USTA Louisiana Recruitment letter
2025 - 2026 Invitation to Serve With USTA Louisiana Board of Directors or Nominating Committee
Dear Tennis Enthusiasts and Volunteers,
We recognize that tennis is executed and grown locally and therefore we place a very high priority on selecting candidates that have experience at the local level. This would include active involvement with your local CTA, NJTL, facility, schools, etc. We encourage everyone to get involved in your local tennis community in some capacity as we feel this will create better engagement with the LTA Board of Directors.
If you are not already active locally, please consider getting involved as this will be an important consideration for your application.
Tennis is growing very rapidly, and we need more volunteers to keep this trend going.
Applications will be available in January of 2024 so this will give you an opportunity to become engaged in your local tennis community. Below is an overview of the LTA Board of Directors and what is required.
The Board of Directors is the managing board of USTA Louisiana and sets strategic priorities for the organization, as well as financial direction, personnel decisions, and alignment with Southern and National policy. The Nominating Committee is charged with nominating the future officers and board members of USTA Louisiana, after reviewing written applications and interviewing applicants. For those interested in serving as a volunteer with one of USTA Louisiana’s committees that report to the Board of Directors, please do so in the appropriate section of the application.
The Louisiana Tennis Association is committed to ensuring a diverse and talented pool of volunteers and encourages you to apply to serve on its Board of Directors and Nominating Committee. The deadline for all applications is August 22, 2024.
The LTA Nominating Committee shall file nominations with the LTA Secretary not later than 60 days (October 7), before the LTA Annual meeting and the LTA Secretary shall post such notice on the LTA website no later than thirty days (November 7) before the LTA Annual meeting.
The 2024 LTA Annual meeting is scheduled for Saturday, December 7, at which time the 2025-26 LTA Board of Directors and Nominating Committee will be elected by 20% of the Organizational Members.
The Nominating Committee shall be composed of five members, one of whom shall be the Immediate Past President who shall serve as Chair. The four members of the Committee other than the Immediate Past President shall be elected for a single two-year term at the Annual Meeting. Other than the Immediate Past President, no more than one member of the Nominating Committee may be a member of the Board. No two members, except for the chair, of the nominating committee may be from the same member club, city or organization including CTA. In the event a member of the Nominating Committee is nominated for election as an officer or Board member, that person shall be prohibited from participating in all discussions and/or voting on said nomination.
The Directors of the LTA Board are the President, Executive Vice President, two Vice Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, five regional representatives (see below), one USPTA Professional, one PTR Professional, two At Large Delegates and the Immediate Past President.
** The Regional Representatives represent the following geographic regions:
NORTHERN:Caddo, Bossier, Webster, Claiborne, Union, Morehouse, West Carroll, East Carroll, Madison, Richland, Ouachita, Lincoln, Jackson, Bienville, Desoto, Red River, Natchitoches, Winn, Caldwell, Franklin, Tensas, Catahoula, and Concordia.
SOUTHWEST-Sabine, Grant, LaSalle, Avoyelles, Rapides, Vernon, Beauregard, Allen, Evangeline, St. Landry, St. Martin, Lafayette, Acadia, Jefferson Davis, Calcasieu, Allen, Cameron, Vermillion, Iberia, and St. Mary.
EASTERN-Pointe Coupee, West Feliciana, East Feliciana, St. Helena, Livingston, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, Iberville, Ascension, St. John the Baptist, St. James, and Assumption
SOUTHEAST-St. Bernard, Orleans, Jefferson, St. Charles, Terrebonne, Lafourche, and Plaquemines.
NORTHSHORE-Washington, St. Tammany, and Tangipahoa
All LTA Board members meet three or four times annually and the annual meeting weekend is the last meeting of the year. The annual meeting is scheduled the second Saturday after Thanksgiving.
LTA Board Meetings generally occur once per quarter and are scheduled by the President, who also determines the location of the meetings.
