HighFIVE: Leanne Palmisano

Leanne Palmisano embarks on a new career path as she takes the helm as the Executive Director of USPTA Intermountain.

Leanne Palmisano has had many roles in tennis throughout her lifetime. And, as of the start of 2024, she can add Executive Director of the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) Intermountain Division to that list!

Palmisano’s first role in tennis was as a player. The New Mexico native’s parents introduced her to the sport when she was 9 years old and she quickly moved up the ranks in the Southwest section, eventually playing all over the country in USTA national tournaments. One of Palmisano’s favorite tennis memories comes from this time when, as a junior, she won the New Mexico Open women’s doubles title with her sister.

After high school, Palmisano went on to play at the University of New Mexico for four years, which was capped off with an exceptional senior year when she became the first female player from the school to advance to the NCAA Division 1 Singles Championship. That year, she beat several top-10 nationally ranked players, was named to the All-Conference team in both singles and doubles (for the second time) and was named the team’s MVP. Her accomplishments were further recognized when she was inducted into UNM’s Athletic Hall of Honor in 2008.

Following college, she played professionally for a while. Reflecting on moments in her professional career which were especially meaningful, Palmisano says, “I won an event in Vancouver, British Columbia. I competed in the Virginia Slims tournament when it was in Albuquerque. And I was runner up in mixed doubles at the Lipton International Championships – my partner and I were featured in Tennis Magazine in an article about mixed doubles.”

Palmisano moved to Denver in 1986 and took on her next role in tennis as a coach, leading the University of Denver’s men’s and women’s teams from 1986-1990, while also coaching USTA’s Team Colorado and the Intermountain Sectional Zonals squad. 

A few years later, she took on her most recent role as Director of Tennis at Crestmoor Community Association in Denver, a position she held from 1989-2022. During her time there, Palmisano developed both a strong tennis program and helped strengthen the community. 

“I am proud of the program that I built at Crestmoor. I helped foster a love of the game for many people and their kids and eventual grandkids! It was great to be able to spread the love of tennis across generations like that. And, through tennis, I helped people create and build lifelong friendships with one another. Also, it was important to me that each person knew and believed that they belonged on the tennis court regardless of level. A beginner's experience with the game was just as important to me as an advanced player's experience.”

In addition to her on-court involvement with tennis, Palmisano also served on numerous USTA Colorado committees. Her dedication to tennis was recently recognized when she was named the 2023 winner of the USTA Colorado Bud Robineau Award, given annually to an individual for their outstanding contributions to the tennis community. 

Now, in her new role, Palmisano will help the more than 475 members of the USPTA Intermountain Division in their mission to elevate the standards for tennis teaching professionals and coaches. She is eager to meet more coaches in the Intermountain Division and across the country who share the same passion for tennis that she does. She says she is excited about this “opportunity to serve the tennis community in a new way and wants to bring new coaches into the profession and let people know that they can make tennis a career.” And with the career success Palmisano has had in her various tennis roles, she is the perfect person to make that happen.

To learn more about what’s happening at the USPTA Intermountain Division, visit their Facebook page.

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