Our Mission

Pickleball Cares strives to change lives through pickleball – from players of all skill levels to the communities that support the game. Through the sport we all love, we can improve outcomes for education, health, self-confidence, and well-being of all who are touched by the sport of pickleball.

Pickleball Cares is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit, our mission is to invest towards court conversion and revitalization, not only to make pickleball more accessible but also to improve communities overall.

We are committed to fostering a love for the sport and providing a supportive environment for young players to thrive and develop important life skills.

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Our Initiatives

Get kids moving again

Pickleball Cares is committed to its main public initiative, which aims to get kids moving again through pickleball. This program will prioritize educating and motivating young individuals to engage in pickleball, emphasizing the significance of physical activity and fostering social-emotional well-being.

Pickleball for all

This initiative is dedicated to bringing pickleball courts to underserved communities. This will be achieved through the conversion of old tennis courts or the construction of new pickleball courts.

By doing so, Pickleball Cares aims to not only grant access to pickleball for the youth in these communities but also enhance the overall well-being of the communities themselves

Our Focus

To provide high-quality clinics to youth with an affinity for pickleball at no cost focusing on underserved communities.

To provide resources and guidance for junior players to form community leagues, introduce competitive Pickleball to their schools, and advocate for Pickleball as a part of their school's Physical Education curriculum.

To remove barriers for youth, regardless of socioeconomic status or geographic location, to enjoy pickleball with grant opportunities.

To provide opportunities for young pickleball enthusiasts to earn college scholarships.

To benefit communities with court revitalization and construction projects.

Meet the Team

Board of Directors

Paul J. Leaf

Founding Board Member

  • Paul is an attorney and partner at Seyfarth Shaw LLP in Los Angeles. Beyond his legal practice, Paul is active with pro bono, community, and public policy matters. He serves as the Hispanic National Bar Association’s Southern California Deputy Regional President. Paul worked on defense issues at a think tank, and he is a regular commentator on U.S. foreign policy, having published nearly 40 op-eds in several national newspapers and magazines, and been interviewed and quoted by the media. Paul is a board member of a charter high school serving underprivileged students. Paul led a pro bono case to reform how the Department of Veterans Affairs processes veterans’ disability claims. He received his B.A. in Political Science and Government from Pomona College and his J.D. from Stanford Law School. Paul enjoys pickleball recreationally.

Anne Worcester

Board Member

  • Anne Worcester is currently a Strategic Advisor to Major League Pickleball (MLP) and Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating (DUPR), where she sits on the board and is instrumental in growing the start-up league and technology arm in all areas including owner relations, sponsorship, marketing, communications and event operations.

    She has spent nearly 40 years helping to grow the sport of professional tennis on a global scale and impacting every facet of the sport’s business, from players to tournaments to sponsors to governing bodies. A former CEO of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the world’s preeminent sporting circuit for women, Worcester was the first woman - and youngest person - to lead any major professional sports organization when she was named CEO at age 34. Previously, she also served as Managing Director of the Women’s International Professional Tennis Council, the then-governing body of women’s pro tennis.

    In her role as President of Universal Tennis, she was instrumental in growing the sport by connecting players globally through level-based play, innovative events, and a digital marketplace.

    For over 20 years, she served as the Tournament Director of the Connecticut Open, developing the WTA and ATP tournament into one of the world’s best attended WTA events, a player favorite, and a leading example of leveraging a large-scale international sporting event to build community tennis, especially in the inner city.

    Worcester also worked in wide-ranging roles across tennis from Sales and Marketing at US tennis events for Endeavor/IMG (1983-1987) to Tournament Director of tennis events in Spain (1987) to Director of Worldwide Operations for Virginia Slims Tennis (1988-1991).

    Anne is a graduate of Duke University, a co-founder and board member of New Haven Youth Tennis & Education (New HYTES) and serves on the board of the Tennis Foundation of Connecticut.

James Blake

Board Member

  • James is an American former professional tennis player. He won 10 titles on the ATP Tour (out of 24 finals contested), reaching a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4. His career highlights included reaching the final of the 2006 Tennis Masters Cup, the semifinals of the 2008 Beijing Olympics (beating world No. 1 Roger Federer en route), the quarterfinals of the 2008 Australian Open and 2005 and 2006 US Opens, two titles at the Hopman Cup (in 2003 and 2004) and being the American No. 1 in men's singles. Blake was also a key performer for the victorious United States 2007 Davis Cup team, winning both his matches in the championship tie against Russia. In 2004, Blake fractured a vertebra in an accident while training. He made a full recovery, and in 2005 he was presented with the Comeback Player of the Year award for his return to the tour. Later, in 2008, Blake was named the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year. Blake's autobiography, Breaking Back: How I Lost Everything and Won Back My Life, co-written with Andrew Friedman, discussed his comeback after his 2004 season. It was released on July 3. 2007, and debuted at No. 22 on the New York Times Best Seller list. James has been instrumental in launching Major League Pickleball and is an avid player himself.

Christina Ung

Founding Board Member

  • Christina Ung has dedicated her life and career to improving education in the United States. She has a B.A. from UC Berkeley, a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and an M.Ed. from UCLA, and an Administrative Credential from USC. Christina Ung was a founding 3rd and 4th-grade teacher at a charter school in Boyle Heights and helped grow the school to its four sites in Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles. During her tenure, she also served as ELD Coordinator, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Director of Data, Assessment, & Compliance. She has in-depth knowledge of school and district spending and accountability for federal funds. Christina is now the Vice President of Client Experience at Torace where she works with school districts, county offices of education, state departments of education, and teacher preparation programs across the country to improve the teacher preparation process. She enjoys reading, puzzles, and pickleball in her free time.

