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What’s News in Pickleball
USA PICKLEBALL ASSOCIATION BOARD
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
SUZANNE GUERIN
Suzanne Guerin came
to love the sport of
pickleball when she
moved to Colorado in
early 2013. A native New Yorker
and resident of Manhasset, Long
Island, for 55 years, she relocated
to Broomfield, CO, when her first
husband passed away and her two
children (daughter, 36, and son,
34) moved to Los Angeles.
“My priorities changed when
my husband passed,” she recalls.
“Prior to this, I was the typical
‘Type A’ personality—working six
days a week and at a high point
in my career. I had just met the
President in the Oval Office and
had closed two major gifts for the
Helen Keller National Center, but
I knew I needed a more balanced
and healthier life.”
Trading New York’s fastpaced
lifestyle for Colorado’s
laid-back lifestyle was an easy
decision for her. She resumed
her love of skiing, took up hiking,
snowshoeing and—pickleball!
Suzanne credits pickleball for
jumpstarting her new life and
introducing her to like-minded
pickleball enthusiasts who are now
dear friends.
“I didn’t know anyone when I
moved to Colorado, so rotating
in and out of games at the local
pickleball courts was a great way to
meet people,” she says. “This social
aspect of pickleball is what I love
most about the sport.”
In 2018 Suzanne married Paul
Guerin. Among their shared
interests, which include their
grandchildren, riding motorcycles
and golf, they are also pickleball
partners. Suzanne and Paul both
lost spouses, so they understand
the importance of enjoying every
moment. Following this wisdom,
they retired from their busy work
lives and now divide their time
between Broomfield and Naples,
FL, where they enjoy all the
activities they love.
Professionally, Suzanne has
spent more than 30 years in the
nonprofit sector, 19 of them at
the Helen Keller National Center
in Port Washington, NY. She’s a
thought leader and advocate for
the deafblind community, which
includes older adults who are
losing vision and hearing through
aging, and co-founded Deafblind
Citizens in Action, a national
nonprofit.
Suzanne believes volunteerism
is one of the most significant
contributions one can make
to society, so she continues to
volunteer as a fundraiser for the
nonprofit she started, and she
regularly volunteers as a mentor
in the newly established tiered
referee training program.
Looking to the future, Suzanne
is excited to join the USA Pickleball
board of directors where she hopes
her skills as a nonprofit executive
and fundraiser will contribute to
the growth of the organization
and lead to the establishment of a
philanthropic foundation. •
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