NWTO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Liane’s love for tennis began at age 10 in her native Berlin, Germany, where she quickly mastered the sport, winning the club junior championship—and besting her older sister. After a hiatus, Liane picked up a racket again at age 21 when she settled in San Diego. She found success in local tournaments and even played in qualifying events for the Virginia Slims circuit. Liane married and raised two daughters while pursuing a career teaching Rhetoric and Writing Studies at San Diego State University. During her tenure at SDSU, she was the literacy liaison between SDSU and San Diego City and County schools, working with districts to improve literacy and college readiness skills instruction for underserved student populations. All the while, Liane continued to compete in local and national tournaments, winning her first gold ball in singles at 35. Since retiring in 2017, she has added to her stash of bronze, silver, and gold balls including three world championships with partners from South Africa, Germany, and the U.S. She has won the last seven consecutive National Championships on three different surfaces and is especially proud of her gold ball in the Mother-Daughter Grass. Despite having had three hip replacements and one knee replacement, she has represented the U.S. on four World Cup teams and currently holds the #1 world ranking in 75s doubles.

  • Kathy was born and raised in Davis, CA and played collegiate tennis at UC Irvine. Having spent the first fifteen years of her career working in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL as a Player Relations Manager at the ATP World Tour, Kathy and her husband Paul, moved to Claremont, CA in 2004 where Paul began coaching the Men’s Tennis Team at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. Kathy joined the coaching staff of the CMS Women’s Tennis Team and in 2016 took over as the Girls and Boys Varsity Tennis Coach at Claremont High School. Kathy and Paul have four children and have made playing family tennis a priority. They have won several USTA national championships in various Husband-Wife, Mother-Son, and Father-Son divisions. In August of 2023, both Paul and Kathy represented Team USA at the ITF Masters World Team Championships in Lisbon, Portugal, where both teams won a bronze medal. Besides playing tournaments and coaching tennis, Kathy runs a boutique Floral Design Business in Claremont called 5683 Blooms.

  • Isabelle is from Trier, Germany. She played Division 1 tennis at the University of New Orleans, earning several state and conference awards during her collegiate career. After receiving her MBA, she returned to Germany and later lived in Luxembourg, Qatar, and Switzerland before moving to Southern California in 2022.

    After moving back to the U.S., Isabelle began competing in age-level tournaments, winning multiple USTA national championships in singles, doubles, and husband-wife categories. She has represented Germany on Cup Teams at the ITF World Championships, earning two silver medals. Growing up, her favorite tennis player was Monica Seles.

    Currently working in communications in the life sciences sector, Isabelle resides in Newport Beach with her husband. Outside of work, she enjoys skiing, yoga, hiking, and other outdoor sports.

  • TREASURER
    Born into a tennis family, Heidi is the 5th child of (deceased) teaching pro emeritus, Frank “Buddy” Goeltz, who amassed 49 gold balls while winning the “grand slam” -- grass, clay, hard, and indoor titles -- in both singles and doubles, TWICE. Heidi played junior tennis and collegiate tennis. She played on the Mid-Atlantic 18 Intersectional team. She represented Maryland in the Seventeen Magazine Tennis Tournament of Champions in the 18 and under and 21 and under divisions. She won a Mid-Atlantic Collegiate doubles title and a Maryland State Collegiate singles title at Salisbury State. She won the 35 and over Mid-Atlantic Clay Court doubles title with her sister, Suzanne Parrott. After graduating from Mary Baldwin College, cum laude, with a double major in Economics and Sociology, Heidi pursued a business career. Among her titles were Public Relations Officer, Telecom Manager, Customer Service Manager, Project Manager, Regional Manager, and Design Manager. Heidi retired in 2017 with a TS clearance as a government contractor for the intelligence agency in Maryland. She currently serves as the treasurer for her church.

