Writing from Chicago
    Friday, March 20, 2015

    A few weeks ago, Michael Miller noted that there hadn’t been any changes in the Illinois PGA office in eight years, and suddenly, he needed to fill two positions in his role as the section’s executive director.
    Those spots have been filled, but another seat will soon be vacant.
    His.
    Miller is leaving to take over the executive director’s role with the PGA’s Southwest Section, which covers the state of Arizona and Clark County (Las Vegas) in Nevada, it was announced late Friday. He’s expected to start there on May 1.
    Miller, 52, of McHenry, guided the Illinois Section for 20 years, and overall worked in the office for 27 years across a pair of stints.
    Illinois PGA president Jim Opp said in a written statement he was sorry to see Miller leave.
    “This was a very, very difficult decision for him,” said Opp, the head pro at Bonnie Dundee Golf Club in Carpentersville. “His service and commitment to the Illinois Section has been a large part of his life and career. However, after fully considering all aspects of this new opportunity and challenge it was a decision he felt was best for he and his family. I know Michael and his wife Lisa are excited about this next chapter in their lives.”
    Miller was the third executive director since the position was created when the section opened an office in the late 1970s. He was preceded by Ken Boyce, who hired him as his assistant, and Vance Redfern. When Redfern left for San Diego State in 1995, Miller took over and guided an expansion of services and staff size.
    Opp and the rest of the section’s board of directors will be in charge of hiring Miller’s successor, calling it “a fairly long process. We are not in a hurry.”

    – Tim Cronin