SEATTLE, Wash. (Feb. 27, 2006) — Under the leadership of its recently elected officers and board members, the Seattle Chapter of Executive Women’s Golf Association plans an action-packed year of golf, networking, camaraderie and community service, beginning with a tee off brunch on March 25 at Rainier Golf & Country Club in Seattle. Guests are invited to attend the event.
The 2006 officers include Mary E. Allan, president; Ash Hans, vice president; Tab Powers, secretary; and Cherie Litson, treasurer. Also serving on the board are Dee Sweeney, immediate past president; Janet Young, board member at large (and also a past president); and nine chairs of standing committees:
Communications Chair Cheri Brennan
Education/Player Development Chair Mary DeMange
Events Chair Shelley French
Handicap Chair Peg Campbell
Leadership Chair Wray Burch
League Chair Shelia Banks
Membership Chair Faith Shiota
Social Chair Clara Hollin
Sponsorship Chair Jaana Linsenmayer
Also volunteering in key roles for the chapter are Tricia Deering and Kristi Growdon, Chapter Championship coordinators; Connie Miller, Rally for a Cure tournament event coordinator; Kat Suletzki, website manager; and Ria Vermeulen, newsletter editor. Brennan is also serving as Chapter liaison for the national observance of Women’s Golf Week.
President Mary E. Allan is a consultant with TEC International, a leadership development and personal coaching organization for CEOs and business owners. The Woodway resident says she started playing golf about 12 years ago for business, "but only got serious about seven years ago" when she joined EWGA.
Of EWGA – which Allan describes as being very inclusive — she says the organization has supported her through her growth as a golfer. "More importantly," she commented, "I have made so many good friends and connections that I will have for a lifetime, and being able to play golf with them just makes it all the better!"
Ash Hans, the chapter’s vice president for 2006 is a senior project manager at Expedia. Since joining EWGA in 2003, the Sammamish resident says EWGA has helped her "get out and play regularly" and make new friends. She uses EWGA to introduce other women to golf, saying she routinely encourages those who are interested in learning the game or playing in leagues to tap into the opportunities the association provides for golfers of all abilities.
Tab Powers, this year’s secretary, is a long-time golfer who moved to the Seattle area in 2002 and was looking for golfing friends. "Through EWGA I have a ready foursome at many different courses and I really enjoy that," she remarked. Powers lives in Redmond and is a quality assurance compliance manager for Berlex.
Chapter treasurer Cherie Litson recalls her introduction to EWGA when she joined a friend as a guest at league play one soggy evening. "We could only finish the first 7 holes before we were too soaked and cold to go on," she recalls, but said she was so impressed with the upbeat attitudes and camaraderie of the women she met that she "signed up as soon as I could." Along with her treasurer duties, Litson volunteers as coordinator for the new golfers’ league at Heron Links and the winter league at Swing Doctors. The Lynnwood resident is a senior PCB designer at SonoSite, Inc.
The Seattle chapter of EWGA, chartered in 1993, has more than 300 members in the Puget Sound region. It is a four-time winner of the EWGA Chapter of Excellence award, which was established in 2001 to recognize outstanding achievements in fulfilling the mission of EWGA and in providing quality service to its members.
EWGA Seattle offers a wide array of golf and networking activities, including weekly leagues, clinics, seminars, weekend outings and tournaments. The group also raises funds and provides volunteers for various causes. Last year, the chapter donated proceeds from raffles and tournaments to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, Washington Women in Need and the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf program.
The Seattle Chapter will have a booth at the Seattle Golf Show from March 17-19 and will mark the official start of its year the following weekend, on March 25, when it presents its Tee-Off Brunch. The event, scheduled from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., features keynote speaker Steven Mary, a professional coach to athletes and CEOs, who will talk about the mental game of golf. Exhibits of golf accessories, equipment, apparel and gifts will be on display, along with information on the Chapter’s leagues, player development programs and tournaments. A silent auction, raffle and door prizes are also part of the day’s festivities. Optional golf activities will start at 2 p.m.
Guests are welcomed to attend the Tee Off Brunch, which costs $35. Registration and membership information is available at www.ewgaseattle.org or by calling the Chapter hotline at 206-781-5813.
EWGA Seattle is one of 115 Chapters in the United States and Canada and is one of five chapters that currently comprise the Pacific Northwest Section. System-wide, there are more than 18,000 members, mostly working women, with about 61 percent classifying themselves as Avid Golfers (defined as playing 25 or more round per year).
The mission of the not-for-profit Executive Women’s Golf Association is "To provide opportunities for women to learn, play and enjoy the game of golf for business and for life." Founded in 1991 the Association is headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on the grounds of the PGA National Resort and Spa.
Contact:
Cheri Brennan
Communications Chair
EWGA Seattle Chapter
425.957.0654
Chapter Hotline 206.781-5813
Website www.ewgaseattle.org
