Category: Board Member Spotlight

Janeen was a not member of the golf community until she followed a job to Pinehurst. One putt on the 18th hole of Course No. 2 and she was hooked for life! While her career kicked off at Pinehurst Resort, Janeen was soon recruited by the USGA, where she still works today as the Director of Brand Communications. After living and working in New Jersey for seven years, she moved back in 2021. Through old friends and colleagues, Janeen was introduced to the Sandhills chapter of First Tee. As a passionate supporter of junior golf, she knew this was where she wanted to plant herself and get involved!

“I wanted to personally give my time and talents back to the game I love and a sport that has given me so much. There’s no better way to do that than by volunteering for junior golf programs in your own backyard. We all need to do our part to make the game more accessible and affordable, and to pass along the values of the game to the next generation.”

Ritche joined the Army immediately after graduating from college. During his time serving our country, Ritche traveled all over the world and even spent multiple years serving in Africa. His strong work ethic and dedication led to him becoming Major General in the United States Army. After retiring from a 39.5 year military career, Ritche began searching for a way to give back to the community. Luckily, Ritche’s strong moral compass led him to get involved with First Tee – Sandhills!

“When I found out about the First Tee program and started to learn more, I came to realize how similar the core values of First Tee are to the core values of the Army and those my wife and I abide by. I believed in what the organization was doing and wanted to be a part of helping the next generation of kids in our community.”

Born and raised in Minnesota, golf has always been a part of Wendy’s life. She met her husband while they both worked at the Minneapolis Golf Club and now has a family of golfers. Her three children all learned how to play golf, and five grandchildren are currently learning how to play. 

Upon retiring in 2013, Wendy and her husband moved to Pinehurst to enjoy a longer golf season. Wendy has dedicated thousands of hours to mentoring children and volunteering at events like the US Junior Amateur Championship and the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine. Upon retiring in 2013, Wendy and her husband moved to Pinehurst to enjoy a longer golf season. She became involved with First Tee – Sandhills shortly after when a fellow board member recommended the organization to her.  She joined First Tee as an assistant coach, and later became a member on the Board of Directors in addition to volunteering. The reason she joined First Tee is that she enjoys being able to make a difference in the lives of children in our community.

Her favorite memory from First Tee – Sandhills was coaching Just For Girls when she noticed one of our golfers had a Taylor Swift headcover on her driver. Wendy said that they “had a wonderful discussion about our favorite songs and she told me about recently attending the Eras Tour. These types of conversations with participants truly help build meaningful connections.”