PGA Golf Management Faculty and Staff

Dr. Klenton Sparks, Sr., D.B.A. PGA
Director

PGA Golf Management
Kiah Hall, 2110
Princess Anne, MD 21853

Phone: 410-621-1359
Email: ksparks@umes.edu

Servant Leadership

Klenton Sparks Sr. DBA leads the PGA Golf Management Program at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore as the Director within the Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management. Klenton teaches courses in First Year Experience, Golf Facility Operations, Management, Retail Management, Business Planning, and Golf Instruction.

Dr. Sparks is a native of Flint, Michigan. A graduate of Liberty University with a Doctorate in Business Administration holds a Master of Education degree along with a Master of Business Administration. Klenton is a 28-year member of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America currently serving in the Mid Atlantic Sections with past tenures in Georgia, Michigan, and South Florida Sections. Klenton is the former Associate Dean at Florida Career College in Boynton Beach, Florida. He is a creative education coach with the ethical use of technology for classroom delivery of syllabus, administrative qualities of accountability, mission statement adherence, with an obligation to profit. Quantitative for results while qualitative for understanding.

Sparks golf credentials include the most recent being The Old Course at Broken Sound Golf Club in Boca Raton, Florida responsible for conducting hiring interviews with onboarding sessions to train new hires to manage the driving range, golf carts for officials, and caddies for the Champions Tour Timber Tech Championship Charles Schwab Cup semifinal round of the playoffs. At Callaway Gardens Golf and Resort managed the full operations of a 54-hole golf resort which hosted the Buick Southern Open.

Founder of the Women’s Collegiate Golf Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, a major fund-raising event, recently celebrating 28 years, where selected women HBCU teams participate and play in the 3-day event. As a PGA Coach, American Development Model (ADM), and First Tee volunteer, Dr. Sparks creates positive experiences early, for all athletes, to keep more players engaged and retained in our sport. Introducing the right aspects of play in a structure that is fun, engaging, and progressively challenging allows golfers of all ages to experience the challenges and joys of golf. First Tee is an international youth development organization introducing the game of golf and its inherent values to kids and teens while shaping the lives of young people from all walks of life by reinforcing values like integrity, respect, and perseverance through the game of golf.

Klenton served in the United States Air Force, 1977-1981 with an Honorable Discharge and has authored five self-published books thru Amazon Digital Services that include Sanfrin’s Rainbow, A Crow’s Shade, United China: Operation Little York, My Daddy Raised Men, and Touched. This includes a peer-reviewed journal publication, “Sparks, K., Cates, S., (2018). Pedagogic technology in adult vocation education: Self efficacy. International Journal of Business Research and Information Technology, Vol.5, No. 1, Winter, 2018.”


Tiana Jones, B.S., PGA, LPGA
Head Men & Women Golf Coach | Lecturer PGA Golf Management
Kiah Hall, 2108
Princess Anne, MD 21853

Tiana Jalisa Corrine Jones was born and raised in a traditional household in Alliance, Ohio. Her mother is a retired licensed registered nurse, and her father is a retired professional golf instructor. Her entire family plays golf, her mother was the club champion at their home course for 20 years until Tiana captured the title. Tiana’s father was renowned for being one of the best golfers in Ohio and on the Tornado Tour. Tiana’s older sister, Tiara was an elite golfer in high school and college. However, Tiana started golf at the age of three years old and has not looked back since; she has captured two hundred titles since she started playing tournaments at the age of seven years old.

Tiana went on to attend Saint Thomas Aquinas High School for two years, her freshman year and half of her sophomore year. Until she switched to Alliance High School, where she later graduated in the top ten percent of her class. In both high schools Tiana was a player on the golf team. At Saint Thomas Aquinas, her accolades consisted of 1st team all-district, 1st team all- county, 2nd team all-state, two year Most Valuable Player, Bishops Cup Champion, District medalist, and Runner-Up in Sectionals.

At Alliance High School, she was active and an excelling player on the boy’s golf team, where she achieved accolades that consisted of the Most Valuable Player, 1st team all-district, 1st team all-county, 1st team all-state, medalist for sectionals, runner-up for districts, and 2009 Ohio High School state champion. Tiana became the first African American female to ever win a state championship in Ohio. Tiana later was inducted to the Ohio Hall of Fame and was the youngest person to ever be inducted; she was also inducted into the 2019 Alliance High School Hall of Fame. 

Next, Tiana signed her letter of intent to play for South Carolina State University, where she graduated magna cum laude. Tiana was a member on the women’s golf team all four years. During Tiana’s matriculation, she captured the 2012 PGA Minority Colleague Championship, 2014 PGA Minority Collegiate Championship, and won an exemption to play an event on the Symetra Tour. Tiana was an outstanding captain for her golf team. Tiana captured seven out of the ten tournaments in 2013. Tiana went on to pass her player ability test, win the Midwest Minority Championship, Chuck Cohen Invitational, and more. Meanwhile, Tiana also excelled off the course at South Carolina State University. Tiana made honorable mention all four years. She also always kept busy through her active and positive impact in her local community. She was a proud member of many organizations such as Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Alpha Phi Sigma National Honor Society for Criminal Justice majors, Criminal Justice Club, National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, Golden Key International Honor Society, South Carolina State Honors College, and African American Golfer’s Collegiate Hall of Fame.

After graduation, Tiana enrolled at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to study Professional Golf Management with a minor in Hospitality Tourism Management. She quickly took the scene by surprise on and off the golf course. On the golf course, during Tiana’s three and half years at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, she captured the PGM program Player of the Year three times, participated, and placed in the top ten at the PGA PGM’s Jones Cup, captured the 2015- 2017 PGA Minority Collegiate Championship, and captured the Mason Dixon Line Challenge. Off the course academically, Tiana maintained the Dean’s list for three years straight to graduate Summa Cum Lade. Tiana’s organization involvement consisted of Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, Club Manager Association of America, Executive Women’s Golf Association, and Golf Club Association of America. Ultimately, Tiana has always established herself as a self-starter and leader through her volunteer experiences. She has served as the student president of the Executive Women Golf Association, and vice-president of the Club Managers Association of America student chapter. Tiana’s involvement in the community has enabled her to host and lead PGA Get Golf Ready Programs, Exon Women’s Corporation Clinics, EWGA Women Clinics, Special Olympics Programs, PGA Hope Programs. Tiana’s involvement in the community has awarded her the 2022 PGA Player Development Award for the Northern Ohio PGA Section, 2023 Pathfinders Award, and Cohort VI PGA Lead graduation. This is all because of Tiana’s philosophy as a PGA Professional.

Tiana’s philosophy is that although we are all service professionals there is no greater service to our communities, growth of the game of golf, and to PGA membership than to serve in such a capacity that it continues to add to the continuity and unity of society while contributing to a long-lasting legacy. Meanwhile, as the new PGA Head Men & Women Golf Coach and Lecturer at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, she looks forward to mentoring the next generation of PGA Professionals and student athletes. Tiana is looking forward to motivating, challenging, and helping each student reach their potential by challenging the status quo, exceeding the standard established metrics, and not settling for mediocrity. Tiana looks forward to inspiring the academic community to continue to add to the legacies left behind while forging new legacies of their own.

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