KCTL Leadership

Originally from a small town in Kentucky, Jamie is a graduate of Vassar College, where he studied Film and Spanish. He played four years of tennis for the Brewers, and got to play at Club Ciudad de Buenos Aires under former Argentine Fed Cup captain Toto Cerundolo. Jamie is passionate about making tennis more accessible and helping students harness it for personal growth.

Marc Bushelle was born in Barbados. Being the son of a US State Department father, his home quickly became different places around the world that included the Caribbean, Europe and Africa. This unique childhood has shaped his imagination, love of art and photography and has enhanced his ability to connect with a wide range of people.

Soon after college he started working as an assistant art director on many high-end music videos. Working with artists like LL Cool J, Jay-Z, Big Pun and Eve to help them deliver their visual message. After working in the film industry both in production and postproduction Bushelle transitioned into becoming a full-time professional photographer and videographer. He has worked at many notable Portrait Studios where he has gained national recognition. He continues to operate his private studio in Brooklyn NY which allows him to explore complex ideas while shooting everything from fashion and beauty to business and portraits. His work has been exhibited in galleries and venues in Texas, Philadelphia and New York City.

Joe is a tennis industry and nonprofit executive veteran who has held multiple leadership positions during his 13-year tenure with the United States Tennis Association, and spent the last seven years driving marketing and development initiatives at New York Junior Tennis & Learning, most recently serving as the NYJTL Chief Marketing and Development Officer and NYJTL Bronx Open Tournament Director.

He graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Arts and later earned a Master’s degree in Music from the Boston Conservatory. He also received a Master’s in Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in Manhattan, where he now teaches as an adjunct lecturer.

Joe is thrilled to bring his 20+ years of experience to KCTL to create greater access to the sport while bringing new opportunities and authentic relationships to KCTL’s young people, on and off the court.

Mohammad El-Haj Ahmad has over nine years of managerial and consulting experience at Ernst & Young. In his previous role, he specialized in reducing risk and maximizing effectiveness and efficiency, as well as analyzing current state of operations to design a new strategic roadmap for improvement.

Since 2017, Mohammad has worked with KCTL, beginning first as a volunteer and later growing his responsibilities as a site leader. With a passion for growing community through tennis, he has served on the Board of Directors for the Fort Greene Tennis Association for the past several years.

Mohammad is from Palestine, where he grew up learning to play tennis on the streets, and then later moved with his family to Qatar, where his passion for the sport continued to grow. He has lived in different neighborhoods in Brooklyn for over 10 years now, and he enjoys biking around the city.

Eric Fomba, originally from Normandy, France, began his tennis journey at the age of 3 and turned professional by 16. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and pursued graduate studies at Stanford, where he also competed on the varsity tennis team. After a few years working in finance in San Francisco, Eric transitioned to launching his own consulting business, helping startups grow and reach their full potential. His passion for tennis and expertise in business development led him to join KCTL, where he combines his skills to enhance community tennis programs.

As the new Events Manager for Kings County Tennis League, I'm thrilled to be working with our team to create memorable experiences that raise funds and awareness for KCTL's mission to use tennis and off-court educational activities as instruments for youth development. I am happy to give back to my community in such a meaningful way, bringing enrichment to children living in and around public housing in Brooklyn.

Mara graduated from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School of Public Communication and began her career working at the top global PR firms on US and international pharmaceutical launch campaigns. She left the for-profit sector in 2002 to join the External Affairs Department of the Hospital for Special Surgery, where she led a number of development, communications and government relations initiatives. Prior to joining KCTL, Mara worked at USTA Eastern, the New York section USTA office as public relations manager. It was there that she was assigned to write a feature article about KCTL and was instantly intrigued by its history and clever approach to taking sports-based youth development into public housing. Mara, her husband Ben and 12-year-old son Alex are avid tennis players, while teenage daughter Sydney plays varsity soccer, and tennis when needed for family doubles fun.