Please consider volunteering locally and if you are interested in submitting an application, please let us know and we will place you on the email list to notify when the application becomes available in January of 2024. Please be aware that after all applications are reviewed, zoom or in-person interviews may follow. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me or any other member of the Nominating Committee.
Kindest Regards,
Jay R. Boyd
Chair, USTA Louisiana Nominating Committee
Janusz Conradi - LTA Nominating Committee member
Amy Browne - LTA Nominating Committee member
Hassan Abbas - LTA Nominating Committee member
Ben Robinson - LTA Nominating Committee member
2023-2024 bOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Executive Vice President
Executive Vice President
GRADY WILSON
Shreveport/ Bossier City
Executive Vice President
Executive Vice President
Executive Vice President
Emily Becker
Covington
Vice President
Executive Vice President
Vice President
ED GASKELL
NEW ORLEANS
Vice President
Vice President
Vice President
Kathy Ruckstuhl
Lafayette
Secretary
Vice President
Secretary
BARBARA FISHER
Mandeville/Covington
Treasurer
Vice President
Secretary
LANA WHITLOW
New Orleans
Immediate Past President
Immediate Past President
Immediate Past President
Jay Boyd
Shreveport/Bossier City
Regional Representatives
Region I Southeast
Region III Southwest
Region I Southeast
Alvertha Penny
New Orleans
Region II Eastern
Region III Southwest
Region I Southeast
Rodney Terral
Baton Rouge
Region III Southwest
Region III Southwest
Region III Southwest
Tonya Anderson
Lafayette
Region IV Northern
Region V Northshore
Region III Southwest
Brian Bernard
Shreveport/ Bossier City
Region V Northshore
Region V Northshore
Region V Northshore
Jay Butcher
Mandeville
PTR Representative
Region V Northshore
Region V Northshore
Alvin Varnado
USPTA Representative
USPTA Representative
USPTA Representative
Janusz Conradi
Lafayette
Director at Large
USPTA Representative
USPTA Representative
Anna Monhartova
New Orleans
Director at Large
USPTA Representative
Director at Large
Charles Ayles
Past Presidents
Bruce Kingsdorf
Bruce Kingsdorf
Bruce Kingsdorf
2019-20
Robert Daigle
Bruce Kingsdorf
Bruce Kingsdorf
2017-2018
Rob Worley
Bruce Kingsdorf
Drew Meyers
2015-2016
Drew Meyers
Brett Schwartz
Drew Meyers
2012-2014
Brett Schwartz
Brett Schwartz
Brett Schwartz
2010-2011
Wayne Bono
Brett Schwartz
Brett Schwartz
2008-2009
Kathy Hinrichs
Kathy Hinrichs
Kathy Hinrichs
2006-2007
Brett Schwartz nominated to lead usta southern
Additional Information
Brett Schwartz, Ted Reese nominated to lead USTA Southern
PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA. – SEPT. 20, 2022 – United States Tennis Association (USTA) Southern announced today that Brett Schwartz, of Mandeville, La., has been nominated to serve as USTA Southern Board of Directors President & CEO for the 2023-24 term. Ted Reese, of Cary, N.C., was nominated to the post of Executive Vice President.
Schwartz currently serves USTA Southern Executive Vice President. Previously he served as USTA Southern Vice President for two years and as Secretary. Other volunteer work includes currently serving as the USTA College Pathway Vice Chair for two terms. At Southern, he also served on the Diversity & Inclusion Task Force and Steering Committee. He headed the Louisiana Board of Directors as the President along with numerous other positions. At the sectional level he also served as a member of the Player Development Committee (2005-2011) and as Vice-Chair of the Professional Relations Committee for two terms and the USTA Southern Junior Competition Committee.
