HighFIVE: Polica Houston

CEO of Denver Tennis Park, Polica Houston's passion for youth and community building are the perfect combination.

When Polica Houston joined Denver Tennis Park (DTP) in June 2025 as the new Chief Executive Officer, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to merge his personal and professional passions as he says, “Denver Tennis Park is where my work in education, youth development, and athletics comes together”.

The proud Colorado native primarily played football growing up but did have some experience with tennis as a kid. 

“I first picked up a racquet at six. My family lived in a community with tennis courts, and my uncle would take me out to play. Unfortunately, he died of cancer when I was ten. Playing tennis brought back memories of him, and without him there to take me to the courts, I lost interest. However, I was able to embrace the values of tennis and incorporate them to my love of football and later became a Division I football player.”

After college, Polica continued his involvement with football as a high school coach in Denver while also starting his career as an educator, in which he spent five years teach PE, English and Spanish. In 2007, he joined the University of Denver’s Bridge Project, a community outreach initiative of the Graduate School of Social Work which provides educational opportunities for youth, as an Education Specialist which started his leadership roles with non-profit organizations. This led to him overseeing youth programs and community outreach for DU Athletics, while also earning a master’s in higher education from DU.

In 2015, he returned to Denver Public Schools and spent the following seven years in a variety of roles, including assistant principal and athletic director at Northfield High School. He then served as Chief Program Officer at Boys Hope Girls Hope of Colorado followed by Vice President of Programs of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado.

Polica’s extensive background in mentoring, nurturing and guiding youth combined with his experience in relationship building and initiative development made him a perfect fit to lead DTP and work with the Board of Directors to “set long-term strategy and lead our staff in bringing it to life”. 

 “Throughout my career, I have worked alongside adults who open doors for young people and stay with them as they find their footing. At DTP, that can begin with a PE teacher putting a racquet in a student’s hands and continue with a coach who knows their name and looks forward to seeing them again. I know from my own experience how easy it is to lose touch with a sport when there’s no clear next step. I am proud that we can give kids both a place to start and a place to keep playing. What inspires me most is our commitment to serving all kids and the whole kid. What we offer is so much more than tennis. You see it in our mental skills training, in the conversations we bring to the community, and in the care our staff put in to designing lessons. Those lessons give young people room to build confidence, make friends, and learn how to work through challenges on and off the court.”

While youth programming is a large part of DTP, the role of DTP in the tennis community, as a whole, is also important to Polica as he recognizes the value of adult drills, hosting Colorado High School Championships and being the home of the University of Denver tennis. 

“We remain deeply grateful to Denver Public Schools, the University of Denver, and the philanthropic supporters whose founding partnership brought Denver Tennis Park to life. We are committed to creating a pathway into the game for people who may never have pictured themselves on a court. A teenager can find a mentor, an adult can make friends in a new neighborhood, and a grandparent can share the game with a grandchild. Those relationships are what a community gains when more people get the chance to play.” 

This past year has been a big one for DTP in a number of ways. More than 20,000 youth and adults and 6,600 students, through the Advantage Kids program where DTP instructors deliver curriculum in Title I DPS schools, have benefitted from DTP programming. Eighty-three youth have received scholarships totaling more than $160,000. The facility had the honor of being named a USTA Coaching Education Center, which is a new pathway for tennis coaches/professionals to become certified. And, through the generosity of an anonymous donor and the support of a USTA grant, new lights were installed on all indoor courts. With 2026 not quite done, DTP has one more big thing happening — the introduction of Electronic Line Calling to DTP indoor and outdoor courts in December!

And, Polica has big plans to continue the betterment and growth at DTP. He says, “I am excited that our Board recently gave us the green light to study the feasibility of an additional Tennis Park facility. The location is still to be determined, and we look forward to working with USTA Colorado and other community stakeholders to understand where another facility could make the biggest difference.”

“I enjoy coming to work and collaborating with colleagues who are committed to delivering a first-class experience and unapologetic about thinking creatively. They are willing to begin a conversation with ‘What if?’ and turn that curiosity into new possibilities for the people we serve”, says Polica. With his leadership and dedication, Denver Tennis Park will undoubtedly hit new milestones and success in the years to come.

Polica’s belief in community is just as strong on the homefront. He and his wife, Dr. Biaze Houston, have been married for 17 years, and have two daughters, Avani and Sade. Avani will complete her coursework as a psychology major at Howard University in December, and Sade is a budding theater artist studying at Denver School of the Arts.

To learn more about Denver Tennis Park and great things Polica and his team are building, check out Denver Tennis Park on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

MidFirst Bank is the largest privately owned bank in the nation and this combination of size and private ownership provides our customers with a special brand of banking. We are a strong supporter of the communities we serve, investing time and money in important educational, charitable and civic organizations. Our volunteerism is powered by our employees from all of the communities in which we live and share with our customers. MidFirst Bank is a proud partner of USTA Colorado.