Thirteen candidates with wide-raging skillsets, both professionally and within the sport of disc golf, have filed for two open positions on the PDGA Global Board of Directors.

They're all ready to help take disc golf to even higher heights.

The PDGA Global Board of Directors is required for nonprofit status and mandated by the PDGA bylaws. In addition to semi-annual summit meetings, the board conducts monthly teleconferences with staff to accomplish its varied goals, such as setting PDGA policies; hiring and supervising of the executive director, who is responsible for headquarters, staff and ongoing operations; financial managements, including an annual budget; identifcation of responsible future board members; and representing the membership's visions for the future of the sport and the association.

Two at-large board member positions will be elected this year during a month-long election throughout the entire month of July.

The two candidates that receive the most votes will serve three-year terms from September 1, 2022 to August 31, 2025. For additional information, please see the PDGA Elections page.

Here are the 13 candidates who have stepped up and are ready to help take the sport of disc golf to the next level, along with their background information and statements of intent. Stay tuned to PDGA.com and the PDGA on social media throughout the month of June as we get to know these candidates even more.

2022 Board Candidates

• Conrad Damon, #2450
• John Belty, #11582
• Tim Petrea, #34756
• Joseph Brown, #41057
• Robert Harris, #43412
• Laura Nagtegaal, #44969
• Michel Munn, #70774
• Logan Staton, #97730
• Caleb Franklin, #100331
• Nicholas Engleman, #108432
• Jordan Adams, #144078
• Anthony Davis, #147833
• Phillip Mills, #151411

Conrad Damon, #2450

• Location:  San Carlos, CA
• Education:  BA English, Stanford
• Occupation:  Software Engineer

 

 

Biography/Candidate Statement:  As a skinny blond teenager in Kansas City, I fell in love with disc golf in the mid 1980's and have continued playing ever since. It was the first thing I was really good at and I couldn't get enough, running through 10-12 rounds a day at Swope Park. That love translated into a desire to help the sport grow and thrive, and I've held numerous volunteer roles for the PDGA, including Board member, Rules Committee member and chair, and even website developer, for which I was the 2005 Volunteer of the Year.

That desire to help the sport I love remains, and this is a particularly important time in the story of disc golf. Covid fueled explosive growth, and we need to do whatever we can to retain and build on that. My experience, wisdom, and problem-solving skills place me in an ideal position to make a positive impact by serving you on the PDGA Board.

Priorities

• DEVELOPMENT: Social media and video content are powerful forces to reach new players, and the PDGA has not yet tapped their full potential. I'd like to see the PDGA's content have the vibrancy we see on social media from prominent players and the DGPT. The PDGA should also expand its support of grass-roots development through local clubs, leagues, and programs.
• ACCESS: PDGA membership costs are high compared to similar sports and exclude those without the means to join. With healthy revenue streams from tournament fees and manufacturers, the PDGA can afford to adjust its costs now as an investment in the future.
• VOICE: We need to do a better job of gathering input from and listening to our members, from beginners to touring pros and TDs. That will help us to produce stronger revisions of the rules, competition manual, and technical standards, as well as to prioritize other PDGA work.

I pride myself on being a voice of reason, with positions informed by evidence and sharp analysis. Such a voice can be a very productive addition to the Board. Let's keep building, and let's do it together.

Professional Experience:  My career has been as a software engineer (aka programmer). Currently I'm a front-end developer working in React and GraphQL for an AI-driven cybersecurity company called SentinelOne, who acquired the latest in a series of startups I've helped build.

Disc Golf Experience:

• PDGA Board member (1999 - 2002 Oversight Director)
• PDGA Volunteer of the Year (2005)
• PDGA Rules Committee Chair (2008-2019), member since late 1990s
• Created the Disciplinary Committee as Oversight Director
• Technical Standards Committee (late 1990s - early 2000s)
• International experience with WFDF roles and play in Europe and Asia
• Joined PDGA in 1984
• Finished 10th at first PDGA Worlds in 1985
• 155 PDGA tournaments played, 12 wins
• Second at 1999 Master's Cup, finishing between Barry Schultz and Ken Climo
• Founded La Mirada Disc Club in 1991, ran La Mirada Cup in 1992
• Wrote several articles for the PDGA magazine
• Leonard Muise's assistant designer / course editor (OTB Open, SF Open, etc)
• Still play around three times a week, mostly in leagues

John Belty, #11582

• Location:  Bixby, OK
• Education:  BS Finance, MBA
• Occupation:  Credit Union Manager

Biography/Candidate Statement: I started playing disc golf with some guys from church in Stillwater, Oklahoma in 1994. I have loved it ever since. I love competing, meeting all the people of disc golf, and promoting/growing the sport.  I have put a lot of time and effort into my andminstration position with the Tulsa Disc Golf Association. I am currently the treasurer and our club is stronger and mor active now than any point in our history. We have spent the last few years really focusing on course improvements to hopefully bring back national events to Tulsa and really connecting with our membership so they can constantly see the benefits of being a member and supporting Tulsa disc golf. I would really love to see disc golf continue its explosion in both membership, national recognition, and corporate partners to every event.

Professional Experience:  I have been a manager now for over 25 years mostly in the banking insdustry. I have been a credit union manager now for over 14 years. I love working for the credit union because it is a non-profit organization owned by the members. I love serving the members and helping them improve their financial lives. I am a Certified Credit Union Financial Counselor, I have knowledge of financial statements, investments, credit management/law, and all things banking.

Disc Golf Experience: Player since 1994, 194 career events, current administrator/treasurer for Tulsa Disc Sports Association, and father of FPO tour player. I have run tournaments, minis, and events for the Tulsa club and have a passion for disc golf, its growth, and success

Tim Petrea, #34756

• Location:  Tifton, GA
• Education:  BS-Recreation
• Occupation:  Recreation Director

Biography/Candidate Statement:  

• Long-time PDGA member
• Certified Tournament Director
• Course Designer
• Certified Parks and Recreation Professional
• Former Executive Director of Haywood Waterways (NC)
• United States Air Force Veteran
• High School Football Official

Disc Golf is an extremely important part of both my personal and professional life. It has provided me with years of fellowship in a challenging sport that engages people at every stage of their life and has formed the foundation for life-long friendships. I am doubly  fortunate that this personal passion intersects with my career field in Parks and Recreation, giving me a great opportunity to expand the conversation around diversity in our parks. Disc Golf has become a strong option to increase the way we view diversity in a park setting. It provides diversity of sport, allowing for year-round play in many locations, and can be enjoyed as a healthy exercise option for people of all ages and abilities. Unlike many sports, it can be enjoyed alone, or in teams, and the playing field itself is as diverse as the people who play, offering opportunities for individual skill development in the sport, while expanding our connection to the communities that surround us. The sport also opens windows for economic and community development through the placement of courses in new or under-served areas. I am very passionate about working with local clubs to increase opportunities to grow the sport. 

Professional Experience:  As a leader in the Parks and Recreation industry, I have the opportunity to plan, manage, develop, and enforce policy, as well as drive innovation and establish community and governmental partnerships related to sport. My network is extensive within our state organization and the National Recreation and Park Association. I have been fortunate to be able to work with agencies in Georgia, North Carolina, and Wyoming. I have a strong record of establishing new programs that provide outreach to the community through needs identification and creative resource allocation. I excel at finding the common goals diverse groups share and bringing them together to move a new idea forward. I have successfully done this when implementing a mobile recreation program in North Carolina and in facilitating the integration of city, county, and local club members for a complete redesign of a city owned park course in Georgia that previously received primarily club support. I am able to see the benefits in most proposals and assist with eliminating the drawbacks so positive forward movement can be made, balancing  the best interest of the players with the practicalities of compliance, and keep a mind always toward the growth of the sport as it is embedded in the growth of the community and the economy.

Disc Golf Experience:  

• Certified Tournament Manager
• Team Innova (Ambassador)
• Course Designer
• 20+year lover of throwing plastic

I am a former board member for two different clubs (North Carolina and Wyoming) and am currently assisting our local club in Tifton, Georgia as member of the board. The club is in the beginning stages of establishing our presence in Tifton and it is exciting to be a part of the leadership. I am currently consulting on a project to redesign a local course that came about through my connections with local governmental affairs and is an effort to bridge a long standing divide between county, city, and club course efforts. As part of this design, it will also become the first Kids in Park Disc Golf Track Trail for the State of Georgia. I am excited to bring this amazing program to our region and open the community to the educational opportunities it provides youth in disc golf. I also believe it can serve as a catalyst to encourage the local tourism industry to see the connections between disc golf and the potential economic impact it can have on the region as people come to use courses with additional amenities. Providing better courses for our players, growth in the sport, and connections to our communities by leveraging our relationships is a life-long win for everyone!

Joseph Brown, #41057

• Location:  Centennial, CO
• Education:  BA from University of Kansas, Graduate Certificate from University of Denver
• Occupation:  Sales Team Manager

Biography/Candidate Statement:  I grew up in Kansas City and attended the University of Kansas. After that I moved to Denver to pursue a Masters. My wife and I have three kids and the 2 oldest (boys: 7 and 5) love playing disc golf. I’m a family man and love everything about the outdoors. I feel compelled to submit this form after seeing all of the ‘Call for Candidate’ action items on social media and DGN. If there’s a need for sales/marketing/scaling experience I’d be happy to step up.  

Professional Experience:  I’ve been in Sales for the past 10 years and have experience scaling teams. At my current company, I helped grow a sales team of 8 people to 100+. I train new sales people on how to be proficient and how to market themselves and the product they’re selling. I love the opportunity of working at a high-growth software startup and would be happy to share my learnings with the PDGA. I’m answering the call for candidates and would be open to helping out if there’s a fit. I’ve sat on the Board for the Colorado Bowhunter’s Association for the past two years as a Vice Chairman.

Disc Golf Experience:  Helped organize the KU club team. Played in a few dozen tournaments and helped about 10 people get into the sport. Been playing since High School ~2005

Robert Harris, #43412

• Location:  Tupelo, MS
• Education: THS 2001
• Occupation:  Owner Operator and Tournamanent Director

Biography/Candidate Statement:  I am a 39 year old male. I have been married to my wife for 20 years and we have 3 kids.

