Management

Ray Benton

CEO

Biography
Ray Benton
rbenton@jtcc.org

Ray Benton

CEO

One of the most successful and experienced executives in the tennis industry, Ray is passionately committed to growing tennis participation at every level of the sport.

Under his leadership as the CEO since 2008, JTCC has been the recipient of the USTA’s Development Program of the Year, the USTA Organization of the Year, and the USTA Facility of the Year.

Most importantly, JTCC programs have developed ATP and WTA Tour players and more than 200 student-athletes who have earned over $21 million in college scholarships at top NCAA Division I, II, and III programs.

Ray was a founder and president of ProServ, a leading sports management and marketing firm, which managed top athletes including Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Tracy Austin, Pam Shriver, Michael Jordan, Patrick Ewing, Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Payne Stewart and Dave Winfield, among many other superstars. Ray directed the Volvo Grand Prix and the Volvo Masters at Madison Square Garden, serving as the tournament director for more than 100 major events.

Ray promoted the Nuveen Tour from 1993-2000, the first worldwide senior tennis circuit featuring Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and other legends of the game who competed in 22 events drawing 500,000 spectators annually.

As the first National Executive Director of the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL), Ray led the organization’s growth from three cities to 50 chapters. JTCC’s GEICO Game On! and Sandy Spring Bank Advantage Prince George’s programs are legacy NJTL chapters made possible through Ray’s vision.

Ray has served on the board of directors of the USTA and both the men’s and women’s professional tennis associations. He represented the North American Tournament Directors on the Men’s International Professional Tennis Council and the Top 20 players on the WTA Board of Directors.

Ray was inducted into the Mid-Atlantic Tennis Foundation Hall of Fame in 2005.

Vesa Ponkka

President

Biography
Vesa Ponkka
vponkka@jtcc.org

Vesa Ponkka

President

For more than two decades, Vesa has been the driving force behind JTCC’s holistic coaching philosophy since the doors first opened in 1999 at the training center in College Park, MD.

Vesa is a strong believer in the Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD) stages and the Long-Term Progressive Training Methods. He has directly overseen the development of hundreds of JTCC players competing in all levels of tennis; USTA, ITF, NCAA, ATP, WTA, Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Grand Slams, and Olympic Games. Under his leadership, JTCC has been named the National Development Program of the Year in 2013 and 2017 by USTA.

In 2011, Vesa was selected as the National Developmental Coach of the Year by the US Olympic Committee and was recognized as the National Junior Coach of the Year by Tennis Industry Magazine in 2013. Vesa is widely acclaimed as one of the best development coaches in the world and is a frequent speaker at national and international coaching education seminars.

As JTCC President, Vesa directs long-term strategic planning, facilitates project implementation, and fosters new partnerships. He also manages and mentors staff members and ensures the high standard of quality of JTCC programming.

His coaching certifications include USPTA, PTR, and USTA High Performance.

Vesa earned both an undergraduate degree in Business Administration and a MBA from the University of Tennessee.

Joe Wilkerson

Chief Operating Officer

Biography
Joe Wilkerson
jwilkerson@jtcc.org

Joe Wilkerson

Chief Operating Officer

With more than 20 years of professional experience in the health and tennis industry, Joe has an impressive track record of growing memberships and the game of tennis.

Joe held key management positions with Midtown Athletic Clubs and Midtown Health from 2003-17. He was hired as a tennis coach and moved quickly through the ranks to become Regional Tennis Director. In that role, Joe oversaw all tennis operations at two of Mercy Health’s clubs and three area country clubs. Joe was then promoted to General Manager for Mercy HealthPlex Anderson, the flagship of Midtown Health, where he operated a 150,000-square foot Health Wellness & Tennis Club in Cincinnati and led a team of 225 associates dedicated to creating the best athletic club environment in the greater Cincinnati area.

From 2017-19, Joe was General Manager of the Raleigh Racquet Club, a 31-court facility on 20 acres with more than 1,000 members in North Carolina.

When he was Senior Vice President, Joe immediately created Learn Tennis Now, JTCC’s new adult tennis program. He is responsible for oversight of club operations, programming and staffing. In addition, he manages capital projects and seeks new business development opportunities for JTCC nationwide.

Joe was recruited to play collegiate tennis for Methodist University in Fayetteville, NC where he graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a concentration in Professional Tennis Management,

Joe holds certifications from USPTA, PTR, and USTA Sports Science.

