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USA PICKLEBALL BOARD SPOTLIGHT : JOE SANTORO
Joe Santoro has been a USA
Pickleball board member since February 2020 . He first picked up the sport in 2015 playing at the Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs , Florida . In the winter he spends his time playing at Veterans Park in Naples , and June through November he enjoys playing at Foss Field in Wolfeboro , New Hampshire .
At 76 , Joe competed in 22 tournaments and earned 16 medals at the 4.0 / 3.5 skill level . Since his first tournament “ debut ” in 2016 , Joe has earned more than 40 medals in total . He has played in every US Open in Naples since its inception .
In addition to being an avid pickleball player , Joe is a USA Pickleball certified referee , the USA Pickleball Atlantic Region Referee Training Coordinator , and the founder of two annual pickleball tournaments in New Hampshire .
“ The friendships and camaraderie that the activity generates is what I enjoy most about pickleball ,” said Joe . “ When explaining the sport to someone in one sentence , I tell them that it ’ s an enjoyable way to exercise the brain and body .”
As the USA Pickleball Atlantic Region Referee Training
Coordinator , he works throughout all six New England states to train candidates for certified referee status . In addition , while in Naples each year , he helps train referees at Veterans Park .
Joe and his wife of 53 years , Donna , who is a retired registered nurse , have resided in several states over their more than five decades together as Joe ’ s career spanned both military and civilian occupations . He joined Air Force ROTC in 1962 during his freshman year at Tufts University and eventually earned the rank of Colonel as the Cadet ROTC Detachment Commander .
After graduation and attending law school , Joe entered active duty
“ THE FRIENDSHIPS AND CAMARADERIE THAT THE ACTIVITY GENERATES IS WHAT I ENJOY MOST ABOUT PICKLEBALL ,” SAYS JOE SANTORO . for four years but remained in the U . S . Air Reserves long enough to retire in 1995 as a colonel . His last assignment was Chief of the Logistics Readiness Center at the Pentagon during the first Gulf War .
Joe ’ s primary civilian activities have included positions as a plant department manager , director of human resources , and a marketing manager at the headquarters level of two international corporations .
He is also a retired certified public accountant with an MBA who has founded and sold several small business corporations . In addition , he has served as a small business consultant , become a member of more than a dozen boards of directors , testified before the Internal Revenue Service on matters related to taxation , written several authoritative articles and manuals on accounting , and served as a subject matter