Looking at issues from a variety of perspectives often can serve as a healthy exercise, both in personal and professional matters.
That’s certainly true for boards of directors for organizations such as the CGA. Having a well-rounded, diverse group of leaders can work wonders in fostering a vibrant environment in which an organization — and its beneficiaries — can thrive.
It also doesn’t hurt to have board members who bring specialized expertise to the table that can help an organization with specific needs.
All that came into play in the CGA’s recent addition of three new members to its volunteer Board of Governors. Janene Guzowski, Jeff Howard and Tracy Zabel attended their first board meeting last month, bringing the total number of CGA governors to 30.
The three fill in spots created by the passing this year of Colorado Sports Hall of Famer Will Nicholson Jr., and two other vacancies. Two other new board members are expected to be added late in the year, replacing governors who will rotate off the board. Each board member serves renewable three-year terms. For information on the entire CGA board, CLICK HERE. (The three new board members are pictured above, from left: Zabel, Howard and Guzowski.)
With Guzowski and Zabel joining up, the CGA Board of Governors will include female representatives for the first time.
“Janene and I are the first women, so that will be a change in itself,” said Zabel, a certified public accountant who this year became the controller for the Denver Botanic Gardens. “Not a difficult change, but it’s a change. Being part of that change is exciting for me.”
Guzowski has been in a similar position before as in 2011 she became the first female director in the state of Colorado for the Western Golf Association. Earlier, she was named the first female chair of the Caddie Committee at historic Lakewood Country Club.
“It’s the first time in 101 years that they’ve ever had any women on the (CGA) board,” Guzowski said. “There’s two of us, which is kind of an honor. It’s nice to be asked to participate in that.
“I feel like they wanted more of a woman’s voice in regards to golf in general. They needed some female input and wanted some ladies’ voices to hear. I’d like to be able to contribute from a woman’s point of view.”
And all three newcomers bring a professional/personal background that will be put to good use.
“The (CGA) Nominating Committee looked at the needs of our organization and searched for the best athletes available — as they say in the draft,” said Ed Mate, the CGA’s executive director. “Marketing and (public relations) is a good fit for Janene, and she understands our mission well. Tracy is a CPA and she did (the CGA’s) audit for many years. There’s no one who knows our organization better. And Jeff is a great addition in the P.R. arena (he recently served on the CGA’s P.R. and Marketing Committee). They’re all the ‘best athletes available’ and they bring additional diversity.”
Said Howard, managing partner of the Gomez Howard Group, an integrated marketing and communications firm: “I’m a big believer in the positives associated with the game, so to be a part of such an organization is truly exciting.”
Here’s some biographical information and a brief Q&A with each of the new CGA board members:
— Janene Guzowski: Guzowski has taken on an ever-expanding leadership role on the Colorado golf scene. As noted earlier, she has chaired the caddie committee at Lakewood Country Club, and she’s a director for the WGA, which adminsters the Evans Scholarship for caddies. In addition, last year she joined the board of directors for the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. Besides Lakewood CC, she’s a member at Frost Creek in Eagle.
Q: What are your personal priorities as you join the board?
JG: “I’ll probably work with caddie development, which is right up my alley. I might do something with the junior golfers as well.
“Probably my main focus is going to be caddie development and really getting into the nitty gritty of the Solich Caddie & Leadership Academy (which originated at CGA-owned CommonGround Golf Course) — just broadening that horizon any way I can because you see such wonderful benefits from it. Whether the caddies get the (Evans) Scholarship or not, it’s a wonderful experience for kids. It’s so underrated. There needs to be more said about it and more (opportunities) for women to get into the caddying. I’d like to see more women WGA directors as well.”
Q: How often do you personally take a caddie?
JG: “If I can get a caddie and the course is walkable, I’d take a caddie 100 percent of the time. If it’s too hot, I take a forecaddie.”
Q: Tell me a little bit about your golf background.
JG: “I grew up on a golf course in my teenage years. I kind of started when I was 15 and took some lessons but I never really played. I’ve been member at Lakewood about 20 years ago and was a weekend warrior golfer. Probably the last 14 years I’ve played it regularly.
“My joke is I’ve been playing long enough to be a whole lot better. I do play on the A team at Lakewood — interleague.” Guzowski owns a 14.1 handicap index.
Q: How about your educational and professional background?
JG: “I graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1983. I moved to Denver and sold real estate for about five years. My mom and I started our own company where we designed costume jewelry for seven or eight years. I did retail for a while, and I’m still in the clothing business.”
