Sandy Cross

Sandy Cross has over 25 years of diverse work experience. Sandy started their career as a Licensing Administrator at the PGA of America, leading corporate licensees to exceed expectations and contractual obligations. Sandy then worked their way up within the organization, holding positions such as Program Manager, Manager of Marketing Services, and Senior Manager of Marketing Services. In these roles, they boosted brand equity, revenue, and reach through strategic partnerships, and grew member benefit programs to $80M AUM with numerous sponsors and accounts. Sandy also led the development of an unprecedented members-only supplemental retirement program. Sandy later became the Director of Business Development at the PGA, where they built dozens of multi-year, multi-million dollar partnerships with prestigious brands. After that, they served as the Director of Women's & New Market Initiatives, focusing on changing the way the industry engaged with women and non-traditional demographics. Sandy then transitioned to the role of Senior Director of Inclusion & Diversity, where they built the DE&I department and operationalized inclusion and diversity across the PGA's membership and workforce. Currently, Sandy is the Chief People Officer at the PGA of America, leading the organizational transformation to a values-based, people-centric culture and embedding inclusion and diversity across all lines of business. Prior to their time at the PGA, Sandy also held positions at the United States Water Fitness Association and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Sandy Cross holds an M.A. in Sport Administration from Kent State University and a B.A. in Legal studies from the University at Buffalo. In addition to their degrees, they have obtained various certifications including the Learn With Workday certification from Workday, The Science of Well-Being certification from Coursera, and the Certified Diversity Professional certification from the Institute for Diversity Certification, among others.