He was a driving force for NJTL Blueprint for Success and expansion of the Build it Forward program. Additionally, after Hurricane Katrina, Schwartz served on the Hurricane Katrina Grant Committee, which obtained and oversaw a $500,000 grant from the USTA to rebuild the public and private facilities in New Orleans. He is the Director of Tennis at StoneCreek Club and Spa, in Covington, La. He is married to Lori Kieffer Schwartz. They have an 18-year-old son, Kieffer Joseph Schwartz, and a 15-year-old daughter, Kyleigh Ann Schwartz.
Reese has served as a Southern Vice President since 2017. He volunteers as the USTA Local Play and Competition Chair, Vice President of the North Carolina Tennis Foundation, and previously as a member of the USTA 10 and Under and Junior Team Tennis committees. He is President of TTS, Inc., a tennis club and management firm, and is the Founder and Co-Tournament Director of the Atlantic Tire Championships ATP professional tournament. e.
In Loving memory of john liles, Past President of USTA Louisiana, Hall of Fame inductee and more.
In loving memory of John Liles.
John’s impact on our tennis community was great. John didn’t begin tennis until the age of thirty-five. He entered the league as a 3.5 and was bumped to 4.0 for a short time. He always said with a laugh, “didn’t stay there long.” John captained 3.5 Men’s teams for over eight years. One of his most memorable captaining times was during a State Regional Championship in Slidell. Three of his players took a “wrong turn” and ended up in New Orleans. This created a silent and very anxious time for the next day, the 8am match. They did show up at 7:30, maybe a little intoxicated, but nonetheless John put them in the line-up, and they won!
John’s team won State in 1990. They went on to win Sectionals in Chattanooga and placed 3rd at Nationals in Tucson. Over the years John and his teams played in several state championships, but not in any other Sectional or National tournaments.
In 1986 John was one of the founding members of the Northwest Louisiana Community Tennis Association and served as its Treasurer. He served on countless and various local committees and always assisted as needed with any programs. The NWLACTA has been recognized many times as CTA of the Year by the LTA and there is no doubt the NWLACTA would not have had such success if it was not for the hard work and leadership of John.
In 1993, John was asked if Shreveport would be interested in taking over a national tournament that needed a new home. This proved to be a great decision and implementation. The National 16’s Intersectional Championships began in Shreveport during July 1994. The tournament was held for 26 years until covid affected the funding and it had to be discontinued.
John was a certified tennis official for over twenty years. He officiated for juniors, USTA League, and college matches over his career. He volunteered his referee services for many junior matches.
John’s involvement in the local tennis community continued and he was elected to serve on the USTA Louisiana Board of Directors as the NW Regional Representative in 1995. He also served as Vice President and Executive Vice President. In 2002-2003, he served as President of USTA Louisiana and began volunteering at the USTA Southern Section.
He chaired, co-chaired and has been a member of the following committees:
Southern and National USTA – Awards Committee for eight years
Southern USTA - Financial & Budget, Investment, Community Development, Adaptive Tennis, Awards, CGPG, CTA, Human Resources, Marketing, and Public Relations Committees
Southern USTA Board of Directors Treasurer for six years
Local CTA - League Coordinator, Treasurer, where he led and served on various committees, trained coordinators and was always an invaluable resource to the local tennis community
In 1997 John received the LTA’s prestigious Charles Turner Volunteer Service Award, The President’s Award in 2006, the Charlie B. Morris Jr. Service Award in recognition of his service at the local, state, section and national levels of the USTA in 2015, and in 2019, John was inducted into the Louisiana Tennis Hall of Fame.
John was a no nonsense straight up individual. He spoke his mind and even those who may disagree with him on a topic would all agree he always demonstrated the highest level of character. This was evident in his on-court sportsmanship as well as in his off-court leadership and participation at all levels of USTA activity. John was a wealth of knowledge and information and an invaluable resource to our tennis community. Although health issues slowed him down in recent years, John continued to support tennis at the local and state level. John Liles was a vital and important part of the NWLA CTA, LTA, Southern USTA, and USTA. We will all cherish our memories with John. His impact on our tennis community will always be present and we are forever grateful.
Please keep John’s wife Nancy and his extended family in your prayers.
