Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Feature:
Maggie Kley
James Maimonis, Manager, Media & Communications | May 14, 2019

WELLESLEY, MA- In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, USTA New England is highlighting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the New England tennis community. In this feature, we are proud to honor longtime tennis player and President of the new New England Tennis & Education Foundation, Maggie Kley. Maggie is from Wellesley, MA, and when she’s not working or volunteering, she enjoys playing doubles and windsurfing with her family.
Q & A with Maggie Kley:
What are your roles in the tennis community and why are they so important to you?
I am the President of the Board of the newly formed New England Tennis and Education Foundation, a charitable nonprofit arm of USTA New England. This Foundation has as its primary mission to provide opportunity in tennis and education to underserved youth throughout the New England states. We are building the foundation from the ground up and we are excited to share more about it soon.
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I also volunteer in an afterschool program at Sportsmen's Tennis and Enrichment Center in Dorchester, MA. I play in the DBH Indoor Tennis League, a women's league in the Boston area, and have served as the captain of my team during a number of seasons. My two boys both played tennis for Wellesley High School, and I had volunteer roles for their team as well. The tennis community is incredibly important to me in that it has provided lasting friendships and collaborations and a platform from which to serve others.
Who was your tennis role model/influence who has contributed to your success today?
A great influence in my tennis life is Anne Parker, the friend who first encouraged me to pick up a racquet and learn to play tennis at the age of 39 when I thought it must be impossible to learn. My tennis role model and hero is Sheila Weinstock, an internationally recognized senior player and New England Hall of Famer. She has been a longtime manager of my club, playing too many roles to list, among which have been team coach, friend, advocate and advisor. In many things, not just tennis, I look to her for wisdom, perspective, and humor.
What can we do to get more Asian Americans, both youths and adults, playing tennis?
It’s always great to encourage any person, regardless of race or age, to play tennis! It is a sport which keeps on giving. I think increasing or expanding community tennis programs would attract more Asian Americans to the sport.
What has been your most meaningful contribution to the tennis community?
I believe and hope my most meaningful contributions to the tennis community are still to come. I also like to think that my own actions thus far have encouraged others, especially kids, to participate in tennis with joy, sportsmanship, and inclusivity, and to reap as much benefit as possible from the game in every aspect of one's life.