Kim Bastable, M. Ed, USPTA, PTR                                            Professor of Practice                                                                  Director of Professional Tennis Management                             University of Florida

Kim is a 30-year certified tennis pro and recent certified padel pro who specializes in delivering leadership education. She teaches 3 courses with University of Florida’s top-ranked Sport Management Master’s program that equip coaches to be better leaders and create motivating environments. She also leads the racquets industry’s only university-level course dedicated to equipping racquets professionals to understand business and leadership so that they can be recognized by the USPTA and PTR as a “Certified Director of Racquet Sports.”

A top-ranked Gator tennis player in the 1980s, she earned NCAA All-America honors and won 3 SEC championships. After her competitive days were over, she coached at the Division 1 level, along with leading programs at multiple country clubs and racquet clubs, including 10 years as Director of Kansas City Junior Tennis League. Her more recent focus has been performance psychology to equip leaders and coaches to build environments where athletes and employees thrive.

She has a master’s in education from University of Missouri, specializing in Positive Coaching, and a Bachelors in Finance from UF. Other certifications earned include designation as a “Mental Game Coach” from Peak Performance Sports, a “Mental Toughness Specialist” from the Human Performance Institute and an “Executive in Leadership” from Notre Dame University. She is USPTA Elite and PTR Professional.

She resides in Leawood, Kansas, with her husband, Jack. They have six married children and 16 grandchildren.

After retiring from a career in the healthcare industry, I got to spend more time on my hobbies, one of which was tennis.  It was during a friendly game one morning when a girlfriend who was a certified USTA official said to me “Mei you  would make a great official.”  And…as they say, the rest is history.

I have been a certified official for the last 15 years and have the pleasure of officiating in Junior, Adult, Collegiate and ITF Wheelchair tennis tournaments in the Southwest Section.

In 2017, I accepted the role of Section Chair of Officials for the Southwest.  This is a volunteered position where I provide support and mentoring opportunities to all officials in our section, primarily in Flagstaff, Phoenix, Tucson, Albuquerque, and Las Cruces/El Paso.

Outside of tennis, I enjoy traveling, working in my backyard, spending time with my two dogs Charlie and Mid and of course…playing tennis.

I'm super passionate about building strong tennis communities by partnering with businesses and organizations. As the Director of Community Engagement at the CTA, I was responsible for conceptualizing and hosting innovative events to connect and engage.  

My goal was to get as many people on court having fun as possible! I'm a member of USTA Texas' Board of Directors as well as the National Local Play and Competition Committee. I live in Austin with my super sweet husband and have two kids in college! 

While Liz did not grow up playing tennis, she played fastpitch softball through college, she fell in love with the game of tennis in her early twenties. After a successful few years in social work, Liz launched her USTA career here in the Southwest Section as the Section League Coordinator in 2013. In 2016 she moved to Orlando, FL to work at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona. During her time at National, she worked her way up from Coordinator of Leagues to the position of Manager of National Championships and National League Administer aka the rules and regulations lady.

In early 2022, Liz made another career move and moved back to her home state of Arizona to be closer to her family while accepting a position with USTA Intermountain, shout out for remote work!  Now in her 11th year with USTA, Liz holds the position of Section League Manager for USTA Intermountain. She is enjoying this chapter with her amazing USTA Intermountain family and she is excited to continue to work on growing the game and making tennis fun for everyone.

Outside of work, Liz enjoys playing in USTA Leagues and Tournaments (shocker I know), spending time with her adorable pup Roo and traveling and enjoying new adventures as often as she can. Ask her about her recent trip to Sweden.

With over two decades at USTA Southern California, Nancy is a seasoned professional passionate about leveraging sports for health and equity. In her current role, she collaborates with various partners to support diverse programming, from grassroots play to the professional

level. A strong advocate for tennis, Nancy serves on sports commissions and collaborates with visitors bureaus. She is the architect behind the Women & Girls Who Ace Summit, which celebrates the contributions of female sports leaders in Southern California and provides unique learning opportunities for coaches, athletes and industry professionals.

Her tennis journey began at the Fabulous Forum in Los Angeles, working for Billie Jean King and Jeannie Buss, running ball kids. A third-generation Angeleno and former SoCal junior and collegiate competitor, she now chases the elusive USTA gold ball at senior national tournaments. One of her biggest wins to date was on the grass at the AELTC with her husband!

Beyond tennis, Nancy engages with the community through nonprofit boards and mentors students at her alma mater as an Advisory Board member. Her motivation comes from two inspiring, adventurous and fabulous grown kids, and their very patient, but supportive father.

Chloe is a Mental Performance Coach that helps athletes grow into the best versions of themselves and optimize their performance in a sustainable way. Chloe was a collegiate distance runner at Duke University with an underwhelming career while there. Since graduating she continued to train, compete, and study all the aspects to figure out why she was not able to perform when transitioning to the next level in her sport. She did this through gaining her Masters in Clinical Psychology, graduating from Primal Health Coach Institute (to learn about nutrition), and becoming a certified personal trainer. All of these parts of her education helped bridge the gap of the connection between wellness and performance and moreover the importance of mind-body connection when performing at an elite level.  She has since PR’d and had a better athletic career post college after putting all of these puzzle pieces together.

