Meet the HJGT Staff

Mario Conte-Executive Director

Mario Conte serves as the Executive Director of the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour. Mario earned a double major in International Hospitality and Tourism and Business Management from Saint Leo University in Dade City, Florida. In college, Mario completed an internship with the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) and went on to become a general manager in the staffing industry. Mario was an accomplished junior golfer playing in many national tournaments throughout the country since an age of 8 which gave him the inspiration to start the HJGT. Mario’s passion is junior golf and he is committed to offering an unforgettable experience at each event and to help each junior golfer pursue a collegiate golfing career.

Steve Jones- Tournament Director

Steve Jones retired from Nationwide Insurance Companies in 2006 after 26 years. His initial sales agency was in Winston Salem, NC and then over the next 25 years he was a District Sales Manager in Wilmington, DE; Baltimore, MD; Atlanta GA; and Lakeland FL. Steve attended Johns Hopkins and Oglethorpe University. Steve’s son Matt, who was 10 at the time, decided he wanted to play junior golf so Steve, in order to help with the rules side of golf, went to the USGA rules school (and many times since) which was just the beginning of becoming a golf rules official. Steve joined the Florida State Golf Association in 2003 and was selected as the volunteer of the year in 2006 and became a certified rules official in 2009. In 2007 Steve traveled with the Duramed FUTURES Tour as the tournament operations manager and thoroughly enjoyed the season spent around the future of woman’s golf. Steve has worked as a certified golf rules official in many types of golf tournaments including various tours for Junior events, Florida State Championship Amateur and professional events, USGA Open and LPGA qualifiers, Duramed FUTURES Tour qualifying schools, high school state championships and various men’s and women’s college events.  Steve joined the HJGT in 2009 and serves as a certified rules official throughout the state of Florida and the Southeast.

2012 Spring Interns 

Top Row (Left to Right): Brent Coley, Brandon Phipps, Brian Tate, Andrew Meadows

Bottom Row (Left to Right): Chris Stanley, Kaleb Mcdaniel, Collin Chapman, John Furlong

John Dickey- Florida Rules Committee

John Dickey is an FSGA certified rules official. John has worked many events for the FSGA as well as numerous college events.  This past year John was the head rules official for the following college events: The Division 1 Conference USA Men’s National Championship, the Division 1 Hooter’s Women’s Match Play Championship, and the National Junior College Women’s Championship. John also worked as a rules official at this year’s Division 1 Women’s East Regional, and the Division 3 Women’s National Championship. John has also worked as a rules official for the FSGA State Amateur and the Florida Open. Prior to retiring, John was a VP of sales and marketing for Random House, a children’s book publisher based in New York. John Dickey joined the HJGT in 2008 as a certified rules official and works events all throughout the state of Florida.

Les Brown-Tournament Operations Consultant and Rules Committee

Leslie (Les) D. Brown, MSE, has more than 15 years experience in Tournament Administration as a Tournament Director and Rules Official. Les currently serves on the USGA Junior Amateur Committee and NCAA Division I Women’s Championship Committee. He is a Consultant and Senior Rules Official for the American Junior Golf Association. Les is involved with 25-30 tournaments each year, as a Tournament Director/Head Rules Official for several college tournaments and championships and as a Rules Official for college and junior tournaments/tours and Duramed Qualification School.Les worked for the Kansas and Florida State Golf Associations from 1996-2007. While at the Florida State Golf Association, he started the Florida Junior Tour (FJT) and ran the FJT for four years before becoming a Consultant in all aspects of Tournament Operations. Les earned a Bachelor of Forestry degree from Stephen F. Austin University. After retiring from the military, he earned a Master of Science in Education in Sports Management, from the University of Kansas.

Scrib Kelly-Florida Rules Committee

Scrib Kelly retired from The Coca-Cola Company in 2000.  He held several important roles in their organization from sales and marketing to international consulting.  His best assignment was that of Account Director in Honolulu, Hawaii for three years. An amateur golfer all his life, Scrib only began to play golf on a regular basis after retirement.  Wanting to give back to the sport, Scrib began volunteering for the Florida State Golf Association beginning in June 2005.  Since that time he has worked over 50 tournament days each year and has gotten involved with other organizations including the NCAA.  He became a Certified Rules Official for the FSGA in 2008.Scrib Kelly joined the HJGT in 2009 as a certified rules official and works events throughout Florida.

Dave Thomson-Upstate South Carolina Rules Committee

Dave Thomson is a Rules Official for the South Carolina Golf Association. Dave generally works SCGA tournaments and USGA Qualifiers in the Upstate, north of Columbia. Dave is also the Course Rating Team Captain. Course Raters gather on-course data, e.g. width of fairways, distances to obstacles (water, OB, Trees) and use this data to look up obstacle ratings in the USGA Course Rating System Guide. The SCGA uses a USGA program to calculate each tee box Rating and Slope. Dave Thomson joined the HJGT in 2008 and serves as a certified rules official for all upstate South Carolina events.

Leonard “Sam” Herb-South Carolina Rules Committee

Leonard N. Herb, known to family and friends as, “Sam”, transplanted to Greenville, South Carolina from Berks County, Pennsylvania and has been with the HJGT since 2008. He is a Vietnam War veteran, a longtime Chief of Police, as well as a practicing attorney. Sam plays golf almost every day while practicing a little law on the side. He specializes in real-estate, wills, trusts, and estates. Sam has been a certified rules official for a number of years and provides officiating mostly in South Carolina. He is also a member of the SCGA Course Rating Team. Sam lives by the philosophy that every day is a golf day until proven otherwise!