Dave is a PTR professional level tennis coach and brings years of experience playing and coaching to KCTL. As a junior he held a national ranking in the UK and represented his country. After school he played full-time for one year before accepting a scholarship to play College tennis in the US. Following graduation, Dave transitioned into coaching and has since taught and ran tennis programs in the UK, Long Island and Brooklyn. Passionate about teaching and working with children, he is excited to have found KCTL and is looking forward to having a positive impact on the program.

Kiel started playing tennis in his home county of Trinidad & Tobago after being an avid fan of the sport on TV. He migrated to Baltimore, MD to attend Morgan State University where he studied theatre and was a walk-on on the college’s tennis roster for 2 years. After graduating he moved to NYC because he wanted to be as close to art and artists as he could. Kiel has also made use of his Math knowledge by being a math tutor and mentor to middle and high school students. Last summer, Kiel began coaching with HQ Tennis and is excited to be a part of KCTL where he can continue being a mentor to the youth!

Originally from northern Colorado, Erica grew up playing tennis, where she won multiple high school regional titles and a doubles medal at State. After taking almost a decade away from her racket, she rediscovered her love for tennis through playing with ALTA in Atlanta and now in New York, through KCTL. As a Bed-Stuy resident, Erica enjoys connecting with her local community over the sport. You can often find her at the various public courts around the neighborhood - and if you do, please say hello! When not on the tennis court, Erica is a Registered Architect with a focus on multi-family housing in multiple cities across the United States.

Madison is a Connecticut native, who grew up playing tennis — competing in high school and coaching in college. After moving to New York in 2019, Madison quickly discovered KCTL and has been volunteering since 2021. Madison is always excited to connect on or off the court — feel free to shoot him an email!

Taiya Hansen is a current student at Columbia University majoring in Biology and minoring in Classics. She has played tennis for more than 10 years and loves the sport as well as coaching.

Pascal played tennis at Kenyon college. He coached for a year in Los Angeles, ran his own coaching business for years, and currently enjoys teaching tennis in Brooklyn. Outside of tennis, he enjoys making music.

Andrea has been a KCTL volunteer for four years at Jackie Robinson, where she also plays. She is a Service / UX Designer currently working at Chase. She also teaches a design course at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where she used to work. Andrea grew up playing soccer, hockey, tennis and basketball which all helped her feel a sense of belonging to a team. Now she can also be found writing, drinking coffee, rollerblading or hanging at the New York beaches.

My name is Branden Jones. I am a 25 year old college student striving to become a teacher. My passions include playing sports, meeting new people, and educating the youth. My welcoming personality and always encouraging attitude has helped me become a Teachers assistant and now an education coordinator for KCTL.

Tiara grew up in Canarsie, Brooklyn. She is currently a Daycare Provider in Fresh Meadows, Queens. Prior to that she was a community school tutor at Junior High School 8 in Jamaica, Queens. While working at Junior High School 8 she used her free work periods to mentor students. The sessions entailed helping students to build their self-esteem, find and become comfortable with their likes and beliefs. As well as to understand and accept the likes and beliefs of their peers. Joining the KCTL family as an Education Coordinator she is excited to help the children incorporate who they are and what they love to do into playing tennis. Not only to excel at playing tennis but to have fun while doing it. Tiara is eagerly looking forward to trying something new and learning how to play tennis from the children at KCTL.

Sandra is an accomplished tennis player and coach with an exemplary record representing her country and leading teams to championships and other victories. Hailing from Uganda, she has played in Fed Cup matches, captained the top club (PTC Warriors) to victory in the Ugandan Tennis League (KPTL) in 2019, and captained the Makerere University Business School tennis team, winning the University Games three times.

Samantha Mateo was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. As she has played Tennis as a hobby since she was 4 years old, Samantha grew a strong passion for playing the sport. Her energetic energy and positive attitude she brings to the program comes from her desire and passion for youth development, building community, and athletic development. Samantha is enthusiastic to share her passion for athletics and motivation for youth development to KCTL.