  • Davida was born and raised in Framingham, MA. When she was a little girl, she tagged along with her dad to the local outdoor club with six velvety red clay courts, where she swept the porch and talked with people while he played tennis. At 10, she started playing on those courts with a junior wood racquet. She loved the sport and stuck with a one-handed backhand. In her teens and early 20s, she taught tennis at an overnight camp in Maine and locally at public courts. In 1982, Davida was fortunate to compete in tennis and squash at Dartmouth College and graduated with a B.A. degree in psychology. After earning an MBA from Babson College in 1992, she focused on squash for a decade, but in 1996, she turned back to tennis and discovered USTA leagues. For nearly 30 years, she has competed on a multitude of teams and tournaments and has proudly represented New England at the Addie Cup, Friendship Cup, and Intersectionals. She has also enjoyed coaching her town’s high school tennis teams. Recently, after three decades in PR and content marketing in the tech sector, Davida pivoted to a new career as a club manager and racquet sports professional at The Longfellow Clubs. Building communications and engagement with customers is on her roster along with teaching people of all ages and abilities the physical, technical, and mental aspects of tennis. Davida and her husband Brad live in Ashland, MA and are proud parents of two terrific 20-somethings, Abby and Ari, and a Havanese named Rogi. Davida is grateful for the health and social benefits of tennis and considers tennis a life-long work-in-progress that keeps her sharp and always learning.

  • Carol’s lifelong passion for tennis began in Los Angeles, where she was a top-ranked junior in California before earning a scholarship to play at Arizona State University (ASU) from 1964-1968. She later competed in national events, including the Forest Hills tournament, and found success in National Mother-Daughter competitions.

    Beyond the court, Carol has been a dedicated advocate for women’s athletics. She founded “Wings of Gold,” raising significant funds and visibility for female athletes at ASU, which led to her appointment as a development officer for the university’s athletic program. In 2005, she continued her work as a development officer at San Diego State University (SDSU) before retiring.

    As a senior competitor, Carol has won multiple national titles and was honored to represent the U.S. in international competition. Her passion for the sport continues through her family, with five of her eight grandchildren competing in tennis, carrying on a multi-generational legacy.

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  • Chris played state and national Junior and Division III Tennis (Swarthmore College) in high school and college. She also played competitive squash and badminton, dabbling in platform and table tennis. She resumed competitive tennis after completing careers in business, law, and public health including stints as a New Jersey Cabinet member and Commissioner of Health and Senior Services, and held executive positions at a national philanthropy and multinational pharmaceutical companies and as Chair of the American Bar Association’s Science and Technology Section. She was the 1999 recipient of the Rolex Intercollegiate Tennis Association Achievement award. Chris treasures the several “National balls “earned in senior tennis. She’s been a member of NWTO since the 2000’s and resides in Princeton, New Jersey with her husband. She’s committed to help maintain a welcoming, enjoyable, experience for women of all ages who have tennis rackets and will travel to play!

  • Joan graduated from Cornell with a BS in Human Ecology while also captaining the women’s ice hockey team, a love she continued as a founding member of the Washington Redcoats women’s hockey team (1975-83.) Joan was a kitchen and bath designer in the 80s, including President of Kitchen and Bath Works in Greenwich, CT. Joan began playing tennis after graduating from college and continued to play while moving all over the East Coast as well as Spain and Brazil. Tennis clubs became an important connector in new cities as well as an opportunity to play some ITF tournaments in other countries, with Joan winning 40s doubles in Curitiba. Joan has played Interclub and USTA League tennis wherever she has lived. She has coached high school girls tennis, captains both Addie Cup and Intersectional Teams for the Mid-Atlantic Section, and has seeded Women’s tournaments for the past 7 years. Joan spends seven months of the year in Deerfield Beach, Florida and the other five months in Alexandria, Virginia near her son and grandkids.

  • Sue was born and raised in Waterford, Michigan. Throughout her youth, she was eager to play and try any sport that came her way. Growing up with two brothers, that included neighborhood wiffle ball and kickball games. At the age of 13, she decided to focus on tennis - she loved the individual aspect of the game - what you put in is what you get out! She was coached mostly by her father and also had the very fortunate opportunity of having Trish Faulkner as the teaching pro at her home club in Michigan. With great coaching and hard work, Sue was able to secure a tennis scholarship at Miami University (the Ohio Miami, not the Florida Miami). In 2000, she was inducted into the Miami Athletic Hall of Fame. 

