The Western Washington Golf Course Superintendents Association (WWGCSA) has announced the hiring of Bill Ackerley as its new executive director.

Bill is a University of Washington alum and earned his MBA at Cornell University. He trained as a financial analyst with American Airlines, and in 1991 became the co-president and chief operating officer of The Ackerley Group, which oversaw a wide range of media and sports entities, including the Seattle Supersonics, KJR Radio, and Horizon Broadcasting.

“Golf is an industry I’m very fond of,” Ackerley says. He’s been a member of Wing Point G&CC on Bainbridge Island, Wash. for 24 years, and has been very active in the club’s committees, and is a past president of the club. “I know Mike Goldsberry (Wing Point’s superintendent) real well,” Ackerley says, “and he mentioned to me that the Association was looking for a new executive director. I thought this might be a nice fit.”

Ackerley sees his new role as being an advocate for the Association’s members, the superintendents. “The best at what they do are those who stay on top of their trade, through education and experience,” he says. “I’ve been lucky to be able to watch people such as Goldsberry do their jobs, and it’s really kind of inspirational. Through his environmental stewardship practices and overall management of resources, he saves the club money and maintains a superior layout. And these guys are all over the region, doing really great work at a lot of golf courses.”

Bill and his wife have been active advocates and coaches for several youth sports over the past two decades. Bill is now combining his passion for sports, golf and business and is taking on this job as spokesman and director of the WWGCSA and its 320 members.

Visit www.wwgcsa.org for more information.