ITA Board of Directors

Trish Riddell has been Florida Southern’s head women’s tennis coach for the last 18 years (2006-23), during which time she’s taken the Moccasins to 11 NCAA Tournaments, had them nationally ranked every year, produced five different individual All-Americans, and the school’s only SSC Player-of-the-Year in women’s tennis (Senka Softic in 2008 and 2009). Riddell has coached 22 different All-SSC players, including Softic, who was inducted into the FSC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.

Riddell’s mark of 236 career wins is only 14 away from tying the most in program history (Ed Jeffries, 1981-99). She earned the 100th win of her career on Feb. 27, 2012, against Eckerd and her 200th career win against the same opponent on April 5, 2019. Her 2007 squad went 21-5 to tie the school record for most matches won in a season en route to a berth to the NCAA Division II National Finals for the first time since 1991. Once there, Florida Southern earned a fifth-place finish, equaling the best-ever program finish, and a final ITA ranking of No. 8, the highest in team history.

Under Riddell’s tenure, the Moccasins have recorded nine 15+ win seasons and have defeated 13 top-10 opponents, with the biggest upset in program history on Feb. 16, 2019 when Florida Southern topped No. 2 West Florida, 4-3. Most recently, Riddell led the Mocs to a 4-3 upset of No. 9 Tampa on April 6, 2023 on Senior Day. Riddell has also led upsets of Division-I opponents, most recently on March 19, 2019 with a 4-3 win over NJIT. Other victories over Division-I foes include an 8-1 victory over Villanova (March 6, 2012) and a 6-3 win over Incarnate Word (March 25, 2012).

Josh Goffi Earned his first college head coaching position at South Carolina in July 2010, and wasted little time cementing his reputation as an elite recruiter. With a solid, strategic mind and excellent player development skills, he landed a pair of top-10 signing classes in his first four seasons. In 13 seasons, he has crafted a culture that builds more than just a tennis player. Goffi’s coaching philosophies have been shaped by some of the best coaches in the world, including his father, 1991 World Coach of the Year, Carlos Goffi. The younger Goffi grew up around tennis’s elite watching his father coach the likes of John and Patrick McEnroe, Peter Fleming and Mary Carillo.  Moreover, the breadth of his exposure to elite level players and coaches helped formulate the basic tenets of his program. Immediately a prominent recruiter, Goffi honed his coaching skills as an assistant at Arizona State (women’s, 2006-08) and Duke (men’s, 2008-10), earning regional ITA Assistant Coach of the Year honors at both (2008 West, 2010 Carolina). Goffi’s coaching career began after spending four years on the ATP Tour from 2001-05 where he rose to as high as No. 121 in doubles with 18 doubles titles. He rose to as high as No. 488 in the ATP singles rankings with six top-100 wins, including a straight-set victory over three-time Grand Slam Champion Stanislas Wawrinka.

Jennifer Hyde is a Florida State alum and the head women’s tennis coach at her alma mater. Hyde just completed her 17th season at the helm of the Florida State University women’s tennis program. During her record-breaking FSU career she has twice been named ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year (2011 and 2018) and the 2007 ITA South Region Coach of the Year. Hyde continues to set new standards for the women’s program year-after-year. In 2021, she led the Seminoles to another NCAA Elite 8 appearance for the second time in the last four NCAA Championships, and has guided FSU to an NCAA appearance for the 15th time in 17 opportunities. Hyde has led the Seminole squads in back-to-back top 10 national final rankings in 2020 and 2021. Hyde coached a program-best three All-Americans in 2021 and has now coached five All-Americans in just the last two years. Those five All-Americans account for more than half of the total All-Americans in program history. Hyde is also Florida State University’s winningest coach in the programs history, amassing 324 career wins through the 2021 season. In the classroom, and under Hyde’s guidance, the Florida State Women’s Tennis team continues to be among the top academic achieving teams at FSU, regularly earning the Golden Torch Award, given to the team holding the highest GPA on campus each year. Hyde’s teams are annual recipients of the ITA All-Academic Team honors, as well as ITA Scholar Athlete and ACC All-Academic Team honors. As a student-athlete, Hyde had an impressive playing career at Florida State with the Seminoles. A four-year letter winner, Hyde was an NCAA Tournament participant in 1994 and an ACC flight champion in doubles. Hyde captained the 1994 Seminole squad whose No. 17 ranking previously stood for sixteen years as the highest year-end ranking until 2010’s No. 14 finish. Hyde earned a Master’s Degree from Florida State in Sport Management in 2011.

Claire Pollard is entering her 24th season at the helm of the Northwestern women’s tennis program, where she has brought the ‘Cats from regular contender in the Big Ten to a national powerhouse. The Wildcats claimed 11 consecutive Big Ten championships from 1999-2009 and added a 12th regular season crown in 2012. In addition to its regular season success, Northwestern strung together 13 straight Big Ten Tournament titles between 1999-2011. Under Pollard the ‘Cats were 45-0 all-time in postseason play against conference foes (Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Championships) before falling to Purdue in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament in 2012. Pollard was the 2008 Wilson/ITA National Coach of the Year and is a five-time Wilson/ITA Midwest Region Coach of the Year, most recently in 2012. Pollard is also a five-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, winning the award consecutively in 2008 and 2009. She coached NU to several program-firsts including a No. 1 national ranking in three straight years, back-to-back No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Championships and consecutive ITA National Indoor Team championships in 2009 and 2010. Pollard’s first head coaching position was at her alma mater, Mississippi State University, where she was the coach during the 1990-91 season. After a short stint with the Chris Lane Tennis Club in England, she came back to the States to take on the head coaching position at Lamar, where she led both the men’s and women’s teams. During that time, the women’s team posted a 64-49 overall record. Meanwhile, the men’s team finished 1997 with a 13-8 mark, its best since 1986. A decorated collegiate player, Pollard won the 1989 NCAA Doubles Championship as well as back-to-back Southeastern Conference Indoor and Outdoor Doubles Championships with current NU associate head coach, Jackie Holden. An All-American and Academic All-American, she was named Mississippi State’s Female Athlete of the Year in 1989. Pollard is the Bulldogs’ leader for doubles victories in one season with 39 in 1988-89 and in a career with 111 (1986-1989). She also ranks fifth in career singles wins with 67 and is tied for 10th in season singles victories (23, 1987-88). In 1989, Pollard also participated in the Wimbledon and U.S. Open Championships. Pollard graduated magna cum laude from Mississippi State with a bachelor of science in fitness management and received her master’s from Mississippi State in sports administration.

Paul Settles, in 18 seasons as the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Head Coach, has established the CMS Stags Tennis program as one of the elite at all levels of collegiate tennis. CMS has now reached five NCAA title matches in the past seven years, having earned its first NCAA title in any sport in 34 years by winning the NCAA Division III Team Championship in Mason, Ohio in May of 2015. In 2022, Settles led the Stags to a No. 5 national ranking after CMS reached the quarterfinal of the 2022 NCAA Division III Team Championships in Lake Nona, FL and extended the Stags’ conference win streak to 144, dating back to April 15, 2005. In addition to coaching the Stags, Settles has coached Team USA in the International University Challenge – leading six top collegiate American players in an eight team international competition in France – and the Southern California Maze Cup Team (Boys and Girls 16s and 18s). Settles’ outreach efforts in the Claremont community have yielded three ITA Campus and Community Outreach awards in 2018, 2011, and 2006. He continues to coach USTA Junior Team Tennis teams and serve as Tournament Director for the USTA National Family Hardcourt Championships in June. In 2013, Settles and his wife Kathy launched Tennis in Our Schools, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit foundation bringing tennis to each of Claremont’s seven elementary schools in the form of physical education and after school programming. In 2018, the program redirected to aid high school tennis teams in need. The Settles have raised over $60,000 for Tennis in Our Schools, introducing the sport to hundreds of Claremont elementary school children and impacting local need-based high school teams. Before coming to CMS, Settles served as Director of Player Services of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the governing body of men’s professional tennis. At the ATP World Tour, Settles’s wide range of responsibilities included supervision of the Player Services Department, staff liaison for the ATP Player Council, Player Leadership Committee, and Board of Directors; and serving as founding committee member of the ATP Medical Services Committee. From 2004-2012, Settles served on the Player Services staff for the Los Angeles ATP World Tour event.

Vince Westbrook is the Head Coach of the Tulsa Men’s Tennis program. Since taking over the The University of Tulsa tennis program in 1991, Vince Westbrook has turned the Golden Hurricane program into one of the most respected in the nation. In 2020-21, Westbrook entered his 30th season as head men’s tennis coach while also serving as director of tennis and senior associate athletic director. Westbrook has settled for nothing but the best in establishing a winning tradition at Tulsa in both men’s and women’s tennis. His vision and guidance have yielded national rankings, regional honors and conference merits for both Golden Hurricane teams and players. In the COVID-19 shortened 2019-20 season, the Hurricane posted a 10-7 mark and a year earlier Tulsa finished the 2018-19 season at 14-12 overall, including eight matches against nationally-ranked teams. Westbrook is Tulsa’s all-time winningest coach with a 437-330 (.569) overall men’s record. He turned over the head coaching responsibilities with the women’s team in 1998 after compiling an overall 52-64 mark, the third-most wins for a Tulsa women’s head coach. Westbrook has led the Tulsa men to 18 NCAA Tournament appearances, nine conference championships and has coached 12 players to 15 All-America honors as well as coaching six Central Region Champions. He has earned three Region Coach of the Year awards and five times was named the conference coach of the year. He was named the 1997 and 1999 Region V Coach of the Year, the 2008 Wilson/ITA Central Region Coach of the Year, and the Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2011.

Judy Van Horn Executive Associate Athletics Director for Sport and Risk Management (SWA), has been an integral part of the athletics department senior staff since January 2011. She is chair of the department’s Sport Management Group, and primary sport administrator for several intercollegiate programs including volleyball, beach volleyball, men’s tennis and women’s tennis. Van Horn serves as the Title IX Deputy Coordinator and athletics department liaison to the Office of Equal Opportunity Program. She handles multiple internal responsibilities including oversight for human resources, departmental policies and participates on various University committees such as the Sexual Assault Policy Group, President’s Athletics Community Advisory Committee and the University Athletics Advisory Committee. In her role as senior woman administrator (SWA), Van Horn participates in SEC governance. She sits on the NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis and Women’s Tennis Committee. She has also served on the Executive Committee of the NCAA Committee on Institutional Performance where she chaired the Inclusion Subcommittee and lead efforts to develop new metrics to assist NCAA Division I institutions in assessing their athletics programs, including best practices. Van Horn was a member of the 2015 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Beach Volleyball Selection Committee. Van Horn came to South Carolina after a nine-year tenure at the University of Michigan. As Associate Director of Athletics/SWA, Van Horn oversaw the University’s athletics compliance program. She had a primary role addressing a major infractions case involving the football program as well as the high profile “Fab Five” men’s basketball case. She also served on the steering committee for the President’s Ethics in Public Life Initiative. Van Horn worked on various Big Ten committees including Legislative Review, Drug Testing Review, and Compliance and Reinstatement. Prior to her tenure at Michigan, Van Horn spent four years in the Department of Athletics at Michigan State University where she rose to Assistant Athletics Director for Compliance with oversight for NCAA compliance efforts and taught a course, “Ethics in Sport.” Van Horn began her athletics administration career at her alma mater, Central Michigan University, working there 8 years. Van Horn served a two-year term as President of the National Association for Athletics Compliance (NAAC) during which she led a major restructuring of the organization. NAAC honored her with the 2010 Frank Kara Leadership Award, the premier award bestowed to a member of the compliance profession, and in 2005 the Outstanding Achievement Award. Van Horn holds a master’s degree in sport administration and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Central Michigan University. She and her husband, Dave, have three adult children and six grandchildren.

Leslie Allen is a dynamic speaker,  life skills coach, and award-winning athlete development specialist. She is an ATA, NCAA, and WTA champion who was ranked as high as  # 17 in the world.  College tennis played a pivotal role in her  rise to the  top of the game. Late to catch the tennis bug, Leslie Allen when she finally did get serious, decided she was going to play college and pro tennis. Thanks to Title IX she became the first girl to play on a boys HS tennis team in the state of OH.  Her college career began with an academic scholarship to Carnegie Mellon University. Wanting to combine strong academics and big-time athletics she knew she had to transfer.  Allen walked on at  #1 ranked University of Southern California (USC) and played # 5 on their championship team.  She graduated with honors from USC with a degree in Speech Communications and plans to join the WTA tour. Allen knows first hand the complexities of navigating in a world that was not designed for her. As a Black female tennis pro, she redesigned the tennis world and maintained a top twenty world ranking. When Allen won the singles title at the Avon Championships of Detroit in 1981, she made history as the first African American woman to win a major pro tournament since Althea Gibson’s 1958 US Open victory.  Allen won a combined 9 WTA singles & doubles titles and was a French Open Mixed Doubles finalist. Allen is an International Tennis Hall of Fame Tennis Educational Merit Award 2010 honoree and was inducted into the Eastern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2016. Off-court she has worn many hats in tennis; a WTA Tournament Director,   Television Commentator, WTA Board Player Rep (securing equal prize money for women at all Grand Slams),   Division I  Head Coach at Fordham University, and Women’s Tour Global Media Director. Joining trailblazers and personal mentors Arthur Ashe and Billie Jean King, Leslie Allen broke barriers and overcame adversity when the odds were stacked against her. She believes wholeheartedly in the importance of having impeccable life skills to succeed on and off the playing field. Through Win4Life Enterprises Allen works with corporations, colleges, nonprofits, and individuals to inspire and teach the life skills needed to be a true winner in life.   For more than two decades, Allen has empowered hundreds across the country through Win4Life mentorship and training where she shares her passion to educate, empower and lead. Allen is a real estate professional and resides in Morristown NJ. She has one daughter who lives in GA and is a college volleyball coach. Leslie enjoys yoga, thrift store explorations, and nature photography.

Harold S. Edwards grew up playing tennis in Southern California at the Cabrillo Racquet Club with Wayne and Kathy Bryan (parents of the Bryan Brothers) and went on to play four years of tennis at Lewis & Clark College (Division 3) in Portland, Oregon. Harold has been President and Chief Executive Officer of the Limoneira Company (Nasdaq: LMNR) since November 2003 and a Director of Limoneira since 2009. Previously, he was the president of Puritan Medical Products, a division of Airgas, Inc. Prior to that, he held management positions with Fisher Scientific International, Cargill, The Ralston Purina Company, and Mission Produce. Harold is currently a member of the board of directors of Compass Diversified Holdings (NYSE: CODI). He is a graduate of Lewis & Clark College and the Thunderbird School of Global Management (Arizona State University) where he earned his MBA. Harold is married to Angela, and has three children, Sam 26 (played tennis for The University of Alabama and then Clemson University where he graduated), Sophia 23 (graduate of The University of South Carolina) and Blake 16 (senior at Villanova Preparatory School). Harold is a dedicated tennis fan and a committed supporter of junior and college tennis.

