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Black Golfers to Honor Oakland Native for Work in Diversity

Oakland native Kendall Murphy has more than a dozen years of experience in the golf industry, most recently serving as a career consultant for the PGA of America supporting the Northern California PGA Section. Concurrently, he works as an adjunct professor at the Harrah College of Hospitality at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas (UNLV). From 2012 through May 2021, Murphy was the assistant director and program coordinator of UNLV’s PGA Golf Management Program.

Published

4 years ago

June 4, 2022

Oakland Post

Kendall Murphy

By Post Staff

Oakland native Kendall Murphy will be inducted into the African American Golfers Hall of Fame in Palm Beach, Florida, on May 29, 2022.

It will be the latest accomplishment for Murphy, 36, who has a string of accomplishments with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA).

He is a former PGA career consultant, PGA golf pro, college golf coach and assistant director of the Professional Golf Management program at University of Nevada Las Vegas.

Further, Murphy is the first director of diversity, equity and inclusion for Troon, a golf course management company operating in more than 30 countries.

Murphy has more than a dozen years of experience in the golf industry, most recently serving as a career consultant for the PGA of America supporting the Northern California PGA Section. Concurrently, he works as an adjunct professor at the Harrah College of Hospitality at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas (UNLV). From 2012 through May 2021, Murphy was the assistant director and program coordinator of UNLV’s PGA Golf Management Program.

He is a member of the PGA of America and a two-time winner of the Southern Nevada Chapter of the PGA’s Golf Professional of the Year award (2018 and 2019).

Murphy’s diverse background in golf started in Oakland, where he worked as a head golf professional at Metropolitan Golf Links and then in Moraga as the assistant men’s golf coach at St. Mary’s College of California.

Although he was not a professional golfer, Murphy developed an interest in the sport when, at age 10, he played in the junior program at Lake Chabot Golf Course. He attended Oakland’s St. Paschal’s Elementary School and then Berkeley’s Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School and Berkeley High School, where he was a member of the league-winning Varsity Golf Team.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in recreation with a concentration in professional golf management from UNLV and a master’s degree in Kinesiology/sport management from St. Mary’s College of California.

He is also the co-founder/co-chair of the Black PGA Professionals Caucus and currently serves on the PGA National Education Committee.

When interviewed, Murphy said, “Our world is in an unprecedented time for transformation through intentional action. The future of excellence is one that paves the way for diversity equity and inclusion with ease. I am honored to be a part of growing the Troon experience of excellence with my new position and being part of this visionary team. I am dedicated to creating the industry blueprint for others to follow.”

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

5 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.