Fall 2012 on-line.indd - USPTA divisions - United States ...

The USPTA has announced plans to move forward following
Tim Heckler’s retirement as chief executive offi cer effective
Dec. 31, <strong>2012</strong>, after 30 years in the position.
Heckler announced his intent to retire earlier this year and the
Board of Directors also offered Heckler a one-year severance
package through the end of 2013, which was ratifi ed by a vote
of the entire Executive Committee in April.
The Board of Directors recently hired industry veteran John
Embree as the new CEO/Executive Director. Embree began
transitioning into his role as of Oct. 1 and will be relocating
to the national offi ce in Houston on Nov. 1.
“The USPTA is indebted to Tim Heckler for taking USPTA
to the next level, and his 30 years of service as CEO is
a demonstration of his passion, his commitment to the
association, and his endless hard work for helping and
improving the well-being of the tennis-teaching professional,”
President Daglis said.
The USPTA honored Heckler in 2000 by naming him a grand
inductee in the Association’s Hall of Fame. He also received
the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Tennis Educational
Merit Award in 2002 and was inducted into the Texas Tennis
Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2008 he received the highest honor
awarded by the United States Professional Tennis Association,
the George Bacso Lifetime Achievement Award.
“We are pleased to welcome John Embree into the USPTA
family. His vast tennis industry expertise, contacts, and
company management skills will serve the USPTA well,” said
President Tom Daglis.
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Tim Heckler Retires
Embree has held a wide variety of infl uential tennis industry
roles for more than 30 years. They include serving as President
of Prince Sports, The Americas; President of Balle de Match
LLC; and Vice President/General Manager, Racquet Sports
Division for Wilson Sporting Goods Co. Most recently, he
launched a tennis consulting practice to assist endemic brands,
associations and new corporate entities in maximizing their
impact in the tennis marketplace. His client list included the
USTA, Intercollegiate Tennis Association, Peter Burwash
International, Off the Grid Technologies, and Donnay USA.
Embree has served on many national USTA Committees,
including the USTA Nominating Committee in 2005-2006
and currently as the Vice Chair of USTA Professional Circuits
Committee. In addition, he recently served as Presidential
appointee of the Board of Directors of USTA Middle States
section, is a past member of TIA Board of Directors and
Executive Committee, member of the Board of Directors of
American College of Sports Medicine Foundation, and past
President of the Chicago Tennis Patrons Foundation. One of
his proudest achievements in tennis was the creation of the
USTA Adult League Tennis program in 1980, when he served
as the fi rst USTA Adult League Tennis Administrator for two
years. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Washington & Lee
University in Lexington, VA, and was inducted into the W&L
Athletic Hall of Fame in 2005.
John Embree New CEO