About CSH
Since they can remember, golf has been a huge part of both Mike and Julie Chisum’s life. Julie began playing at Woodland Country Club in Newton, MA at 5 years old and Mike at Abilene Country Club when he was 8. Both played junior golf in the AJGA and then went on to play golf in college.
This twosome connected on a blind date in 2001, and soon realized their paths had likely crossed through many common friends before then. Julie and Mike have now built their business, family & home life around golf, as Mike has been in the industry since they met. You’ll often find young, up-and-coming players staying at their home or coming over for a home cooked meal. You might see their kids on the range at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano or Julie and Mike sneaking away for 9 holes of couples golf. On the weekends, you’ll certainly see them following closely to action on the PGA TOUR app or gathering friends to watch a final round.
The golf community is highly cherished by the Chisums & sharing the relationships they have made through the game is the foundation of Chisum Sports & Hospitality.
Mike Chisum
Our Founder
Mike Chisum has more than two decades of experience building relationships in golf. He played in college at the University of Texas (’93-’95) and then transferred to Baylor (’96-’98), where he graduated with a sports management degree. Mike spent over a decade at Titleist, leading Player Relations for US Tours before starting Chisum Sports in 2010, with a player representation division and a hospitality division. The first players Mike signed were Ryan Palmer, David Toms and Matt Jones, and his first client partner was United Rentals. Mike worked alongside the United Rentals executive team to create their original golf program to include a team of player ambassadors with a calendar of unique customer hospitality events, leading to United Rentals becoming an official PGA TOUR partner and the longest standing Chisum Sports client. As the company grew, Mike eventually spun off his Player Representation business and joined with two partners to create Players Group Management with a current roster that includes young stars Will Zalatoris, Davis Riley, Sahith Theegala, veterans Bill Haas, Ryan Palmer, Matt Jones, Adam Schenk, Tyler Duncan, Andrew Putnam, major champions, Fred Couples, David Toms & Jay Haas and recent graduates Pierceson Coody, Parker Coody and Joe Highsmith. Mike still works closely with the Chisum Sports team in a consulting and creative role.
Julie Chisum
president
A 4-year letterman on the SMU women’s golf team, Julie spent almost two decades in CPG, retail and customer marketing on the corporate side at Frito Lay and on the agency side, leading plano-based Propac Agency. Julie credits working alongside leaders in the incredibly talented PepsiCo organization, both on the marketing and sales side as the greatest training ground for the first chapter of her career. Initially learning the ropes of Customer Marketing, traveling to Bentonville, Arkansas calling on Walmart DVPs and Buyers in the food and beverage category and then taking those learnings to expand customer marketing efforts across the retail landscape (small format, grocery, club, mass and e-commerce customers). During this time Julie mastered the art of Customer & Relationship Marketing including joint business planning, customer engagement and the creative ways to build trust with key decision-makers. Julie recently left her CPG Marketing career to join the family business, leading the next generation of Chisum Sports. She has a passion for bringing people together, hosting groups and diving deep into conversations about potential growth opportunities for our client partners and their customers.
Julie and Mike live in Plano, Texas and have three Children Connor (15), Katelyn (13) and Kamryn (10).
Lesley Guinn
Hospitality + Events Manager, Ryan Palmer Foundation Administrator
Lesley leads the Ryan Palmer Foundation, including oversight for both the Shootout at Summerlin & the Dallas Cowboys Watch Party fundraising events. She also leads executive gifting & company story programs for Chisum Sports. Lesley brings to the team a depth of knowledge in the non-profit world including leadership roles in National Charity League & Plano ISD Education Foundation. She has extensive experience as chairperson of lifestyle-based fundraising events like ‘Neath the Wreath and SKI Plano.
Lesley is a Dallas native and a graduate of Texas A&M University. She enjoys playing tennis, doing Pilates, cheering all of her friends on at the golf course and you can typically always count on a warm smile and friendly greeting no matter where she is.