    After graduating with a degree in Pulp and Paper Engineering from Miami, Sue headed to Jacksonville, Florida to pursue a nine-year career in the Pulp and Paper Industry. It is there where she met her husband Ed, a Florida native (that comes into play later). After a 2 year stint in England, where their first son was born, the three of them returned to Jacksonville, FL. Their second son came along, prompting a move back to Michigan (yes, she somehow talked her Florida native husband into moving up north). At age 40, Sue picked up her racquets again and played 40 and 45 age group tournaments, winning some USTA balls along the way. In 2010, she was selected to represent the USA on the Young Cup Team in Mexico City. 

    Since that time, the racquets went down for a while to start a rental home business, support her sons in their sports (no tennis players), perform multiple volunteer positions at church, and coach the women's tennis team at D1 Oakland University in Michigan. 

    Sue and her husband currently split their time between Michigan and Port Saint Lucie, FL (finally bringing the Florida boy back home - he's a trooper). She enjoys practicing her tennis and playing age-group tournaments again, biking, and hanging out with her kids.

  • Born and raised in Decatur, Illinois, Betsy played junior tennis from age 12. In 1976 she graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in Finance. In 1989 she received her Master’s degree in Business Administration from Western Michigan University. In the summer of 1976 Betsy began her tennis teaching/coaching career at John Gardiner’s Tennis Ranch in Carmel, CA. In the fall of 1978, she was named the Head Pro at Santa Catalina School for girls in Monterey, CA. This job allowed her the opportunity to teach and play tournaments in Northern California. In 1980 Betsy moved to Kalamazoo, Mi where she was a teaching pro for two years at West Hills Athletic Club. In the August of 1982 her love for the game allowed her to obtain a full-time coaching job at Western Michigan University as the Head Women’s Tennis Coach where she remained for 33 years winning 15 conference championships. In 2006 Betsy was inducted into the Western Michigan University Athletics Hall of Fame. In 2017 she was inducted into the Mid-American Conference Hall of Fame having the most wins of any coach in that sport in Mid-American Conference history, 545. In 2016 Betsy was honored by the USTA as a “Blue Ribbon Tournament Director” having run USTA and Intercollegiate Tennis Association tournaments for over 25 years. Currently Betsy splits her time between Springboro, Ohio and Rancho Mirage, CA playing as many National Women’s Senior Tennis events as possible. Betsy’s entire family plays tennis and her goal is to continue to play “the sport for a lifetime” for the rest of her life.

  • Teresa grew up playing junior tennis before hanging up her racquets to pursue a non-tennis career. After a brief 28-year hiatus, she returned to competitive tennis and rediscovered her passion for the sport. Teresa is employed full time as a Fellow for a major defense contractor where she is attached to an Aeronautics Cyber Range that performs cybersecurity penetration testing of DoD weapons systems. As a Fellow, she leverages her 30+ years of career experience to advise and influence technical initiatives and corporate strategy. Teresa holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, a master’s degree in Software Engineering, and an MBA. She volunteers on an action team for USTA Texas as well as a local Community Tennis Association. In her spare time, Teresa is a prolific tennis writer of an eclectic daily tennis blog. Her husband Troy is also an enthusiastic tennis player, and together they have two daughters.

  • Nell Graham Sale was raised in Charleston, West Virginia, where she played junior tennis until going to college at 18. Like many women her age, there were no women’s athletics at her college. She picked tennis up again in her 30s and played USTA league tennis for many years in Denver and Wilmington, Delaware, and since 2002, in Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico. In 2008, she and three other women founded an all-women’s law firm, Pregenzer, Baysinger, Wideman & Sale, PC, from which she is now retired. Nell’s law practice concentrated on taxation, estate planning, elder law and disability planning. Nell is a Certified Elder Law Attorney as designated by the National Foundation for Elder Law, a former board member of the Special Needs Alliance, a national network of disability trust lawyers, and a fellow in the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel. Nell is also one of the founders of the New Mexico Planned Giving Roundtable.

  • My parents introduced me to tennis at the age of 8.

    I was hooked, spending hours hitting against a wall.  

    I played on my High Tennis Team.

    I have a bachelor’s degree in Arts from the University of Houston.

    A lot of my life has been in Television News and Radio as an anchor and reporter.

    I’ve done a fair amount of theatre.

    I took my first tennis lesson at age 40.

    I shook Billie Jean King’s hand after she beat Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973.

    I served on the Zina Garrison Academy board for several years.

    I’m a Realtor and own a High-Pressure Compressor Company in Houston called Stark Industries.

