Jon Podany

Chief Commercial Officer

Jon Podany joined the USGA as its new chief commercial officer on September 1, 2021. In this role, Podany oversees corporate partnerships, hospitality, broadcast and digital media, communications, marketing, ticketing and merchandising.  

Podany brings to the USGA an extensive background in sports spanning marquee companies such as the PGA Tour, LPGA, Arnold Palmer Enterprises and Procter & Gamble. Podany’s roles as CEO, chief commercial officer and chief marketing officer have touched virtually every aspect of the sports industry.

Most recently, Podany was a partner in two companies within the college sports industry, The Brandr Group (TBG) and CampusLore, focused on maximizing the value of athletes’ names, images and likenesses (NIL), primarily through group rights programs. TBG has the group rights for college with the NFL, NBA and MLB players associations, and recently created a group rights program for current student-athletes and/or alumni at schools including The Ohio State University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Miami.

During Podany’s nearly nine years at the LPGA, where he served as chief marketing officer and then chief commercial officer working with Commissioner Mike Whan, he helped deliver a period of historic growth for the organization with revenues increasing 88 percent during his tenure. Additionally, the number of tournaments grew from 23 to 34 and prize money increased from $40 million to more than $70 million.

For most of Podany’s time at the PGA Tour, he developed new business and sponsorship relationships, including his final five years (2005-2010) where he led the department as senior vice president of Business Development and was instrumental in securing partnerships such as the FedEx Cup, title sponsors of tournaments, official marketing partners and media partners. In addition, Podany led the development and launch of various award-winning brand campaigns and marketing platforms, including “These Guys are Good” and “Giving Back: The Heart of the PGA Tour.” As senior vice president of Brand Development and Marketing Services from 2003-2005, Podany was twice named by the Sports Business Journal as one of the most prominent young executives in sports, earning their “Forty Under 40" award. 

Podany, who graduated from Miami University (Ohio) with a degree in finance, began his career at Procter & Gamble where he worked on several iconic brands, including Ivory, Oil of Olay, Safeguard and Pert Plus. He is married and has three daughters.