Making Tennis Available to Everyone

Board of Directors

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Scott Tharp • Chairman
 Scott has made a career of providing opportunities using sports and the many assets of affiliated professional franchises as the hook to empower and enrich the lives of under-resourced children, youth, and adults. He is the President/CEO of the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation. Snider Hockey achieves its mission to build lives and unite communities by melding recreational and supplemental educational services with a nationally acclaimed life skills curriculum that is delivered to over 3,000 families in urban Philadelphia. Prior to his current position, Scott served as the Executive Director of Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education, which is the owner/operator of the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center and National Junior Tennis League of Philadelphia providing quality tennis and educational programming to more than 6,000 inner-city children. At the 1997 PTR International Tennis Symposium, Scott was acknowledged as one of eight charter PTR International Master Professionals and is certified by the USPTA as an Elite Professional. He is the past chairman of the PTR Master Professional Committee and has been honored by the PTR as its International Pro of the Year, the PTR Tester of the Year, and twice as the Middle States Pro of the Year. Throughout his professional career, Scott has stayed deeply involved in the sport of tennis. He has served multiple terms on the USTA/MS Board of Directors. Scott has participated in the USA Tennis High Performance coaching program, has served on the Advisory Board for the Professional Tennis Management programs at Queens University and Methodist University and was appointed to the Presidential Task Force on Sports and Higher Education. Scott was inducted into the USTA/Middle States Hall of Fame in October 2015.
Luciano Botti • Board Member
 Luciano is a PTR International Master Professional and was inducted into the PTR Hall of Fame in 2018. He served on the PTR Board of Directors for over 20 years and has served on the Foundation Board for over 10 years, previously as the Vice Chairman. Luciano is the PTR Europe Provider, ensuring the continued growth and success of our organization in Europe by forming alliances with national federations, particularly Italy, Germany and Austria. Luciano was especially instrumental in facilitating the partnership between PTR and FIT (Federazione Italiana Tennis). As part of this partnership, FIT and PTR started to organize the International Tennis Symposium that takes place in Rome at the beginning of the ATP Master 1000 Italian Open. In addition, Luciano is President of Tennis Services, a company that specializes in managing tennis facilities and events. Fluent in five languages, Luciano has been a contributing editor of Tennis Italiano, Tennis and other magazines. Luciano became the official PTR provider in Italy, Germany and Austria in 1985. Under Luciano’s leadership, PTR grew from the original 5 Italian members to 1,400 members today.
Ajay Pant • Board Member
 Ajay is the National Tennis Director for Life Time. Pant helped Life Time develop two programs to promote tennis participation in 2017, Play Learn Love® for adults and SMART for juniors, which focuses on long-term athlete development. Ajay is a PTR International Master Professional. He served on the PTR Board from 2009 – 2016. And has served on the PTR Foundation Board since 2016. Ajay was named PTR Pro of the Year in 2004 and the USPTA Pro of the Year in 2019.
Jean Mills • Advisor
 Jean Mills is the Director of Tennis for the Polo Club in Boca Raton. Jean is a Charter Member of PTR from 1976. She is a PTR Intl. Master Professional and was awarded the PTR Professional of the Year in 2002. Jean served on the PTR Board of Directors from 2000 - 2017 and served as President of the Board from 2009-2010. She has hosted numerous PTR and PPR Certification Workshops at the Polo Club. Jean was honored with the Yellow Tennis Ball Tribute Award for her dedication to the growth of tennis and community outreach in South Florida.
