annual meeting in 2023 in Orlando.

Griffith is the director of agronomy at the University of Georgia Golf Course, in Athens, Ga., where he has worked since 2006. He previously held the superintendent position Atlanta (Ga.) Athletic Club. He is a certified golf course superintendent

Griffith is a 21-year GCSAA member and past president of the Georgia GCSA. He also served as chapter delegate and was chairman of the Georgia BMP committee. He is a GCSAA grassroots ambassador and has served on the Certification Committee. He earned an associate’s degree from Gwinnett Technical Institute.

Griffith lives in Watkinsville, Ga., with his wife, Kim, and children Jack and Addison.

Director

Greg Jones

Gregory B. Jones, CGCS, MG, was elected to the GCSAA Board of Directors at the association's annual meeting on Feb. 1, 2024, in Phoenix.

Jones is the director of agronomy at Champions Run in Omaha, Neb., where he has worked since 2012. He previously served as director of agronomy at Porcupine Creek Golf Club and Private Residence in Rancho Mirage, Calif., and superintendent at Ben Brown’s Golf Course at the Ranch Laguna Beach in Lagune Beach, Calif.

He is a 25-year GCSAA member and past president of the Nebraska GCSA and helped start the Nebraska Golf Alliance. He has served as GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador, chapter delegate, on the Certification Committee and the Rounds 4 Research Task Group.

Jones has a bachelor’s degree in turfgrass management from Kansas State University. He lives in Omaha with wife, Kary, and sons Zack and Gage.

To contact board members, please email gcsaaboard@gcsaa.org.

Executive leadership

Chief Executive Officer

J. Rhett Evans is the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s chief executive officer. Evans joined the GCSAA team in July 2009 as chief operating officer and was promoted to CEO in January 2011. He is the eighth CEO since the association’s founding in 1926.

Evans is focused on expanding GCSAA's reach and influence to become the global leader in golf course management. Under Evans, GCSAA has elevated the superintendents’ and industry’s voices through advocacy efforts at the national and grassroots levels. In addition, through Evans’ leadership of GCSAA and its philanthropic organization, the GCSAA Foundation, the discussion of sustainability has progressed from theory to action. GCSAA is spearheading the development of centralized best management practices at the state and facility level.

GCSAA's enhancement of the vitality of the game of golf has been strengthened through Evans’ work with allied and industry organizations. Evans was instrumental in helping establish the strategic priorities of the American Golf Industry Coalition (AGIC), a coalition of golf’s leading organizations working together to communicate the game’s economic, charitable and environmental benefits to congressional leaders and local lawmakers. He served two terms as chairman of the board and is currently serving on the executive board of AGIC as well as serving on the board for the World Golf Foundation. Evans represents the association and profession on the Golf Channel, Sirius XM Radio and other national media outlets.

Prior to arriving at GCSAA, Evans was director of the parks, recreation and commercial facilities division for the city of Mesa, Ariz. Evans earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology with an emphasis in business, and a master’s degree in recreation management and leadership with an emphasis in public administration from Brigham Young University. He is also a graduate of the Public Assembly Facility Management School.

Evans is a native of Prescott, Ariz. He and his wife, Colleen, have a daughter, Caite, and son, Seth. Evans is a four-time Ironman Triathlon finisher and an active adventurist.

Chief Operating Officer

Kevin P. Sunderman, CGCS, became chief operating officer of GCSAA on Oct. 24, 2022. Sunderman has been a GCSAA member for 21 years and became a certified golf course superintendent in 2019. He served on the GCSAA Board of Directors from 2017 to 2022. He is also a past president of both the Florida West Coast GCSA and Florida GCSA.

Prior to joining the GCSAA staff he was director of grounds at Isla Del Sol Yacht & Country Club in St. Petersburg, Fla., where he spent 17 years. He previously held superintendent or assistant superintendent positions at TPC at Prestancia in Sarasota, Fla.; Snee Farm Country Club in Mount Pleasant, S.C.; East Lake Woodlands Country Club in Oldsmar, Fla.; and Whetstone Golf Club in Caledonia, Ohio. He is a graduate of the Ohio State University with a bachelor’s degree in turfgrass science and earned a master’s degree in business administration from Florida Southern College

Sunderman is responsible for managing a broad and complex array of functions and facilitate multiple projects to meet the objectives of the association. While he represents GCSAA and maintains relationships with industry and allied partners, his main focus is on internal stakeholders and being an integral part of the headquarters’ culture.

Sunderman and his wife, Melani, have a son, Trent, and a daughter, Elise.

Chief Financial Officer

Cam Oury is the chief financial officer for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). Oury joined the GCSAA staff on June 30, 2003, and has served in that core financial management capacity throughout his tenure at GCSAA while adding other programmatic responsibilities.

Oury is responsible for developing and executing on sound business principles that are key to providing the resources necessary to carry out the numerous member programs and services for GCSAA and the GCSAA Foundation. He serves on the association’s executive team and is responsible for all finance and accounting-related operations, including overseeing the investment portfolio; all legal matters; forecasting and business analytics; risk management; and the annual plan and budget process.

Oury has served in executive management positions for many companies and industries during his 35-year career in financial management. He also has more than 20 years of experience in the not-for-profit arena. Under the guidance of Oury, GCSAA has managed its finances in a responsible manner and has enhanced its strong financial position and future business outlook.

Oury graduated from Colorado State University in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting. After passing all four parts of the Certified Public Accountants exam in 1989, Oury enrolled at the University of Colorado where he earned a master’s degree in business administration in 1992.

Oury is originally from Colorado. He and his family moved to Lawrence in 1999 and are outdoor enthusiasts who enjoy biking, kayaking, backpacking and skiing among other interests.

Chief Marketing Officer

Ed Several is the chief marketing officer for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). Several joined the GCSAA staff on April 11, 2022, and focuses on marketing efforts, the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show and building new partnership opportunities.

Several is responsible for developing strategies to highlight the value of all GCSAA properties and extending the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show experience for stakeholders to have touch points all year long. He has oversite of GCSAA’s marketing, corporate sales, trade show, communications, publications and creative services departments.

Prior to coming to GCSAA, Several most recently served as executive vice president, events and conferences, for EnsembleIQ. That followed seven years with Reed Exhibitions, where he led the PGA Merchandise Show among other events. His previous experience in the golf industry also includes five years as vice president marketing services for Spalding/Top-Flite Golf. He also spent nearly 10 years with Kraft Foods as director of consumer promotions.

Several graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor's degree in marketing.

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