Staff - Professional Tennis Registry

Every employee at PTR knows that our primary responsibility is YOU. We all look forward to assisting you in any way we can.

Click on a staff member's name to contact him or her.

Dan Santorum

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

In addition to his administrative and financial duties, Dan represents the organization at industry events and workshops. During his tenure, PTR has more than quadrupled in size - from an organization of 2,500 members in 68 countries - to an organization with more than 14,000 members in 122 countries.

He has conducted more than 350 PTR tennis teacher workshops on six continents, in 44 countries and 186 cities. In 1999, he became the first, and to this day the only, person to conduct courses for tennis teachers in all 50 states.

In the early 90s, Dan created the PTR ACE, a program that educated and certified thousands of multicultural tennis teachers in the USA. In 2005, he developed a successful program aimed at increasing the number of young tennis teaching professionals in the United States -- PTR on Campus.

Dan has served and continues to serve on several USTA committees. He also sits on a number of industry boards, including International Tennis Hall of Fame, National Public Parks Tennis Association and Tennis Industry Association.

In 2000, Dan captained the USA team to an upset victory over #1 seeded Germany in the inaugural Tony Trabert Cup. In 2006, Dan received the prestigious Educational Merit Award from the International Tennis Hall of Fame. That same year, he was inducted into the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2010, he received the ITF’s Service to the Game Award.

He holds a B.S. degree in Business Management from the University of Florida.

Julie Jilly
Vice President of Marketing and Special Events
Julie is responsible for coordinating special events, such as PTR WEEK, Spring TennisFest, Tennis Club Owners Conference and Professional Development Weekend. Julie also supervises PTR's staff and manages the many benefits available to PTR members. Julie is as a member of HEAD's Team Airflow. With a passion for wheelchair tennis and Special Olympics, Julie annually serves as Tournament Director for both the PTR Wheelchair Tennis Championships and the Special Olympics Tennis Championships. In 2006, PTR received a National Award for Adaptive Tennis. In 2005, Julie received the USTA Community Service Award for the Southern Section and the Special Olympics South Carolina's Super Hero Award. In 2004, she was recognized by RSI Magazine as the Wheelchair Tennis Champion of the Year. Julie is very active in the local community and teaches sports and fitness classes as her hobby. Julie has been with PTR since 1985, and has a B.S. in Public Relations from Florida State University.

Iñaki Balzola
International Director
Iñaki coordinates the International Department of PTR. Iñaki has traveled to more than 60 countries to teach PTR Workshops, resulting in having taught more than 250 PTR workshops. He represents the organization at many International ITF and ATP conferences and symposia. Born in Milan, Italy, Iñaki is able to converse with our members in Italian, English, Spanish, French and Portuguese. Iñaki is also the Coordinator of ACE, PTR's multicultural participation program, represents PTR on various USTA and ITF Committees, is on the Cardio Tennis Speaker Staff and is a USTA High Performance Coach. He is one of only two clinicians authorized to conduct international Etcheberry Strength & Conditioning Certification. Iñaki has been with PTR since 1994, and has a B.S. in International Marketing from Western Carolina University.

Steve Keller
Director of Development
Steve Keller, Director of Development for PTR, is responsible for organizing, developing and conducting PTR workshops and professional development courses. Steve also administrates the PTR on Campus program. Additionally, he is responsible for PTR certification and testing and oversees the Clinicians and Testers in the United States and Canada. Steve has been a member of PTR since 1986, and has been a PTR Clinician and Tester since 1990. Steve spent 18 years with the Van der Meer organization directing sites in Missouri, Florida and South Carolina prior to joining Tennis Corporation of America (TCA). Steve earned the distinguished USTA/PTR Public Service Award in 1996.

Dave Ritter
Director of Operations and Training
Dave Ritter, Director of Operations and Training for PTR, is responsible for the management and training of PTR staff, the supervision of training materials and videos, and acts as liaison between the USTA Sections and Districts. In addition, he assists with the scheduling of US workshops and handles special projects for the organization. Prior to PTR, Dave was the National Manager for Coach Education and Development at the national office of the USTA, and was their first National Manager for Learning and Leadership Development. He has been a member of PTR since 2006, and was a Division III Tennis Coach at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York.

