2022-2023 USPTA National Board of Directors

Richard Slivocka

President


Richard Slivocka, a native of Wichita, Kansas, has been a USPTA Elite Member since 2001.   He has served the USPTA in many different capacities since becoming a USPTA member. He has served on the Executive Committee, National Awards Committee, the Missouri Valley Division as regional vice-president and president, and other various positions in both the Southwest and Missouri Valley Divisions. Slivocka has been recognized throughout the tennis industry for his outstanding teaching, speaking and contributions to the game. He has received many honors and awards throughout his coaching and playing career including USPTA Missouri Pro of the Year in 2005, USPTA Kansas Pro of the Year in 2011, USPTA Missouri Valley 35’s Player of the Year in 2012, USPTA Missouri Valley Player of the Year in 2013 and USPTA Missouri Valley Professional of the Year in 2015. Rich graduated from Wichita State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science.  At Wichita State, Rich was a three-time all-conference selection in singles and doubles.  He helped his team to two conference titles and three NCAA tournament berths.

Contact

 407-634-3050


Richard Slivocka

President

Trish Faulkner

First Vice President


Trish Faulkner recently retired from the Tennis Professional Emeritus position at BallenIsles Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. She has served as tournament chairperson for the 2014 ITF Senior World Championships in Palm Beach County. Trish was also Tournament Director for the 2014 and 2022 ITF World Championships

Previously, she worked as head tour director and marketing director for the WTA and formed a sports marketing and special event corporation, Triosports International Inc, operating four of the Virginia Slims Women’s Professional Tour events. An author, she wrote The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tennis and produced a teaching manual for the ITF for the Middle East with an accompanying slide show.

As a player, she won multiple titles on the Women’s Tour, including the British Indoor Doubles and Mixed Doubles. She has scored many victories as a high-level senior player and was ranked No. 1 in three senior age divisions – 50’s, 55’s and 60’s – and has won 36 U.S.A. national senior titles. Faulkner is an ITF World Singles Champion and a member of the U.S. team winning four ITF World Team Championships.

Contact

 407-634-3050


Trish Faulkner

First Vice President

Tracy Almeda-Singian

Vice President


Tracy Almeda-Singian is a VP on the USPTA National Board and is SVP, Global Head of Marketing and Branding for Citibank. Tracy has also worked in marketing for CCU Florida, NBA team- New Orleans Pelicans, Red Bull and led Wilson Sporting Goods to be the first brand in the tennis industry to reach half a million followers on social media.

She has won a NATAS Emmy as a Producer for Wilson’s Brand Anthem, two Comms Art awards as a Creative Director for her work at Red Bull, and served on the Diversity & Inclusion Council for the New Orleans Saints & Pelicans.

As a former WTA Tour player, Tournament Director of the USTA Pro Circuit Challenger in Indian Harbour Beach, 2005-2006 & 2007-2008 USPTA Florida District Pro of the Year and US National Team member, Tracy has spent her life in tennis and loves sharing marketing best practices with the forward thinkers of today's game.

Contact

 407-634-3050


Tracy Almeda-Singian

Vice President

Mark Faber

Vice President


Mark Faber is a USPTA Elite Professional and director of tennis at Twos Athletic Club in Toledo, Ohio. He has been a USPTA member for more than 20 years and is the Past President of the Midwest Division. Since graduating from Methodist University in 1994, he has been involved in many facets of the tennis industry. Not only does he serve as the Director of Tennis, but he has also coached high school tennis for 24 years, co-directed a major charity event, started a school morning tennis program and serves on various USTA/Midwest and National Committees and project teams.  He has been recognized for his efforts as USPTA Ohio Pro of the Year, USPTA Midwest and National High School Coach of the Year, TIA High School Coach of the Year and was awarded the USTA/USPTA Community Service Award.  Mark is the proud father of two children Gabi, Christian.

Contact

 407-634-3050


Mark Faber

Vice President

Jason Gilbert

Vice President


 Jason Gilbert, raised in Northern California and has been a USPTA Elite member since 1994. Jason has served on the Executive Committee, National Membership Committee as well as the Elevate Committee. He also served as the President of the Florida Division in which he was associated with many task forces and divisional committees.  Jason graduated from California State University of Hayward where he played on both the tennis and soccer team.  Jason currently works for USTA Florida as the Director of Youth Tennis.

