Scott lives in Eastern Oregon, on the Oregon/Idaho border. He is married and has three adult children and four grandchildren. Scott has lived all but one year of his life in Oregon, living in the Portland area until 1985 then moving to Ontario and has lived there since.
His college education includes a Bachelor of Science Degree in Marketing from Portland State University and a Master of Business Administration Degree, also from Portland State University.
Since 1985, Scott has worked at and purchased a family business in Ontario. Scott has also served on the Treasure Valley Community College Board of Education for fourteen years, with four years as Board Chair. Currently he is serving on the City of Ontario Public Works Committee which provides oversite of Public Works activities for the City of Ontario.
Blind golf for Scott started in 2009 and has been a large part of Scott’s life since joining the USBGA. He plays as a B-3 visually impaired golfer. Joining the USBGA Board in 2021, Scott feels that the organization is heading in the right direction and wants to help that continue. Providing opportunities for blind and visually impaired children and adults is rewarding and helps bring additional members to the organization. The future depends on bringing in new members and creating opportunities through clinics and tournaments.
Scott has played golf as a B-3 visually impaired golfer Nationally and Internationally. In 2012 Scott finished third in the World Championships in Trurro, Nova Scotia. Scott has won several tournaments in the United States and Canada, including multiple US and Canadian Open Championships.
Mario has served as a USBGA board member since 2019. Listed below are the experiences and qualifications that he brings to the organization:
Background and Performance:
Mario joined the USBGA in the 2007 golf season as a visually impaired golfer. In 2010, he began playing in the B1 Division. Since that time, he has won two (2) National Championships, four (4) Guiding Eye Championships and finished in 4th place in the 2016 World Championship held in Japan and most recently, Mario placed in 4th at the 2018 World Championship held in Rome, Italy. In addition, Mario has participated in four (4) Vision Cup Championships with a combined record of 7 wins, 2 ties and 3 losses.
Qualifications:
Mario has served on the board of governors for the Middle Atlantic Blind Golf Association (MABGA) since 2008 and in the capacity of President since 2015. Prior to that, Mario served as Vice President of the MABGA for 4 years.
As President of the MABGA, Mario has increased annual revenue income by more than 250% per year.
Professional Experience
Mario has dedicated the second part of his career to bettering the lives of visually impaired individuals in the New Jersey and Pennsylvania area. He has worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Commission for the Blind for the past 20 years as a Training Consultant. His job responsibilities have included performing computer, iPhone and iPad feasibility studies as well as the evaluation, order processing, installation and training of hundreds of individuals using adaptive computer software and mobile devices.
Curt Jones started playing golf in 2018 and soon after became a member of the USBGA. He always believed that if you are going to be in an organization you should get involved, so he ran and was elected to the USBGA Board of Directors in 2019.
When Curt is not playing golf he enjoys reading, woodworking and hunting in the fall. Curt and his wife Tisa live in Battle Lake, Minnesota and have been married for 40 years. They have two children and three grandchildren. We both spend as much time as we can with family and friends. Curt and Tisa have both found the USBGA to be a fun and welcoming organization.
At 19, Jeremy Poincenot was your typical college sophomore. Friends, sports, fraternity and most importantly, perfect 20/20 vision. Then it happened, no warning, no time to prepare. Life began to blur. Over the next few months, Jeremy lost central vision in his right eye, followed closely by his left. The diagnosis: a rare genetic disorder called Leber’s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON), a disease that affects a mere 100 people in the U.S. each year with no treatment or cure in sight. At first, Jeremy thought losing his vision meant forfeiting his life. But he soon learned that with every challenge comes an opportunity for growth.
When Jeremy lost his central vision, he thought the game of golf he loved was over. But with some hard work, dedication, and the support of his family and friends, he quickly learned that his golfing career had just begun. At 20 years old and with his Dad as his guide, Jeremy competed in and won the 2010 World Blind Golf Championship with a dramatic chip-in in a playoff. They have since gone on to win 8 National Championships, an Australian Blind Open, an Italian Blind Open and two more World Blind Golf Championships. In 2011, Jeremy was honored as the San Diego Hall of Champions Challenged Athlete of the Year. Like all things, it’s the most difficult trials that shape who we are—and Jeremy is a better athlete and person because of this sport.
