Judy Levering, USTA President
Judy Levering, the first woman to serve as USTA President, was instrumental in creating the USTA Foundation several years ago. Judy founded the NJTL of Lancaster, Pennsylvania and knows the difference that tennis and educational opportunities can make in a child’s life. The Judy Levering Leadership Initiative (JLLI) funds the local grassroots leadership needed to help developing chapters become established youth development institutions in their community.
She suggested the new stadium at the National Tennis Center should be named after the late Arthur Ashe.
The name is now an ancient tradition, as American stadiums go these days, heading for its third United States Open the place always bustling with Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, for fun and charity, and Levering promises that the name will stand, unblighted by the name of some transient corporate sponsor.
In her first Open as the first female president of the United States Tennis Association, Levering now has another challenge — filling the ludicrously oversized 21,000-seat stadium with actual tennis fans.
”We’ve got to get more people in here,” Levering said to the sources.
JILI: Our goal is to build lives by linking tennis and educative elements that focus on reading support, college readiness, character building, nutrition and fitness instruction, homework help, mathematics guidance, staying in school, and eliminating substance abuse and violence.
The monies raised through this initiative will be used for the professional development of individual local leaders and the collection and training based on best practices of already successful tennis and education organizations such as First Serve New Mexico in Santa Fe, N.M., Milwaukee Tennis & Education Foundation in Milwaukee, WI, Orthotic & Prosthetic Assistance Fund (OPAF) in Waterloo, IA and Tenacity in Boston, MA.
