Liberty Corner, New Jersey, United States: Leslie Henry, Bryan Lewis, Michael McCarthy and Jeff Sluman have been nominated to serve a three-year term on the USGA Executive Committee, highlighting the USGA Nominating Committee’s 2023 slate.

In addition, Courtney Myhrum has been nominated to serve a second three-year term on the USGA Executive Committee, a volunteer group of 15 people that provides strategic and financial oversight as the association’s policy-making and governance board.

“I look forward to welcoming these talented, respected and passionate leaders to our Executive Committee,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “Along with all my USGA team-mates, I am excited to begin working together with them to strengthen and advance our great game.”

Henry is the immediate Past President of the Texas Golf Association (TGA), the first female to hold that role. She became a member of the Women’s Texas Golf Association (WTGA) Board of Directors in 2012 and played an integral role in the process of merging the WTGA with the TGA in 2014.

She joined the TGA Board of Directors that year and was elected as the TGA’s first female officer in 2016. She played tennis collegiately at Louisiana State University and earned her law degree from the South Texas College of Law.

Henry took up golf at the age of 35 and has since won the Greater Houston Women’s Senior City Championship four times and played on the Texas Cup South Team seven times. She has also qualified for the US Women’s Mid-Amateur and the US Senior Women’s Amateur, and recently competed in the World Amateur Golfers Championship in Malaysia after winning the Nationals in Orlando.

A litigator of more than 25 years, Henry divides her time between the Houston and New Orleans offices of Adams and Reese, LLP. She formerly served on Adams and Reese’s Executive Committee, which oversees the firm’s strategic operations across its 21 markets.

She currently serves on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. Henry also works closely with young attorneys through Adams and Reese’s mentorship programme.

Lewis has been a USGA committee member since 1998 and is a recipient of the association’s Ike Grainger Award, which recognises 25 years of volunteer service. He has served on the Rules Committee for 84 USGA championships, four Masters Tournaments and the 2021 Walker Cup.

He has served on the USGA Rules of Golf Committee since 2017 and has been an instructor at USGA/PGA Rules Workshops since 2019. Lewis played in the 1980 US Junior Amateur and was a member of the Western Michigan University varsity golf team. He also served for four years on the Golf Association of Michigan Board of Governors.

Professionally, Lewis spent 32 years at Whirlpool Corporation before retiring in 2017 as an Information Security Manager. He was a nationally recognised expert in identity and access management. His governance experience includes 22 years on the South Haven (Michigan) Public Schools Board of Education, eight of those as President.

McCarthy is a lifelong golfer, competing at an early age in Northern California junior events. He earned his BA in history from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he was a member of the 1988 golf team that won a national championship. 

McCarthy currently serves on the Board of his hometown San Francisco Golf Club, and he was a long-time Board member of the First Tee of San Francisco, where he helped start the programme in conjunction with the restoration of Harding Park Golf Club. 

Still competitive, McCarthy qualified for the US Mid-Amateur Championship in 2010 and has won 12 club championships.

McCarthy, whose career at Franklin Templeton Investments spans more than 30 years, currently serves as Executive Vice President and Chief Investment Officer for the Franklin Equity Group.

He has oversight of the San Mateo and New York-based investment teams who manage Franklin’s equity and hybrid strategies, along with Franklin Equity Group’s research team. He is also the Lead Portfolio Manager for the Franklin Small Cap Growth strategy. McCarthy is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter-holder.

Sluman, who played in the 1980 US Open as an amateur and turned professional later that year, joined the PGA Tour in 1983 and PGA Tour Champions in 2007. He has 18 professional victories, including the 1988 PGA Championship.

Sluman has four top-10 finishes in the US Open, including runner-up in 1992 at Pebble Beach. In 2019, Sluman became the 21st player in history to play more than 1,000 events on the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions, and has recorded six victories on each Tour.

He was a two-time PGA Tour Policy Board member and two-time Champions Tour Policy Board member and served as an assistant captain for three US Presidents Cup and two US Ryder Cup teams.

Sluman, who played at Florida State University, is a member of his alma mater’s Hall of Fame, as well as the New York State Golf Association Hall of Fame in recognition of his stellar amateur career in his home state, punctuated by a victory at the 1978 New York State Amateur.

Current USGA Executive Committee members include Myhrum, Tony Anderson, Chuck Brymer, Sinclair Eaddy Jr, Cathy Engelbert, Kendra Graham, Kevin Hammer, Deborah Platt Majoras, Tony Petitti, Sharon Ritchey, and Fred Perpall, who was previously nominated to become the USGA’s 67th President.

Per the by-laws of the association, Henry, Lewis, McCarthy and Sluman will each serve a three-year term beginning in 2023, with the potential to be elected for a second and final three-year term in 2026.

If elected, the new four members will assume seats vacated by retiring members Thomas Barkin, Paul Brown, Nick Price, and Stu Francis, who is concluding his three-year term as USGA President.

The USGA Annual Meeting will take place on February 25.