Meet the Team

NIHGA is governed by a Board of Directors consisting of the Team Captains, Treasurer, Handicapper, and Schedulers. A Webmaster assists the Board by posting information on the official NIHGA website. The Board of Directors collectively manages all aspects of the association including but not limited to membership, tournaments, outings, handicapping, finances, policies, rules, guidelines, and awards.

Todd Smith

Todd Smith

Team 1 Captain

Todd has served as captain since the 2017 season. He has enjoyed being a member of NIHGA since 2005 when he was invited to join through Clubgolf.  Todd retired from the federal government in Jan 2020 after 39 years at the FBI and DMA.  For the past several years, Todd has coordinated match play and recruited many new members.

Wes Russell

Wes Russell

Team 2 Captain

Wes has served as Captain for the past several years and has enjoyed being a member of the NIHGA since the mid 1980’s. He was an IT Specialist at the National Library of Medicine, NIH primarily working with computer networks. After retiring in 2014, Wes enjoys spending winter months in Florida to escape the cold weather.

  • Stroke Play Outings – Alternates with other Team Captains in serving as the Stroke Play Outing Coordinator.  For example, with 12 Stroke Play outings and 3 Team Captains, each Team Captain would coordinate 4 outings per year.  
    • Coordinates with the Golf Course Point of Contact and other Team Captains on the details contained in the outing flyer.  Date, tee times, and cost are negotiated in advance by the NIHGA Scheduler. Uploads the flyer to the website.
    • Prepares and sends the SignUp Genius invitation to all NIHGA members in accordance with the predetermined opening date/time.
    • Finalizes the SignUp tee sheet.   Uploads the final tee sheet to the website and provides a copy to the Golf Course Point of Contact. Archives the SignUp to prevent members from using SignUp Genius after the closing date/time. 
    • Coordinates with the Golf Course Point of Contact to ensure they have enough contest markers for the outing.  If not, gets the NIHGA-owned markers to the course before the outing.   
    • Decides, in coordination with the Golf Course POC and Board Members, whether to cancel the outing and notifies all members of the decision as soon as possible. 
    • Hands out prizes to team members who have won individual contests at previous Stroke Play outings.
  • Match Play Outings – Todd Smith typically serves as the Match Play Tournament coordinator.  The other Team Captains reviews his plans and provides feedback based on their team members’ level of interest and availability. 
    • Encourages team members to participate in the Match Play Tournament.
    • Assists in filling Match Play tee times with their team members. 
  • New Membership – Helps recruit new league members. Welcomes new members assigned to his/her team.
  • Annual Dues  – Collects Annual Dues from team members.
  • Team Liaison – Serves as a liaison between the team members and the Board of Directors. Entertains league-related suggestions, complaints, or issues from team members and resolves them at the team level to the extent possible.  Presents unresolved issues to the Board of Directors for a Board decision.  
  • Term Limit –  There is no term limit for Team Captains. They may serve as long as they wish. If an Incumbent wants to stand down, he/she shall notify the Board of Directors with at least 2 weeks’ notice.   Incumbents are encouraged to stand down at the end of season and to train their replacement to ensure a smooth transition.
  • Board Member – Serves as a member of the Board of Directors along with the other Team Captains, Treasurer, Scheduler, and Handicapper.  As a member of the Board of Directors, the Team Captain:   
    • Attends all Board meetings. The Board meets on an as needed basis either virtually or through email depending on the scope and nature of the required decisions at a time when all Board members are available.  Major changes to league rules and/or processes are typically decided during the off season (Nov-Mar).  
    • Requests Board meetings to address league concerns or proposed changes.  Prepares talking points to frame the issue(s) and leads the discussion when he/she requests the meeting.
  • End of Year Outing – The planning and execution of the End of Year Outing is shared by all Board Members.   Each Board Member is individually responsible for certain aspects of the Scramble Tournament, Annual Awards, Door Prizes, Luncheon, and 50/50 Raffle so the workload is distributed as evenly as possible.

