Missouri Valley / Oklahoma

Minihan to Serve on National USTA Nominating Committee

Casey McKenzie | March 13, 2023


National Women’s History Month is underway, and the timing couldn’t be better to highlight a new honor for one of the most influential people in Oklahoma tennis. Lisa Minihan has been selected to serve a two-year term on the National USTA Nominating Committee. Her selection to the committee is the first for someone from the Missouri Valley Section in almost 15 years and will give her the opportunity to help select the future leaders of the United States Tennis Association. 

 

Lisa is the current Director of Operations at Edmond Center Court and has held a variety of positions within the USTA Oklahoma and USTA Missouri Valley organizations. She most recently served as the President of the USTA Missouri Valley Section from 2018 to 2020 and continues to serve as board member for the Oklahoma Tennis Foundation. 

“Lisa has been such a great role model for leadership”, says Mary Buschmann, USTA Missouri Valley Executive Director. “She is an outstanding tournament director and has volunteered through the pathway of District, Section, and now National. She truly strives for excellence while embracing the core values of our organization.”

 

The USTA National Nominating Committee is comprised of 15 members and is charged with identifying applicants for the USTA Board of Directors. Committee members serve two-year terms with an opportunity for a second term as well. 

 

Minihan says she is honored to represent Oklahoma and the Missouri Valley Section. In honor of Women’s History Month, we asked her to share some of her thoughts on growing up in a tennis household and how the game continues to be an integral part of her life. 

 

Q: Did you ever think tennis would be such a big part of your life when you were playing as a child?

 

Lisa: “Being a child of a tennis coach, tennis has always been a huge part of my life. However, I never thought I would make a career of it. It has been both a surprising and rewarding turn of events. It’s a very non-traditional vocation so there involves a fair bit of fate at play as well. Being in the right place at the right time. I consider myself very blessed.”

Q: Who is the most influential woman in your tennis life and how does she inspire you?

 

Lisa: “My USTA volunteer journey was shaped very early on by Barbara Fackel from Rock Island, Illinois. I was very young when I first served on a committee with her and I was impressed with her graceful leadership, her poise, and her confidence. Her passion for her goals never came at the expense of others and when she led a room everyone felt heard and valued. She was also an amazing mother and balanced a successful career of owning her own business. Honestly, I just wanted to be like her in every way. I wish that she was still here so I could continue to work alongside her and learn from her.”

 

Q: Do you have any words of wisdom you like to share?

 

Lisa: “People matter. For all the fortunate things I have been able to be a part of in the tennis industry, it’s honestly the people who matter more than the activity. The customers we serve. The colleagues we influence. The friends we make. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter so much where you choose to hang your hat, but that you invest in others along the way. If you do that, any career you have or volunteer work you do will be rewarding.”

 

History Lesson: 1874 - Mary Ewing Outerbridge of Staten Island, NY introduced tennis to the United States. Outerbridge purchased equipment in Bermuda and used it to set up the first tennis court on the island. By 1887 women’s singles tennis was added as a competition at the US Open and Ellen Hansell was the first singles Champion. (https://wikipedia.org)

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