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SERVING THE GAME

Perpall, Hammer, Two New Members Headline 2025 USGA Executive Committee

By Janeen Driscoll, USGA

| Mar 1, 2025 | Village of Pinehurst, N.C.

USGA President Fred Perpall (center) and President-Elect Kevin Hammer (4th from right) lead the USGA Executive Committee. (John Mummert/USGA)

As Fred Perpall embarks on the last year of his three-year term as president of the United States Golf Association (USGA), the organization has appointed Kevin Hammer as its president-elect and added two business leaders – Dianne Dixon and James Gorrie – to the Executive Committee, its 15-person volunteer board. 

Voting for the board, which provides strategic and financial oversight, took place at the USGA Annual Meeting at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club this weekend.

“I continue to be inspired by the men and women who put up their hand and dedicate years of service to ensure the USGA remains in a strong position to deliver greater impact for golf,” said Perpall, who enters his seventh year on the board. “Beyond the immense talents they share, we all love this game, and want to leave it better than we found it. With Mike (Whan) at the helm, we share a vision and a solid path forward, and that connection guides every step we make.”  

Also elected to his second three-year term, Hammer will continue to chair the Championship Committee while serving on the Governance, Nominating, Compensation and Leadership Development, and International Team Selection committees in 2025. 

A decorated amateur golfer, Hammer was a first-team AJGA All-American and played collegiate golf at the University of Florida. He served 10 years on the Florida State Golf Association Executive Committee– two of them as its president. He currently serves as the managing director of Rubin, Hammer, Eaton and Conrad Wealth Management Group, a division of Merrill Lynch that manages investments for individuals, families, foundations and professional athletes. 

The position of president-elect was created by the USGA in 2019 to provide committee leadership succession and continuity. Those appointed to the position serve a one-year term.

Dianne Dixon and Jim Gorrie, new Executive Committee members

Dixon of St. Johns, Fla., and Gorrie of Birmingham, Ala., were also elected to serve a three-year term on the Executive Committee.  

Dixon currently serves as engagement manager for Spaulding Ridge, which provides business technology solutions for a wide range of industries. Like Hammer, she has deep connections to golf at the grassroots level, first as a Boatwright intern for the USGA’s Central Region, and then as manager of amateur services for the South Texas Amateur Golf Association, director of youth programs for the Houston Golf Association and a board member of the Women’s Texas Golf Association.  

On the national level, she has been a volunteer on USGA committees since 2004, serving as a Rules Official at multiple USGA championships as well as at PGA Tour Qualifying School.

Dixon also has ties with First Tee, the USGA-supported nonprofit organization that improves children’s lives through golf skills. Dixon was executive director for First Tee’s Greater Houston chapter and also worked at the national office in Florida, where she received the World Golf Foundation Chairman’s Award for her significant contributions to junior golf and character-building programs.

Gorrie is CEO of Brasfield & Gorrie, one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms, where he directs projects and construction management services across 13 regional offices and 15 market sectors. 

He served as vice chairman of the 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur and 2022 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championships and chaired the 2016 USGA Men’s State Team Championship, all of which were hosted at the Country Club of Birmingham.  

Active in his community, Gorrie was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2022 and was recognized by the United Way in 2013 and the Salvation Army through its William Booth Award in 2017.   

Dixon and Gorrie replace departing members Tony Anderson, of Chicago, Ill., and Deborah Platt Majoras of McLean, Va., both of whom served on the Executive Committee for six years. 

In addition, Sinclair Eaddy Jr. of Baltimore, Md., was elected to serve a second three-year term.

“A strong board helps propel the USGA’s long-range plan, and I’m excited to continue to work with Fred and the entire team to make important strides for all golfers,” said Mike Whan, CEO of the USGA.  “The Executive Committee’s commitment to invest in what matters and work for the good of the game empowers all of us, and we’re better for the expertise and effort they willingly lend.”

Other current USGA Executive Committee members include Andrew Biggadike of Ho-Ho-Kus, N.J.; David Dorton of Atlanta, Ga.; Virginia C. Drosos of Greensboro, Ga.; Cathy Engelbert of Berkeley Heights, N.J.; Leslie Henry of New Orleans, La.; David Leitch of Earlysville, Va.; Bryan Lewis of South Haven, Mich.; Michael McCarthy of San Francisco, Calif.; Courtney Myhrum of Pittsburgh, Pa.; and Andy North of Madison, Wis.

All elected committee members are distinguished leaders with extensive experience in the game of golf from both playing and administrative perspectives. They join a board tasked with guiding the organization’s efforts and initiatives for the good of the game, which include unifying the golf community, showcasing the game’s best players, governing without bias and advancing golf by creating a more inclusive and sustainable game.