Laura Bowen has served as executive director of USTA Florida since 2018.  In her role, Bowen works alongside a board of elected volunteers and a staff of more than 50, to promote and develop the growth of tennis across the State of Florida.  Since 2019, the organization has experienced unprecedented growth in new tennis players, and currently has one of the highest annual growth rates in the nation.  USTA Florida currently manage three public tennis centers and delivers a broad range of programs and play opportunities through an expansive provider network.

Bowen first joined USTA Florida in August of 2011 as director of marketing, membership & sponsorship.  During her tenure, she has earned a reputation for building high-performing teams and leveraging technology and new ideas to improve operations and results.  She is a vocal advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion in sport, working with all partners in the tennis community to make tennis more fun, accessible and inclusive for everyone.   She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.

Cee Ann Vaughan's journey as a dedicated volunteer began in 1990, where she has served in various capacities from grassroots roles to leadership positions. Her deep involvement in tennis began in 2008, initially as a tennis mom and later expanding into coordinating activities for local

and sectional USTA Junior Team Tennis. Cee Ann also helps coordinate middle school and high school JV leagues providing a pathway for players to play varsity tennis, Tennis on Campus and USTA Leagues. She also briefly participated in league tennis and continues to provide support for sectional tournaments.

For ten years she has been the tournament director for a rookie green ball circuit. These seven, one day tournaments keep middle school players on the court over the fall and winter. She has served on the USTA Northern New Mexico district board where she was also the past president, and currently holding a position as the treasurer on the Southwest Section board. She is also a member of the National USTA Sportsmanship Committee. Her commitment to tennis

spans various levels of organization, demonstrating her passion and leadership within the sport over the years.

Beyond tennis, Cee Ann was a volunteer with the USAF Family Services, where she contributed as a member and served as president, providing crucial support to military families. Professionally, Cee Ann is employed as an Assessment Technician at Central New Mexico Community College, where she plays a pivotal role in facilitating educational assessments.

In her personal life, Cee Ann shares her journey with her husband Ed and is proud to be the mother to two daughters.

Judy L. Van Raalte, Ph.D. is a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) and listed in the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry. Dr. Van Raalte compiled a 51-12 record during her 5-year stint coaching NCAA Division II and III tennis. She has presented at conferences in 20 countries, published over 130 articles in peer-reviewed journals, written/edited 11 books, and produced more than 20 sport psychology videos (vbvideo.com). 

Her research has been funded by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA; www.SupportForSport.org), the National Institutes of Mental Health, and the United States Tennis Association. Dr. Van Raalte served as President of the American Psychological Association's Division of Exercise and Sport Psychology (Division 47) and as the Vice President of the International Society of Sport Psychology. She is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, the International Society of Sport Psychology, and Chair of the Sport Psychology Council, an organization that connects sport psychology organizations around the world.

Rebecca is a member of the ACEing Autism Board of Directors. In her early years, she struggled with being nonverbal but eventually found her voice through speech therapy and the discovery of tennis. The court became her safe space. Rebecca played collegiate tennis (Augustana University) and now gives back to the sport that has given her so much. She is a graduate of ASU Law with a Master's degree in Sports Law and Business and serves on the USTA National Adaptive Tennis Committee. Rebecca and her husband reside in Kansas City where she is the Executive Director of USTA Heart of America. Her goal is to make tennis more accessible for all. 

Chloe is passionate about creating spaces for female engineers and product designers within the sporting goods industry so we can develop better, more intentional products for female athletes. She believes that sports have a unique ability of bringing people together and can serve as a catalyst for women’s empowerment across the globe.

An athlete to her core, Chloe carries the values of resilience and grit that she learned on court over to the workplace as an Innovation Manager for Wilson Sporting Goods.  Her current role focuses on sustainable product development for racquet-ball products including tennis balls, pickleballs, and padel balls. She is most proud of conducting and internally publishing Wilson’s first LCA (Lifecycle Assessment) on a tennis ball. Additionally, she is the Q&A moderator and fireside chat host for company meetings and an intern program mentor.

Outside the office, she is a passionate dog mom, a craft-beer connoisseur, and a Chicago food-scene enthusiast. She absolutely loves live music, and has most recently checked off her sixth continent with a safari trip to Africa. Chloe is also a STEM mentor for the Illinois Science and Technology Coalition, and part-time pickleball and tennis instructor for Toss & Spin. 

Meika Ashby-Thomas has been a Cardio Tennis Global Trainer since 2018 and currently serves as the Assistant Director of Racquet Sports at The Oaks at Boca Raton. A former Division I collegiate tennis player, Meika's passion for the game shines through her ongoing dedication to the sport. Beyond her professional role, she actively volunteers with USTA Florida and USPTA Florida, contributing her expertise and energy to various community initiatives. Her commitment to giving back to tennis is evident in every facet of her work, from training the next generation of players to promoting the

sport’s growth and accessibility. Meika's love for tennis continues to drive her efforts to make a positive impact both on and off the court.

