In February of 2019, after almost 10 years of working in collegiate athletics, Catherine Carmignani was working as a senior project manager for Paramount & Co. Up to that point in her career, Carmignani had never worked in the golf industry.
That all changed one month later when Carmignani was hired as the director of marketing and communications for Mass Golf, the Massachusetts state golf association. Since joining the golf industry, she has been a tour de force. After three years with Mass Golf, Carmignani was promoted to assistant executive director, and now, five years after entering the golf industry, she is beginning her next chapter as the executive director of AZ Golf, Arizona’s state association.
“It’s a culmination of the invaluable experiences I’ve had and the opportunities I’ve been afforded,” Carmignani said. “It’s absolute validation that I’ve worked hard over a period of time, and the hard work has paid off and is being recognized. It’s also representation, the fact that I am one of a small number of female executive directors in the Allied Golf Association world, that is absolutely not lost on me and a big responsibility. I hope to be able to inspire others along this path.”
In 2008, the same year when Carmignani graduated from Simmons University, the Dudley, Massachusetts native began her journey in the sports industry working as the sports director at the Oak Square YMCA in suburban Boston and as a marketing, sales and operations intern with the Boston Cannons of the Premier Lacrosse League.
Looking back on her first foray into the sports industry, Carmignani said, “That wasn’t for me. And I kept coming back to the administrative work.”
So in 2010, it was back to school, this time to Springfield College for a master’s degree with a focus in athletic administration. With a career path in mind, the way forward became clear. Shortly after graduation, Carmignani entered the world of major college athletics, joining the Big East Conference as an Olympic sport/sport administration assistant.
One year later, college sports were rocked as the original Big East disbanded and was left to reform as the American Athletic Conference. Carmignani flourished with the AAC, rising from branding and sport administration coordinator in 2013 to senior director of branding by the time she left for Paramount & Co. in August of 2018.
“That was the biggest résumé builder for me,” Carmignani said. “I worked with some amazing people and learned an incredible amount. We built a brand and provided the student-athletes with the best competitive and non-competitive opportunities that we could. Thinking back on it, they made an investment in me, and I am indebted to so many generous and talented professionals. I wouldn’t trade those years with the Big East and American for anything.”
Despite all Carmignani accomplished in college athletics, golf had been only a minor part of her career arc when she applied to be director of marketing and communications at Mass Golf. Introduced to the game at a young age, Carmignani showed a light interest in the sport but instead focused on team sports, playing field hockey, basketball and tennis.
“Thankfully my older sister, Anne, made sure that I played occasionally while growing up,” Carmignani said. “I have so many fond memories of playing rounds of golf or being at the driving range with her, and I just appreciate that she kept pushing me and helped me maintain some level of involvement in the game.”
With those experiences, Carmignani was selected to run the women’s golf championships for the Big East and later the American. She also felt confident enough to seek the job at Mass Golf.
“We had a vision and worked to establish values and a mission, and we wanted to make sure that all resonated with the membership.” — Catherine Carmignani
Carmignani joined Mass Golf shortly after the Massachusetts Golf Association merged with the Women’s Golf Association of Massachusetts and was charged with creating the rebranded association’s initial marketing plan. With that directive in mind, Carmignani guided Mass Golf into a new era.
“I’m most proud of further defining and developing the Mass Golf community,” Carmignani said. “We had a vision and worked to establish values and a mission, and we wanted to make sure that all resonated with the membership. So right from the beginning, we built trust within the community, and brand affinity went absolutely through the roof, not just locally, but regionally and nationally.”
In addition to her leadership skills, Carmignani also shows the ability to teach and empower. In 2022, Mass Golf launched “The Mass Golfer” TV show. Stephen Hanjack, Mass Golf’s director of marketing and communications, was charged with putting together the new show but conceded he was “hesitant” about the venture.
Sensing that, Carmignani, a member of the International Association of Golf Administrators’ board of directors, stepped in and helped guide the first show. From that moment on, Hanjack was off and running.
“After one run-through and after shooting a few of the segments, it was like, ‘Oh, wow,’ ” he said. “It was an eye-opening moment that I needed. She helped show me the light, and then the next year it was like riding a bike and we were just firing off.”
Carmignani has been firing off since she entered the golf industry. She will now take those skills of creativity, leadership and empowerment to AZ Golf for her newest and biggest challenge yet.
Dostaler is the director of communications at the Connecticut State Golf Association.