Anthony Santora M.S. ’05, managing director of IT at the U.S. Golf Association, wants students to know that a career in information technology can be more than par for the course.
Anthony Santora M.S. ’05 wasn’t even in high school when he began coding.
“I got my first computer when I was 13,” he says. “Soon into my undergraduate work at Rowan University, I was interning at a software company, and by senior year, I was working on special projects for my professors and university administration.”
Santora graduated summa cum laude from Rowan and launched a career as a software engineer for Bare Necessities, but he wasn’t finished with academics. “My wife was attending Stevens at the time, and I was impressed with the education she was getting there. I enrolled in the master’s program in information systems.”
“I was all in at Stevens,” Santora continues. “I loved the intensity of the program. While my undergraduate education was all about learning to learn, the graduate program at Stevens challenged me to think differently. I developed my understanding of the constructs of frameworks, which taught me to be more strategic in addressing problems. I collaborated with a range of students who brought multiple perspectives to the solutions we were crafting. I continue to apply so much of what I learned at Stevens in my work every day.”
Santora’s Stevens experience was special in other ways as well. Toward the end of his graduate study, he was invited to a banquet to accept the university’s Outstanding Academic Achievement Award in the Master of Science in Information Systems. He made sure to bring his father to the dinner.
“It was an emotional moment,” Santora says. “I didn’t tell him why we were going, so it was a big surprise. But he was always my biggest advocate, always giving me the confidence to achieve. He was so proud!” Santora’s father sadly passed away soon after.
Santora consulted for a few years before joining Brother International Corporation, first as a project manager but quickly rising to senior manager of project management for IT.
In 2014, the U.S. Golf Association (USGA) tapped Santora to take on the role of senior project manager for technology. Again, his star rose quickly — within three years he was promoted to director of project management for technology and to senior director for IT planning, cyber security and operations just two years later. In 2023, Santora was named managing director of IT.
Santora leads enterprise-wide technology strategy and security across the organization. That includes powering the U.S. Open, which supports more than 200,000 on‑site fans and millions of digital viewers, as well as ensuring that the organization’s core systems are state-of-the-art and secure.
“I started at the USGA as the sole project manager for IT,” he says. “We rebuilt all of the organization’s web architecture. Then I was asked to create a project management office. When a position opened to lead the USGA’s infrastructure, my supervisor encouraged me to step into the role. I built their cybersecurity practice and took on oversight of championship technology. I just kept saying yes to new challenges.”
Santora’s leadership has transformed the USGA’s digital ecosystem, including architecting and launching the cloud platform that underpins USGA.org and USOpen.com, overseeing the nationwide rollout of the Golf Handicap Information Network® (GHIN) to more than 3 million golfers and advancing the organization’s capabilities in artificial intelligence.
Santora, who is also certified as a Project Management Professional, Information System Security Professional and an Agile Practitioner, attributes his success as much to his collaborative leadership style and commitment to building strong teams as to his technological expertise.
“I find great joy and pride in creating an environment where my team members flourish,” he says. “I take the time to get to know my team, to know what they’re working on and to mentor them. The golf industry is too exciting to not have fun. We work hard, but I make sure we also take the time to celebrate.”
His role at the USGA has other perks as well, including speaking at a town hall event at Microsoft’s New York City offices and playing golf with football legend Tom Brady.
In his off-hours, Santora enjoys cheering on his children at their soccer games and coaching their Youth Lacrosse. He hopes to get more involved in alumni activities at Stevens in the future.
“This upcoming September I will be speaking at a Stevens Industry Torchbearers event,” he says. “Going forward, I would love to have an impact on students. I took my information systems education and turned it into a super interesting career. They can do the same. There are great opportunities right now in sports for those who are passionate about leveraging technology for a better fan experience.”
“A Stevens education positions you for success,” Santora adds. “You need to take it seriously. It is important to be there, be present, get involved, contribute. Gain skills by saying yes and participating.”