Kaitlyn Kerr

Board Member

  • Kaitlyn Kerr received a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology with a Markets and Management Certificate from Duke University and also earned the honor of being a Duke Soccer All-American. She graduated early to pursue a professional soccer career but her dream was cut short due to 6 knee surgeries and 1 ankle surgery. She started her professional career in New York City at Bank of America in High Yield Credit Sales and currently works at JP Morgan as a financial advisor for ultra high net worth clients. Kaitlyn found pickleball in March of 2021 and it changed her life; her passion for the sport is contagious! She is pursuing an MBA at Temple University and, through a program called Fox Board Fellows, completed a fellowship with USA Pickleball in 2023. Kaitlyn is an owner and GM of the Las Vegas Night Owls in Major League Pickleball, a host/emcee, an avid amateur player, and shares the joy of the sport with many people through her Instagram @pickleball.chick! Kaitlyn was recently on 5 episodes of Family Feud and will soon be on the first pickleball reality TV show – Pickleball Paddle Battle!

Brian Levine

Board Member

  • Brian is currently a Strategic Advisor for Major League Pickleball, the world's top professional pickleball league, where he previously served for 8 months as Interim CEO. He is also co-founder of The Public Health Company, a company that is developing the first global biosecurity platform to provide enterprises a SaaS-enabled service for the management of bio-risks. Prior to PHC, Brian spent 25 years at Goldman Sachs & Co, including 13 years as a Partner; he most recently served as co-head of Global Equities Trading and Execution Services. He was responsible for trading the Tech sector during the dot-com era, and opened trading for GS-led IPO’s such as Yahoo!, eBay, and Tesla. He was pivotal in automating the stock trading business, first in the US, and then in Europe, and his responsibilities included the pricing and risk management of Goldman’s largest equities block trades throughout the past decade. Brian also led teams that won GS’ annual Mortara Award for Innovation 3 times. He served on both the GS Firmwide Risk and Technology Risk Committees, Securities Division Executive Committee, and was co-Chair of the Senior Diversity Council.

    He currently serves on the boards of IEX Stock Exchange and the University of Florida Athletic Association. Brian is a minority investor in the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights hockey team, Serie A’s Venezia FC, and an advisor to the 3ICE pro hockey league, Archer Aviation, Lost Tribe Esports, and City Pickle. He is an avid pickleball player, and is currently ranked among the Top 10 Senior Pro singles players in the world. Brian earned a BSBA from the University of Florida in 1992 and an MBA in Finance from Emory University in 1994.

Golden Tate

Board Member

  • Golden is a former football wide receiver. He played college football at Notre Dame, where he was recognized as an All-American and won the Fred Biletnikoff Award for Outstanding Receiver at any position in 2009. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He later played for the Detroit Lions, with whom he made a Pro Bowl appearance. He also played a season for the Philadelphia Eagles and two seasons for the New York Giants. Golden is an avid pickleball player and has been playing since 2014. He and his wife Elise live in San Diego with their three children.

Staff

Geoffrey Nguyen

Executive Director

  • Geoffrey found his love and passion for pickleball in 2019. He is part of the ownership group of the Bay Area Breakers and acts as their General Manager. Geoffrey also owns The Courts at Piccadilly in Arcadia, CA, a private facility where some of MLP’s biggest stars practice. He has been a pillar in the banking Industry for over 20 years, leading teams to record performances at some of the nation’s top financial institutions including Bank of America, HomeStreet Bank, Flagstar Bank, and Homebridge Financial Services. Geoffrey is also the Chief Financial Officer at CSG Capital Investments, an investment company. Geoffrey earned his B.A. In Legal Studies from the University of California, Berkeley.

Zack Taylor

Program Manager & Lead Instructor

  • Zack comes from a high level tennis background with 15+ years of on court experience. He was a top ranked junior USTA player in the Midwest and trained at an elite academy in Kansas City, Missouri.

    In high school, he was the #1 player on the varsity roster, and competed at the collegiate level at Missouri State University.

    In 2020, he transitioned to the sport of pickleball and has been addicted ever since.

    Zack has been coaching pickleball for the last two years, to players of all ages and skill levels. He is currently a full time touring pro player sponsored by Joola.

Virginia Keller

Director of Programming

  • With over a decade of experience working with several nonprofit organizations, Virginia is a social entrepreneur with a keen ability to cast vision, strategically plan, and develop key relationships to fund innovative impact solutions. Her past work includes philanthropic efforts in partnership with major sports organizations such as the USGA, LPGA, NFL, and NCAA. In her current role as the Director of Development for the Coaches vs. Cancer program at the American Cancer Society, she works very closely with the NCAA, ESPN, Big Ten Network, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). She volunteers at Tiger Woods’ TGR Foundation, where she serves as a college mentor in the Earl Woods Scholarship Program. Virginia is a Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and holds a B.S. in Biology with a minor in Neuroscience from the University of California Riverside.

Dora Nguyen

Marketing Manager

  • Dora has her B.S. in Environmental Science with an emphasis in Natural Resource Planning and Management. She has a background in operations, project management, and digital content creation.