LPGA Foundation welcomes new members to Board of Directors

Miriam Hernandez-Kakol, Jose Tomás and Lynette Vanderwarker elected to the 2023 Board

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., Jan. 12, 2023 – The LPGA Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization committed to empowering and supporting girls and women through developmental and humanitarian golf initiatives, has announced the election of three new Board members for 2023: Miriam Hernandez-Kakol, Jose Tomás and Lynette Vanderwarker.

“We are so excited to have Miriam, Lynette and Jose join the LPGA Foundation Board of Directors,” said Nancy Henderson, President of the LPGA Foundation. “They share our passion and commitment to empowering, inspiring and transforming the lives of girls and women through the game of golf, and I’m looking forward to seeing the impact each of them will make in 2023.”

Hernandez-Kakol is the former global head of KPMG’s Management Consulting Practice. During her KPMG tenure, she worked with Fortune 100 executive teams to connect business needs to technology solutions and founded multiple businesses within the organization that drove revenue growth and penetrated new markets. Hernandez-Kakol is a tireless advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, and currently serves on five other boards and committees for Toyota Financial Savings Bank, Hovnanian Enterprises, Inc., the Hispanic IT Executive Council (HITEC), the National Academy Foundation (NAF) and Junior Achievement New Jersey.

“As a partner, I was quite willingly engaged in KPMG’s sponsorship of the Women’s PGA Championship. It was my favorite week on the firm’s calendar. Hosting clients, playing in the pro-am and watching these incredible athletes on the course was all such a joy. I was proud of KPMG supporting the female golfers to elevate their games and their Tour,” said Hernandez-Kakol. “To now have the opportunity to join the LPGA Foundation Board is a way that I can continue to support two of my passions: the empowerment of women and the game of golf. Thank you to the LPGA for asking me to serve.”

Tomás joined Univision as their chief administrative officer in 2021, overseeing vital support areas such as human resources, corporate communications, enterprise technology services, facilities, social impact, DE&I and corporate safety, health and security. He most recently served as co-founder and managing partner of BrandSparc, a global communication, employment branding and human resources consultancy firm. Tomás has also acted as a member of General Motors’ global senior executive leadership team, executive vice president and chief human resources officer at Anthem, Inc. and Latin America and Caribbean region president as well as global chief people officer for the Burger King corporation.

“I have seen firsthand how the LPGA Foundation has impacted girls and young women through LPGA*USGA Girls Golf and the Leadership Academy,” Tomás said. “These programs not only enrich their personal lives but also develop competencies that will be useful for a lifetime, whether as leaders in their schools, communities or workplace.”

Vanderwarker currently serves as a partner for Iron Park Capital, focusing specifically on capital formation. Prior to IPC, she was the chief strategy officer for Angel Island Capital, a portfolio company of Golden Gate Capital, from 2018 to 2021. Vanderwarker spent five years as managing director for KKR, leading the Credit Strategies Group, and before her time with KKR, she was a managing director for BlackRock. She also worked for Goldman Sachs Asset Management, acting as Vice President for the Global Manager Strategies Group.

“I want my daughters and all other girls to know that sports will benefit not only their health but that sports can also boost their future careers. Nothing gives you a better opportunity to build important relationships with people than spending four hours together on a golf course,” said Vanderwarker. “In my experience, too many women in the financial and corporate world drop out before reaching senior positions, and the ones who excel and advance have a background in sports. I look forward to introducing relationships to the LPGA Foundation to empower women through the game of golf.”

For more than 30 years, the LPGA Foundation has been working to change the face of golf. Since its creation in 1991, the LPGA Foundation has touched nearly 1 million lives through various programs: LPGA*USGA Girls Golf, LPGA Leadership Academies, LPGA Foundation Scholarships, LPGA Amateur Golf Association and the Delores Hope Financial Assistance Fund. These programs are all designed to provide opportunities to develop skills that girls and women need to successfully navigate through life and to help the game reflect the rich diversity of the world in which we live.

“As the LPGA Foundation celebrates its milestone year in 2023 having reached 1 million girls participating in our LPGA*USGA Girls Golf program, we are thrilled to have three new outstanding board members,” said Erin Hamrick, Foundation Board Chair. “Jose, Lynette and Miriam are all committed and passionate about our programming. We have no doubt that their strategic and corporate experiences will be the catalyst for the next chapter of the LPGA Foundation.”

The 2023 LPGA Foundation Board is comprised of: