Board of Directors

Dennis Van der Meer - President and Founder

Dennis has taught more people to play and teach tennis than anyone in the history of the game. He has coached several Grand Slam Champions. He was the coach for Billie Jean King and Margaret Court for the Battle of the Sexes with Bobby Riggs. In 1972, the U.S. State Department presented Dennis a citation for Exceptional Coaching Performance in the Middle East. In 1989, he was presented with the Healthy American Fitness Award. He was voted the Tennis Coach of the Decade in the 1994 Tennis Buyers’ Guide Readers’ Poll and in 1997, was named Developmental Coach of the Year by the U.S. Olympic Committee. In 2004, he received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Greenwich, London, for his contributions to Sport Sciences in tennis education. Dennis is a PTR International Master Professional.

Luciano Botti - Vice President

Luciano is a PTR Master Professional and was named of the 1998 PTR European Pro of the Year, and 1996 PTR Pro of the Year. Forming alliances with national federations, Luciano has inspired tremendous growth in Europe, particularly in Italy. Luciano is the President of Lu Botti International, a company specializing in managing and marketing for tennis facilities and events. Fluent in five languages, Luciano is a contributing editor for Tennis Italiano and other magazines.

Jean Mills - Secretary

Jean was the USTA/Florida Section President from 1998-2000, and currently serves as the President of the Florida Foundation. Since 1985, Jean has been the Director of Tennis and Spa at The Polo Club in Boca Raton, Florida. In 2003, she was inducted into the Alabama and Florida Tennis Hall of Fame. She is a Charter Member of PTR, a PTR Master Professional and National Tester and was named the 2002 PTR Pro of the Year.

Skip Hartman - Treasurer

A pioneer in the commercial indoor tennis industry, using the air structure in public parks, and an innovator in tennis programs, Skip helped develop the USTA Tennis Teachers Conference, the National Junior Tennis League, the USTA Schools Program and USA Tennis 1-2-3. Currently, he operates three indoor tennis clubs in New York City. He is best known as the former President of the New York Junior Tennis League, the largest NJTL Chapter in the country, and as the former Chair and an active member of the USA Tennis NJTL National Committee. A former varsity tennis player at Princeton, Skip earned a law degree at Yale University.

David Dinkins - Director-at-Large

The 106th Mayor of the City of New York, David has enjoyed a long and productive career in public service. Serving his fifth term as Director at Large of the USTA, he has long been involved with the game of tennis. David is the USTA Board Liaison with the Operations Council, Ambassador at Large and a member of the USTA Tennis & Education Foundation. In addition, he serves on the Board of the New York Junior Tennis League, is a lifetime member of the American Tennis Association and, in 1993, was inducted into the USTA Eastern Section Tennis Hall of Fame. He also serves on the Board of Advisors of the Althea Gibson Foundation and the Georgia Tennis Foundation. Currently, David is a Professor at Columbia University.