TEMPE, AZ. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (“ITA”) is pleased to announce today the selection of Anthony Montero as the ITA Director of Officiating and General Counsel.
Montero joins the ITA after spending the past 23 years as a special agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In addition to his day-to-day work with the FBI, over the past 20 years, Montero has established himself as one of the very best ITA and USTA officials in the United States, serving as the head referee at ITA and NCAA National Championships since 2010.
“Since 2015 the ITA has been responsible for recruiting, training, certifying, evaluating, and retaining college tennis officials,” said ITA Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Timothy Russell. “Over the same time period the ITA has been proud of continually building and strengthening our staff.” he continued. “I am absolutely thrilled in creating a new full-time position of Director of Officiating for the ITA to be filling this role with such a distinguished individual as Anthony Montero, who has already been working tirelessly on behalf of our sport and Association for many years. Furthermore, I am also delighted to be adding to our team a General Counsel with a highly respected career as an attorney. For Anthony to be filling both of these roles is a double bonus for all of us.”
As one of the most decorated officials in the collegiate space, Montero has established relationships with countless coaches in all divisions and has worked with a large number of current ITA officials at various collegiate championships across the country.
Volunteering as the Chair of the ITA National Officials Committee for the past six years, Montero helped create the current ITA officiating certification process and has assisted the ITA with recommendations for drafting new rules as necessary.
“On behalf of our competitive team and our officiating department, we are thrilled to be able to add Anthony to our ITA family,” states ITA Competitive Department Managing Director, Cory Brooks. “Rarely do you walk away from a job search feeling like you hired the most qualified person in that particular field. In this case, I think we did exactly that! Having worked side-by-side with Anthony over the last nine years, I can’t think of a better person to fill this newly created position at the ITA. His expertise will be invaluable as we continue to professionalize this department and navigate our way through some challenging times ahead.”
In addition to the ITA leaning on Montero for his extensive knowledge of collegiate officiating, his prior roles as Chief Division Counsel for the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office and as a Special Assistant United States Attorney will also be utilized as the ITA will rely on him for general counsel needs across a variety of legal issues. As a senior attorney with the FBI and former federal prosecutor, Montero will provide the ITA with counsel in a number of areas to better help the organization navigate the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics.
“I am so fortunate to have the opportunity, for the second time in my life, to pursue a personal passion as a career. I look forward to joining the amazing ITA Team and taking collegiate officiating to the next level. I am incredibly thankful to Tim, Dave, and Cory for their trust in me and cannot wait to get to work solving the issues facing collegiate tennis and officiating.” states Montero.
Montero is set to officially begin in this new role at the ITA in July.