  • Norri Collier, a lifelong athlete and dedicated advocate for active living, has joined the NWTO Board of Directors. Now 66, Norri began playing tennis in 9th grade at a Corpus Christi junior high and competed collegiately for the University of Houston in 1977 before shifting to soccer, where she earned spots on the All-Star Texas State team twice and advanced to tryouts for the inaugural U.S. Women's National Soccer Team. After launching a successful career as a chiropractor, Norri returned to tennis in her early 50s, enjoying league play alongside her mother. Inspired by the high level of competition and camaraderie at her first national event—the 2019 National Women's Clay Court Championship in Houston—she became deeply involved. As a sponsor and committee member for the 2024 tournament, Norri successfully collaborated with the WHLTA and HLTA to boost local attendance through targeted scheduling and a bye week. Believing that staying active keeps us healthier and more engaged in life, Norri applies this philosophy in her chiropractic practice, helping patients return to their "court of life." She is excited to serve NWTO by amplifying member voices, supporting national tournaments, and growing opportunities for women 30+ to compete with passion and sportsmanship.

  • My tennis journey began in Argentina as a teenager, where I learned and played on red clay courts. It continued in France, where I competed in inter-club leagues while pursuing my studies. After completing my PhD, I moved to Seattle, where for the past 30 years I’ve played on league teams and competed in tournaments.

    With a background in computer science, I spent more than 25 years in the high-tech industry before retiring a few years ago. Since then, I’ve enjoyed competing in age-level tournaments across the U.S. and internationally.

    Having lived in many countries, I’m especially grateful for tennis—not only for my love of the game, but for the way it has helped me connect and integrate into new communities, regardless of language or culture. Along the way, it has also brought me lifelong friendships.

    I enjoy exploring and applying data and technology to health and sports. I look forward to continuing to play tennis, participate in triathlons, and enjoy outdoor activities—especially with my husband and grown children—for many years to come.

CommiTtees

  • BELMAR GUNDERSON LEADERSHIP AWARD

    CHAIR
    Joan Oelschlager

    MEMBERS
    Andrea Barnes
    Sue Kaleel
    Heidi Clemmer

    MARGARET RUSSO SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD

    CHAIR
    Trish Faulkner

    MEMBERS
    Liane Bryson
    Leslie Pixley
    Susan Love
    Joan Oelschlager

    LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

    CHAIR
    Julie Thu

    MEMBERS
    Andrea Barnes
    Lois Harris
    Colleen Ferrell

  • Formulate and implement ideas to further NWTO mission

    CHAIR
    TBD

    MEMBERS
    Andi Polisky
    Liane Bryson
    Sue Kaleel
    Isabelle Benoit

  • Newsletter, Website, Social Media, Promotional Materials

    CO-CHAIRS
    Liane Bryson
    Kathy Settles

    MEMBERS
    Davida Dinerman
    Julie Thu
    Farah Northcott
    Teresa Merklin

  • Income/Expenses/Annual Budget

    MEMBERS
    Yodie Therrien-Financial Operations
    Heidi Clemmer-Treasurer

  • Nominate board and committee members

    CHAIR
    Leslie Airola-Murveit

    MEMBERS
    Elizabeth Barnhill
    Kathy Foulk
    Joan Oelschlager
    Julie Thu

  • Member communication and implementation of Member Programs

    CHAIR
    TBD

    MEMBERS
    Karen Rauh

  • Cami Gill
    Mariko Fritz-Krockow
    Christine Lee

  • Works Directly with USTA Sections


    CHAIR
    Nell Sale

    MEMBERS
    Members Consist of Sectional Liaisons

  • Works directly with the Tournament Director

    MEMBERS
    Matt Gleason
    Lou Armstrong
    Cindy Babb
    Colleen Ferrell
    Farrah Northcott
    Liane Bryson
    Kathy Settles

  • Oversee Community Support Grant

    CO-CHAIRS
    Chris Grant
    Ann Taylor

    MEMBERS
    Kathy Archibald
    Lou Armstrong
    Trish Faulkner
    Lori Johnson
    Catherine Morgan
    Maria Nunez
    Joan Oelschlager

  • Implement tournament amenities grants and Table Ambassador Program

    CHAIR
    Carol Gay

    MEMBERS
    Joan Oelschlager
    Lori Johnson