June 2008 -- During the USPTA Division Leaders Workshop and Executive Committee meeting in April, we were honored to have Karlyn Lothery, USTA chief diversity officer, give the group a presentation on "Growing Tennis through Outreach and Inclusion." Karlyn did an outstanding job and got me to thinking about the USPTA's role in inclusion and outreach.
One of the USPTA's goals has always been to be inclusive of our membership, particularly in the area of promoting education and certification. The USPTA tries to encourage all of our members to become knowledgeable in the tennis industry. This enables everyone to obtain a good job and receive the tools to do that job to the best of his or her ability no matter what race, color, gender or religion that member happens to be. That is the heart and soul of our trade organization - education and certification without bias.
At this time, we may not have the number of minorities representing our membership at the highest levels of leadership that we would like to have, but we are certainly doing our best to encourage everyone to become involved in the governance of our association at the local, divisional and national level. This brings to mind USPTA members of diverse backgrounds who have held leadership roles in the past, as well as those who are currently contributing.
Over the years, the USPTA leadership has largely been viewed as governed by white males, but the first woman president of any major tennis association was elected by the USPTA. Kathy Woods was the first woman president of the USPTA years before the USTA had a woman president. Arthur Ashe was the first inductee into the USPTA's Hall of Fame. The USPTA is fortunate to have had many black high-profile members such as Bob Ryland, Marvin Dent, Rodney Harmon, Bryan Shelton, Gary Sailes, Leslie Allen and Katrina Adams, to name a few. We also have Hispanic members of renown, including Angel Lopez, Fernando Velasco, Jorge Andrew, Pat Etcheberry, Lorenzo Beltrame, and Spike Gonzales, to mention just a few names that come to mind.
In addition, the seven-member USPTA Board of Directors has one female member, Paula Scheb, and the 34-member Executive Committee has six women, one black and two Hispanics, all with varied religious backgrounds. The executive administrators for the 17 USPTA divisions also attend these meetings in a nonvoting capacity and of those, six are women. I noticed currently that of the 17 USTA sections only one woman is employed as an executive director.
All but two USPTA divisions have women on their boards and many have minority members. The USPTA national nominating committee is composed of two women and four men.
The USPTA also has a very active Women's Committee under the leadership of Kim Davis. A newsletter is e-mailed periodically to the USPTA leadership and female members and there is a Women's Committee area on the USPTA Web site highlighting goals, newsletters, history, etc.
I remember a dozen women presidents of USPTA divisions who preceded current presidents Avis Murray and Cathy Nicoloff.
Our women members have over the years increased their visibility as speakers at the USPTA World Conference and divisional conventions. There has also been a significant increase in the number of women members who are directors of tennis at clubs and facilities over the past few years as well.
The USPTA Multicultural Committee, under the leadership of Allan Jensen, meets every year at the World Conference and this committee was responsible for initiating the USPTA's ADD program (Advancement for Diversity and Development). This program offers free testing to potential members in need and also a year of membership at no cost.
On the international front, the USPTA and the Japan Professional Tennis Association have a strong relationship. Many JPTA members have access to some of the benefits of our regular membership and we are working hard with members such as Dave Porter, Desmond Oon and Lee DeYoung to grow membership in Asia and the Pacific Rim.
With its Tennis Across America program the USPTA has also benefited many multicultural entities throughout its history. I personally know of four in Texas alone with two in the Dallas area under the direction of Marcus Freeman and Francois Vignikpo, one in Houston under the direction of Zina Garrison, and one in Corpus Christi under the direction of Ronald Elizondo.
The USPTA Foundation has donated thousands of dollars to programs benefiting wheelchair tennis and multicultural youth throughout the United States.
The USPTA World Headquarters also has a diverse workforce with several director positions held by women and those of diverse backgrounds. The World Headquarters staff of close to 30 employees is composed of 18 women and 11 men of wide-ranging ages. The staff includes those of Hispanic, African-American and Indian (as in India) descent.
Admittedly, our association has some work to do in certain areas of diversity. But overall, for the size and makeup of our association, we do pretty well. Our democratically governed association, unlike other tennis-teaching certification bodies in the United States, encourages all of our members to become involved in the running of our business. We would like to see anyone who is interested in volunteering at the divisional level - regardless of ethnic background, gender or religion - get involved in the association and work into a leadership role. We want and need individuals with ideas, enthusiasm, spare time and vision to lead our association at the divisional and national level. So if you are interested in assuming the role of a leader in our industry, go to your divisional president and volunteer for a committee or event to get your feet wet and work your way up the ladder. I can say, from a personal point of view, that it is very rewarding and a fun thing to do with your peers.
The USPTA, the greatest tennis-teaching organization in the world, has the interests of the membership and the game of tennis at heart. Its position in the industry is a reflection of your elected leadership. If you are interested in making your association the best it can be, then it is time for you to get involved.