Rachael Sklar
Athlete & Client Liaison
Rachael has six years of experience in the sports industry through a unique blend of marketing and public relations roles across the NBA, CBS Sports and now in professional golf. Rachael’s role includes working as a liason between brand partners and TOUR player ambassadors. She also leads relationships with many of our apparel and equipment partners and coordinates executive gifting programs. You can find her onsite at many of our events, leading social media, coordinating player meet and greets and managing our pros for a purpose ticketing program. Rachael even lends a hand with accounting through her natural gift to ensure that estimates and invoices make sense.
Rachael was born and raised in Dallas, TX where she attended Greenhill School before studying at the University of Texas at Austin, followed by Southern Methodist University for her Master’s degree. Outside of the office, Rachael is a golfer herself, spends her time at Orange Theory Fitness, and giving back to BvB Dallas, an organization committed to raising funds and awareness to help end Alzheimer’s disease.
Kathleen Ekey
Event and Client Relationship Manager
Kathleen is a sports enthusiast who excels at building relationships and thrives on interpersonal connections that result in bringing people together to achieve their goals.
She brings a unique perspective to customer marketing and the corporate hospitality space with her years of experience as a professional golfer on the LPGA Tour. Her years of playing in pro-ams as a professional gives her rare insight to recognize strategic partnerships where golf can be a powerful tool for building brand awareness and fostering business relationships. She is achievement-oriented and focused on delivering creative ideas for clients, curating distinctive experiences within the sports space and beyond.
Kathleen is a Cleveland, OH native where she attended Walsh Jesuit High School. She was one of the top nationally-ranked junior golfers before moving on to The University of Alabama where she was a top-ranked amateur and All-American. She turned pro after graduating and won the 2011 Epson Tour money list, earning her Player of the Year and her LPGA Tour card. She played on tour until 2017, stepping away from full-time TOUR life as she became a mom.
Kathleen now makes McKinney, TX her home with husband, Luke, and her two girls. She enjoys spending time with her family, playing golf and tennis, cooking, and watching all the sports!
Mendie Triguero
Special Events Client liaison
As part of a strategic partnership with Meritage Events, Mendie is a client liaison for our special events team. This partnership expands support for event planning beyond just golf to include expertise in F1 races, national meetings, branded experiences, product launches & incentive trips. Mendie has deep industry knowledge, and a tireless commitment to her clients and programs. Her thoughtfulness & attention to detail sets Mendie apart, as she guides every step of the planning & execution process with confidence.
With more than a decade in event planning, she is a member of Meeting Planners International (MPI) & the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) and is also a Certified Incentive Specialist (CIS).
Dondi Kingsbury
Sports Strategy & Property Negotiation
A Collegiate soccer player at TCU, prior to pursing a degree in International Studies from the University of Texas at Austin, Dondi’s career began in MLS with FC Dallas in ticket sales, corporate partnerships and game day operations. She then moved to Los Angeles to join AEG, managing Corporate Partnerships and generating $50 million in revenue for properties including STAPLES Center, Home Depot Center, Lakers, Clippers, LA Kings, 6 MLS Teams, Cycling, International Soccer, WTA Tennis, Boxing, and Music Festivals. After 7 years at AEG, Dondi became Vice President at O’Brien Marketing where she negotiated and managed hundreds of media and sponsorships for her clients within The PGA Tour, MLB, NHL, MLS, NFL, America’s Cup Sailing, and music festivals. In 2019, she joined forces with Chisum Sports and Hospitality to support strategic sponsorships and property negotiations.
Melissa Mabanta
Special Event Coordinator
Mel played golf at UNLV and is a regular special guest in Pro-Ams across the country. As an event coordinator, Mel brings a warm smile, competitive spirit, experience and lots of fun no matter where she is. She calls Las Vegas home and spends most of her time playing in events at Shadow Creek and TPC Summerlin.