Jill Fonte enjoyed a 35 year career in the tennis industry. She was the owner/Executive Director of the United States Racquet Stringers Association – a 7,000 member world-wide trade association for tennis retailers – before divesting the organization in 2000. She is the former National Chair of the USTA’s Tennis Innovation Committee, former President of the USTA’s Middle States section, and former Chief Operating Officer of the USTA’s Eastern section. During her tenure as President, the Middle States section was named “Section of the Year” by the USTA. Likewise, during her tenure as Chief Operating Officer, the Eastern section was named “Section of the Year”. Fonte is a former member of the Tennis Industry Association’s Board of Directors, the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association’s Racquet Sports Committee, and the Advisory Board for Ferris State University’s Professional Tennis Management Program. She was a successful public speaker, executive coach and organizational development consultant for ten years – training and motivating individuals and teams to reach their goals. Clients included the Human Performance Institute, Merrill Lynch, Rambus and many other organizations. Jill received her Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition from Simmons College in Boston where she played four years of varsity tennis. She also holds an MBA from the University of California, Irvine. Jill is still an avid, frequent, competitive tennis player who serves her community in many ways – including as President of her Homeowner’s Association and Chair of the Disaster Preparedness Committee for Rancho La Quinta. Jill lives in La Quinta, CA with her husband Doug Fonte.

Neel Grover is the founder and CEO of Indi.com, Chairman of the Board Bluefly.com and The SWI Group, and the former CEO of Rakuten.com and Buy.com. Talented and seasoned e-commerce, mobile and social media entrepreneur and executive, Grover brings a highly relevant skill set to the ITA Board. Grover attended UC Irvine, where he was captain of the men’s tennis team. He received his J.D. from the University of San Diego Law School. Grover was Captain of the 2013 US National Men’s 40s National Team and participated in the World Championships in Turkey. A talented competitive tennis player, Grover has won several national championships.

Peter Hurley founded Synergy, an 11-time Event Marketer “It List” Top 100 Experiential Agency of the Year. Peter’s vision was based on a simple idea and passion: to bring the sport of tennis to people everywhere. Synergy served as a Strategic Engagement Partner for top Fortune 500 Companies and activated around 25 ATP, WTA and Champions Tour tournaments and the world’s most recognizable events, including the Olympics, the Super Bowl, Wimbledon, and World Cup to name a few. Peter is currently on the board of the International Tennis Hall of Fame (“ITHF”), where he has served on the Executive, Revenue and Development, Facilities and Grounds, Sponsorship and Tournament Committees. Additionally, during his 16-year ITHF tenure, he served as Chair in key ITHF leadership roles:  Customer Engagement, Special Events, Auctions and as the Vice-Chair of the Board Nominating. Peter was also the recipient of the distinguished Chairman’s Award in recognition of outstanding service by a Hall of Fame Board Member. Peter served as President of Seabright Lawn Tennis and Cricket Club (“SLT&CC”), the oldest lawn tennis and cricket club in the country, from 2018 to 2022. In August of 2022, SLT&CC proudly hosted the 100th Anniversary of the Prentice Cup, the World’s Oldest Intercollegiate Tennis Competition between the combined teams of Harvard and Yale, on the one hand, and  Oxford and Cambridge on the other.  At his core, Peter is a contemplative leader with a competitive spirit who sees an opportunity and is determined to make it happen. “I’m a natural connector: bringing the right people, teams and resources together to deliver value for missions that matter. If there is a will, I’ll find the way. This is the ethos I bring as ‘chief coach’ with a desire to deliver on my word.”  Peter lives in Monmouth Beach, New Jersey with his wife Paula, son William, a yearling at The United States Military Academy at West Point, and daughter Laura, a rising freshman at Syracuse University.

Shabbi S. Khan is a partner and intellectual property lawyer with Foley & Lardner LLP. Mr. Khan focuses his practice on patent prosecution and strategic counseling in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning, computer software including cloud and SaaS based technologies, electrical and mechanical technologies, and medical devices. He counsels some of the world’s most innovative technology companies in protecting their intellectual property, guiding them in the strategic development and management of their patent portfolios. Shabbi earned his J.D. from the UIC John Marshall Law School with a certificate in intellectual property law and received his B.S. in Electrical engineering from Northwestern University. Shabbi played collegiate tennis at Valparaiso University during his last year of eligibility. Shabbi strongly believes that tennis has taught him invaluable life lessons of accountability, persistence, teamwork, and fair play, which have played a significant contribution in his personal and professional life. Shabbi is staunchly committed to mentorship and looks forward to helping the next generation of tennis players succeed both on and off the tennis court.