Delaine Mast • PTR Board Liaison
 Delaine Mast, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, has been National Director of WTT Community Tennis and inner city high school boys' and girls' tennis coach since 1986. Mast has become a household name within the tennis community and embodies the slogan "growing the game”. She is the Executive Director of Tennis Central, an NJTL chapter that combines tennis and learning to change lives and serves more than 2,000 Lancaster youth. Mast served as President of USTA Middle States, and was later appointed as USTA National Chair of the USA Tennis 1-2-3 Committee. In 2010, she was elected to the USTA Board of Directors and was the Vice Chair of the Strategic Planning and Creative Opportunities Committee. Mast was inducted into the USTA Middle States Tennis Hall of Fame, received the USTA Eve Kraft Community Service Award. A PTR member for 25-plus years, Delaine was named Pennsylvania, Member of the Year 2011, she served as Chair of PTR Women’s Committee, and in 2017, received the International Tennis Hall of Fame Educational Merit Award and Tennis Industry Magazine’s Grassroots Tennis Champion of the Year.
Jack Barker • Secretary/Treasurer
 Jack worked for WABTEC for 32 years and finished his business career as the group controller of their worldwide mass transit operations. He has been a long-time volunteer with Special Olympics, Athletes Without Limits, USTA Southern and USTA of South Carolina. Jack’s unbounded enthusiasm and love for special athletes makes him an integral part of the Special Olympics National Championships presented by PTR each year. Jack is currently sitting on the boards of Special Olympics of SC and the Lowcountry Youth Tennis Association, as well as the PTR Foundation.
Kristen Campbell • Legal Counsel
 Originally from Michigan, Kristen spent most of high school training under the tutelage of Dennis and Pat at the Van der Meer tennis academy. She went on to play Big 10 college tennis before eventually graduating from Michigan State University College of Law. Kristen maintains a full time law practice while trying to keep up with her young son in the Pacific Northwest. Kristen is grateful for the many lessons learned and friends acquired through the sport of tennis and is proud to give back through assisting the Foundation.
Lucy Garvin • Board Member
 Lucy Garvin served on the PTR Board of Directors from 2017 - 2020. Lucy is a Past President of the USTA, of USTA Southern and USTA South Carolina. Lucy had many accomplishments as USTA President 2009-10. Still, one that stands out was her establishment of the Strategic Vision Committee to develop a long-range plan for the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including plans for a roof for Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is now a reality. Lucy served two terms on the ITF Board of Directors. In her second run for office, she became the first female ever to finish at the top of the balloting. For her distinguished service, Lucy was unanimously elected as an ITF Honorary Life Counselor. Lucy continues to serve tennis as a member of the South Carolina Board of Directors as well as the Southern Board and Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation. As a USTA Past President, she serves on the USTA Governance Committee and the International Committee. She is on the International Clubs Board of Directors and a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame Awards Committee.
John Powless • Board Member
 In addition to competing in College Football, Basketball, Track – John was an All-American in Tennis. He was the Captain of Davis Cup and later a Coach of Junior Members of the United States Davis Cup. He reached a World Ranking of Top 20 in Singles and Top 5 in Doubles. John helped with the first Fund Raising event for Title Nine (women’s athletics) with Rosie Casals, Francoise Durr, and Billie Jean King. He also held an event for President & Mrs. Reagan on the White House Tennis Court for fight against childhood drugs. Most recently he conducted Live Tennis Clinic on the Today Show NYC. John is currently the owner of the John Powless Tennis Center in Madison, Wisconsin. Over his amazing career, John has amassed over 80 US Singles & Doubles Titles plus 40 World Titles. And has been inducted into 8 Tennis Halls of Fame.
Pat Van der Meer • Advisor
 A graduate of American University in DC with a BA in education, Pat is an experienced tennis coach at all levels. Pat has traveled the world with her husband, Dennis, teaching coaches the method Dennis developed with Billie Jean King and others. They have coached players to the finals of Grand Slam Junior and Professional Events. One of the first WTA certified coaches, Pat has been a USTA Area Training Center Head Coach, and was named South Carolina Pro of the Year in 1991. In 1993 Pat earned PTR’s Coach Jim Verdieck Award for top coaches, and received the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Tennis and Education Merit Award in 2002. She has great enthusiasm for upholding Dennis’ tradition of excellence, and understands the importance of positive energy in tennis and life.