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.

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.

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.

Donn Paben

Managing Director of National Championships & Pro Player Relations

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Donn Paben serves as the Managing Director of National Championships and Pro Player Relations. In this role, Donn works to determine the pro standards for all USAP professional events, NCS events and the USAP National Championships. He serves as the tournament chair for the Nationals Committee and the Tournament Director of the event while working directly with the COO, and all USAP event staff to facilitate and grow all aspects of the USAP National Championships. In the pro player relations role, Donn works directly with the professional players by serving as the chair of the USAP pro player council. 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.

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.

Carl Schmits

Managing Director of Equipment Standards & Facility Development

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Carl Schmits serves as Managing Director of Equipment Standards & Facilities Development. He also serves as the chair of the Equipment and Evaluation Committee (EEC). In this role, Carl and his team are responsible for the definition, design, and implementation of specifications, standards and testing protocols. Carl is also USAP's primary liaison with the manufacturers and independent certification lab on all testing matters. He also oversees and manages USAP's equipment compliance department. 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.

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.

Karen Parrish

Director of Sanctioning

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Karen Parrish serves as the Director of Sanctioning for USA Pickleball. In her role, she works to develop and maintain a national standard for USAP sanctioned tournaments, regional tournaments and National Championships. Karen works with the COO and Competition Committee to review, revise and improve the current sanctioning process. In this capacity, she is charged with growing and streamlining all sanctioned tournament play including the Diamond Amateur Regionals, Diamond Amateur Championship, National Championship Series tournaments and both the Indoor and Outdoor National Championships. Other responsibilities include overseeing the ratings and all other sanctioning and qualifying-related areas. 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.

Melissa Zhang

Director of Communications and Content

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Melissa Zhang serves as the Director of Communications and Content for USA Pickleball, responsible for all communications efforts, media relations, social media, and content strategy for the organization. Prior to joining USA Pickleball, Melissa gained experience in sports communications and marketing while working for sports betting operator PointsBet, the Olympic National Governing Body of USA Team Handball, and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. She was named a Front Office Sports Rising 25 winner for the Class of 2021 for her efforts to build the Olympic sport of team handball in the US. Melissa earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she spent four years as a sports writer and editor, covering the New England Patriots and Division I collegiate sports at UCLA.

Hana Papaco

Manager of Recreational Programs

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Hana Papaco serves as the Manager of Recreational Programs for USA Pickleball and Co-Chair of the Grants Committee. In her role, she is responsible for promoting USA Pickleball’s recreational resources and assisting youth organizations, colleges/universities, parks and recreation departments, HOAs and other pickleball facilities and groups as they create more programs across the country. She also helps oversee the grant process, specifically the Youth and Collegiate Grant. Prior to USA Pickleball, Hana has gained over seven years of demonstrated work experience in recreational, collegiate and professional sports. Hana holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Ottawa University - Arizona, where she also played and was captain of the women’s tennis team.

Steve Stone

Sector Leader - North

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Steve Stone is USA Pickleball's Sector Leader - North. 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.

Eddie McDonald

Sector Leader - South

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Eddie McDonald serves as the Sector Leader for the South which comprises the Atlantic South, Mid-South, and Southwest Regions. Eddie completed a 30-year career as a Georgia High School Teacher, Coach, and Principal in 2014. Eddie and his wife Joan moved to Kalispell, Montana in 2015 where they took up the sport of Pickleball. Shortly afterward he became an ambassador and helped organize play there. They took their passion of the sport to Gulf Shores, Alabama in 2017 where he continued as Ambassador as well as President of the local pickleball club. Eddie has been involved in the running of several successful tournaments around the Alabama Gulf Coast, including two Atlantic South Regionals. He is a very competitive player as well as an IPTPA level 2 instructor.

Heather Conger

Sector Leader - East

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Heather Conger joined USA Pickleball in November 2022 as the East Sector Leader. In this newly created role, Heather helps support a national volunteer field of Regional Directors and USA Pickleball Ambassadors. Prior to joining USA Pickleball, Heather spent 23 years in collegiate athletics, 18 of those as a Director of Athletics within the National Junior College Athletic Association. During that time, she also served as the NJCAA Region 19 Assistant Women's Director which allowed her the opportunity to chair the NJCAA Division II and III Women's Soccer Committees. She also was selected to co-chair the NJCAA Student-Athlete Council designed to provide student-athletes with tools for involvement at both the regional and national levels of the association. She graduated from The College of New Jersey with her Bachelor of Science and Master of Education degrees, with a concentration in Athletic Administration. During her time at TCNJ she was a two time captain of the Lions, earning a Women’s Soccer National Championship in 1994.

Connie Thrasher

Sector Leader - West

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As Sector Leader for the West, Connie is responsible for the communication and resource allocation for the 3 regions associated with the West Sector. Connie helps support a volunteer field of Regional Directors and USAP Pickleball Ambassadors. Prior to joining USA Pickleball, Connie spent 38 years in the travel industry in a variety of leadership roles in both airline operations and global travel management. After a successful career in travel, Connie accepted an early retirement package in 2016 and began volunteering and dedicating time towards her passion projects which included animal rescue, consulting for underserved businesses and various youth programs. Connie was introduced to Pickleball in 2018 and immediately recognized the value of the sport on many levels. She became an Ambassador with a focus of growing the sport in her community and helping develop programs for everyone from youth to seniors. Since beginning her pickleball journey, she has held several volunteer positions with USAP which included Ambassador, District Ambassador, and Assistant Regional Director all focused on promoting and growing the sport.

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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