Helma Cap

Merchandise Director

Helma started working for Dennis Van der Meer in 1976, and has been with PTR since its inception. Over the years, she has worn many hats. She is a PTR National Tester and a former Clinician. Helma serves as Merchandise Director and is responsible for Accounts Receivable and works in Membership Operations. In addition, she assists with the coordination of workshops.

Helma graduated with a degree in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina.

Peggy Edwards
Director of Communications & Editor TennisPro Magazine
Peggy's work has been recognized with multiple awards, including the USTA South Carolina Media Award and APEX (Awards for Publishing Excellence) in Magazine and Journal Writing, as well as in Education and Training Writing. Prior to joining PTR in 1998, Peggy spent more than 10 years as Vice President of Marketing for Majestic Athletic, an apparel manufacturer with a focus on professional team sports, such as Major League Baseball, National Football League and National Hockey League. In addition to serving PTR as Editor of TennisPro Magazine, Peggy is also in charge of advertising and promotional materials for PTR and writes and disseminates information to the media. A native of Pennsylvania, Peggy went to the University of Southern California and was a mural artist in Santa Monica for several years.

Amanda Mitchell-Grooms
IT Director
Amanda joined the PTR Staff in March 2002. As IT Director, she administers and manages all aspects of the database and website. She was instrumental in the development of PTR's new web site and the integration of the site and database. Prior to her foray into tennis, Amanda worked as a Customer Service Representative for Terry Precision Cycling for Women in Rochester, New York. This Slippery Rock University graduate with a B.S. in Sport Management, at one time served as the General Manager of the Newark Raptors, a member of the New York Collegiate Baseball League.

Will Eagan
US Member Services
Originally from West Michigan, Will joined the PTR staff in November 2011. His primary responsibilities include providing exceptional service to current PTR members, increasing the number of US members, and supporting PTR staff in all other aspects of the organization. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Sport Management. While there, he received University Honors three consecutive semesters, and spent one year as a sport marketing intern for one of the most prestigious athletic departments in the country. Prior to making the move to Hilton Head Island, he followed his passion for tennis as a Client Services Representative for the 2011 US OPEN, earning the Legendary Customer Service Award during the tournament.

Paige Cooper
US Member Services
Paige Cooper joined the staff at PTR in May 2012, after graduating with a degree in marketing from Ashland University. The Ohio native played tennis for Ashland, and in 2010 was named GLIAC Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week. Paige works in US Member Services.

Vicki Neitzel
Accountant
A Minnesota native, Vicki graduated with a computer operations degree, and moved to Hilton Head Island in September 1989. In 1991, Vicki joined the staff at PTR as a bookkeeper, then grew in her position to handle all the accounting, payroll and finances for us.

Louie Cap
International Clinician
Louie travels the globe conducting International PTR Day events, certification workshops & PTR testing. Louie is one of only two clinicians authorized to conduct international Etcheberry Strength & Conditioning Certification. Louie has a Ph.D. in Nuclear Physics from Baylor University, is a Senior Head Professional at the Van der Meer Tennis Center, a PTR Master Professional and PTR International Tester and Clinician.

Anne Krupp
Special Projects
Anne travels to Hilton Head Island from her native Ohio to work with PTR on the Symposium, Special Olympics and wheelchair events. She has been a certified PTR member since 1991, and in 1999, earned the PTR/USTA Service Award and the USTA Midwest Stanley Malless Award. In 2005, Anne was presented with the National Eve Kraft Award and in 2006, earned USTA Midwest's highest honor, the Mel Bergman Award. That year, even her hometown of Fostoria named her its Community Hero. She was selected to serve as the Assistant Coach of the Special Olympics National Team at the World Games held in Shanghai, China. In addition, Anne has been a USTA Official for 20 years and has officiated at numerous tournaments, including the 1999 (Raleigh-Durham) and 2003 (Dublin) Special Olympic World Games.