SAVANNAH, GA RESIDENT TO ASSUME PRESIDENCY OF LARGEST SECTION IN JANUARY
More about USTA Southern Board of Directors nominees
United States Tennis Association (USTA) Southern announced today that Derek White, of Savannah, Ga., has been nominated to serve as USTA Southern Board of Directors President & CEO for the 2017-2018 term. When elected, White would be the first African-American in the top leadership position of USTA Southern.
White has served as the USTA Southern Board of Directors Executive Vice President for the past two years. His first year on USTA Southern Board of Directors was in 2007 when he served as Secretary. In 2009, he began three two-year terms as Vice President.
A graduate of Mercer University and Georgia Southern University, White has also served as a member of the USTA Georgia Grievance Committee and the Executive Director Search Committee. He has held numerous positions at the national level. He has served on the USTA Constitution and Rules Committee, Tennis and Rules Committee and the Chair of the Grievance Committee for the 2015-16 term.
Bonnie Vandegrift, of Asheville, N.C., was nominated to the post of Executive Vice President for the same term. She has served as USTA Southern Board of Directors Vice President, starting in 2015.
The members of the USTA Southern Board of Directors will be voted on by the Southern Section’s nine state associations -- Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee -- for the two-year term beginning on Jan. 20, 2017. The state associations will also vote on the candidates chosen for the USTA Southern Nominating Committee at that time. USTA Southern is the largest of the U.S. Tennis Association’s 17 sections, representing nearly 25 percent of the national membership.
USTA Southern President and CEO Paula Hale, of Raleigh, N.C., was nominated as the USTA Delegate and Chairman of the USTA Southern Nominating Committee for the 2017-2018 term.
Here is the full list of nominees for the 2017-2018 term:
USTA Southern Board of Directors
Name, Post, Hometown
- Derek White, President & CEO, Savannah, Ga.
- Bonnie Vandegrift, Executive Vice President, Asheville, N.C.
- Randy Jackson, Vice President, Fort Smith, Ark.
- Drew Meyers, Vice Presiden, Lafayette, La.
- Ted Reese, Vice President, Holly Springs, N.C.
- Brett Schwartz, Secretary, Mandeville, La.
- Dennis Miller, Treasurer, Madison, Miss.
- John Cox, Director at Large, Cleveland, Miss.
- John Herring, Director at Large, Lexington, Ky.
- Marcy Hirshberg, Director at Large, Johns Creek, Ga.
- Paula Hale, USTA Delegate, Raleigh, N.C.
USTA Southern Nominating Committee
Name, Post, Hometown
- Paula Hale, Chairman, Raleigh, N.C.
- Jane Gamble, Member, Paducah, Ky.
- Helen Martin, Member, Columbus, Ga.
- Paul Pittman, Membe, Florence, S.C.
- Jim Warren, Member, Jackson, Miss.