About Us

Mission

The mission of the USA Pickleball is to promote the development and growth of pickleball in the United States and its territories.

USA Pickleball is the National Governing Body for the sport of pickleball in the U.S. and provides players with official rules, tournaments, rankings and promotional materials.

The association is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation and governed by a board of directors and professional staff who provide the guidance and infrastructure for the continued growth and development of the sport.

USA Pickleball Staff

Stu Upson

Chief Executive Officer

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Stu Upson was named Chief Executive Officer of USA Pickleball in December of 2020. Prior to joining USA Pickleball, Stu was the Chief Operating Officer at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island for 6 years. His previous sports management positions include Executive Director of the United States Bowling Congress (the national governing body of bowling), Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Skip Barber Racing, and Senior Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing at First USA Bank. His sports and entertainment experience began when he joined Major League Baseball Properties as Vice President of Business Development after several years of working at New York advertising agencies. Stu is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California.

Justin Maloof

Chief Operating Officer

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Justin Maloof was named Executive Director for USA Pickleball on January 1, 2013 and was the organization’s first full-time employee. He was elevated to Chief Operating Officer in 2021. As USA Pickleball’s COO, he is responsible for the overall operation of the organization. He also oversees USA Pickleball’s operational structure, sustainability and service to its members and sponsors. Maloof is entering his 10th year with USA Pickleball and his 30th year in professional/amateur sports. Prior to joining USAP, he served 16 years with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes Hockey Club. He served 2 years as the team’s head fan development before being named Executive Director of the team’s training center in Scottsdale.

Chuck Menke

Chief Marketing Officer

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Chuck Menke has 27 years of executive leadership experience at the highest levels of the sports industry, including the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Movement, NCAA Division I Athletics and the National Hockey League. Most recently he served as Interim CEO of Sparking Life, a national non-profit organization dedicated to advancing mind-body wellness through physical fitness. Previously Chuck was the Chief Marketing Officer at USA Triathlon while overseeing revenue, marketing and communications. There he led record sales income through non-endemic partnerships such as Toyota, MetLife and Transamerica. Chuck also drove the marketing strategy to reach an organizational high in membership. Chuck earlier held senior management roles with USA Ultimate, Quinnipiac University Athletics, the St. Louis Blues and USA Hockey. He graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

Dan Ellsworth

Chief Financial Officer

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Dan Ellsworth serves as Chief Financial Officer responsible for custody and management of the corporate funds, managing accounts payable and receivables, budget maintenance, payroll, federal/state tax filings and as Secretary and Treasurer for the Board. In his earlier career, Dan spent six years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear reactor operator, then worked at different public electric utilities in engineering and finance until he retired in 2014. Dan started with USA Pickleball as the Treasurer from 2011 to 2012. In 2013, Dan joined the staff as a part-time bookkeeper and then full time in 2020. Dan holds an MBA from Brenau University.

Steve Stone

Director of Ambassadors

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Steve Stone is the USA Pickleball Director of Ambassadors, responsible for nearly 2,000 volunteer Ambassadors across the United States and its territories. Steve holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, attained while minoring in Mathematics and Psychology, from Drake University in Des Moines, IA. An Army Veteran, Airborne Ranger, Steve has received a variety of awards, accolades, and achievements, in the military as well as throughout his business and personal life. Steve cites those most valuable and rewarding as those which helped, educated, or enriched others. In his spare time, Steve enjoys music, singing & entertaining, graphic design, travel, racket-sports (including pickleball), and site-seeing.

Karen Parrish

Managing Director of Competition & Sanctioning

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Karen Parrish serves as the Managing Director of Competition and Sanctioning for USA Pickleball. In her role, she is charged with growing and streamlining all sanctioned tournament play including Diamond Amateur Regionals, Diamond Amateur Championship, National Championship Series tournaments and both the Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. Other responsibilities include overseeing the ratings as well as any other competition-related areas as deemed necessary. Prior to her current position with USA Pickleball, Karen worked as the Atlantic South Regional Director for 4 years. After graduating from Calvary Christian Academy in 1981, she attended NWF State College majoring in Business Administration and Sports Fitness and Recreation Management.

Nikki Greene

Managing Director of Membership

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Nikki Greene is an accomplished leader with a unique blend of formal education and experience in Business Administration, Organizational & Technology Management, Conflict Resolution & Consulting and has held several senior-level Leadership positions. As Sr. Director of Business Relationship Management, Business Services, IT Planning, & Processes, for Fireman’s Fund, Nikki built the internal Consulting Practice responsible for improving relationships, and governance. As Sr. Director for eCommerce Business Services & Strategy for McKesson, she directed the staff responsible for the annual electronic production of daily business. Quality Customer Care and Service has always been at the heart of each endeavor, making it a perfect fit for her role as Managing Director of Membership for USA Pickleball. Nikki is passionate about Pickleball and is a proud member in a Club of 1500+ players. She also sits on the Code of Conduct Committee in her community and is a registered volunteer for her county’s Emergency Planning for Disaster Preparedness.