I would be a good candidate for the PDGA Board because I have spent the last 17 years promoting disc golf. I have helped our local club design and build courses. I have ran numerous events over the past 10 years and was voted Southern Nationals TD of the year and was also Southern National Amatuer Player of the year. My wife and I started Mississippi Mafia Disc Golf where we promoted disc golf in North East Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. We created the Weapons of Grass Destruction Series and our finale tournament was  promoted to an A Tier in 2020, even in the event of COVID. It was Northeast Mississippi's first ever A tier and Mississippi's second A tier following The Big Rip a month prior. We promote the growth of the sport by running a kids only tournament and donated several discs to the local Boy Scouts. I am also currently President of Tupelo Disc Golf Association where I have also been Vice Preisdent and Sergeant of Arms. If elected a member of the PDGA Board I will continue to promote disc golf the way I always have globally. I will fight for a fair playing field amongst all divisions and genders.

Professional Experience:  I branched out from the mainstream workforce to work for myself as a hotshot owner/operator.

Disc Golf Experience:  I have spent the last 17 years promoting disc golf. I have helped our local club design and build courses. I have ran numerous events over the past 10 years and was voted Southern Nationals TD of the year and was also Southern National Amatuer Player of the year. My wife and I started Mississippi Mafia Disc Golf where we promoted disc golf in North East Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. We created the Weapons of Grass Destruction Series and our finale tournament was  promoted to an A Tier in 2020 even in the event of COVID. It was Northeast Mississippi's first ever A tier and Mississippi's second A tier following The Big Rip a month prior. We promote the growth of the sport by running a kids only tournament and donated several discs to the local Boy Scouts. I am also currently President of Tupelo Disc Golf Association where I have also been Vice Preisdent and Sergeant of Arms.

Laura Nagtegaal, #44969

• Location: Utrecht, The Netherlands
• Education: Computer Science & Psychology
• Occupation: Self-employed

Biography/Candidate Statement:  Laura is a self-made woman with a can-do attitude.

She's a solar, inspirational, strong, and empathic human.

She speaks four languages, lived in two different countries, and travels the world for her job; rather than considering herself a Dutch or European woman, she considers herself a global citizen.

She is a proud parent of an amazingly talented and headstrong kid.

In 2016, she finally learned to accept herself for who she truly is, and shared with the world that the doctors made a mistake with far-reaching consequences when they assumed & assigned her "a boy" at birth.

Until then, if she even got described at all, adjectives like apathetic, arrogant, aloof, invisible, facts-driven, clinical, and robotic were often used.

2016/17 was a "tear it all down and rebuild from the ground up" period; necessary and inevitable to rise from her own ashes like a Phoenix.
Since, she's landed in her new life more and more, and where her emotional and social footprint used to be 0.3 (even smaller just wasn't possible), she's now proudly and fiercely taking up 1.4. In that personal growth, she now not stands up for herself, but does so for you too.

"Representation and visibility will, inevitably, lead to awareness. Through awareness, the path to acceptance can be found, and followed."

Candidate Statement:

Campaign key points Laura is advocating for are:

*More diversity, equity & inclusion on the fairway*

Disc golf is still mostly a sport played by white men, in the USA.

More efforts need to be made to attract, engage, and retain under-served, under-represented, and under-highlighted groups of people, most notably women, BIPOC, and people outside of the USA (but more on that later), but efforts absolutely should not stop there.

Disc golf claims to be for all, and we need to move from "action" to "deed", to follow through on our words.

In any case, the time to say "well, if you insist, you may join" is past. That does nothing but "othering" and disenfranchising already underrepresented people even more.

*Further professionalisation of the sport*

In order for the sport to grow even more at the grassroots level, the elite level of the sport needs to be elevated more, made more elite, so that more will see the what makes the sport so appealing to all players of all levels.

Tour Standards, Competition Manual, qualification methods and thresholds are powerful dials in helping achieve this.

Ways to reach this would be:

* raising the event standards & qualification thresholds, which means catering to fewer, but objectively better, competitors.
* Standardising the competition calendar, allowing competitors, hosts, and sponsors, to structurally and dependably deliver their best for the spectators and fans.

Obtaining (more) mainstream sponsoring from outside our disc golf community is crucial in this. Without it, outside money, entropy within the closed sport bubble increases.

*Focus more on globalisation*

That means explicitly keeping our global community in mind in our branding, imaging, and policymaking.

Being the global disc golf association, too often, the sport focuses a lot on the USA and its reality. Granted, 80% of PDGA members are USA-based, but the disc golf community is global.

In messaging, policies, and marketing, the global appeal and reach, and international standard needs to be a base level where to depart from, not a special feature that is added.

Just like there's not any single reason why more women or BIPOC don't play disc golf, there's no reason why the same proportion of the global population wouldn't play (associated) disc golf.

The PDGA have the tools and means to help enable or achieve this.

Professional Experience:  Initially, she sank her teeth in IT, as that was what she always assumed she was meant to be doing. Luckily, in the mean time, from the late '90s on, her passion for behind the scenes work in the live music industry got kindled into a full flame. She made it her full-time self-employed job in 2002. The first day that job feels like a "real job" still needs to present itself. Most-used job descriptions for her work are "guitar technician" and "tour manager", but the best one may simply be "safety net".

