Don Padgett III, longtime PGA Tour executive and former Kaulig Companies Championship executive director, has started as senior director of strategy at Akron Children’s Foundation.
Padgett was also senior director of PGA Tour Champions before moving into the new role with the hospital system’s foundation.
Akron Children’s donors and community partners will know Padgett by his reputation, Akron Children’s Foundation Chief Development Officer Shelly Brown said in a prepared statement.
Don Padgett III is transitioning from a director role in golf to one at Akron Children’s Foundation — a move that comes as the annual pro tournament he coordinated at Firestone Country Club arrives at a critical juncture.
The foundation named Padgett senior director of strategy, a role in which he will collaborate with the foundation’s team on current and new donor engagement, according to a news release from Akron Children’s.
Padgett has been an executive with the PGA Tour for the past 25 years, the release said.
Padgett led the last 19 professional golf tournaments at Firestone Country Club. He most recently held the titles of executive director of the Kaulig Companies Championship, the annual Firestone tournament for senior golfers in PGA Tour Champions, and senior director of PGA Tour Champions, said Akron Children’s spokesperson Kathy Johnson.
What might Padgett’s new role mean for the Kaulig event?
David Utlak, who has been a longtime member of the PGA Tour, has been named the interim executive director of the Kaulig Companies Championship, PGA Tour Vice President of Communications Stewart Moore said via email.