PGA of America Strengthens Career Services Department by Adding Four New Recruitment Specialists

The PGA of America is expanding the PGA Career Services Department by adding four new Recruitment Specialists: Kate Drimel, PGA, of St. Paul, Minnesota; Caleb Hung, PGA, of Seattle; Leila Mackie, PGA, of Philadelphia; and Dylan Gladney, of Dallas.

With these newly created positions, the Recruitment Specialists will support and strengthen a PGA Career Services team, which also consists of 20 Career Consultants strategically located across the country, as well as a dedicated leadership team that will be based at the new home of the PGA of America at PGA Frisco (Texas), scheduled to open this Spring. 

The hiring reinforces the PGA of America’s commitment to support and promote careers in every sector of the golf industry.  The core responsibilities of the PGA Career Services Recruitment Specialists will be to cultivate the next generation of PGA Members and golf industry executives by educating them on the extensive opportunities in the golf industry. This includes promoting the pathway to PGA Membership and its benefits, as well as the diverse lineup of nearly 2 million jobs that encompass all sectors of the $84.1 billion golf industry.  

“Our PGA Career Services team continues to evolve by adding the necessary resources and services relevant in today’s marketplace,” said PGA President Jim Richerson. “The new Recruitment Specialists will work alongside our Career Consultants and the 41 PGA Sections to support programs and special events that attract the next generation of PGA Members and golf industry executives.”

The team will work closely with corporations, universities, high schools, PGA Partners and other related organizations and Associations to communicate both PGA of America and golf industry opportunities.    
 

Kate Drimel, PGA, a second generation PGA Member who followed her father JD, a former PGA of America Board Member, into the golf industry, earned PGA Membership in 2020. She has worked across many sectors within the golf industry, from private and public green grass facilities to digital marketing companies and the Minnesota PGA Section. Kate holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration Marketing Management from the University of St. Thomas, where she played for the golf team. She has earned several golf scholarships, including the Minnesota PGA Assistants Chapter Associates Scholarship, an Academic Scholarship from the PGA of America and was named an All-American Scholar by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association.

Caleb Hung, PGA, a native of Bellingham, Washington, is a graduate of the University of Washington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. He began working as an Assistant Golf Professional in 2008, at Fairwood Golf and Country Club in Renton, Washington, before earning PGA Membership in 2013. In 2015, he moved to Overlake Golf and Country Club in Bellevue, Washington, where he worked as an Assistant Professional for three years in the golf operation before transitioning into the role of Membership and Communications Director.  He is also a graduate of the PGA LEAD program, which was created by the PGA of America to identify, mentor and progress PGA Members from diverse backgrounds along a guided path to volunteer leadership roles at the Chapter, Section and National levels of the Association.

Leila Mackie, PGA, became a PGA Member in 2013. She is a graduate of Clemson University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration and Management. Mackie spent nine years with the Philadelphia PGA Section, where she served as the Player Development Director and the Foundation Director for their 501(c)(3) charitable arm, PGA REACH Philadelphia. Mackie also has served as an Adjunct Professor at Temple University from 2014-2015, where she was a Golf Course 1 Instructor.  She also earned a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Duke University in 2019.

Dylan Gladney, MBA, who has held roles for various public relations and marketing companies across the sports and aerospace industry, is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University, where he earned a Masters of Sports Business Management. He has also earned a Masters of Business Administration and Sports Business degree from the University of Central Florida. Prior to becoming a PGA Recruitment Specialist, Gladney served as a Gateway Logistics Intern at NASA. 

PGA Career Services offers a toolbox of invaluable resources to meet the hiring requirements demanded by employers today, while better serving employers, PGA Members and individuals seeking to gain employment within the golf industry. The department was created to assist golf industry professionals over the entire span of their career, while creating lifelong partnerships with employers to support their needs in today’s golf economy. 

Additional resources available through PGA Career Services include career consulting, resume review, job placement outreach and continuing education resources, among others.