Since 2019, she's also a volunteer counsellor for gender-questioning and transgender folx. This may very well be a combination of pay-it-forward and retro-actively applied self-help.

After her transition, and with the pause button being pressed on the live music industry, she has intentionally become very active (both on an activistic and philosophical level) in advocating for diversity, equity and inclusion in life in general, through her being politically active, and her live music industry & sports networks.

Disc Golf Experience: Currently she's serving her second term as a global PDGA Board of Directors member; she doesn't feel her job is done.  It's her intention to serve for at least another term, striving to make the sport even more enjoyable for even more players.

On the fairway, her experience, aspiration, and goals have almost exclusively been focused on beating/improving herself (ie. "play above her player rating"), and possibly the course. It wasn't – and won't – ever be about beating others, let alone about winning events and trophies.

Playing fairways 'not her own' is a constant motivation in her career.

47% of the sanctioned events she played were not in her home country.

Abroad, she played 2 continents, 11 countries.

20 of these events took place in the USA, across 7 states.

Many in the disc golf community will probably remember her from when she became disc golf's first openly transgender world champion in 2019.
What will hopefully be the lasting imprint she leaves on the sport, however, is all she did behind the scenes, and how she advocates for "diversity, equity & inclusion", "globalisation", and "further professionalisation of the sport and its highest profile events".

Within months after starting playing disc golf, she started climbing the governance ladder. In less than five years, that evolved from being asked to serve as Chair of Workgroup Disc Golf for the Nederlandse Frisbee Bond (The Netherlands' national flying disc association), to being appointed (and elected twice) PDGA Global Board of Directors member.

In Europe, she quickly became a well-respected provider, facilitator, and knowledge base, whether as PDGA EuroTour Manager, PDGA Europe Interim Administrator, or being on-site in an official role at many of Europe's highest profile events between 2014 and 2018, including two European Majors, two European Championships, and Pro Worlds 2017.

Almost at the start of her career, she was awarded a PDGA Europe Volunteer of the Year award, which she reluctantly but proudly accepted as "prematurely handed-out lifetime achievement award".

Michel Munn, #70774

• Location:  Petal, MS
• Education: PHS
• Occupation: CEO, Transportation Division, LMS LLC    

Biography/Candidate Statement:  I discovered disc sports at a young age and eventually was introduced to disc golf in 2013. I played my first tournament in 2015 and ran my first tournament in 2016. I have continued to show through my actions that I can impact disc golf in a positive way. If elected I will be an active member of the board, will attend all summits, and will work hard to continue the mission of the PDGA.

Professional Experience:  For the past 19 years I have worked to help run and build a family safety consulting business. We are a customer service oriented and driven business founded on being accessible to our customers by providing expert subject matter consulting services throughout the Southeast. I oversee federal/state level compliance reviews & account management for 120+ customers and help small and large businesses navigate the complexities of regulatory agencies

Disc Golf Experience:  I served for over 4 years as the local club President of the Hattiesburg Disc Golf Association and have served as a board member of the Southern Nationals Disc Golf Series. I am the Tournament Director of the Big Rip Classic A-Tier in South MS, which over the last 7 years has grown to be one of the area's marquee events each year. I was the TD of the Southern Nationals Doubles Championships for 4 years and helped grow that event into one of the largest payout doubles events in the United States. I have served as Assistant TD & Director of Operations of the Ledgestone Insurance Open since 2017 and held those same titles for the 2019 Pro Worlds.

I am the current PDGA State Coordinator for the state of Mississippi and have worked hard to bring my business and customer service experience to disc golf. I have contributed to local course design, course installation, managed small to large sponsor partnerships, and helped organize and contribute to many different charities in my local community. I have worked with schools & churches to further disc golf in the south & I continue to be a resource for area TDs.

Logan Staton, #97730

• Location:  Hillsborough, NC
• Education:  Currently obtaining my MBA
• Occupation:  Owner of Basket Bashers Disc Golf

Biography/Candidate Statement:  Hello everyone, my name is Logan Staton PDGA# 97730, and I am excited to share my candidate statement with you! I’ve been around the sport of Disc Golf since 2015 and have been playing competitively since 2017. My wife Stacy and I own Basket Bashers Disc Golf, we are an online retail store based out of Hillsborough North Carolina. My previous work experience includes carpentry, construction and general maintenance and I am currently working to achieve my masters in Business Administration.

Our mission with Basket Bashers is to grow the sport of disc golf for women and children and that is what my candidate statement will focus on. Locally I run several leagues and tournaments due to the high demand that disc golf currently has. When running tournaments locally I like to open registration a week early for the Womens and Junior divisions to ensure these divisions have ample opportunity to fill. I also like to send out a link to an a google form where the players can anonymously provide feedback about the event which I use to better my events going forward.