Raised in Miami, Florida, Kalia picked up tennis at age 8 and rallied on the court through middle and early high school. Although she’s played recreational tennis with family and friends through the years, volunteering with Kings County Tennis League at Marcy and GoGirlGo! programming in 2023 has pushed Kalia to return to the sport she cherished. When off the court, Kalia covers the entertainment and music industry for Rolling Stone, and disconnects through weekly vinyasa yoga classes and tending to her indoor garden.

Dennis is a backhand and volley obsessed tennis fanatic who has played the game non-stop since picking it up in college. He has served on the boards of local tennis associations in San Diego, San Francisco, Philadelphia, and New York City, and has previously coached youth during Arthur Ashe Kids Days at the US Open and with Brooklyn's Highland Park NJTL chapter. A devoted student of tennis history, Dennis has watched the pro game evolve in real time since the 1980's, and he has read dozens of tennis memoirs, biographies, histories, reference works, and instruction manuals (ask him about his favorites). He plays USTA and pickup tennis - as well as padel and squash - on courts throughout the five boroughs.

Henryetter Singh was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY. Her 6 years of experience span from operations, mentoring, youth development, and education. Her energetic energy and passion stems from her desire to work in a career that values teaching, learning, developing, and building community.

Grace began playing tennis at the age of 9, and played competitively through her teens. She rose to top rankings including the Top 300 nationally. The USTA also awarded her the 14U Sportsmanship award. Grace was trained by internationally known coaches and has also coached children during her summers with two clubs in NJ. Grace was also the first seed on her high school team. She is currently a Sophomore majoring in Sociology at Pace University in NYC. Her reputation as a compassionate, fun-loving, and kind person makes her a perfect addition to the KCTL family which she is incredibly excited to be a part of!

Denise was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, and loves her city. She enjoys cooking and taking spontaneous road trips, as well as being outdoors and active in general. She is the first of her family to attend and graduate from college, which she is proud of. Her favorite sports include gymnastics and jogging (if that counts). She is excited to start the KCTL journey!

David brings a strong blend of financial expertise and community passion to the Kings County Tennis League board. As a member of the Office of the CFO practice at Portage Point Partners, he advises clients on strategic finance solutions, operational efficiency, and leads interim management engagements. Previously, David held roles at Ankura Consulting, Morgan Stanley, and PwC. With a deep understanding of complex financial environments, he contributes valuable insights into financial operations and efficiency.

A lifelong tennis enthusiast, David is committed to using the sport as a vehicle for youth empowerment and community development. He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, a Master’s in Professional Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin, and an undergraduate degree from Kalamazoo College.

William Benesh is currently a director on the equity capital markets team at BNP Paribas, where he has worked since 2013. William graduated from Duke University in 2011 with a BS in Economics and a BA in Asian & Middle Eastern Studies with a Chinese concentration.

William has lived in NYC since 2011 but grew up in Texas where he played competitive USTA juniors tennis, and he continued to play through college as a member of the Duke men's club tennis team.

He began volunteering with KCTL in 2017 and has continued to serve as a volunteer at Marcy since then. He also served on the KCTL junior board, including a stint as co-chair, from 2018-2020.

William is also currently serving as a member of his local community board, Manhattan Community Board #2.

Kyle Brown is the Chief Administrative Officer at Metropolitan New York Library Council where he manages the day-to-day operations of the office and physical space. Kyle is a huge believer in how sports-based youth development programs benefit children across all backgrounds, positively impacting social, personal, and life skill growth and success. Kyle is delighted to support KCTL and its mission to serve the children of Brooklyn.

Kyle lives in Bed-Stuy and enjoys playing tennis with his two sons every time there’s a break in his schedule.

Joe is a tennis industry and nonprofit executive veteran who has held multiple leadership positions during his 13-year tenure with the United States Tennis Association, and spent the last seven years driving marketing and development initiatives at New York Junior Tennis & Learning, most recently serving as the NYJTL Chief Marketing and Development Officer and NYJTL Bronx Open Tournament Director.

He graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Arts and later earned a Master’s degree in Music from the Boston Conservatory. He also received a Master’s in Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in Manhattan, where he now teaches as an adjunct lecturer.

Joe is thrilled to bring his 20+ years of experience to KCTL to create greater access to the sport while bringing new opportunities and authentic relationships to KCTL’s young people, on and off the court.

Brian founded Brooklyn Equity in 2015 and has 20 years experience in buying and building small companies. Previously, Brian co-founded private equity firm Generation Equity Investors and worked at Allied Capital, Swander Pace Capital, and in M&A at Citigroup. Brian graduated from Cornell, where he was captain of the varsity squash team, and has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern.

Deandrea Greer-Thomas is tax strategist at Peloton Interactive, Inc. where she is leads the US indirect tax compliance for the company. Prior to joining Peloton, Deandrea worked at Deloitte and EY specializing in state and local tax for clients in the financial services industry.

Deandrea is passionate about youth empowerment in black and brown communities and joined KCTL because she believes in the organization’s mission and wants to help provide youth with life-long skills that they can rely on today, tomorrow, and for years to come.

Deandrea was born and raised in Dallas, TX and moved to Brooklyn after graduating from Hampton University. She holds a Master of Science in Taxation, and is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and National Association of Black Accountants, Inc.

Outside of work, Deandrea is an avid reader, and her favorite pastimes include traveling abroad and spending as much time outdoors whether it is biking, swimming, or spending a lazy day at the beach.

Michael McCasland moved to Brooklyn in 2008 to start his current job as a Criminalist for the City of New York. He supervises DNA testing on crime scene evidence and testifies as an expert witness to the results. He received a B.S. from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Masters in Forensic Science from George Washington University. Michael played tennis competitively growing up, at times ranking in the top 30 in North Carolina. Michael especially enjoys Bikram Yoga, bike rides to Coney Island with his wife, and meeting with people to bounce off ideas. 

Shannon O’Sullivan is Senior Counsel at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, where she practices in the Investment Funds Group. Shannon is a tennis enthusiast and grew up playing competitively and taught youth tennis for many years. She hopes to share her love of the sport with KCTL kids and communities. She received a B.A. in English and French from The University of Michigan in 2002 and a JD from The George Washington School of Law in 2005.

Jef is a senior finance and risk executive skilled in capital planning, stress testing, risk management, financial analysis, program/policy design, facilitation, performance measurement, quality management, and implementing large-scale change management solutions. Aside from Jef's love for the sport of tennis, he enjoys travel with Antarctica and the Galapagos still in his bucket list. He is also a foodie, a Harry Potter fan and can binge on K-Drama and K-Action series on Netflix.

Adam Stolz is Vice President for Strategy & Administration at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. Adam’s professional experience includes management and consulting roles in the public and private sectors, with an emphasis on healthcare, human services, and public safety. He is an NYC native and graduate of Hunter College High School. His interest in youth sports is rooted in his own childhood experience as a competitive baseball and chess player (with a little tennis on the side). Adam holds a B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Michigan’s Ford School of Public Policy.

Karen is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist in private practice. She received her Masters in Nutrition and Public Health at Teachers College, Columbia University and a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers University. Prior to her nutrition practice, she was a stay-home parent to her now full-fledged adult daughter and son, volunteered with various Brooklyn organizations and was a trustee at Packer Collegiate Institute.

A very long time prior, she worked in financial services at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette. Late to the game of tennis, she is nevertheless fanatical and usually has a decent left-handed slice serve. She joined KCTL to marry her love of tennis, kids and the Brooklyn community.

Eric is a Partner in the Strategy group at Lippincott, the branding and design firm behind the enduring identities of companies like Coca Cola, Campbell's, Delta, and Starbucks. He's also held brand and marketing leadership roles at Ogilvy and The Farmer's Dog.