Mark Peifer

Managing Director of Officiating

Mark Peifer

Managing Director of Officiating

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A former nuclear submarine officer, Mark Peifer started playing pickleball after his retirement as an electric utility Chief Operating Officer in July 2015. He became a Certified Referee in June 2017 and was selected as Chairman of the Rules Committee and USA Pickleball’s first Director of Officiating in April 2019. As Managing Director, Mark is responsible for the overall training, development, and mentoring of Level 1, Level 2, and Certified Referees, which number approximately 650 across the country and in Canada. As Chairman of the Rules Committee, he is accountable for the Rulebook and its revision process.

Hope Tolley

Managing Director of Recreational Programs

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Hope Tolley serves as the Managing Director of Recreational Programs and Services for USA Pickleball. In her role, she is charged with developing, launching, and leading programs aimed at growing USA Pickleball among recreational players by generating engagement and providing tools, resources, and play initiatives. Prior to USA Pickleball, Hope worked for the United States Tennis Association developing and initiating marketing strategies for recreational programs and implementing tennis programs within school systems. Hope holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology from UNC Greensboro and a Master of Arts degree in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland at College Park.

Carl Schmits

Managing Director of Equipment Standards & Facility Development

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Carl Schmits serves as Managing Director; Equipment Standards & Facilities Development and serves as the EEC chair. In this role, Carl is responsible for the definition, design, and implementation of specifications, standards and testing protocols and serves as our primary liaison with the manufacturers and independent certification labs on all testing matters. Carl’s training was in industrial and systems engineering with Battelle Memorial Institute, with careers in professional racquet sports (including field product development), and executive-level roles within information and communications technology, medical device development, robotics and renewable energy. He's active in the sport, achieving a 5.0 rating in 2017.

Donn Paben

Managing Director of Pro Player Relations & Equipment Compliance

Donn Paben

Managing Director of Pro Player Relations & Equipment Compliance

Read Donn's Bio

Donn Paben serves as the Managing Director of Pro Player Relations and Equipment Compliance. Donn's Pro Player Relations role is to work directly with the professional players by serving as the Chair of the Professional Players Council. His Equipment Compliance responsibilities include the acquisition and testing of approved paddles and balls to ensure they continue to be manufactured according to USA Pickleball guidelines. Prior to joining USA Pickleball, Donn spent thirty-four years in the fire service. Donn is a former competitive tennis and paddle tennis player which provided a natural transition into playing, refereeing and supporting the sport of pickleball.

John Greene

Managing Director of Partnerships

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John Greene brings 30+ years of partnership sales experience that included 9 years as the VP of Global Partnerships for AEG (Anschutz Entertainment Group). At AEG, John lead the partnership strategies for the LA Kings, LA Galaxy, Chivas USA, San Jose Earthquake, Houston Dynamo, Chicago Fire, Amgen Tour of California, Alaska Airlines Bay to Breakers, Rugby Sevens, JP Morgan Chase Open, Acura Classic and XGames LA. He also created partnerships for high-profile venues such as Crypto.com Arena, LA Live, Divinity Health Center, Sprint Center, Prudential Center, O2 Arena, MasterCard Arena and The Colosseum. Before joining USA Pickleball as the Head of Partnerships, John had been a Sports Property Consultant for the Pure Silk Championship, Hoag Classic, SDCC OC Marathon, USA Pro Challenge, and Colorado Classic/Velorama.

Lance Cowart

Managing Director of Field Operations

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Lance Cowart joined USA Pickleball in August 2022 as the Managing Director of Field Operations. In this newly created role, Lance helps build and support a national volunteer field comprising Sector Leaders, Regional Directors and USA Pickleball Ambassadors. Prior to joining USA Pickleball, Lance spent 28 years in executive leadership and sales, primarily in the medical device industry, where he led numerous teams to best-in-class results. Lance, who is a competitive pickleball player, earned All-America honors while playing tennis at Abilene Christian University in Texas. After graduating, he continued his tennis career while playing professionally both nationally and internationally.

Inclusion - USA Pickleball

Since the establishment of the USA Pickleball, a core principle is that discrimination is prohibited. Specifically, membership and all rights of participation in USA Pickleball, including all tournaments and other events conducted or sanctioned by it, are and will be open to all persons without regard to race, age, religion, creed, sexual orientation, color, national origin, disability or gender. We will continue to implement this core principle in our mission as we develop and promote the sport of pickleball in the U.S.

Mailing Address:
USA Pickleball
P.O. Box 7354
Surprise, AZ 85374

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About USA Pickleball

Mission

About Us

USA Pickleball Staff

Stu Upson

Justin Maloof

Chuck Menke

Dan Ellsworth

Steve Stone

Karen Parrish

Nikki Greene

Mark Peifer

Mark Peifer

Hope Tolley

Carl Schmits

Donn Paben

Donn Paben

John Greene

Lance Cowart

Inclusion - USA Pickleball