Shaheen Ladhani has spent the last 13 years at Goldman Sachs where he manages investment portfolios for private clients as well as for several nonprofits and foundations. He previously served as director of alumni, corporate and foundation relations at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business. Prior to that, Shaheen enjoyed an eight-year tenure as assistant men’s tennis coach at Rice where he was named 2004 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year. He also had a stint coaching several tennis players on the pro tour, while simultaneously serving as a sport psychology consultant for athletes in a variety of team and individual sports. Shaheen currently serves as chair of the Investment Committee for The Center for Adults With Disabilities in Houston. He earned an undergraduate degree in psychology and managerial studies from Rice University while competing on the men’s tennis team before earning a master’s degree in sport psychology and an MBA from Rice University.

Craig Morris, Chief Executive at the United States Tennis Association (USTA), oversees all aspects of Community Tennis, including adult tennis, league tennis, youth tennis, USTA tournaments, and all other areas for growing grassroots participation in the sport. Morris is also responsible for integrating Player & Coach Development into Community Tennis as the USTA moves to a service-based organization that accelerates and expands tennis participation throughout the country. Since his arrival at the USTA in November 2015, Morris created the USTA’s first-ever unified youth tennis brand – Net Generation. Net Generation launched in May 2017 and engaged 500,000+ youth players in the sport. Active in the tennis industry for more than 20 years, his expertise spans a broad spectrum of tennis and business fields. He has served as the Director of Participation for Tennis Australia, overseeing all aspects of strategy and delivery for growing the game in Australia, and held various positions in Athlete Development and Coach Development. Between 2001 and 2004, Morris coached Samantha Stosur (2011 US Open Champion) on the WTA tour as part of the TA Optus Achievers program. During this period, Morris was Stosur’s first tour coach and transitioned her into the top 100. Previously, Morris held the position of Women’s tennis coach for the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), traveling with Australia’s leading female junior athletes on the ITF junior tour. Morris has a Tennis Australia High-Performance coaching qualification, a Bachelor of Education, and a Masters of Sport Management.

Fernando Sanchez began his career at the Association of Tennis Professionals (the ATP) in 2008, and has quickly risen up the ranks to the position of Senior Vice President of the ATP, in which he has served since January of 2022. Working alongside the ATP’s Chairman, CEO, and the head of the tour division, Sanchez helps shape the future of men’s professional tennis on a daily basis. Sanchez’s main responsibilities within the ATP include enhancing the player relations department, promoting the ATP, and working closely with all ATP tournaments. Prior to his role with the ATP, Sanchez spent time as an Assistant Coach at the University of Washington where he served under head coach Jill Hultquist. Sanchez jumped right into coaching after having a standout collegiate career at Virginia Commonwealth University. During his three years with the Rams, Sanchez compiled a 56-18 singles record, including a 26-3 mark during his freshman season in which he was named the CAA Rookie of the Year. Ranking as high as No. 64 in the ITA Singles Rankings, Sanchez was a two-time First Team All-CAA selection in both singles and doubles and earned a Second Team All-CAA selection in doubles his senior season. Sanchez is married to his wife, Leticia, with whom he has three children: Lucia, Sofia, and Claudia.