A lifelong New Yorker, tennis player, and fan, Eric is excited to help KCTL tell its multifaceted story and amplify the impact of its mission as a Board Member.

He holds a BA in Cognitive Science from Yale University and an MBA from Stanford's Graduate School of Business. He currently lives in DUMBO with his husband, Rony, and their French Bulldog, Perry.

Heather is a native of Queens who moved to Brooklyn over 15 years ago and currently resides there with her husband and two sons. She grew up playing some tennis, but recently returned to the sport after a long hiatus and is thrilled to be back on the court.

Heather is a graduate of Georgetown University and Duke University School of Law. Following law school, she clerked on the Southern District of New York for the Hon. Miriam Goldman Cedarbaum and then joined Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP as a litigator, where she practiced law for sixteen years.

More recently Heather has turned her focus closer to home and, in addition to parenting, co-founded Brooklyn For Brooklyn, Inc. – a non-profit that supports Brooklyn’s first responders and facilitates direct dialogue with local Brooklyn officials. Tennis is a brilliant way to connect with children and to foster their development and Heather is extremely excited to be a part of KCTL.

Justin Wexler is a Technical Architect at Google, responsible for overseeing the development of automated customer support processes for Google’s consumer products and services. Prior to this role, Justin spent several years as a Strategic Cloud Engineer working with Google’s largest enterprise customers to deploy Google Workspace and a few more years as a Customer Solutions Engineer in the digital advertising space. Before Google, Justin worked at social media marketing start up Brand Networks, defense contractor Northrop Grumman, and consulting firm Protiviti.

Justin’s career in tennis never made it past the high school varsity team, though he still enjoys playing against (and usually losing to) friends and family. Nowadays, he predominantly spends his recreational time running around Central Park or scuba diving. Justin also volunteers with several other organizations in NYC seeking to close employment and education gaps, including: StreetWise Partners, Grow with Google, Code Next, and Per Scholas.

Justin grew up in Rockland County NY and graduated from the State University of NY at Binghamton with bachelor’s degrees in Finance and Computer Science.

Corbin Wong, Ph.D. is an Industrial / Organizational Psychologist by training who has over 12 years of experience within the field of talent and development. He is currently the Director of Organizational and Leadership Development at Fordham University.

During his career, he has been fortunate to craft his skills at renown companies such as eBay, Inc., Citigroup, Oliver Wyman, and Deutsche Bank. Prior to joining Fordham, Corbin was a VP at Morgan Stanley supporting the Wealth Management business unit with their talent and development initiatives.

During his free time, Corbin serves as an Adjunct Professor at New York University and Southern New Hampshire University. He often teaches classes such as Quantitative Models for Decision-Makers, Organizational Consulting, Leadership Theory and Practice, Human Resource Analytics, and Research Methods at the undergraduate and graduate levels. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, Personality and Individual Differences, and Social Justice Research.

Corbin is also an avid Serena Williams fan and hosts virtual meet-ups for members of Rena’s Army and has been fortunate to have Serena as a guest.

Corbin received his Doctorate from Hofstra University and Bachelors from The Pennsylvania State University.

Amanda Benenson was born and raised in Los Angeles, California and received a BA in Communications from American University with a focus in media studies. Following graduation, Amanda worked for former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley as a political coordinator. She then moved to La Jolla, California and was the marketing and PR intern at the La Jolla Playhouse. Amanda moved to New York City in 2017. She has worked in film and theatre production and as of recently, worked as a social media director for a non-profit.

Catherine’s favorite moments are spent on court just as a volunteer - where her journey first started. She is currently a Deployment Strategist at Palantir Technologies, building softwares with big data. She has been a tennis player for 18 years, competitive in high school in New Zealand and for Club Tennis at UPenn. You can find her queueing for courts all around New York City since 2020. Come talk to her about anything from site-leading at Marcy, to running career workshops, to fundraisers, to the endless opportunities she has found through KCTL that connect to our wonderful community of kids, families, volunteers and supporters.

