Roselius creates belonging at Woods Tennis Center, earns Champion of Equality honor

In her role as director of community outreach and evaluation for Woods Tennis Center in Lincoln, Neb., Kaitlin Roselius has nearly 2,000 tennis players under her purview.

About 650 children and adults annually participate in on-site programming at Woods. With the facility continually at capacity, Roselius oversees an additional 1,200 kids in off-site programming. That’s through after-school programs plus partnerships with local parks, youth development organizations and community learning centers.

Roselius leads Woods’ adapted tennis offerings, including Tennis Buddies, Tennis Without Limits and Special Olympics. She guides Woods’ National Junior Tennis and Learning Network programming and assists with a peer-mentoring leadership academy that was founded a year ago. And she ensures all of Woods’ offerings are high-caliber, backed by research and meeting desired outcomes.

Seems like a lot? Roselius wouldn’t have it any other way.

“The community we’ve built here and the intentionality we have at Woods for truly trying to make this sport accessible at any age, any level, any ability has allowed for some really unique programs to come out and the creativity that I knew I wanted in something,” she said. “Every day is a little different, and I do love that about what we do.”

Championing Tennis for All

For her multipronged efforts and advocating for tennis to be accessible, Roselius was selected as the USTA Missouri Valley’s 2026 Champion of Equality. She was one of 16 female tennis leaders from across the USTA’s sections honored, with the group recognized at the US Open in New York City on Sept. 10. It was the fourth edition of the annual Champions of Equality event.

“To be connected to Billie Jean King and anything her hands might have slightly touched is a phrase I never thought I’d be uttering,” Roselius said. “She’s definitely an icon we talk a lot about with our girls and our youth. To honor women and be part of the conversation of that group, I don’t have a lot of words — just honored and humbled for sure.”

Roselius came from a tennis family but didn’t pick up a racquet until the eighth grade. She’s hardly loosened her grip on the game since.

She fell in love with the sport at a summer camp in the park. Prior to her sophomore year of high school, Roselius was sitting on the bleachers waiting for her sister’s lesson at Woods to wrap up. Kevin Heim, executive director of Woods, asked if Roselius would like to help with Little Aces classes for 4- and 5-year-olds.

“The rest is kind of history,” Roselius said.

In the 15 years since, Roselius has worked the front desk, coached on a part-time basis and took over as director of community outreach about five years ago. Beyond her work at Woods, Roselius was a state champion doubles player at Lincoln East High School.

Roselius and Woods have answered that question resoundingly. Perhaps the best example is the facility’s adapted tennis programming for athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

She helped form the Heartland Challenge for high-performance adapted players two years ago and is a consistent participant at the USTA Missouri Valley Adapted Tennis Championships.

Roselius called the adapted tennis community “one of my favorite groups to hang out with on and off the court.”

“Talking about just the joy and belonging and connection you get out of the sport, that group embodies it so beautifully in a lot of ways,” she said. “There is such joy. Yes, they care about competition. Part of what I love about that space is those athletes are breaking down biases I didn’t even realize I had walking in.

“It’s a group of athletes that loves being out on court, loves the game, loves learning something new every day and wants to prove they belong, too. We all want to feel like we belong. The spaces that have been created and are in the pipeline to be created in the adapted space are really going to offer those platforms. I’m excited to be part of that.”

Roselius previously won the USTA Missouri Valley Outstanding Diversity Achievement Award and is a member of USTA Coaching.

As she reflected on the Champion of Equality accolade, she thought about the former players she’s worked with who are now coaching and impacting their communities — “the ripple that has come from the investment,” she called it.