Gus Lambis

Team 3 Captain

Gus joined NIHGA in 2008, and has been a captain and the league scheduler for the past two years.  Gus worked at NIH for over 30 years as a Project Officer and semi retired in 2012. He went back to NIH as a consultant for two and half years and finally retired in 2015. Gus enjoys traveling and playing different golf courses.

Denise Droneburg

Denise Droneburg

Handicapper

Denise has been the NIHGA Handicapper since 2020 when she joined the league. She maintains records of all scorecards, prepares handicaps, and publishes outing and annual award winners. She also maintains Sign Up Genius as the league’s online tee time reservation application.

  • Stroke Play Outings  
    • Utilizes the online app called Fringe Golfers to calculate player handicap indices. Maintains league and season information in Fringe Golfers including: scheduled outings, league member names, tee box selections, course ratings and slopes, league handicapping criteria, and hole-by-hole scores for each outing. 
    • Prepares and posts player handicaps for each outing.
    • Collects and maintains files of scorecard and contest marker photos for each outing.
    • Determines and posts individual and team winners for each outing.
  • Match Play Outings 
    • Prepares handicaps and scorecards for each match.
    • Prepares and posts the Match Play bracket listing who is playing at each outing and the winners of each match.
  • Annual Awards – Determines winners and prepares certificates for the Director’s Cup, Greg Chicca Cup, Rookie of the Year, and any Holes-in-One.
  • Sign Up Genius – Assists Team Captains, as needed, with creating and maintaining Sign Up Genius Groups and Sign Ups.
  • Documentation – Maintains documentation regarding the tools and processes used to carry out Handicapper duties to ensure continuity of operations.  Documentation is posted in a section of the website that is only visible to Board of Director members.
  • Term Limit – There is no term limit for Handicapper. He/she may serve as long as he/she wishes. If an Incumbent wants to stand down, he/she shall notify the Board of Directors with at least 2 weeks’ notice.   Incumbents are encouraged to stand down at the end of season and to train their replacement to ensure a smooth transition.
  • Board Member – Serves as a member of the Board of Directors along with the Team Captains, Treasurer, and Scheduler.  As a member of the Board of Directors, the Handicapper:   
    • Attends all Board meetings. The Board meets on an as needed basis either virtually or through email depending on the scope and nature of the required decisions at a time when all Board members are available.  Major changes to league rules and/or processes are typically decided during the off season (Nov-Mar).  
    • Requests Board meetings to address league concerns or proposed changes.  Prepares talking points to frame the issue(s) and leads the discussion when he/she requests the meeting.
  • End of Year (EOY) Outing – Prepares team handicaps for the EOY Scramble tournament and places teams in appropriate flights. The planning and execution of the End of Year Outing is shared by all Board Members.   Each Board Member is individually responsible for certain aspects of the Scramble Tournament, Annual Awards, Door Prizes, Luncheon, and 50/50 Raffle so the workload is distributed as evenly as possible.
  • Stipend – The Handicapper receives an annual stipend for his/her effort payable at the end of the season.

Leslie Pellegrino

Treasurer

Leslie joined the league in 2024 after retirement from FCPS and 29 years in governmental finance. As the Treasurer, Leslie collects dues, pays expenses, coordinates the budget for the EOY event, and prepares final EOY accounting of the league’s activities.

