2025 USA PICKLEBALL BOARD OF DIRECTORS
From the CEO by MIKE NEALY
USA PICKLEBALL CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
I
It’ s an exciting year at USA Pickleball! We’ re thrilled to have announced that the 2025 USA Pickleball National Championships will be held this November at the Barnes Tennis Center in sunny San Diego.
As the longest-standing— and only— national championships in pickleball, this year’ s Nationals will build on the success of 2024, while continuing to elevate the experience for both players and spectators. We will be sharing updates about Nationals throughout the summer, including our plans to give back to the wonderful San Diego community through our charitable arm, USA Pickleball Serves. Stay tuned!
If you haven’ t punched your ticket to Nationals yet, there is still time. The only path to Nationals is through a Golden Ticket tournament. USA Pickleball is heading to Colorado Springs July 9-13, at Peak Pickleball, for the final USA Pickleball Golden Ticket of the year.
In addition, USA Pickleball Serves will be busy this summer giving back to communities throughout the country. There are two grant programs available through USA Pickleball Serves:
‘ Play it Forward’ Grant— our first-ever monetary grant— is accepting applications through June 3, 2025. Two community organizations will receive $ 50,000 to fund the installation or conversion of pickleball courts.
‘ Grow the Game’ Grant opens for its second round on July 8, 2025. This program provides essential equipment bundles to community organizations and schools helping to grow the game. More information is available at usapickleball. org / grants. Lastly, I want to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our USA Pickleball members. Your continued support, passion and commitment to growing the game and giving back truly reflect the spirit of our mission at USA Pickleball. Everything we accomplish— from hosting premier tournaments to creating a lasting impact through USA Pickleball Serves— is possible because of you.
Here’ s to an inspiring summer and all the exhilarating moments yet to come!
BOARD CHAIRMAN Robert Quicksilver
BOARD VICE CHAIR Suzanne Guerin
AT-LARGE BOARD MEMBERS
Philip Bullen Mark Fabbro Andrew Feffer
Ernie Medina Stephanie Russell Tori Stevens
USA PICKLEBALL STAFF
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Mike Nealy
CHIEF COMPETITION OFFICER Justin Maloof
CHIEF MARKETING & STRATEGY OFFICER Jose Moreno
CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER Carl Schmits
VICE PRESIDENT OF COMPETITION Steve Wong
VICE PRESIDENT OF MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT & SERVICE
Chris Zukas
VICE PRESIDENT OF NATIONAL EVENTS Luke Underwood
VICE PRESIDENT & CONTROLLER Rose James
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIPS Christian Portaro
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FIELD OPERATIONS
Lance Cowart
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF LEGAL COMPLIANCE AND OFFICE ADMINISTRATION
Gail Avisar
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES
Julie Atherton
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF OFFICIATING Tom Tadler
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS & PR Jennifer Rogers
DIRECTOR OF CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS & STRATEGIC PROJECTS
Ashley VanOchten
DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS Brenda Puga
DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Andrea Fogarty
DIRECTOR OF TOURNAMENT OPERATIONS Craig Haas
DIRECTOR OF PARTNERSHIP ACTIVATION Nick Salute
DIRECTOR OF RECREATIONAL AND COLLEGIATE ENGAGEMENT
Hana Papaco
DIRECTOR OF TOURNAMENT AND MEMBER EXPERIENCE
Drew Thomas
DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION Jon Lampe
CREATIVE LEAD Lisa Curran
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