USGA nominates Fred Perpall to serve as organization’s next president

On Monday, the USGA announced its nomination for its next president: Fred Perpall, a native of the Bahamas who now resides in Dallas, Texas, will succeed current president Stu Francis if Perpall is elected at the USGA’s annual meeting in Napa, Calif., on February 25th next year.

Perpall has spent the last four years on the USGA’s Executive Committee, a volunteer group of 15 people who provide strategic and financial oversight as the USGA’s policy-making and governance board.

As the current chair of the USGA’s Championship Committee, Perpall has spent the last year as the USGA’s president-elect, and was responsible for overseeing the inaugural U.S. Adaptive Open Championship as well securing host sites for future USGA championships.

Perpall is the current CEO of The Beck Group, a Dallas-based company that provides services including architecture, construction, real estate development, sustainable design and consulting, and finance and technology services. Perpall is a registered architect himself, and in 2016 was elected to the American Institute of Architects College of Fellows.

In addition to his professional credentials, Perpall is also active in his local community. He is the past chairman of the Dallas Citizens Council, a former chairman of the Urban Land Institute’s Urban Plan, and a member of the Board of Trustees that helped build Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas.

Perpall’s academic resume includes a bachelor’s and master’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, where he played basketball and ran track, as well as a degree from Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program. Perhaps most impressively, Perpall was also a member of the 1994 Bahamian National Basketball Team.

“Fred [Perpall] is a dynamic leader who has a tremendous passion for the game,” USGA CEO Mike Whan said in a press release. “Our entire team is incredibly excited to work with him more closely over the coming years.” 

In addition to electing the next president in February, some members of the USGA Executive Committee will also be up for election or new terms. Executive Committee members are typically nominated for two or three-year terms, and they work closely with the USGA’s leadership team, a group of seven executives led by Whan.