FAR HILLS, N.J. – The Nominating
Committee of the United States Golf
Association today announced the
nomination of Thomas J. O’Toole Jr., of St.
Louis, Mo., to serve a second one-year term
as the 63rd president of the USGA. The
election of officers and the 15-member
USGA Executive Committee will take place
Feb. 7, 2015, at the USGA’s Annual Meeting
in New York, N.Y.
As president, O’Toole leads the USGA’s
professional staff of more than 300 and
nearly 1,200 volunteers who serve on more
than 30 committees. Together with The
R&A, the USGA governs the game
worldwide.
“It is a great honor to be nominated to
continue my service to the game for a
second term,” said O’Toole. “The USGA
remains steadfast in its commitment to
advance the long-term viability of golf, to
continue to deliver exemplary
championships, to increase accessibility,
and to ensure that the game remains
challenging and enjoyable for those who
play.”
O’Toole is in his seventh year as a member
of the USGA Executive Committee, a term
that includes three years as vice president
and one year as secretary.
O’Toole has been involved with the USGA
since 1988 and has served as a Rules official
at more than 140 USGA championships,
including every U.S. Open Championship
since 1990. He has also been the official in
charge for more than 125 USGA
championship qualifiers. In addition to
chairing the Championship Committee from
2010 to 2014, O’Toole was a member of the
Rules of Golf Committee from 2004 to 2014.
In 1992, O’Toole helped to found the
Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association,
which serves eastern Missouri and central
Illinois. He continues to serve on its
executive board.
O’Toole, a partner in the law firm of Mickes
Goldman O’Toole, LLC, chairs its Business
and Corporate Group, while his practice
focuses on real estate, specializing in
zoning/land use, condemnation and real
estate transactions. He earned both his
undergraduate degree (1979) and law
degree (1985) from St. Louis University.
Four other current members of the
Executive Committee have also been
nominated to serve as officers: Diana M.
Murphy, of St. Simons Island, Ga., and
William W. Gist IV, of Omaha, Neb., as vice
presidents; Sheila C. Johnson, of
Middleburg, Va., as secretary; and Mark E.
Newell, of McLean, Va., as treasurer.
In addition, Ernest J. Getto, of Santa
Barbara, Calif., has been nominated to
serve a third term as general counsel for the
USGA.
The other six current members of the
Executive Committee nominated to continue
their service are: William E. Fallon, of
Pittsburgh, Pa.; C. Malcolm Holland III, of
Dallas, Texas; C. Thomas Hough, of Atlanta,
Ga.; Asuka Nakahara, of Merion, Pa.; Mark
P. Reinemann, of Pewaukee, Wis.; and
George J. Still Jr., of Atherton, Calif.
There are four newly nominated candidates
for the Executive Committee for 2015: J.
Stuart Francis, of Hillsborough, Calif.;
Robert D. Kain, of Gates Mills, Ohio; Martha
J. Lang, of Birmingham, Ala.; and Gregory
B. Morrison, of Duluth, Ga.
J. STUART FRANCIS
J. Stuart Francis is a senior managing
director for Evercore, where he leads the
firm’s Silicon Valley technology practice. He
most recently served as vice chairman of
investment banking and chairman of the
global technology group for Barclays.
Previous roles include vice chairman of
Lehman Brothers, the last of many positions
he held with the organization since 1991. He
has been an advisor to many of the most
visible Silicon Valley companies, including
Amgen, Cisco Systems, Facebook, Google,
NetApp, Netsuite and Workday. Francis is an
accomplished amateur golfer, having played
in three U.S. Amateur Championships and
two NCAA Championships. Francis earned a
B.A. from Princeton University, where he
was co-captain of the varsity golf team, and
an M.B.A. from Stanford University’s
Graduate School of Business.
ROBERT D. KAIN
Robert D. Kain retired as co-CEO of IMG in
2006 after a 40-year career at the global
sports management company. He began his
career in tennis management, representing
elite players and each of the Grand Slam
events. He was the chairman of IMG’s
Academy business, and also created and
built IMG’s figure skating business, as well
as IMG Fashion. In 2007 Kain was vice
chairman of the Cleveland Browns, and
helped Randy Lerner buy and reorganize
Aston Villa Football Club. He also served on
the board of trustees of The Cleveland Clinic
Foundation. An accomplished amateur
golfer, Kain played in the 2005, 2009 and
2011 U.S. Senior Amateur Championships
and the 2006 and 2007 British Seniors Open
Amateur Championships. Kain is a graduate
of the University of Virginia.
MARTHA J. LANG
Martha J. Lang was chairman of the USGA
Women’s Committee from 2011-2012, after
serving on various USGA committees for
more than 20 years. She served on the
Illinois Women’s Golf Association board from
1988-1991, and joined the USGA Regional
Affairs Committee in 1989. Today, Lang
serves on the Shoal Creek board of
governors and golf committee, as well as
the Women’s Southern Golf Association
board of directors. She has competed in
more than 60 USGA championships, and
won the 1988 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur
Championship. She played on the 1992 USA
Curtis Cup Team, and captained the 1996
Curtis Cup Team as well as the USA Team in
the 2014 USA Women’s World Amateur
Team Championship. From 1975-1991, Lang
held various accounting positions, including
a six-year stint at Shell Oil. She is a
graduate of the University of Alabama.
GREGORY B. MORRISON
Gregory B. Morrison is the senior vice
president and chief information officer for
Cox Enterprises, Inc. He previously served
as vice president of information systems at
Prudential Financial, Inc., where he worked
in various roles over two tenures. Morrison
also served as the chief operating officer at
realestate.com in 2000-2001. Prior to that,
he served as a commissioned officer in the
United States Army Signal Corps for eight
years. Morrison serves on the board of
directors of Piedmont Healthcare System,
and the boards of trustees for Clark Atlanta
University and Gwinnett Technical College.
He also serves on the board of visitors of
Emory University. He holds a B.S. in math
and physics from South Carolina State
University and a masters of industrial
engineering from Northwestern University.
Four current members of the Executive
Committee will retire at the 2015 USGA
Annual Meeting: Karen S. Ammerman, M.D.,
of Webster, Mass.; Daniel B. Burton, of
Lititz, Pa.; William L. Katz, of Chatham
Township, N.J.; and Edward G. Michaels III,
of Atlanta, Ga.
