The Officers

Valerie Oakes-Locascio,

President

Valerie Oakes-Locascio, formerly a commercial banker specializing in trade finance, became interested in golf at the urging of her husband, John, who was an avid golfer. WGANJ fit the bill by providing a great learning experience and plenty of golfing friends. Valerie served as Finance Officer for five years on the WGANJ Board and as League Director for four years. She has also served as Captain of a Paramus league and enjoys the social aspects of golf. Valerie believes that WGANJ is the perfect organization for women to learn to play golf, improve their game and make new friendships because she did just that.

Anne Hurler,
Vice Presicent

Anne Hurler works in the financial services industry in corporate risk governance. She joined WGANJ in 2015 to meet like-minded women who want to play golf in a supportive and fun environment. She is co-captain of a general league and has served the Board as Oversight Director. Anne is excited to expand her leadership role as Vice President where she can drive and execute the mission of WGANJ in an even greater capacity. “I am grateful to WGANJ for providing a foundation on which I have grown as a golfer and made friendships that I hope will last a lifetime.”

Mary Ann Beltz,
Marketing & Sponsorship Officer

MaryAnn Beltz joined WGANJ in 2015 at the Galloping Hills Golf Course and quickly immersed herself into the organization by joining the Marketing/Sponsorship team. MaryAnn's sponsorship efforts have helped WGANJ to subsidize events for members. Growing into the position of Marketing/Sponsorship Officer in 2020has allowed MaryAnn to explore new opportunities and help WGANJ reach new geographic areas to introduce WGANJ to more NJ women. She enjoys golfing at various courses with a variety of partners to develop her game and improve her skills.

Terri Thompson

Logistics & Hospitality Officer

Terri Thompson joined WGANJ in 2021 and quickly became involved as our Hospitality Director. She looks forward to expanding her role in the organization as Officer of Logistics and Hospitality. In her spare time, Terri enjoys spending time with family and friends.

Pat O'Rourke,
Finance Officer

Pat O’Rourke has recently retired after more than 40 years in the insurance industry handling various types of claims. She joined WGANJ in August of 2017 and played in Paramus as a walk-on after not playing for over 7 years. Her first time on the course resulted in a hole-in-one. She volunteered for as many events as possible and began attending the monthly meetings. She was eventually invited to join the Finance Committee. "I joined WGANJ to meet nice people, have fun and be outside. I have not been disappointed.

Juliet Sisti,

Leagues and Education Officer

Juliet Sisti joined WGANJ in its inception year of 2003 and is a Hall of Fame member. Since then, she has served as Education Officer, Membership Officer, Co-Chair President, and currently serves as Leagues/Education Officer. Juliet was instrumental in developing the Beginners and Advanced Beginners Educational Programs. Juliet looks forward to 2024, as her committee plans to expand the education program.

Karen Mazowiecki,
Operations Officer

Karen Mazowiecki joined WGANJ in 2015 as an advanced beginner and quickly began volunteering at events. In 2017 she became the co-captain and now
captains her own league each year. Realizing what a great organization WGANJ is, she joined the Board of Directors as the Communications Director in 2018 and grew into the
position of Operations Officer overseeing the website, app and email communications. In any spare time after work and golf, Karen enjoys time with her family, bicycling and doing
yoga.

Pat Fitzsimons,
Events Officer

Pat Fitzsimons joined WGANJ in 2021 playing on a Tuesday and Travel leagues.Her goal was to play golf regularly, meet women golfers and have fun.She quickly found that WGANJ offered so much more than golf. After realizing WGANJ is a fully volunteer organization, she volunteered whenever possible and in 2022 became Director of Finance, mentor, and league captain. Pat enjoys meeting new people and helping others enjoy the game as much as she does. She is excited about becoming the Event/Store Officer in 2023 and feels this is the right position for her to continue her WGANJ volunteerism.

Nina Luppino,

Strategic Development Officer

Nina Luppino’s passion for golf has led her to make impactful contributions to WGANJ since she joined in 2019 as the Director of Education. Through this role, Nina collaborated with the team to innovate educational golf programs, as well as establish new partnerships with golf courses, which expanded educational golf program offerings across New Jersey. Nina's innate ability to engage members and build relationships led to her appointment as the Director of Marketing in 2022. Over the past year, Nina demonstrated leadership in women's golf by creating partnerships with national golf organizations, which provided unique golf experiences for WGANJ. Nina looks forward to building upon these strategic partnerships to strengthen access and opportunities for women in golf.

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