PGA of America REACH Foundation Hires New Executive Director

Longtime foundation leader Jenny Lewis has been hired as executive director of the PGA of America REACH Foundation, Frisco-based PGA of America announced.

Lewis, who was the foundation vice president for Kimberly-Clark Corp. in Irving from 2008-23, will directly report to the PGA of America COO Craig Kessler and work side-by-side with Chief Commercial and Philanthropy Officer Jeff Price.

“The PGA of America and the PGA of America REACH Foundation are incredibly fortunate to have Jenny onboard to serve as Executive Director,” said PGA of America President Don Rea Jr., PGA master professional and owner/operator of Augusta Ranch Golf Club in Arizona. “We’re proud of the impact the PGA of America REACH Foundation has on communities across the country, and we have full confidence in Jenny to lead the foundation to greater heights and enable us to continue this great work.”

As executive director, Lewis is the top management leader of the foundation, based at the home of the PGA of America in Frisco. The role primarily involves overseeing strategic direction, programming, administration, fundraising strategy and financial performance of the foundation.

The foundation’s mission is to positively impact the lives of youth (PGA Jr. League Scholarships), military (PGA HOPE) and diverse populations (PGA WORKS) by enabling access to PGA of America Golf Professionals, PGA Sections, and the game of golf, the PGA said.

“It’s an incredible honor and privilege to join the PGA of America REACH Foundation team as they seek daily to positively impact lives through the game of golf,” Lewis said in a statement. “I value the foundation’s efforts in serving our veterans, junior golfers, and diverse populations and I look forward to getting a quick start in furthering this cause and broadening its impact.”

Boosting impact

While at Kimberly-Clark, Lewis drove business and community growth through $25 million in annual grants, global and national nonprofit partnerships, scholarships, and volunteerism. She led the transformation of a singularly focused national foundation into a global entity that was strategically aligned with business, delivering more than 22 times the community impact the foundation experienced prior to Lewis, the foundation said.

The PGA said that Lewis led the efforts to seed Kimberly-Clark as co-founder of the Toilet Board Coalition in 2015, an entity launched to tackle the global sanitation crisis.

Over her eight-year involvement, Lewis served as global chair, vice chair and as a steering committee member, enabling the coalition to accelerate business-led sanitation solutions to marginalized communities in over 24 countries.

Before Kimberly-Clark, Lewis was regional director of corporate relations for Boys & Girls Club of America, from 2006-08; and held several executive level sales positions at Ericsson Inc., from 1997-2006.

In 2011, Lewis co-founded the Dallas Corporate Citizenship Network, bringing together more than 100 companies to further community engagement across the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

The PGA of America is one of the world’s largest sports organizations, composed of more than 31,000 PGA of America Golf Professionals. The PGA of America owns and operates numerous championships and events, including major championships for men, women, seniors and the Ryder Cup, one of the world’s foremost sporting events.