Beck Group CEO Fred Perpall Becomes USGA President

The Beck Group CEO, Fred Perpall, became the 67th president of the United States Golf Association (USGA). He is the first African American and Texan to serve in this role and is proud to expand and nurture diversity and inclusion in the game.

“We talk too much about what separates us and not enough about what unites us. In golf, we’re a community,” said Perpall, who addressed the USGA on Saturday afternoon upon his election. “When we lean in together, when we include more people in the game, not only will the game get better, but our lives will get better, too.”

Perpall will serve a three-year term leading the USGA Executive Committee. The committee is an all-volunteer policy-making board that provides strategic direction and oversight to the Association’s full-time staff.

A unique path to golf and the USGA

Perpall’s path to the USGA is unique, given he started playing golf ten years ago at Northwood Club in Dallas. His interest in the game grew, and in 2014, he joined a small group establishing Trinity Forest Golf Club.

Soon after, Perpall became the chairman of Trinity Forest’s Board of Trustees, which governs the agreement between Trinity Forest and the City of Dallas. His leadership there led to his appointment to the USGA.

Career and beginnings

As CEO of The Beck Group, Perpall leads the firm’s global architecture, planning, real estate consultancy, and construction businesses. He began his career in design and construction in 1996. Two decades later, the American Institute of Architects elected him into its prestigious College of Fellows.

Known for his creative mind and innovative thinking, Perpall brings an energetic and collaborative style to all he does, including his business, civic, and philanthropic endeavors. In addition to his role with the USGA, Perpall is on the board of directors of FedEx and Starwood Property Trust.

A native of Nassau, Bahamas, Perpall played on the 1994 Bahamian National Basketball Team. He moved to the U.S. to attend the University of Texas at Arlington, earning a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Architecture. He is also an alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program and is a former Americas Fellow at Rice University’s Baker Institute.