If elected to the Board of Directors, the first thing I want to focus on is redoubling our efforts of growing the sport of disc golf through women and children. I am a huge advocate for women’s disc golf. I have been an active sponsor and volunteer at Women’s Global Events in the past and look forward to doing so again this year as both my wife and daughter love playing the sport. My focus will be to promote more events in a similar fashion to the Women’s Global Event that encourage women to not only come out and compete but that also gets non-PDGA women involved and encourage them to find more time to play and invest into the sport!

I would also like to give special attention to the Junior divisions and doing something along the lines of a Junior’s Global Event that is run in the same fashion as the Women’s Global Event. This way kids who may be shy about competing or who always play in a division by themselves can see where they shape up against other Juniors around the world!

Lastly a big focus of mine is to work with the PDGA rules committee to simplify the PDGA rule book so that not only is it clearer and more concise on all the rules, but it is easy to read and follow. I feel that it would be helpful as well to be able to search for “keywords” in the PDGA rule book to help find a rule quicker while on the course when a question or call is made.

As a business owner and business student I know the importance of balancing the books, making sure procedures are being followed, understanding the in’s and out’s of employee benefits, and the know how to run a successful and growing business. I will assist in making sure that we as the PDGA will continue to make the most beneficial and strategic decisions to better the Professional Disc Golf Association, its members, and its growth.

Thank you all so much for your consideration for the PDGA Board of Directors. Cheers!

Professional Experience:

• Worked in general maintenance and construction for 6 years.
• Worked as a restuarant manager for 2 years.
• Worked as a camp counselor and youth sports director when needed.
• Owner and operater of Basket Bashers Disc Golf.

Disc Golf Experience: Started playing Disc Golf competitivly in 2017. I now run Basket Bashers Disc Golf alongside my wonderful wife Stacy. I have played in over 60 PDGA events (a few before I had a number) and well over 100 nonsantioned tournaments. I have ran or assisted in 10 sanctioned events so far this year with another 15 more on the schedule and over 35 sanctioned events next year in five different states. I've been a volunteer and a sponsor for several womens global events and have already signed up to be a sponsor for this year as well. Next year we are looking forward to holding a juniors points series as well as a masters point series in North Carolina.

Caleb Franklin, #100331

• Location:  Milwaukee, WI
• Education: Bachelors in Education and Recreation
• Occupation:  Recreation Supervisor

Biography/Candidate Statement: My name is Caleb Franklin, I am 29 years old and live in Milwaukee, WI with my wife Nicole, and our many pets.

I am interested in pursuing a position on the board because I love everything about this sport, and I wish to do whatever I can to continue to grow the sport in all communities. I am a firm believer in equity and accesibility in our sport, and I want to be an advocate for expanding access to programming for youth, and people of all backgrounds.

Additionally, I wish to be a voice to continually improve on what I believe is the best thing the PDGA does, the amateur side of disc golf events. This includes increasing the ease and accessibility of resources to be a sanctioned tournament/league director, as well as a push for transparency from all TDs of sanctioned events.

Professional Experience:  I have worked in Recreation and Athletics since 2016. I previously worked as an Athletic Manager for a recreation department in Texas where I worked closely with the disc golf community to better the local courses. I now serve as a Recreation Supervisor for a recreation department in the Milwaukee area, where I primarily supervise youth athletic programs as well as adult recreation programming.

With my recereation background comes event management experience from running softball tournaments to Special Olympics track meets and everything in between.

Disc Golf Experience:  I began playing disc golf casually in 2008, and discovered the PDGA and competitive side of the sport in 2017. I have been passionate ever since, participating in 34 PDGA events as an AM player over the last 4.5 years. I consider myself to be a competitive person in everything I do, so I greatly appreciate what the PDGA has done in giving every individual the opportunity to pursue tournament play. I have always been fascinated by the intricacies of PDGA ratings and rules in disc golf tournaments.

Nicholas Engleman, #108432

• Location:  Milwaukee, WI
• Education: BS, GIS/Geography
• Occupation:  GIS Coordinator

Biography/Candidate Statement:  Born in the Chicagoland Area, Lived in Denver for 8 years, and now living in Milwaukee.  I’ve played a lot of tournaments as well.  I think the game is growing in the right direction but I do see some of the rules need to be fine tuned to remove the grey areas.

Professional Experience:  Been working since 2003 as a server.  I have been doing GIS for the last 10 years.

Disc Golf Experience: Been playing since 2001 where I started playing at Clark Park in Elk Grove Village

Jordan Adams, #144078

• Location:  Asheville, NC
• Education: Some college
• Occupation:  Hospitality/Customer Service

Biography/Candidate Statement:  20 year service industry veteran. Garnered many skills through restaurants, bars, breweries, etc. that extend into the Disc Golf scene. Personnel management, inventory management, customer service and event coordination.

Started playing disc golf in February of 2020. Since then the sport has taken over my life, for the best. I am currently the VP of the WNC Disc Golf Association, Caretaker for Richmond Hill DGP which is one of the most played and oldest courses in Western NC. Seasoned volunteer with PDGA sanctioned events (USDGC, USCNC) as well as a TD for local sanctioned tournaments and weeklies.