— Jeff Howard: It’s fair to say Howard has covered a lot of territory in his career, most of it related to sports management and public relations. Over the years, he’s worked as a media relations assistant for the Denver Broncos, a TV sports producer at KWGN-Channel 2, in public relations/sports administration for the University of Denver, for the U.S. Olympic Committee and the NCAA, and now as an adjunct professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver and managing partner of the Gomez Howard Group. Howard came to Colorado from Ohio in 1989 after spending a summer in the Bahamas with a friend who is a native of that country, a visit that prompted Howard to expand his horizons. “I convinced my parents, ‘There’s a big wide world out there and I would love to move to Colorado,'” he said.
Q: What attracted you to become a member of the CGA board?
JH: “In terms of the mission the organization has and what it’s trying to do for young people and in the community, it’s very positive. Not to mention what golf does for the individual. I grew up as a caddie (in Ohio) and got into golf that way. The positives associated with it were fantastic and I have continued to play throughout my life.”
Q: What kind of golfer are you now?
JH: “I probably play on average a couple of times a month. It typically involves playing with my brother, who is an avid golfer, or in a benefit tournament. The way I go about playing is I like to think about bogeying every hole — I allow myself at least one bad shot every hole. I consider myself as a bogey golfer, absolutely.”
Q: What are your priorities as a new CGA board member?
JH: “I’m a really big ideals- and values-focused person. When I look at some of the programs, particularly the Solich Academy, and what that can do for young men and women, that’s something that’s an outstanding piece. I know what golf has meant to me in terms of getting started. It’s the one sport I feel you can play your entire life, with some ideals associated with how you go about playing and the things it can teach you through the process.
“I know in my life how important golf has been, so to allow more young men and women the opportunity to get involved in that, I think is critical. As far as my goals, they’re expanding the game to individuals who wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to participate.
“I’m a public relations person so what I would hope to bring to the board is telling the positive stories associated with the various things that are being done (through CGA programs). Diving in and finding the interesting things that are out there will be really important to me.”
— Tracy Zabel: Zabel may be a newcomer to the CGA board, but by no means is she a stranger to the CGA, its governors or top staff. That’s because, after moving to Colorado from Minnesota in 2009, Zabel worked for Kundinger, Corder & Engle, a CPA firm that specializes in audit and tax services for Denver-area non-profit organizations. So for six or seven years, Zabel audited the CGA, working with the board and Mate. After she moved on to the Denver Botanic Gardens, she was invited to join the CGA board.
Q: What compelled you to become a CGA governor?
TZ: “They were always like my favorite client. I wanted to stay in touch and Ed and the team had sent me a really nice gift. Ed asked me if I would be interested in serving.
“Having worked with the CGA for all those years, Ed is one of my favorite executive directors — and people too. The way he conducts himself is so impressive to me. To have an opportunity to continue to work with him was a no-brainer to me. Having worked with the Finance Committee and the board — presenting the audit — I knew this is a stellar group of people.
“I also personally align my values with anything that helps children achieve their full potential. It’s so hard to know what kind of thing will resonate with people as far as staying in school, staying active, wanting to pursue college, but those are things I want to spend my time and money on. Having a caddie program and now the (Colorado Golf) Foundation, the Solich Academy — all those things are things I’m very excited about and things I’ve always admired about the CGA.”
Q: How much golf do you play personally?
TZ: “I do enjoy golfing. I like sports where you are against yourself. I’m still learning to golf. It’s frustrating but fun. I’ve played a couple times a year since the year 2000. Since moving to Colorado I’ve started playing more than that.
“Me being a novice golfer is different (for the board), but I’m still a golfer. Bringing that to the table too helps — that’s a different perspective than most of (the governors).”
Q: Being a CPA and having worked so closely with the CGA and other non-profits, is it safe to say you’ll play a significant role in the financial end of things?
TZ: “I definitely have a good knowledge of their financial statement. I hope to continue to support there.
“I audited non-profits for almost 10 years, and doing an audit is more than just numbers. You’re meeting management. It’s a great career because you get access to people at a young age that you wouldn’t normally have access to. You can learn from them. You see all the different ways of running non-profits and how to handle tough times and good times and working with funding and funders and compliance. There are so many aspects of non-profits’ financial management that’s different than a for-profit.
“I’m excited about being on the Finance and Audit Committee. And now that I’m working at a non-profit, I see that side of it too. I can sympathize with the challenges of trying to get it all right and trying to have control of things at all times when you’re short-staffed.”