Jessica is a passionate practitioner in all things movement & mindfulness. Her journey began as a young all-around gymnast that laid the foundation for her love of Pilates later in life. Prior to that, a corporate life & city living left her feeling disconnected. It was in the studio and on the mat where she found solace and things began to spark. Tuning inward to more intentional movement and deepening the mind-body connection, it was the dynamic nature of the discipline and commitment to mindset practices to round out her wellness journey.  After Pilates teacher training through STOTT, she reignited her love for sports and found her life's work in helping others find positive strides in wellness-- beyond solely transforming to a healthier physique. Mission: Embodied alignment, presence & core connection —in your body & your life— through intentional movement + mindfulness

Additional training: Athletic Conditioning on the Mat, Ultimate Back Care, Aqua Pilates

When she's not teaching classes or working with clients, you can find her hiking, playing tennis and pickleball loving the outdoor lifestyle in AZ. She also has a deep love affair with her Italian greyhound, making the perfect pour over coffee, experimenting with plant based recipes and planning her next adventure.   

Linda Low is a dynamic leader dedicated to empowering women in sport. She collaborates with Milena Vidos, the Director of Education for the PTR, to deliver the PTRW programme, which effectively connects, develops, and supports women coaches in tennis. As the Programme Lead for the Women in Sport High Performance Pathway (WISH), Linda oversees a transformative 21-month initiative that empowers women coaches to secure roles in elite coaching, including Olympic, World Championship, and continental teams. The WISH programme excels in developing  leadership skills and behaviours, advancing Recommendation 6 from the IOC Gender Equality Review to address the under- representation of women among elite coaches. Passionate about creating environments where women can truly thrive, Linda believes that those who empower women experience the greatest happiness and that everyone deserves the opportunity to be happier.

Ashley Portwood is the Community Development and TSR Manager for USTA Southwest. She is a graduate of New Mexico State University, with a degree in Business Management and Sports Marketing and founder of the NMSU Club Tennis program. 

Ashley has been with USTA since 2011 and oversees junior recreation tennis programming in Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso, TX. She is the primary contact for USTA Southwest program grants, Jr. Team Tennis, Tennis on Campus, Young Adult Social Tennis Leagues, TSR's, and assists with coaching education opportunities. Ashley lives in Albuquerque with her husband and daughters, ages 10 and 6. All are avid tennis players and enjoy spending time together on and off the court.

Nicole Fintell has worked for the United States Tennis Association (USTA), Southwest Section for 10 years as the Junior Player Development Manager.  In her role, Nicole oversees the junior competitive pathway and camp structure for all of Arizona, New Mexico, and El Paso County.  She is also USPTA certified and a certified official.

Nicole played collegiate tennis at New Mexico State University and received a degree in Human Nutrition and Food Science.  Nicole still loves to get out on the court and play with friends and participate in local league.  

Nicole lives in El Paso, TX with her husband, Alexandre, who is a director of racquet sports at a private club and their 9 year old twins, Olivia and Quentin who are starting to pick up the game both their parents love.  

Tara Rivera is the Tennis Service Representative for Northern New Mexico with USTA Southwest. She loves running adult and junior tournaments, but her favorite part of the job is giving back to the youth of tennis.

Tara has played tennis since the age of 5 and continues to play USTA league with mixed doubles being her choice of play. She resides in Albuquerque, NM with her two dogs Winnie & Hub who also love to chase tennis balls. 

Renee is the Tennis Service Representative for Southern Arizona. She has worked for the USTA for 11 years. Renee started playing tennis when she met her husband, a college player, and has played USTA league continuously for 28 years.  

Running junior tournaments and Junior Team Tennis are her favorite part of the job as well as enjoying all the wonderful people in the tennis world.

Renee lives in Tucson with her husband and has three kids who all play tennis too. Family tennis days and mixed doubles with friends are her favorite pastime. 

Brooke Damore has worked for the United States Tennis Association Southwest Section for 17 years as the Executive Assistant. She is the event planner for meetings, liaison to the Southwest Tennis Foundation, and enjoys helping out all departments where needed. Her love of tennis began when her mother, who also worked for the USTA for more than 20 years, taught her how to play when she was 5. She played high school and junior college tennis and volleyball at Grand Canyon University.

Her degree is in corporate fitness and she recently became a FASTer Way to Fat Loss coach and loves to implement those strategies to help tennis players excel on the court and feel their best mentally and physically in the game of life.

Brooke lives in Scottsdale, AZ with her husband and two sons and enjoys staying active with her family playing touchtennis and enjoying the outdoors.

Paityn is Section Events Coordinator for USTA Southwest. She has been playing tennis since she was six, and continued on to play club tennis for Grand Canyon University. She has stayed involved in leagues and tournaments throughout her adult life, and has now turned her love of the sport into a career. 

She has been with USTA for 2.5 years and enjoys all aspects of job from the high intensity of a big tournament, to the community the sport brings to people in all walks of life. She currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband Jason and their two cats Ari and Franki. She enjoys staying active and spending quality time with her family and friends.