Megan Moulton-Levy

Vice President

Biography
Megan Moulton-Levy
mmoultonlevy@jtcc.org

Megan Moulton-Levy

Vice President

A former top 50 WTA Tour doubles standout and two-time recipient of the National ITA/Arthur Ashe, Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship, Megan serves as an aspirational role model for JTCC players and coaches. She continues to be widely recognized as a leader in the sport and was recently appointed to the USTA Board of Directors.

As the General Manager of Player Development and a member of the Executive Team, Megan’s goal is to create an environment of excellence both on and off the court at JTCC. Her certifications include PTR Performance, USTA High Performance and USTA Facility Coach.

Since joining JTCC in 2016, Megan has coached and mentored players who have been crowned NCAA Champions, achieved top 100 ITF junior rankings, and who have continued to succeed playing DI and DIII collegiate tennis.

Competing on the professional tour from 2008-17, Megan demonstrated her consistency by reaching the Round of 32 at all four Grand Slams in doubles and winning the WTA Monterrey doubles championship in addition to 10 ITF doubles titles.

While earning a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from William & Mary in 2007, Megan completed a stellar college tennis career with a top 10 ranking in both singles and doubles, achieving the #1 ranking in doubles and #7 in singles. The six-time All-American reached the semifinal round of the 2006 NCAA Singles Championship and the final round of the 2007 NCAA Doubles Championship.

Megan’s coaching philosophy is, “Get players excited about their progress which will fuel their motivation to continue to work hard, overcome setbacks and reach their full potential.”

Briana Walsh

Chief Development Officer

Biography
Briana Walsh
bwalsh@jtcc.org

Briana Walsh

Chief Development Officer

After an impressive 12-year career in healthcare philanthropy and fundraising that included five years at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and seven years with the Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation (AAMCF), Briana Walsh is thrilled to join JTCC as Chief Development Officer.

Briana’s hard work for the AAMCF helped secure a $3 million private gift to build a new mental health hospital in Anne Arundel County. The Severna Park native graduated from Loyola University and earned an M.S. degree in Sports & Event Management from George Washington University.

She is ecstatic to join JTCC and return to her roots in sports philanthropy where she began her career with the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation fundraising for youth baseball programs in underserved areas of the Washington, DC metropolitan area.

Show LessShow MoreExecutive Staff

Coaches

Ali Agnamba

Senior Director of Player Development

Biography
Ali Agnamba
aagnamba@jtcc.org

Ali Agnamba

Senior Director of Player Development

  • Since joining JTCC in 2003, has developed more than 100 players who have competed at Division I, II and III universities
  • Named 2022 US Olympic Committee Developmental Coach of the Year
  • Coached ATP pros Frances Tiafoe and Denis Kudla and WTA pro Robin Montgomery
  • Certifications: USTA, PTR & USPTA High Performance

Oliver Akli

Senior Director of Coach Development

Biography
Oliver Akli
oakli@jtcc.org

Oliver Akli

Senior Director of Coach Development

  • One of the first coaches to join JTCC in 2000
  • Has had many coaching success stories with players who have won ITF tournaments and who have earned scholarships and played top Division I, II and III tennis
  • Certifications: USPTR & USPTA High Performance

Miroslav Vlcek

Director of Junior Champions

Biography
Miroslav Vlcek
mvlcek@jtcc.org

Miroslav Vlcek

Director of Junior Champions

  • Oversees High Performance player development for ages 8-12
  • Certifications: PTR Performance

James Carr

Director of Champs II

Biography
James Carr
jcarr@jtcc.org

James Carr

Director of Champs II

  • Has held various key coaching positions at JTCC including Co-Director of Champs II
  • Certifications: USTA & USPTA High Performance

Asaf Yamin

Director of International Operations

Biography
Asaf Yamin
ayamin@jtcc.org

Asaf Yamin

Director of International Operations

  • Oversees all aspects of the High Performance program
  • Former assistant coach for the Israeli Fed Cup Team
  • Certifications: ITF Level 1 and Level 2, Senior Coach- Israeli Tennis Association, Youth Olympic Committee Coach, Advanced Coach- PTR, Israeli Defense Forces- Elite Unit Service

TC Costello

Senior Director of Athlete Development

Biography
TC Costello
tcostello@jtcc.org

TC Costello

Senior Director of Athlete Development

  • Current fitness coach of professional player Frances Tiafoe
  • Works with WTA player Alison Riske as well as numerous ITF Top 10 players
  • Certifications: NSCA strength and conditioning specialist & DBC Fitness Level 1

Peter Lee

Director of Mental Skills & College Advisor

Biography
Peter Lee
plee@jtcc.org

Peter Lee

Director of Mental Skills & College Advisor

  • Responsible for training High Performance players on their mental skills
  • Assist players with the college recruiting process
  • Assist mentoring students to help them gain acceptance to the colleges of their choice

Marek Slojewski

Junior & Adult Competition Coordinator

Biography
Marek Slojewski
mslojewski@jtcc.org

Marek Slojewski

Junior & Adult Competition Coordinator

  • Coaches players in Future Champs and Adult programs
  • Played collegiate tennis at Cameron University & named ITA Scholar-Athlete in 2022

Iosua Malaki

Director of Junior & Adult Development

Biography
Iosua Malaki
imalaki@jtcc.org

Iosua Malaki

Director of Junior & Adult Development

  • Oversees the Junior & Adult development pathway
  • Coaches players in Future Champions and Adult tennis
  • Certifications: PTR Level 2, USTA, WTCA, and iTPA

Terence Tche

Junior Performance Program Manager

Biography
Terence Tche
ttche@jtcc.org

Terence Tche

Junior Performance Program Manager

  • Coaches players in Future Champs and Adult tennis programs
  • Serves as director for USTA and other tournaments hosted at JTCC

Paula Coyos

Senior Coach & FILA Manager

Biography
Paula Coyos
pcoyos@jtcc.org

Paula Coyos

Senior Coach & FILA Manager

  • Coaches Champions program players
  • Handles FILA account for JTCC
  • Certification: PTR High Performance

Eric Davidson

Staff Professional

Biography
Eric Davidson
edavidson@jtcc.org

Eric Davidson

Staff Professional

  • Coaches in the Future Champions program
  • Teaches Adult group and private lessons
  • Former Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army Reserves

Priyana Kalita

Staff Professional

Biography
Priyana Kalita
pkalita@jtcc.org

Priyana Kalita

Staff Professional

  • Coaches players in Champions High Performance programs
  • Played collegiate tennis at Miami University of Ohio
  • Former assistant coach for nationally ranked Swarthmore College Women’s Tennis team

Matthew O’Connor

Staff Professional

Biography
Matthew O’Connor
moconnor@jtcc.org

Matthew O’Connor

Staff Professional

  • Coaches players in the junior champs and adult tennis programs
  • Played collegiate tennis at Occidental College
Show LessShow MoreCoaches

Administrative

Winnie Bo

Development & International Associate

Biography
Winnie Bo
wbo@jtcc.org

Winnie Bo

Development & International Associate

Sasha Chin

Human Resources Manager

Biography
Sasha Chin
schin@jtcc.org

Sasha Chin

Human Resources Manager

Tyler Delaney

General Manager

Biography
Tyler Delaney
tdelaney@jtcc.org

Tyler Delaney

General Manager

  • Responsible for overseeing club operations, facilities, programming, and staffing
  • Assist with marketing initiatives and help grow membership sales
  • Played collegiate tennis at George Mason University

Dylan Green

Development Associate

Biography
Dylan Green
dgreen@jtcc.org

Dylan Green

Development Associate

  • Assists on all development and fundraising campaigns in support of JTCC’s mission
  • Graduated from Duke University in 2023 with a Public Policy degree and a Psychology minor

Jon Hall

Marketing & Sales Manager

Biography
Jon Hall
jhall@jtcc.org

Jon Hall

Marketing & Sales Manager

  • Manages JTCC’s social media platforms and marketing initiatives
  • In charge of US Open Fundraising Camp
  • Point of contact for membership inquiries
  • Received his Masters in Sports Industry Management from Georgetown University

Gabby Hesse

Head of Wheelchair & Adaptive Tennis

Biography
Gabby Hesse
ghesse@jtcc.org

Gabby Hesse

Head of Wheelchair & Adaptive Tennis

  • Oversees Adaptive programs including Tennis Corps, Special Olympics, and Wheelchair Tennis
  • Certifications: PTR L1 and USPTA L1
  • USTA National Wheelchair Tennis Committee & USTA Mid-Atlantic Section Youth Play Committee member