Eve Zimmerman Short was a top Junior Player and Sacramento Tennis Hall Fame Inductee. Eve was recruited by the nearby University of Pacific where she played #1 for four years, graduating with a degree in Geology.  Still wanting to play, Eve spent the next five years traveling the world on the WTA and challenger circuit achieving rankings in both singles and doubles with a career high of 252 in singles. After leaving the tour , Eve went to work in pharmaceutical sales.  Always the competitor, Eve was top ten in the nation selling products for Bristol Meyers Squibb in the Cardiovascular division while living in Dallas. Later, Eve moved to Japan with her husband in 1998 for 4 years before moving to London for 17 years raising their son Ellis Jr. Ellis’s last four years in High School was completed in Boca Raton , Florida where her and her husband , Ellis Sr, and Ellis Jr. and herself reside now. Eve continues to play tennis, is an avid golfer ( She grew up playing golf with her dad) and enjoys Skiing every season. Eve began giving back to tennis in 2012 when she was asked to anchor a new 12 court facility at the University of the Pacific. The Eve Zimmerman Tennis Center opened in 2016. Recognizing Eve’s business and intellectual skills, Eve was elected to the University of Pacific Board of Regents in 2018. Eve is also a Fellow at Kings College Wimbledon and formally on the Board of Governors at Knightsbridge School. In addition, she helped start, write their constitution and was head of their Parents Association. Both schools are located in London, and they involved Eve in heading up many important fundraisers as well as supporting and guiding other important UK charity appeals, fundraisers and pledge campaigns. Eve continues to be an original Patron at The Queens Club, also located in London. In 2014 , Eve was asked by her former coach, Phil Cello, to help develop an annual National Junior Tournament at Stanford University. Through Eve’s funding and her hands-on involvement, this event consistently brings the best players in the country to Stanford University for four days each September. Eve has also generously supported the ATP Fairfield men’s Challenger in California for the last five years and recently added an ITA event at the Barnes Center in San Diego to the list of tournaments she supports.  Eve’s continued tournament support during the pandemic has allowed these events to stay on the calendar. Eve also joined with Ellis Jr to create a non-profit, “Shoes to Share“ , giving shoes to underserved kids around the world. To date the program has operated in 15 different countries worldwide and distributed around 2,100 pairs of shoes, 120 tennis racquets and assorted sports clothing and balls. As a tennis mom and coach, Eve helped develop her son Ellis Short Jr into a top LTA, Tennis Europe, USTA and ITF player. Ellis will be attending and playing college tennis in the fall.  

William (Bill) Knestrick is originally from Nashville, TN, currently residing in Naples, FL. He has recently retired from the construction industry, where he built a very successful commercial construction and construction management business employing over 85 people and managing up to $95M in annual revenues focusing on all sectors of the construction industry. His firm was also consistently ranked in the top 100 privately held businesses in Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Currently, Bill continues to manage and grow his real estate portfolio and advance new commercial real estate developments in and around Middle Tennessee. Bill continues to play USTA and ITF tennis events throughout the year. In 2022, he was invited to participate for Team USA at the Gordon Trophy event, which is the second oldest international tennis competition in the world. This year he will also participate in the International Tennis Club event for Team USA at the Baker Bowl in Toronto, Canada. As a junior tennis player, Bill was consistently a top ranked player in singles and doubles in Tennessee and the Southern USTA section. He went on to play scholarship tennis at Auburn University where he lettered and helped the team win the 1983 SEC tennis title. Injuries cut his tennis career short, but he continued to excel in the classroom where he held many leadership positions including being elected President of his class while graduating with many other academic honors. Bill has over 20 years of experience serving on not-for-profit, academic and corporate boards, and he has an impressive fundraising track record.

Steve Weissman is an award-winning broadcaster who can be seen on a variety of national television networks. At Tennis Channel, he hosts and offers play-by-play for the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, U.S. Open and other events throughout the year. At NFL Network, he hosted an array of programming including Total Access and NFL Now. Weissman was a play-by-play tennis commentator for NBC during the 2016 Summer Olympics. He is also the play-by-play voice of the Champions Series featuring legendary tennis icons. Prior to arriving in Los Angeles, Weissman worked for five years at ESPN, hosting Sportscenter, NFL Live, College Football Live and Outside the Lines among other shows. He also hosted and performed play-by-play for ESPN’s coverage of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open.  In addition to his television work, Weissman spent time as the Volunteer Assistant Coach for Loyola Marymount University’s Women’s Tennis Team. A native of Silver Spring, MD, Weissman is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He was a ranked junior tennis player in Maryland.