SPEAKERS

Michael Dominguez | President & CEO | Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI)

Michael Dominguez serves as the President & CEO for Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI). ALHI is the largest Global Sales Organization with a team of nearly 80 professionals located among 26 offices across North America and Europe. Prior to joining ALHI, Michael served in executive sales leadership roles with MGM Resorts International as Chief Sales Officer and many brand and independent branded companies.

Michael is an award winning hospitality industry veteran. He has received multiple honors for his leadership and influence and has been recognized as a change agent by his peers. He’s also been a speaker with Fortune 100 Companies on topics ranging from disruption to the economy and a passion around Leadership and was an invited speaker at SXSW in 2018.

Jay Karen | Chief Executive Officer | NGCOA

Jay Karen is the CEO of National Golf Course Owners Association, where he leads the golf industry’s trade association and initiatives to support the success of the golf course business. In his role at NGCOA, he has chaired the board of the industry-wide advocacy coalition, We Are Golf, and served on the Golf USA Tee Time Coalition board, a joint initiative with the PGA of America, and the advisory board of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, CBS Radio, New York Times, Washington Post, NPR, the Golf Channel, Golf Digest and many others call upon Jay for his insights on the golf industry. Jay has also served as CEO of two associations in the lodging and hospitality industry, and he is a certified association executive by the American Society of Association Executives. Jay currently serves on the board of directors of the US Travel Association and ASAE. Jay is an Honorary Commander for the Joint Military Base in Charleston and a mentor in the College of Charleston’s MBA program.

Ryan Magnon | Sr. Operations Executive | Chick-fil-A Inc.

Ryan Magnon is a recognized leader in the service industry with expertise in service excellence, hospitality operations, quality management and leadership best practices. He currently serves in the role of Sr. Operations Executive, Field Operations for Chick-fil-A Corporate. Ryan’s primary responsibilities include partnering with Chick-fil-A Restaurant Franchisee Owner/Operators across the company to help them develop effective operational strategies to grow sales, improve the customer experience and realize Chick fil-A’s vision of becoming the “World’s Most Caring Company.”

Ryan has enjoyed a successful career, beginning with his service as a Quality Improvement Officer in the U.S. Air Force after selection to US Air Force Flight School. Prior to Chick-fil-A, Ryan served as Vice President of Quality for a new luxury hotel brand, Capella Hotels and Resorts, joining forces with Horst Schulze, the former creator of The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company to create a new standard of excellence in the hotel industry.

Ryan graduated from Georgia Tech with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business. He has spoken on the topic of service excellence, leadership, and quality management for organizations around the world.

Greg Norman | Two-Time Major Championship Winner | World Golf Hall of Fame Member

Greg Norman became hooked on golf at age 15 after serving as a caddie for his mother. His first golf instruction came through Jack Nicklaus’ book, Golf My Way, and after a mere 18 months, Norman played to a scratch handicap. At the age of 20, Norman continued to concentrate on his golf game while working as a trainee in the Royal Queensland Golf Club. In 1976 at the age of 21, he turned pro and won his first professional event, the West Lakes Classic, the same year.

Norman began competing on the PGA TOUR full-time in 1983 and became one of the most dominant players in the world in the 1980s and ’90s. In his prime, Norman’s practice sessions were notoriously grueling and he had a reputation as one of the hardest workers on TOUR. This renowned work ethic combined with his natural ability propelled him to become the top-ranked golfer in the world, a status he held for over six years. He is a five-time recipient of the Byron Nelson Award, a three-time Vardon Trophy winner, three-time Arnold Palmer Award winner, the 1995 PGA TOUR Player of the Year, and is the first player in TOUR history to surpass $10 million in career earnings.

In addition to his legendary golf career and extensive philanthropic work—including raising millions through the Shark Shootout—Norman now serves on the Board of Directors for the Brisbane 2032 Olympic Games, bringing his passion for sport and Queensland pride to the global stage.

David Pillsbury | CEO | Invited

David Pillsbury was named CEO of Invited in June of 2018. He has held numerous leadership roles in the golf industry over the past 30 years, starting his golf career at American Golf Corporation (AGC). At AGC, Pillsbury led innovations including the formation of American Golf Country Clubs, the Private Club Member Platinum Program, the Nike Golf Learning Centers, centralized tee time reservations, and much more. After American Golf, Pillsbury became GM of Nike Golf, responsible for all U.S. operations, marketing and sales. Following Nike Golf, Pillsbury was President of PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties Tournament Players Clubs (TPC’s), and he was then promoted to President of PGA TOUR Championship Management including THE PLAYERS, and Executive Vice President of PGA TOUR Tournament Business Affairs. Most recently, he held CEO roles in the healthcare and consumer products industries. Pillsbury received his MBA from the USC and his BA from the University of California, Berkeley.

Michael Williams | Executive Director, Cyrano Communications | Contributor, Golf Business

Michael has had success in industries ranging from High Tech companies to foreign exchange banking. But his life has been defined by his abilities in the media and communications, for his experience in world affairs and his passion for the game of golf.

Michael has established himself as a leading voice for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. His “Open Letter to the Golf Industry from a Black Man Who Loves the Game” became a template that inspired the leadership of the game to implement long-needed change. In addition, Michael’s article for ESPN about his handling of a PGA Tour professional who admitted to dressing up in blackface garnered praise from around the world and was recently recognized as one of the best articles of 2020 by the Golf Writers Association of America.

Michael is also known as one of the political world’s most astute commentators as the moderator of “Issues in the News”, the flagship political and current events program for Voice of America. A sought-after speaker and communications expert, Michael has counseled some of the most influential individuals and organizations in the world on topics including crisis management, corporate re-branding and diversity/inclusivity issues.

In 2005, Michael launched his first radio show on FOX News Radio, “Sticks and Stones”. Since that launch, Michael has established a reputation as a savvy broadcaster and as an incisive interviewer and writer. An avid golfer himself, Michael has covered the game of golf and the golf lifestyle including courses, restaurants, business, travel and sports marketing for publications all over the world.

In his first year as host of The 19th Hole Golf Radio Show on CBS Radio in Washington, D.C., Michael led the show to becoming the top-rated golf show in the 7th largest market in the United States and was named the recipient of the 2014 Middle Atlantic PGA Earle Hellen Award for the Outstanding Media Person of the Year. The 19th Hole with Michael Williams is now a podcast with 40 thousand listeners per week on GolfWRX.com.

Michael is a member of the United States Golf Association, the Golf Writers Association of America and the National Association of Black Journalists.

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