If elected my goals would include: 

• Growing youth programs and school involvement (EDGE, course builds, youth leagues) 
• Increased involvement from local government and municipalities in upkeep and maintenance of public courses.
• Increased support and assistance for local clubs and lower tier PDGA events

Professional Experience:  

• 20 years service industry.
• 10 years personnel/inventory management.
• 10 years HR.
• 1 years TD for club weeklies.
• 1 year PDGA ATD/TD.
• 1 year Board member WNCDGA.

Disc Golf Experience:

• 2 years as a player.
• 1 year TD.
• 1 year Board member of WNCDGA.

Anthony Davis, #147833

• Location:  Dalton, GA
• Education: BA Business Administration
• Occupation:  Stay-at-home Dad

 

Biography/Candidate Statement:  Hello Everybody!  I have made the decision to run for PDGA Board of Directors! How Exciting! For me and you! Why? Because if you elect me to the Board of Directors, you are electing a young, passionate lover of the sport of Disc Golf.  You are electing an individual who will listen to what you have to say and take it to the board meetings. You are electing an individual who will work with a team in order to grow our sport to the best it's ever been! I may not have a lot of "professional experience” but I have the passion and determination to do the job to take Disc Golf to the next level.

A little about me since I am sure most do not know who I am. First off, I have an amazing wife and three mostly amazing kids. Working on getting them all PDGA numbers. I first picked up a disc back in high school and, honestly, didn’t know what the heck I was doing. We all start somewhere, right.  I played a few times in high school with my starter pack but then I joined the US Air Force and didn’t think much of it after that.  I had a great 6 years being able to travel the world but never saw much disc golf overseas(That needs to change) and so it never came to mind. Once I left the military and moved to Alabama, I started to see Disc Golf baskets at parks and the fire came back. I searched through boxes and found all three of my started disc (OH YEAH) and I would go out once or twice a year and play by myself until I decided it was too hot or their were to many wasp around the baskets. Really, I just didn’t have anybody to play with. Once COVID started (yeah, I am one of those guys) I did some digging and found a league near my house and the rest is history.   I have played non-stop since 2019 and I don’t see that passion subsiding anytime soon. I have jumped head-first into being a Tournament Director and being involved with the game in any way I can. I am a huge advocate for growing the sport and I believe that it starts with our youth.  We need to listen to the Junior division and hear what they are saying. We need to be able to promote our sport and get the game into schools, camps and wherever else we can. We also need to get those already involved in the sport or even those that know what a disc is involved with other facets of the game.  They are the future of the sport. There are so many other things that we need to do with our sport, all the way from more diversity in gender, race, orientation, you name it to expanding and promoting our sport at a more mainstream level.

Thank you for reading. I hope I have earned your vote. I look forward to hopefully beginning a new chapter in my Disc Golf journey.

Professional Experience:

• Worked in Finance before becoming a stay at home dad (Best financial decision of our life, daycare is expensive)
• US Air Force Veteran
• Tournament Director

Disc Golf Experience:  First threw a disc in high school but I have been playing everyday since 2019.  Tournament director of three tournaments.

Phillip Mills, #151411

• Location:  Rockville, MD
• Education:  Bachelor's in Business Administration specializing in accounting
• Occupation:  Certified Public Accountant & Educator

Biography/Candidate Statement:  It has been a wild ride these past few weeks, months, and years, for what feels like forever at this point. We are currently experiencing significant inflation, the most competitive real estate market we have ever seen, supply chain shortages, a roller coaster stock market and all while enduring a pandemic. However, even with all these significant unforeseen circumstances, the Professional Disc Golf Association’s (PDGA) membership has exponentially increased. With my extensive experience as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and auditing not-for-profit (NFP) organizations, as well as educating executives on regulatory standards and compliance matters, I have firsthand experience on how difficult it is to balance significant growth and harsh volatile external factors. At the end of the day, everyone should remember one thing: the single most important component of a membership organization is you!  You are the purpose, you are the single most important piece of the PDGA, and without you, the PDGA would not exist.  Let us not just catch up from all these unforeseen significant circumstances, let us get ahead.

My name is Phil Mills, and I am a CPA and instructor living in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. I conduct financial statement audits and travel the United States teaching accounting, auditing, and leadership skills. My practice revolves around professional skepticism, transparency, project management, conflict resolution, leadership, and maintaining a cool and collected analytical mindset. My proposal to you is to let me do the behind-the-scenes dirty work that lays the foundation for a great organization. To be able to build a beautiful lakefront property, you need to ensure a solid foundation to ensure longevity; this is no different for organizational health. To be able to execute all the exciting and fun ideas, a well-constructed foundation is necessary for success.

The PDGA is a membership organization to promote and sustain the growth of disc golf. If you review the association’s mission statement, there are many objectives, but I am going to focus my candidacy on three primary components: financial stewardship, asset and resource management, and membership support.

Every year the PDGA is required to have a financial statement audit and prepare a Form 990 (informational tax return) which provides vital information to you. I want to ensure the most accurate, reliable, and transparent information is being presented to you. Not only do I want it presented to you, I want this information to be readily available to you. It should be easy for you to see where your membership dues go.  The PDGA does fulfill their regulatory requirements in regard to financial statements and 990 disclosures, but I want to dive deeper and assess against my experiences with other membership organizations to make sure we are providing the best reasonable product within our capacity.