Kate is Co-Chair of the KCTL Junior Board, an active volunteer in the Winter and Summer at Ingersoll, and a life-long tennis player. She has been volunteering at Ingersoll since its first season in the Winter of 2018 and has loved to see the kids come back year after year. She is currently a Senior Manager in the Office of the CEO at SageSure, a managing general underwriter and insurance technology leader in disaster-prone areas of the United States. Kate moved to New York after graduating from Johns Hopkins with a degree in Neuroscience and has worked in a variety of tech-related roles across industries. She loves being able to give back to her community and take a break from the New York hustle by volunteering on the court and supporting everything KCTL does in the community.

Sarah is currently an Associate at Rower LLC. Prior to that, she was part of the litigation and enforcement group at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where she represented clients in a broad range of matters including securities litigation, employment litigation, bankruptcy litigation, and regulatory investigations.

In her pro bono practice, Sarah has focused extensively on issues of gender equality, particularly gender-based violence and reproductive justice. Sarah also spent a year as a Cleary Gottlieb Pro Bono Fellow at Brooklyn Defender Services, where she focused on employment law and higher education access.

Sarah graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in political science and classical languages and literatures. She received her JD in 2018 from Harvard Law School, where she served as co-president of the Harassment/Assault Law-Student Team (HALT) and communications chair for the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender.

Madison is a Connecticut native, who grew up playing tennis — competing in high school and coaching in college. After moving to New York in 2019, Madison quickly discovered KCTL and has been volunteering since 2021. Madison is always excited to connect on or off the court — feel free to shoot him an email!

Ryan Kawahara was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area and moved to Brooklyn to attend New York University in 2020. He joined KCTL that same year and has been involved ever since. He has been coaching youth tennis for over 10 years and also enjoys rock climbing, running, and hiking. He is currently a Software Engineer at ESPN.

Andrew Minkovitz is a technology and media strategy consultant at Altman Solon. Prior to joining Altman Solon, he started his career at Deloitte after graduating from Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service. Andrew grew up playing competitive tennis and while in DC, played Club Tennis for Georgetown and was a student professional instructor. He joined KCTL in 2019, and was involved in the Development Committee and teaching on-court prior to joining the Junior Board. Andrew can often be found hitting at Fort Greene park trying to regain his form!

Jon joined the KCTL Junior Board in 2024. While tennis was one of many sports Jon played while growing up in Boston, he has rediscovered his love for the sport since moving to New York. Jon attended Brown University where he studied Architecture and Economics, and was also a Long Jumper and Triple Jumper on the Track & Field team.

Professionally, Jon is an Investment Banker at Morgan Stanley focused on clients in the Media & Communications industries. Outside of KTCL, Jon can be spotted riding the subway with his golf clubs to the local muni course, searching for the best bites in Brooklyn, and of course playing tennis at Lincoln Terrace courts.

Henryetter Singh has been a devoted advocate for education, youth leadership and development; with over 8 years of experience successfully thriving in leadership roles. She has a Bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies and a minor in Education from York College. Henryetter has actively participated to inspire, educate and develop skills with Kings County Tennis League. Her objective is to enhance positive youth development, support team building and help develop healthy youth that can thrive not only in tennis but throughout society.

Norman joined the Junior Board in 2023 to combine his love of tennis and desire for community impact. He is an active volunteer at the Ingersoll site and a lifelong tennis player since the age of 6 with experience coaching youth tennis as well. Originally from Philadelphia, Norman studied Economics at Villanova University and moved to Brooklyn in Fall 2022. Professionally, Norman is a Senior Financial Analyst at the Walt Disney Company, supporting Disney+ Marketing. Outside of KCTL, Norman can be found playing tennis in Crown Heights, supporting Philly sports teams, and exploring broader NYC and Brooklyn.