Contact

 407-634-3050


Jason Gilbert

Vice President

Jenny Gray

Vice President


Jenny Gray is currently the Director of Tennis at The Club At Sonterra in San Antonio, Texas. She graduated from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville with a degree in Education Sports Management. Jenny has been recognized numerous times by the tennis industry serving as USPTA Texas President, USPTA Texas Professional of the Year in 2012 and 2020, and USPTA National Alex Gordon Tennis Professional of the Year in 2020

Contact

 407-634-3050


Jenny Gray

Vice President

Kevin Theos

Vice President


Kevin Theos is the President of the USPTA Southern Division, and for over fifteen years, he has served as the USTA Southern "Tennis Service Representative" (TSR) for Alabama. In his role as TSR, he consults with tennis teaching pros,  schools, parks and recreation agencies, and CTAs/NJTLs concerning their tennis programs and available USTA resources.

Before becoming a TSR, Kevin was the first executive director of the Birmingham Area Tennis Association, where he fundraised and built tennis and education programs for under-resourced youth. He has taught tennis in numerous public and private venues and holds a law degree from the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law.

Contact

 407-634-3050


Kevin Theos

Vice President

Feisal Hassan

Immediate Past President


Feisal Hassan is a USPTA and RPT Master Professional along with being the first vice president on the USPTA national board. He is also a member of the Head/Penn Racquet Sports National Advisory Board and National Speaker’s Bureau and holds USPTA specialist degrees in Competitive Player Development, Facility Management, Sports Science and 10 and Under Tennis. He is on the USTA National Faculty for Youth Coaching, is a TIA Cardio Tennis Trainer and co-chairs the USPTA National Education and Testing committees. In 2011, Hassan was named USPTA’s Alex Gordon Professional of the Year and won the Racquet Sports Industry Champions of Tennis Award. The following year he was named to the USPTA Mid-Atlantic Hall of Fame and won the USPTA George Bacso National Tester of the Year Award.

 

Contact

 407-634-3050


Feisal Hassan

Immediate Past President

George Parnell

Legal Counsel


George Parnell comes to the USPTA with nearly 30 years of legal experience and has been an advisor to private equity and venture capital funds, public and private corporations, not-for-profit organizations, multinational and domestic business-focused organizations, growth companies, entrepreneurs, start-ups and international investors. In 2012, he formed Parnell Law PLLC and currently serves on the board of directors of multiple organizations and as both governance and outside general counsel to private equity, family office and operating companies.

Since 2008, Parnell has worked with the USTA and served on several national committees within the organization, including as a Board Member and Immediate Past President of the USTA Middle States (2012- Present); President and Chairman of the USTA Middle States Section (2011-2012); Chairman National Sportsmanship Committee (2010-2012); Member of various National and Sectional committees including: the USTA Davis & Federation Cup Committee and Constitution & Rules Committee; USTA Middle States Board of Directors and Vice Chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee (2005 to Present); and Chairman of the Governance Committee (2008 to Present). Parnell earned his law degree from Tulane University in 1985, and his B.A. in International Business Administration from New England College in Henniker, New Hampshire. He also completed post-graduate work in finance at Rutgers and Harvard universities.

Contact

 407-634-3050


George Parnell

Legal Counsel

John Embree

Chief Executive Officer


John Embree is the CEO/Executive Director of USPTA. He has held a wide variety of influential tennis industry roles for more than 30 years. They include serving as President of Prince Americas and President of Balle de Match LLC. He also spent 17 years at Wilson Sporting Goods Co. where he held a variety of positions including Vice President/General Manager in the Racquet Sports Division for six and one half years. Prior to joining the USPTA in October, 2012, he launched a tennis consulting practice in 2010 to assist endemic brands, associations and new corporate entities in maximizing their impact in the tennis marketplace. His client list included the USTA, Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Peter Burwash International (PBI), OTG (Off the Grid) Technologies, and Donnay USA.

In April, 2014, Embree was named to be on the Board of Directors of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island and has served on many national USTA Committees since 1980, including the USTA Nominating Committee in 2005-2006, the Vice Chair of USTA Professional Circuits Committee from 2009-2010. He recently completed a 2-year stint on the USTA 10 and Under Tennis Committee and is serving on the Local Play and Competition Committee for 2015/2016. He is also serving on the USTA Adult Implementation task force and has been named to serve on the USTA Sportsmanship task force for 2015-2016. During 2014, he helped the ITA with its College Match Format Task force and now serves on the ITA Hall of Fame Selection Committee.

In addition, he served as Presidential appointee of the Board of Directors of USTA Middle States section, was a board member over 3 years for the Arthur Ashe Tennis and Learning Center in Philadelphia, is a member of TIA Board of Directors and Executive Committee, past member of the Board of Directors of American College of Sports Medicine Foundation, and past President of the Chicago Tennis Patrons Foundation. One of his proudest achievements in tennis was the creation of the USTA Adult League Tennis program in 1980, when he served as the first USTA Adult League Tennis Administrator for two years. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA, and was inducted into the W&L Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.

Contact John Embree

 407-634-3050 x 117


John Embree

CEO