New LPGA Board of Directors Chair Named


Leslie E. Greis, founder of Perennial Capital Advisors, LLC in Boston, Mass., has been named Chair of the LPGA Board of Directors. Greis has been a member of the LPGA Board of Directors since 2007 and chaired the Search Committee which selected and brought Commissioner Michael Whan to the LPGA in late 2009.

"Leslie brings a unique blend of business success, golf industry experience and the understanding of competitive play," said Whan. "Her ability to navigate business obstacles, while understanding the challenge of running a professional sports association, makes her a perfect fit for LPGA leadership."

Greis is the founder and managing member of Perennial Capital Advisors, LLC, an investment-management firm specializing in private real estate strategies for institutional investors. She has served on numerous boards and committees, including the Executive Committee of the Harvard Alumni Association. She currently is a trustee of the Boston Museum of Science, where she also chairs the Investment Committee, and is a long-time member of the National Association of Corporate Directors. She is a past Independent Director of the PGA of America, the second woman to ever hold that position. Greis also served on the PGA of America's CEO Search Committee in 2005 and was instrumental in the establishment of the PGA of America's endowment after the sale of its merchandise show in 1998.

"The LPGA, the golf industry and the global economy are at an historic inflection point and I believe the LPGA is at the beginning of a long term growth path," Greis said in a statement. "I look forward to working with Commissioner Mike Whan and my talented colleagues on the board, both LPGA members and independent directors, to continue to expand the LPGA and its opportunities for the next generation of professional women golfers."

As an undergraduate at Harvard University, Greis was the only woman ever to play on the Harvard varsity men's golf team and won the 1979 Massachusetts Women's Intercollegiate Championship. The former Massachusetts Junior Girls Champion turned professional after college, competing on mini-tours and in three LPGA Final Qualifying Tournaments. She is one of nine golfers in the Harvard Athletic Hall of Fame and was awarded the 1998 Rolex Achievement Award, as a former collegiate golfer who has made a significant contribution to society.

The LPGA Board of Directors is composed of independent directors, LPGA Player Directors, Dana Rader, the national president of the LPGA Teaching and Club Professionals (T&CP), and Michael Whan, Commissioner of the LPGA. The 2011 LPGA Player Directors are: Laura Diaz, Allison Duncan (Fouch), Katie Futcher, Kim Hall, Karin Sjodin and Karrie Webb.

The LPGA independent board members are: Roberta Bowman, Duke Energy communications and sustainability executive; Peter Carfagna, former Chief Legal Counsel at IMG and current Chairman/CEO of Magis, LLC; Leslie E. Greis, founder and managing member of Perennial Capital Advisors, LLC; Karen Jennings, retired AT&T human resources and communications executive; Mike Trager, former chairman of Clear Channel Entertainment and current chairman of The Trager Group; and Bill Susetka, former CMO of the LPGA as well as former president, Clairol U.S. Retail and Clairol International.

The above report is courtesy of the LPGA. For more information, visit www.lpga.com.