Now, Jeremy strives to raise awareness of LHON, and along with the help of his friends, they have created the C.U.R.E. (Cycling Under Reduced Eyesight) Ride, an annual fundraising bike ride that has raised over $350,000 for LHON research. Their goal is to raise a million.
Today, Jeremy is an Inspirational Speaker traveling the world, sharing his story to inspire audiences to take control of life and turn trauma into triumph. Jeremy is not your ordinary motivational speaker. With a powerful personal narrative, a little wit and a strong inspirational message, he has made it his mission to help his audiences rise up to their biggest obstacles and see them as opportunities.
Jeremy’s objective when he steps in front of an audience is not to dictate how to succeed in life; it’s to convince individuals that independence is good, while interdependence is great. He speaks from experience and has discovered that with a focus on the good, key insights, and the determination to persist through the challenges, anything is possible.
Jeremy has had the privilege of being featured on ABC’s 20/20, ESPN.com, CNN’s “Great Big Story” and MTV’s True Life and has spoken for many prestigious companies including Aflac, Honda, John Hancock, Kaiser Permanente, Wells Fargo and many more.
Bob began playing Blind Golf in 2016 in the B2 category. Bob lives in Northern California and plays golf when not working for a large health care company.
Bob maintains our Website and social media to ensure our members have the most up-to-date information.
JoJo grew up in Orange Beach AL and still resides there. He and his brother own an insurance agency and a real estate investment company. JoJo started playing golf when he was 8 years old at Gulf Shores Golf Club where he is still a member. Having played golf now for over 50 years He still enjoys the game just as much.
First diagnosed with the retinal disease known as starguardts in his early 20’s it has become more difficult to play. He started playing blind golf in 2019 and is active in the USBGA and ABG.
After graduating from Palmerton, Pennsylvania High School in 1972, Sheila attended Allentown General Hospital School of Radiological Technology. She worked at a large Trauma Center until losing her sight in 1982. Ten years later, Sheila started to play golf even though she was totally blind.
Sheila joined the USBGA in 1995 as a B1 blind golfer. She was the only female participating in USBGA tournaments.
In 2002, Sheila was elected to the USBGA Board of Directors. She served as a B1 Board Member until 2009 when she was elected President. She served as President from 2009 until 2011. Sheila served as the Past President Advisor to the Board for nine years.
She made golf history in 2007 by sinking an ace on a 144-yard, par-three hole at the Mahoning Valley Country Club, near her home in northeastern Pennsylvania. The National Hole-In-One Association honored Sheila by sponsoring her induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame Hole-In-One Registry, the world’s leading registrar of golf holes-in-one.
Sheila has also served on many Tournament Committees and currently chairs the Membership Committee.
In her spare time, she likes to play golf with her husband, Keith, who is also her Coach. Both Sheila and Keith are actively involved in their Church.
Lynne is the daughter of Joe Lazaro, a blind golfer and one of the original members of the USBGA. She grew up being Dad’s “eyes” when needed. In 2014, as a volunteer for the Massachusetts Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired (MABVI), she assisted Bill McMahon, an MABVI client, blind golfer and USBGA Board Member serving as his “eyes”.
In 2016, she assisted Bill and the USBGA Hall of Fame Committee generating the materials for their 2018 Hall of Fame Awards. In 2018 she was elected to the Board of Directors. She currently serves as the Sighted Board Member and Secretary.
In 2020 she successfully lobbied the Waltham, MA City Council to develop a putting and chipping complex in honor of her father for the purpose of providing a free facility for anyone interested in learning the game of golf. Currently, in conjunction with Waltham Recreation, they are conducting inclusive golf clinics.
Lynne is an avid gardener and also serves on the Board of Weston Community Housing Inc.
Denise is the sister-in-law to Scott Wilson who is a B3 golfer. She has been an instrumental part of Scott Wilson’s business in Ontario, Oregon for the past 36 years. Denise was kindly convinced by Scott that she would be a perfect fit as Treasurer for the USBGA and she did not have to be a golfer. She replaced long time Treasurer Mary Jane Popp in the fall of 2016. She is an avid gardener who enjoys family and living on her small hobby farm with her critters.
Copyright © 2021. All Rights Reserved.