I will execute a significant amount of financial stewardship objectives but let me share just a few of them:

• review the use of membership dues and ensure funds are being used in good faith and for the benefit of the members.
• monitor the financial statements to ensure they are in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and inquire with the external auditors to ensure they are properly following Generally Accepted Auditing Standards (GAAS).
• review the Form 990 to ensure accuracy, completeness, and proper transparency to the members.
• investigate the association’s internal controls to ensure the association is using the most appropriate resources to best prevent fraud and material misstatement of financial data. 
• monitor and critically challenge the fiscal year budgets to ensure reasonableness and benefit to the members.

Another important but overlooked understanding of becoming a board member is conflicts of interest. We need to talk about this. Board members in most organizations are required to report all conflicts of interest they have. All of the current board members’ conflict of interest statements are available on the PDGA website for your viewing pleasure. Disc golf is in a unique spot in its life cycle. There are a significant number of sponsorships, affiliations, companies, events, products, etc.,…. that individuals seek and are involved in and most of these affiliations are specifically related to disc golf. Think about it, becoming sponsored or affiliated is one of the most sought out goals of a disc golfer. Conflicts of interest are not necessarily inherently bad, but it is impossible to mitigate unconscious bias fully. For those unaware of unconscious bias, it basically states you are making decisions or assumptions from your subconscious whether you know it or not. It is impossible to eliminate, but vital to understand and mitigate as best as possible. Let me provide you with a hypothetical example. Next year’s world championship is up for bid, a bid comes in for Washington D.C. and one for Seattle and you live in D.C., which way do you think you might lean? Let us try another, you are deciding on which disc golf company will be sponsoring a big tournament, you are on the underground team for one of the companies, which way do you think you will lean? There are hundreds of examples out there if you look for them. Unconscious bias is such a prevalent topic in the corporate world that a significant number of companies require formal unconscious bias training. Whether anyone with a conflict of interest wants to admit or not, there will always be an inherent agenda whether they are even aware of it. The sole focus of a board member (as it relates to the PDGA) should be on the members and not side agendas. Conflicts of interest disclosures are not required until taking a seat on the board, but I will disclose to you today that I have no conflicts of interest and will put my full attention on you. Once again, without you, the PDGA does not exist.

My primary focus will be on the foundation and back-end of the PDGA using my finance/accounting expertise, but if you were to ask me a few objectives outside of the boring stuff I would be interested in being involved with, I will list a few for you.

• Reevaluating of the division classification and applicable descriptions – disc golf has evolved significantly since the last revision of the divisions, and we need to consider the spectrum of players to allow inclusivity and ensure fair competition.
• Reasonableness of rule changes – we need to ensure we use our resources as optimal as possible. We should not make a rule change just for the sake of making a rule change, let’s make sure it makes sense to the game and is necessary. We should not make the game more confusing to understand, but instead more fun while maintaining a competitive and fair environment. Disc golf is becoming more of an entertainment product, let us not confuse consumers and players even more. An outsider might ask, why does a disc on top of the basket not count, but they can bend a disc in half and stick it in the side of the cage and that counts? Rule evaluations are necessary in a sport’s life cycle, but let’s make sure we are analytical and thoughtful of the changes and the overall impact.
• Ensuring we make the most reasonable and sound decisions to the sport and to the members regarding critical topics such as prohibited substances and a framework for fairness for gender-based divisions.
• Fantasy/Daily Fantasy/Wagers – You want to know how to grow a sport? Allow people to make wagers on it. This comes with significant legal and regulatory considerations, but if the PDGA or DGPT make the right relationships, a significant influx of viewers, money, and recognition will come to disc golf and significantly grow the sport.

I am very much interested in educational outreach which includes getting disc golf into school curriculums and an emphasis on building college disc golf to allow additional scholarship opportunities and build a pipeline into the professional scene while obtaining an education, but I am aware there are already board members who are highly involved in that scene. There are so many great and worthwhile ideas out there, but I will primarily work on my comparative advantage to best allocate our resources as time is the most precious resource we have. The organizations that best optimize their resources are usually the most successful.

Speaking of my expertise, I want to share some insight into NFPs that most people are not aware of. I have audited more organizations than I can even count and there are some very recognizable trends. Most organizations are resource deficient either due to funding, staffing, or local support. Some might say, “well aren’t we all?”, but this has always been the case for NFPs even before the pandemic or the great resignation. Due to this, individuals tend to wear many hats within an organization which can be great in some cases, but very detrimental in others.

All statements regarding my experiences I am about to share are not specific to the PDGA nor intended to imply any direct connection, but instead are accumulated from hundreds of audits, reviews, and compilations I have performed over the years. Other than reading their published financial statements and 990, I have no inside knowledge of the PDGA’s financial situation. Most organizations I have audited have had some sort of significant deficiency in internal controls, significant financial adjustments, or didn’t fully understand accounting guidelines. I have audited some organizations that accumulated over 70 misstatements with their financial data (yes, this is an extreme amount). You might ask “why is this?” Generally, it comes back to resource constraints. Larger organizations might have a full dedicated accounting/finance department, but many smaller NFPs generally do not have that luxury and allocate their limited resources specifically on the program and mission of the organization and may rely on outside service providers for accounting expertise.  NFPs must constantly adapt and move forward out of necessity which can leave some gaps in their organizational structure.  Each NFP has a mission statement, and their day-to-day objectives are to satisfy that mission statement, but critical operations such as financial management can tend to become a lower priority. I do want to disclose that most organizations I have worked with have all the best intentions, but with limited resources, it is impossible to be an expert in every facet of business. Due to this, NFPs will rely on someone like myself in a Board of Director (BOD) capacity and/or an outsider service organization.