Katie Marzerka

Marketing Associate

Biography
Katie Marzerka
kmarzerka@jtcc.org

Katie Marzerka

Marketing Associate

  • Assists with JTCC marketing initiatives including graphic design projects
  • Facilitate growth of JTCC’s presence on all social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and X

Olivia Medina

Outreach Associate

Biography
Olivia Medina
omedina@jtcc.org

Olivia Medina

Outreach Associate

  • Assists on all data collection and lesson plans for Youth Impact programs GEICO Game On! in the District of Columbia and Advantage Prince George’s in Maryland
  • Assists on tracking community service hours for JTCC staff and players

John Niswander

Marketing & Events Associate

Biography
John Niswander
jniswander@jtcc.org

John Niswander

Marketing & Events Associate

  • Assists with JTCC’s social media platforms and marketing initiatives including press releases and newsletters
  • Liaison for all departments in event planning, management, and execution

Mark Santangelo

Director of School

Biography
Mark Santangelo
msantangelo@jtcc.org

Mark Santangelo

Director of School

For 15 years, Mark has been responsible for the extraordinary academic success of the student-athletes enrolled in the JTCC School who have been admitted to the most prestigious colleges and universities in the nation.

From course selection and time management to tutorial support, exams, and college applications, Mark also coordinates community service activities including the annual MLK Day of Service and the annual Trail Clean-Up in coordination with the Maryland Parks Department.

With both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master’s Degree in History earned at Yale and George Washington University, respectively, Mark is the primary support for students’ History and English courses offered through the Laurel Springs curriculum.

The annual JTCC School graduation organized by Mark is the capstone to the students’ academic experience.

Julia Vranas

Classroom Teacher

Biography
Julia Vranas
jvranas@jtcc.org

Julia Vranas

Classroom Teacher

Bingyu Zhou

Staff Accountant

Biography
Bingyu Zhou
bzhou@jtcc.org

Bingyu Zhou

Staff Accountant

  • Handles payroll and accounts receivable
  • Holds a B.S. in business with a focus in Accounting and Information System Management from George Mason University
Show LessShow MoreStaff

Board Members

Distinguished Leaders

Ken Brody

Founder

Peter Ackerman

Chairman Emeritus

Board of Directors

Alison Kutler

Chair

Gail Lione

Vice Chair

Gail Lione

Vice Chair

Gail Lione is a senior executive with business strategy, intellectual property, human resources, and corporate governance experience in the C-Suite. She is Senior Counsel at Dentons US LLP, where she currently co-chairs the firm’s ESG Task Force and is the immediate past co-chair of its Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Ms. Lione is an adjunct professor of intellectual property law at Georgetown University Law School and she previously taught at Marquette University Law School and American University Law School. Ms. Lione is also a Fellow of the ESG Center (formerly the Governance Center) of The Conference Board.

Ms. Lione is a sought after corporate board member. She has been a member of the Board of Directors and Audit Committee of Sargento Foods Inc. since 2006 and now serves on its Compensation Committee; and she also served for 10 years as a member of the Board of Directors of Badger Meter, Inc. (NYSE:BMI) until April 2022 and was its Lead Director from April 2015 to April 2017. Ms. Lione formerly served as a director of Imperial Sugar Company (NASDAQ:IPSU) and a director of The F. Dohmen Co, a Wisconsin private company in the life science services business. As a current corporate director, she is a member of Women Corporate Directors, Washington DC chapter.

Rushern Baker

Rushern Baker

Baker recently concluded his eight-year term as County Executive of Prince George’s County.

During his time in office he worked towards improving the county’s economic development. Baker created more jobs, reduced crime rates, and increased property values in order to make Prince George’s County one of the leading economic engines in Maryland.

Baker received both his bachelor’s and law degree from Howard University.

While in office Baker was also successful in increasing school enrollment and improving test scores.

Mike Barnello

Kathleen Horvath

Kathleen Horvath

Kathleen Horvath brings a wealth of tennis and management experience to JTCC. She was a prominent WTA player from 1980-89, achieving a top 10 world ranking and earning 10 professional titles. Horvath holds the record for being the youngest US Open participant, at 14-years-old and five days. One of Horvath’s greatest accomplishments was defeating Martina Navratilova in the fourth round of the 1983 French Open, which marked Navratilova’s only loss of the year.

