Mark Kitaeff, a vice president at CSI Leasing, an IT leasing company, has joined The Bridge Golf Foundation’s new mentoring program. He recently fielded some questions from Co-Founder and Executive Director Farrell Evans.
FE: Why was it important for you to get involved with The Bridge Golf Foundation at this point in your life?
MK: I have worked hard throughout my career, and I am lucky that I am at a point of winding down and looking for a new challenge. I read The New York Times article about The Bridge Golf Foundation and was extremely impressed. The marriage of golf and the support of the disadvantaged youth is something I have been thinking about for years. The idea of getting involved with an organization that works with kids, through golf, my passion, was extremely appealing to me.
FE: What do you like so far about working in the Foundation’s mentoring program?
MK: All of the kids that I have met, in addition to the young man that I am mentoring, are just nice! They are all extremely polite, always saying hello when you pass them in the Learning Center, and they all seem very happy to be there. The staff at the Foundation, as well as the golf pros and tutors, are all dedicated and truly love what they do.
Initially, I didn’t know what role I was going to have. I thought that it would be golf-related. I was surprised, and happy, to be a mentor for the young man that I was assigned to: Blake Wilson. Blake is a bright young man and is motivated to get ahead in life. He is dreaming big, which is a good thing.
FE: What set of skills, values and experiences do you bring to working with our young men and the Foundation?
MK: I grew up in Queens, went to Queens College, and have had a successful career as a CPA and an owner of a leasing business. I think being a parent of three grown children has prepared me for dealing with most issues that young adults deal with growing up.
FE: How important has golf been in your life?
MK: Golf has been my passion since I was 15 years old. I played golf on my high school and college team, and have been playing competitively in tournaments for more than 40 years. As a matter of fact, playing golf helped me land my first job out of college. I was the captain of the Queens College golf team, and I had an interview with Price Waterhouse for an accounting position. Price had a reputation for hiring graduates from prestigious schools, and I was at a distinct disadvantage. I landed the position because the partner who interviewed me only wanted to talk about golf.
FE: What was the last book you read and why?
MK: “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance. It’s a memoir about growing up poor in a Rust Belt Ohio town in a family with roots in Appalachian Kentucky. Vance, a former marine and a Yale Law grad, tells his own story as a way of looking at the struggles of the white working class in America.
FE: What’s your dream foursome?
MK: I’d play with anyone who can get me onto Augusta National!