Why am I telling you this? Unfortunately, I have seen fraud in organizations and significant financial hardship due to a lack of proper internal controls and understanding of accounting. I have no such indications of this occurring at the PDGA, but I am sharing my professional experiences in the interest of transparency. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) 2020 Global Report notes NFPs have a significantly harder time to recover from fraud due to the limited resources they have compared to for-profit entities. It is even more vital to put controls in place to prevent and detect fraud for NFPs because many cannot recover.  Nonprofits are known for having a lack of internal controls due to resource constraints. According to the ACFE 2020 report, lack of controls is the number one control weakness. When people are wearing too many hats, it provides “opportunity” which is one of the three components of the fraud triangle. The PDGA may or may not already have a well-oiled internal control system, but I intend to use my expertise to evaluate and provide any necessary recommendations to help bolster the organization’s foundation. Even with the cleanest organizations I have worked with there has been room for improvement. I intend to share my knowledge for the betterment of the organization.

Besides what is publicly available, I do not have any inside knowledge of the PDGA board, but I do have experience working as an auditor and advisor to other organizations and want to share some experiences with you. To be clear, these comments I am going to disclose are not directly related to any knowledge I have with the PDGA but are based on my professional experiences. I have presented to numerous NFP BODs and unfortunately, I have seen many that do not put value into a proper review of the audited financial statements or form 990.  In addition, many do not value governance of an organization playing an oversight and monitoring role on the financial and internal control systems. On the other hand, I have met some BODs that will spend hours asking critical questions and ask for recommendations on the audited financial statements, informational returns, and internal controls because they value financial stewardship.  I do understand that some BODs do not contain the level of expertise and understanding to perform these critical matters, but that is why it is important to have someone on the board who does. This might not come as a surprise, but the organizations that have had someone on the board with financial and accounting expertise always seemed to have more accurate financial statements and more polished internal controls to help prevent, detect, and correct fraud and material misstatements as they occur. Errors are always going to happen, we are all human, but the important aspect is that an organization can detect and correct errors if an error does occur. As an auditor, I am never too excited to find an error, but I am always impressed when I discover an error to subsequently discover that the organization caught it and fixed it timely; that tells me they have solid controls in place. I am here today to ask you to allow me to be the individual on the board to represent you with the accounting expertise. An organization that has someone on the BODs with financial and accounting experience tends to provide significant utility to the organization.

My position is to ensure a solid foundation to allow all the bells and whistle ideas from the other board members to be able to thrive. Without a strong foundation on the inside, nothing else is possible. I understand my expertise and the concept of comparative advantages. Just like a lawyer would not attempt to practice auditing, I would not attempt to practice law. You hear in team sports all the time how a player is or is not a great fit for a team, well, we need to not try to put a square peg in a round hole, but instead put people in the best position for success and that starts with allowing people to operate within their expertise and passion. 

I appreciate you providing me the opportunity to represent you and make you the priority. I am looking forward to putting you as the priority.

Professional Experience:

• Certified Public Accountant
• Financial statement auditor (corporate and employee benefit plans)
• Quality Control internal inspector
• Instructor (accounting, auditing, leadership)
• Content developer for continuing professional education
• Advise clients/boards on implementation of regulatory and accounting standards

Disc Golf Experience:  I started playing disc golf in the fall of 2020 after my brother-in-law invited my wife and I out to play a round at Bull Run Regional Park. Long story short, I learned about UDisc during the round, and discovered Seneca Creek State Park was close to my house. I went online after discovering this and bought two starter packs and now I have way more discs than I can use (don’t we all). I am fortunate to live in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area which is within reach of multiple disc golf clubs. There are numerous events in the area, and I certainly try to play a good number of tournaments, leagues, doubles, and other events throughout the year. I volunteer with local clubs as opportunities arise such as spotting, assisting with running leagues, workdays, providing accounting guidance, etc. It is crazy to think how a few years ago I was not even aware of the sport and now every single day (not an exaggeration) I am either watching live disc golf, listening to a disc golf podcast, playing disc golf, refreshing online retailers to see the newest plastic in stock, watching a disc golf YouTube tutorial, etc.…; my entire life at this point revolves around disc golf. Now that I am aware of disc golf, one of the greatest benefits of traveling the United States to teach is that I can visit disc golf courses I would not have visited otherwise. At the end of 2021 I was able to go to Las Vegas and play Wildhorse and play in a local singles league at the Las Vegas Municipal Golf Course under the lights, which is an experience I will never forget. I was also able to get out to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and play Thanksgiving doubles with the locals. Disc golf has brought a significant number of fun experiences into my life that I would not have experienced otherwise.