Foundation Set
Foundation Set
PDGA Executive Director Chargualaf retires after 7 years of service
Disc golf and, in turn, the Professional Disc Golf Association was experiencing record growth when Joe Chargualaf #15615 was hired as PDGA Executive Director in 2017.
In the nearly seven years since, the sport and the PDGA have quickly reached heights that, back in 2017, were merely long-term goals.
This past week, the PDGA Board of Directors accepted the retirement of Chargualaf, who first joined the PDGA in 1999 during a decades-long career in the United States Air Force.
Chargualaf took over as the leader of the PDGA when the global organization had 11 total employees with solid year-to-year growth. Since then, the PDGA has seen unprecedented expansion with several significant organizational achievements and benchmarks, including, but not limited to:
- Increase of total active PDGA members from 41,067 in 2017 to over 135,000.
- Increase of total new members from 12,084 in 2017 to 32,366.
- Increase in total number of PDGA sanctioned events from 3,521 in 2017 to over 10,000 in 2023.
- Increase of total revenue from $3.6 million in 2017 to $10.3 million in 2023.
- Growing the PDGA staff from 11 to more than 40 employees.
- Reorganization and expansion of PDGA departments throughout the organization: Event Support, Technology, Media and Marketing and Operations and Logistics.
- Navigating the PDGA through a global pandemic and the ensuing rapid growth of the sport and the organization.
- Fostering a relationship with the Disc Golf Pro Tour as the Official Pro Tour of the PDGA.
- Installing a fully operational arm of PDGA Global in PDGA Europe and PDGA Latin America.
“It has been an absolute honor to work for the sport that I love with a team of passionate individuals all focused on the same thing,” Chargualaf said. “Everything that we’ve built has been for the members and the growth of disc golf. I am proud of the team we have assembled over the last 7 years and have the utmost confidence in their ability to stay the course while taking disc golf to new heights. Having already retired from military service before taking on this role, I have decided to retire from the “corporate” world as well to pursue personal passion projects and let the next generation of leadership steer the bright future of the PDGA. I look forward to fostering the new friendships I’ve made during my tenure as Executive Director and hope to meet new members on the course in the very near future!”
PDGA Board of Directors President, Nate Heinold shared, ”The PDGA Board of Directors sincerely appreciates Joe’s almost seven years of service to the organization. Joe led the organization through a very challenging time and has recruited a staff that we are incredibly proud of. The PDGA Board of Directors thanks Joe for his service and wish him well in his retirement. Joe has agreed to stay on for a period of time as a consultant to assist our next PDGA Executive Director and we are grateful for Joe’s willingness to serve in that capacity.”
The search for the next PDGA Executive Director has already begun. First priority for this position will be given to internal candidates as it is the PDGA Board of Directors' desire to promote from within.
Comments
7 years of failing to meet
7 years of failing to meet members expectations. Celebrating failed leaders with thanks. The growth of Disc Golf is not because of the leadership at the PDGA.
Your list of accomplishments: Failed Gender policy that cost women their division.
Failed international policy(you lost the pdga an affiliated country for the first time in history).
How about your history or retaliation and firing of State and Country Coordinators when they speak up because they don't agree with you? State Coordinators are elected by their player base yet you fire them at will.
You hired Menickelli after he left the board despite his terrible track record, his interview with frolfer magazine was enough reason to have just let him walk.
Thank you for covering up Laura Nagtegaals bullying and threats. Thank you for Sully retaining his position even after it was acknowledged his investigation was not done correctly. We both know what Jeff Spring found out the day after Sully closed his investigation, yet you allowed the PDGA to continue to lie about Rose Leonard's statements.
The PDGA Latinoamérica position you created is going well, how many more Marco Polo grants will he award himself while you forced Belize to match a 1500 donation dollar for dollar to aid the first Disc Golf course in Central America and possibly Latin America after a Hurricane?
You were just a cog in the wheel of failure to lead the PDGA, as it falls apart I hope you own up to your part in it.