At the December CGA Board meeting, five new individuals were appointed to the Board of Directors. Each of these individuals brings a unique perspective to help further the mission of the CGA. Additionally, they all have a passion for the game.
Mark Crabtree’s many accomplishments both on and off the golf course resulted in his induction in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2006.
He attended Rocky Mountain High School and then the University of Colorado, where he was a four-year standout on the golf team as well as an Evans Caddie Scholar. As a player, he was awesome—CGA Match Play champion 1975, 1976, 1992 and 1994; 10 times a top-five finisher in the CGA Stroke Play; into the round of 16 in the 1990 U.S. Amateur; 1990 CGA Public Links champion; and winner of countless state-wide invitationals.
As a mentor, Crabtree served nine years as teacher and coach in the Fort Collins Poudre District before taking over as Colorado State University’s coach. And what a run as a recruiter and coach he had. He led the Rams to the NCAA Championship Finals in 1999 and was named 1998 NCAA District Coach of the Year.
At CSU he created the CSU-CU Booster Challenge series and started fundraising programs at both CSU and the University of Louisville, where he served as head coach of the men’s golf team from 1999 to 2020. In 2008, Mark began a two-year term as president of the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and was inducted into the GCAA Hall of Fame in 2022. He currently plays out of Harmony Club in Fort Collins.
Eunice Kim was born and raised in Ohio and attended Smith College where she earned her B.A. and the University of Virginia where she earned an M.B.A. Eunice has been in the investment management, fiduciary, and banking business for over 27 years and is the Market President and Managing Director of Bank of New York Mellon (“BNY Mellon) in Colorado and the Rocky Mountain region.
After spending a dozen years in New York City, Eunice moved to Denver in 2007. Over the past 16 years, Eunice has served on multiple boards and committees including Colorado Uplift, Colorado Succeeds, and the Women’s Foundation of Colorado where she was the chair of the investment committee. She currently serves on the investment committee of Rose Community Foundation and is the treasurer and board member of the Margulf Foundation.
Eunice grew up playing tennis and softball and transitioned to golf about six years ago. Since then, she has been an avid player preferring to “walk and carry” whenever possible. She is a member of Lakewood Country Club and currently serves on the Greens Committee and Long-Range Planning Committee, after serving on the Membership Committee for several years. Eunice lives in Cherry Creek North and when she’s not working, you will most likely find her on the golf course or walking her (overly-managed) dog in the neighborhood.
Will F. Nicholson III is a fourth-generation Coloradan and has lived in Denver his entire life except for his time at the University of the Pacific, from which he graduated in 1981 with a BS in Business Administration and Finance.
Will spent the entirety of his four-decade career in the investment management industry, the last thirty of which were focused on providing foundations and endowments advice relating to the structuring and monitoring of their investment portfolios. Although he is retired, he continues to share his knowledge, experience, and advice by serving on the Board and/or Investment Committee of several local nonprofits.
Will is a lifelong golfer, having first learned the game at the Denver Country Club as a young child and where he continues to play regularly as a member. He is also a member of Castle Pines Golf Club. Following in his family’s tradition of giving back to the game, Will is a long-time Director of the Western Golf Association and has served on various caddie committees and as a junior tournament rules official. Additionally, he currently serves on the Board of the Colorado Golf Foundation as its Vice President and Treasurer. Will is the proud father of four daughters who all live in Denver and each play golf to varying degrees.
Peggy O’Neill-Jones is the executive director for the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Western Region (TPS) program and the TPS Teachers Network at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. TPS provides professional development that assists educators in finding, accessing, and integrating the vast reservoir of sources from the Library of Congress to deepen understanding and enrich instruction. Through Peggy’s leadership, the TPS at MSU Denver program grew from statewide outreach to a regional program that serves 16 western states. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources program.
After a 26-year career at the Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver), Peggy retired in 2016. She is a professor emeritus of journalism and media production and recipient of MSU Denver’s first-ever Extraordinary Service Award in 2016.
Finding two century-old golf trophies from her great-great uncle in the basement of her family home in 2016 started a passion for playing and researching the history of the game. The two trophies are now in the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame. She plays on the Applewood Golf Course League and serves on the board of directors as the Handicap chair. She is married with three daughters, two sons-in-law, two grandsons, and one granddaughter.
Tai Palacio was born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Miami, Florida. She is an FSU grad with law degrees from Ireland (UCD) and America (DU) and presently works at Hogan Lovells where she practices commercial real estate law, with a focus on finance, private equity, and joint venture transactions.
Tai moved back to the States from Ireland in 2013, and after 10 years calls Colorado her new home. It wasn’t until May 2020 that Tai picked up golf, and she hasn’t let more than a week slip by without swinging a club (via indoor practice or out on the course). Tai’s love of the game is contagious and she is particularly keen on creating programming to bring more women to the tee box. Tai also serves as a trustee for the PGA Reach Colorado and has a strong background working in the non-profit world prior to her legal career.
Tai and her husband, Greg, and their two children are members of Red Rocks CC; there are few places she’d rather spend her time than on the course with her family and friends. When Tai is not playing golf, she likes to snowboard, workout, and travel (to golf destinations).
To learn more about the CGA Board of Directors- CLICK HERE