The Washington Golf Board of Directors selected its next president during the WA Golf Annual Meeting held at Bear Creek Country Club on Oct. 25.

Kevin Chang, of Big & Little Dudes Golf Club, officially took over for the retiring Mike Kemppainen, who had been serving as president since 2022, following 15 prior years of service on the WA Golf Board. Kemppainen now serves on the board as the Immediate Past President.

A board member of several years himself, Kevin has strong personal ties to the state of Washington. He was born and raised in Pullman and remains there today, while working in nearby Moscow, Idaho as an engineering professor at the University of Idaho.

In the wake of his selection, Kevin is aware of and values the excellence entailed within the position.

“It’s a tremendous honor to have the opportunity to lead the board,” he said. “I’m surrounded by very talented people, and am very grateful and honored to be the president.”

Kevin’s connection to golf in his home state goes back over 40 years to the 1980s. Growing up in Pullman, he began to play at age 12, spending several summer days working at and playing that college town’s 9-hole course, the track that was later updated into the championship-caliber Palouse Ridge Golf Club it is today.

Eventually, Kevin moved west of the Cascade Mountains to Seattle and attended the University of Washington, earning bachelor’s and doctoral degrees in civil engineering. That educational acumen led him to work for the King County Department of Transportation.

Keeping up with golf, Kevin joined Big & Little Dudes Golf Club in 2000, the club with which he remains affiliated today. BLD served as an excellent opportunity for Kevin to enjoy the social avenues of golf.

“I enjoyed playing in golf tournaments that also doubled as weekend social gatherings with my colleagues,” Kevin said. “Although my involvement today is limited to my role as the club representative, I still enjoy reviewing the player hole-by-hole results after a tournament and chuckling when I see how some old friends still can’t avoid the big blow-up hole after all these years of golfing.”

Later, Kevin soon began to volunteer as a course rater for WA Golf, for which his civil engineering expertise made him a natural fit. Working under the tutelage of longtime staffer John Saegner, who has since retired, Kevin quickly became highly regarded and enjoyed the ride.

“To be a course rater was something that I always found very, very fascinating,” he said. “After serving, I learned more about the organization.”

Kevin made his way to the WA Golf Board of Directors in 2014 and has served since.

Looking ahead to his now-underway presidential tenure, Kevin says his goals are threefold. He hopes to further WA Golf communication with members in the central and eastern parts of the state, as well as in Northern Idaho, all of which fall under the association’s coverage map.

Kevin is also looking to add what he called “texture” to the advancement of the upcoming Northwest Golf House, which is planned to serve as the hub of golf with inclusive, innovative and tangible benefits, in DuPont. He also hopes to strengthen WA Golf’s connection to the Washington Junior Golf Association, especially with the recent announcement of the launch of Team Washington, an elite team of junior players, as part of the U.S. National Development Program.

“That just serves as another way of growing the game,” he explained. “I’m excited to see how it evolves and to see the reach of our talented young boys and girls who play the sport.”

With such objectives and others in hand, Kevin knows he begins his tenure in what continues to be a prosperous period for the game of golf.

“It’s a particularly exciting time,” he said. “We are in the midst of a period where we’re seeing such significant growth in the sport, not only within the state but also nationally. It’s a real opportune time to welcome the new golfers and just continue to see where this growth can go.”