When Craig Kessler, Chief Operating Officer of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, was working for the globally renowned management consulting firm McKinsey & Co., he made sure his suitcase was always packed and ready to accompany him on weeklong junkets from London to Washington, D.C. And his career has kept him on the move ever since.

Mr. Kessler’s stellar resume starts following his graduation from Georgetown University. From his first job at McKinsey & Co., he advanced three years later to operating partner at the high-flying private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. Later, with a newly minted Harvard M.B.A., Kessler’s professional trajectory accelerated as he became Chief Operating Officer with Topgolf and five years after that CEO of the Dallas-based retail company Buff City Soap – all before landing his current position with the PGA of America.

Spend any time with the San Diego native and it takes no time at all for him to display genuine excitement at using his considerable financial expertise to benefit UT Southwestern Medical Center.

As a current member of the President’s Advisory Board – which counsel’s UTSW President Daniel K. Podolsky, M.D., and the institution’s leadership on opportunities to advance its mission – Mr. Kessler is anxious to bring his experience in business, marketing, and the hospitality and entertainment industries to expand UT Southwestern’s branding and sponsorship potential.

With the Masters Tournament barely in his rearview mirror, Mr. Kessler took time away from a whirlwind travel schedule to share his enthusiasm for UT Southwestern’s growth and describe the unique brand partnership he has already forged with the PGA of America.

With your high-level role in the PGA of America, how do you anticipate drawing on these most recent experiences to increase the profile of UT Southwestern?

I feel that as Chief Operating Officer of the PGA of America, in addition to my new position as Commissioner of the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA), I can bring an added level of connectivity with area sports organizations. Plus, having spent considerable time in the investment world – combined with my experience in hospitality and entertainment thanks to Topgolf – I hope to bring diverse perspective and lessons into UT Southwestern’s health care space.

How do you anticipate bringing your extensive business and operational experience to your role as a volunteer on the President’s Advisory Board?

What I appreciate about the President’s Advisory Board – and this is after joining it two years ago – is its close and deep relationship with the movers and shakers of the Dallas community. I look forward to bringing new and exciting ways for UT Southwestern to get more access to major sporting events in the metroplex.

Looking ahead, what excites you the most about UT Southwestern’s potential for even more dynamic growth in North Texas?

I’ve always thought that UT Southwestern punches way above its weight, as it clearly has become an incredibly innovative health care system. I’m thrilled to be part of an organization that is at the forefront and will continue to be in that position in the future due to so many unprecedented innovations.

What are the attributes of UT Southwestern – whether from its research, academic, or clinical branches – that you find most impressive?

Among the many attributes I admire about UT Southwestern, several stand out: I see an unbelievable thirst for knowledge and progress – especially evident at every President’s Advisory Board meeting where Dr. Podolsky always takes the time to share some of the latest leading-edge medical advances. Secondly, UT Southwestern feels more than just a part of a health care system, but rather a remarkable place where innovation and progress are born. I also find UT Southwestern to be such a well-run institution, where health care and hospitality interact. In my previous health care experiences, I’ve often found other medical centers to be more transactional. At UT Southwestern, patients really matter.

Describe your personal health care needs that have been met by UT Southwestern specialists.

I am now working through a torn labrum in my left shoulder, and my current UT Southwestern doctor is exploring next steps in my treatment. All the clinicians I work with at UT Southwestern have made this a very thoughtful process.

• Dr. Podolsky holds the Philip O’Bryan Montgomery, Jr., M.D. Distinguished Presidential Chair in Academic Administration and the Charles Cameron Sprague Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science.