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Staff Bios

Emerson Speas

Emerson Speas…PGA REACH “Sunny” Harris Hutchinson PGA WORKS Fellow…Hometown: Camas, Washington…Emme was raised in Camas, WA, where she discovered her passion for golf during her freshman year of high school. She

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Maddie Schneider

Maddie Schneider…Director of Marketing…Hometown: DeKalb, Illinois…Maddie was born and raised in Illinois, spending most of her childhood surrounded by cornfields, sheep, and midwest charm. She graduated from the University of

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Collin Elphic, MBA

Collin Elphic…Director of Corporate Partnerships…Hometown: Clear Lake, Iowa…Collin grew up in small-town Iowa and, through golf, found his start with the PGA of America at The Middle Atlantic PGA Section in 2019. Over the next four

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Ben Weeks

Ben Weeks…Director of Operations…Greensboro, North Carolina…Ben grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Exercise

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Patrick O’Reilly

Patrick O’Reilly…Tournament Director…Fort Wayne, Indiana…Patrick was born and raised in Fort Wayne, Indiana where he fell in love with the game at an early age. He gained valuable experience interning in a local course,

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Mike Whitenack, PGA

Mike Whitenack, PGA…Assistant Executive Director, Championships & Development…Norfolk, Virginia…Mike was born in Norfolk, Virginia and grew up as an only child. His favorite sport was baseball up until he was 12 years old when

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Kurt Battenberg, PGA

Kurt Battenberg, PGA…Assistant Executive Director, REACH & Finance…Columbus, Ohio…Kurt was born in Columbus, Ohio and grew up in San Diego, California. Growing up, he didn’t play much golf but got the bug while in graduate

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Jeff Abbot, CPA

Jeff Abbot, CPA…CEO/Executive Director…Columbus, Ohio…Born and raised in the great city of Columbus, Ohio, Jeff attended University of Notre Dame where he earned his bachelor’s, followed by Ohio University to obtain his master’s

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