  • Serves as the League’s Point of Contact on all financial matters. The Treasurer is a voluntary position and receives no stipend.
  • Prepares an annual budget. The budget should include anticipated income and expenses based on historical records. Income primarily comes from annual dues and the 50/50 raffle and scramble greens fees at the end of the year. On rare occasions, the league receives donations from its members. Expenses typically include prizes, end of year awards, end of year tournament fees, stipends for paid positions, and website operational fees. The purpose of the budget is to assist the Board of Directors in planning out the year’s activities.
  • Maintains up-to-date financial records on an ongoing basis. The treasurer documents all financial transactions throughout the calendar year. On an as needed basis, the treasurer prepares financial reports for the Board of Directors when faced with a new financial decision.
  • Maintains the NIHGA bank account. The treasurer must make sure that there is absolutely no intersection or interchange between the personal finances of the treasurer and those of the league. All the organization’s records and bank accounts should be kept separate from the treasurer’s own personal financial matters.  Ensures one other league member is listed as the joint owner of the bank account for continuity of operations, as needed.
  • Prepares and presents annual report to the Board of Directors. The annual report must include a starting balance, summarized list of all income and expenses, and a final balance.
  • Deposits all income into league bank account. Maintains records to document the source, amount, and date of income. Reports members who are delinquent in paying their dues to the appropriate team captain.
  • Allocates funds from league bank account for all league expenses. Maintains records to document the purpose, amount, date, and receipt for all expenses. Maintains appropriate documentation to verify the expenses were legitimate expenses for the league.
  • Term Limit. There is no term limit for the treasurer. He/she may serve as long as they wish. If the treasurer wants to stand down, he/she shall notify the Board of Directors with at least 2 weeks’ notice. Incumbents are encouraged to stand down at the end of season and to train their replacement to ensure a smooth transition.
  • Board Member. Serves as a member of the Board of Directors along with the Team Captains, Scheduler, and Handicapper. As a member of the Board of Directors, the Treasurer:
    • Attends all Board meetings. The Board meets on an as-needed basis either virtually or through email depending on the scope and nature of the required decisions at a time when all Board members are available. Major changes to league rules and/or processes are typically decided during the off season (Nov-Mar).
    • Requests Board meetings to address financial concerns or proposals. Prepares talking points to frame the issue(s) and leads the discussion when he/she requests the meeting.
    • Advises the Board of Directors on financial implications of all decisions.

Mary Jefferson

Co-Scheduler

Mary joined the league in 2022. She stepped into the role of Co-Scheduler following the 2025 season. In this role, she serves as one primary liaison for scheduling with golf courses, coordinating league outings, and supporting the end-of-year event. Mary works closely with the board to ensure that all outings and events are thoughtfully planned and align with the best interests of league members.

  • Schedules Outings. The Scheduler books twelve (12) Stroke Play outings, one (1) Match Play outing, and one (1) Shotgun Scramble outing for the season. Negotiates the best possible rates for all league outings and coordinates all league requirements with the course. Assigns a Team Captain to serve as the outing coordinator for each outing. The Scheduler shall start scheduling courses in January and finalize and publish the final schedule by March 1st. Provides schedule information to the webmaster in the desired to format to easily post it to the website.
  • End of Year Outing. The Scheduler is responsible for booking the End of Year Shotgun Scramble outing and luncheon. Secures approval from the Board of Directors on where to hold the outing, the cost of the outing, and the luncheon menu. This involves:
    • Comparing offerings by multiple golf courses to get the best value
    • Securing support from the golf course to check in members, make tournament announcements prior to tee off, determine and post winning teams in each flight, place and collect contest markers on the course, and provide food service.
  • Term Limit. There is no term limit for the scheduler. He/she may serve as long as they wish. If the scheduler wants to stand down, he/she shall notify the Board of Directors with at least 2 weeks’ notice.   Incumbents are encouraged to stand down at the end of season and to train their replacement to ensure a smooth transition.
  • Advises Board Members. The Scheduler advises the Board of Directors on all issues regarding the scheduling and booking of events with golf courses. Requests Board meetings on an as needed basis to address concerns or proposed changes to the league schedule or end of year outing.  Prepares talking points to frame the issue(s) and leads the discussion when he/she requests the meeting.
  • Stipend – The Scheduler receives complimentary annual league dues for his/her effort.

Carol Breeze-Regan

Co-Scheduler

Carol joined NIHGA in 2023. She stepped into the role of Co-Scheduler following the 2025 season. In this role, she serves as one primary liaison for scheduling with golf courses, coordinating league outings, and supporting the end-of-year event. Carol works closely with the board to ensure that all outings and events are thoughtfully planned and align with the best interests of league members.

Jen Puzio

Webmaster

Jen started playing with the league in 2020 and took on the role of the Webmaster after the 2021 season. She oversees all the features of the site, solves technical problems, implements site content for league members, and works with the board making sure the site looks and performs well.