Southern Stars supports female tennis leaders
Using tennis as a platform to build confident female leaders was something Mildred F. Southern valued greatly throughout her life.
Southern was a former USTA Southern President and devoted volunteer who helped launch numerous junior tennis programs to spark interest in the sport among younger players. In 1974 she was awarded USTA Eve Kraft Outstanding Service award in its inaugural year.
She established the Young Folks Tennis in Winston-Salem, N.C., for any child to learn to play tennis.
Her daughter Debbie noted, “It is still going strong today!”
Debbie Southern, left, and her mother, Mildred, photographed upon her induction into the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991. 1 of 708 assets
When USTA Southern approached Debbie to ask about naming a girls' leadership program after her late mother, she was excited about the idea. She spoke with her brother, Hal, to see whether they would be interested in funding the program through their family foundation.
“We thought it really aligned with our mother because she always wanted every child to learn to play tennis,” said Debbie Southern, who spent 31 seasons as the Furman University women’s tennis head coach and is currently the chair of the USTA Southern High School, Tennis On Campus & Collegiate Committee.
“It didn't matter what part of the city you lived in. If you couldn’t get there, we'd send people out as instructors. So I just know that she would have loved this opportunity for girls to learn some of the values and characteristics they are learning through this program.”
The Mildred F. Southern Girls Leadership Program is designed to nurture the potential of girls ages 11-18 involved in NJTL programs by fostering leadership skills and keeping them actively engaged in tennis.
The six-week program, also known as Southern Stars, involves one-hour weekly sessions where the girls work with dedicated female instructors. The program partners with the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), founded by tennis legend and gender equity pioneer Billie Jean King to use the foundation’s WePlay Interactive curriculum. The WSF staff supports USTA Southern NJTL chapters with curriculum delivery through training and additional resources.
Successful launching point
USTA Southern launched a pilot girls leadership program in Georgia in the fall of 2023. Since the successful inception, the program has grown to 10 NJTL organizations in six states this year that will be implementing the program twice annually with fall and spring sessions.
Above the Net in Henry County, Ga., was one of the first NJTLs to implement the program. Above the Net Co-founders Caniece Haywood and Brenda Gant recognized the challenges girls face in sports and learned from data showing girls drop out at much higher rates than boys as they get older. They wanted to provide their girls with support and practical skills to help address the issue and keep them in tennis.
“We’re still in the early stages, but the value is already clear. Our coaching staff is fully on board. They’re exploring the platform getting familiar with the wealth of information now at their hands,” Gant said. “We’ve also brought parents into the conversation, and they’re supportive and engaged, which is huge. Having coaches and parents aligned gives our girls the best chance to really benefit from this program as we move forward.”
The James Lewis Education and Tennis Foundation in Birmingham, Ala., launched the girls’ leadership program in 2024. Among the topics addressed were mental health, female hygiene, table etiquette, STEM and coaching. The foundation brought a local female police officer to a session to discuss what they should do if they were stopped by law enforcement. Eight girls took part in the inaugural program, and six of them have remained at the foundation playing tennis.
“The girls said that they enjoyed this program because it improved their tennis and broadened their knowledge,” said Rudy Lewis, the James Lewis Tennis Center program manager. “Because of the coaching presentation, three of our girls have gone through the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Level 1 workshop that was held in December. We are so excited to have them as instructors.”
Above the Net in Henry County, Ga., was one of the first NJTLs to implement the program.
The James Lewis Education and Tennis Foundation in Birmingham, Ala., launched the girls’ leadership program in 2024
Southern’s lasting legacy
Debbie has been impressed by the feedback she’s received from some NJTL instructors involved in the early stages of the leadership program.
“They test the kids on how they feel about themselves, whether it's confidence, self-awareness, or communication skills, and the scores at the end of the session showed tremendous improvement,” Debbie said. “It’s impactful that the kids themselves felt that they were stronger in these areas than they were six weeks before they started the program.”
Excite All Stars, an NJTL in New Orleans, will implement its leadership program for girls this year.
“At Excite All Stars, we recognize the transformative role sports play in building confident, capable young women who are prepared to lead. The Mildred F. Southern Girls Leadership Program strengthens our mission to develop ‘All Stars for Life’ by blending athletic participation with leadership development, mentorship, and character growth,” Excite All Stars Co-founder Penny Marquez-Williams said. “Through tennis and other sports, participants cultivate resilience, teamwork, and a strong sense of self—qualities that empower them to excel in every aspect of their lives.”
Mildred began playing competitive tennis at age 40 and won five national championships. Southern’s husband, Harold, played No. 1 singles for Furman and helped bring the Southern Championships to Winston-Salem, N.C. Mildred and Harold were generous donors to the USTA Southern and its states until their passing.
Their children are thrilled to extend their family’s tennis legacy by having their mother’s name on a program that is helping change young lives for the better.
“We are definitely super proud,” Debbie Southern said. “I feel like it's a program that if she was here today, she'd probably just break down in tears.”
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