Horvath has been heavily involved with the game off the court. She is currently a member of the Business Advisory Council for USTA Player Development, and she previously served on the WTA Board, the WTA Investment Committee, and the US Open Tournament Committee.

Horvath’s experience extends beyond tennis. She has worked in fixed income institutional sales at Merrill Lynch and as Vice President of Private Wealth Management at Goldman Sachs.

A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business with a BS in Economics and an MBA in Finance, Horvath resides in Bradenton, FL. She has three children — Erika, Andy, and RJ.

Charles Brody

Charles Brody

Brody most recently worked as an analyst for Sutton Square Partners in New York. His previous professional experience includes three and a half years at Manor Road Capital and two at Peter J. Solomon. Brody attended Kenyon College where he starred on the tennis team for four years. He was also one of the first students to train at JTCC when the doors opened in 1999 therefore bringing this unique experience to the Board of Directors.

Julia Cullen

Brad Frome

Eric Joseph

Richey Reneberg

Richey Reneberg

Richey Reneberg competed for 13 years on the ATP professional tennis circuit reaching a career high of No. 20 in the world in singles and No. 1 in the world in doubles. He was a member of the United States Davis Cup Team from 1933-95 and in 1997-98, and represented the United States in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Reneberg also served two terms on the ATP Tour Player Council from 1994 to 1996. He attended Southern Methodist University for three years before pursuing a career in professional tennis. He joined Taconic Capital Advisors in September 2000, where he is currently a Director, Investor Relations.

George Walker

George Walker

George Walker IV is co-founder and CEO of Air Ventures LLC, a company that specializes in Airport Concessions. George oversees all aspects of Air Ventures, a food and beverage airport concessionaire, including setting company strategies and goals, implementing financial objectives, business development and hiring management team members. George has over 20 years of experience in the airport concession business. In 1997 he started OSI-MB, Inc., an airport retail concession business. In 2003 Walker partnered with Bill Newlin and formed Air Ventures. Walker has led the expansion from one concession to 27 concessions in eight U.S. airports.

In March of 2020, Emirates Leisure Retail Group (100% wholly owned subsidiary of Emirates Airlines) purchased a majority stake in Air Ventures. Walker and Newlin retain a minority stake in the business and continue to oversee the management, business development and operations for the United States.

Walker has served on the boards of the Opportunity Systems, Inc, Edmund Burke School, Capital Bank, N.A, RICH (a non-profit that provides high quality educational resources, free of charge to inner city schools in Washington DC). He currently serves on the advisory board for the Junior Tennis Champions Center (JTCC) in College Park. He is a graduate of Pomona College where he captained the Men’s Tennis team to a 6th place ranking in the nation.

Walker and his wife Robin reside in Washington and are parents to Alexandra and George.

Brian Kenner

Advisory Board

Eric Joseph

Chair

Eric Joseph

Chair

Eric Joseph is a senior partner with Heidrick & Struggles, one of world’s leading global leadership advisory firms and serves as the Chair of JTCC’s Advisory Board. He specializes in CEO succession planning and Board of Director development for corporate and nonprofit clients. Over his more than 25-year career with the firm, Eric has held a number of leadership roles including Managing Partner of the firm’s Washington D.C. office, Global Leader of the Technology Services Practice, and U.S. Regional Managing Partner of the Social Impact Practice.
Eric’s passion for tennis led him to a competitive career as a junior in the USTA Mid-Atlantic Section, an active player in national adult tournaments and, more recently, his deep involvement and commitment to the mission and development of JTCC.

Susan Baker

Graeme Bush

Olivia Byrne

Conrad Cafritz

Patricia Delaney

Hon. Byron Dorgan

Mark Ein

Adrian Fenty

Brandon Flury

Reza Ghorbani

Stephen Glover

Ram Gurunathan

Brian Harris

Sarah Howard

Jason Kaplan

Jackie Kelly

Brian Kenner

Jack Mills

Tom Monahan

Bob Okun

Vladimir Petrović

Rynthia Rost

Jim Senker

Mark Tercek

Robert Thomson

Sheila Walker

Lawrence Washington

Steve Whisnant

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