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Executive Director
 Jim comes from
an extensive history in tennis as a former player, coach and
commercial club general manager. Jim was a Davis Cup player, as well
as, the 1980 Davis Cup Chairman and 17 time national champion. He
won the Canadian Open 18 Championships in 1968, one of only a few
Canadians to ever have accomplished this.
During
his junior career Jim was awarded the Canadian Outstanding Player
Award 3 years in a row and as an adult was the Canadian Men's
Singles and Doubles Champion in 1976. He is a Level 3 coach
and was Tennis Canada "Coach of the Year" in 1989 and coached
the Canadian Team at the World Championships in 1983 and 1985.
Jim was hired as the Head Pro at the All Seasons Club in Ottawa
and later became the General Manager. After leaving
Ottawa, he managed the Brantford North Park Club and consulted
to the Highbury Racquet Club. During this time, he was
also the Chair of the Davis Cup and as such, he was responsible
for bringing in sponsorships and managing the event.
When Jim returned to Toronto, he was hired by
the Toronto Lawn Tennis Club as the Senior Professional for 10
years (From 1980 to 1989). In 1989, Jim decided to enter the
real estate business and spent 7 years in it before returning to
tennis in 1997.
Jim held several positions at the OTA before
taking the helm. Jim became a Board Member of the OTA and
was later elected Chair of the Central Region. He soon
took on the role of Vice President of Marketing and
Communications.
Jim increasingly took a hands-on
responsibility for the marketing aspects of the association and
eventually decided to pursue the Executive Director position.
He was hired by the OTA board in 1997.
As Executive Director
of the OTA, Jim's responsibilities
include the overall management of the Ontario Tennis Association
with a specific focus on the establishment and enhancement of the OTA's revenue streams. He sits on the board of the Sport Alliance of
Ontario (SAO) and is the Chair of the Doug Philpott Inner City
Children's Fund which provides kids in need with free tennis lessons
and equipment.
You can contact
Jim at
jboyce@tennisontario.com or at (416) 514-1101.
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Club Membership Manager
 Jay
first started playing tennis at 13 in Port Perry, Ontario, when his high
school built courts for the first time during the tennis boom in the
1970s.
After high school, Jay went to Durham College to
study Business Administration and got an accounting diploma. After
working for eight years in accounting, Jay decided to return to college
for two years in the Seneca College Coaching Techniques program with a
specialty in tennis. Through this program, he gained his
instructors and Coach 1 and 2 certifications.
Jay started his tennis career at Mayfair West where
he ran tournaments. He joined the OTA in 1994. Jay has been with the OTA for more than 15 years. He spent two years in the Player Development
portfolio before returning to Club Membership in 1997. Jay is a
fully certified Coach 2 with diplomas from Seneca College (Coaching
Techniques- Tennis) and Durham College (Business Administration-
Accounting).
Jay is the person responsible for member club services such as the Club Insurance program. He also administers the Coaching Certification program.
You can contact Jay at
jneill@tennisontario.com or at
(416) 514-1103
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Provincial Coach
Kartik Vyas was born in Nairobi, Kenya and came to Canada
in 1974. Having failed to qualify for the Kenya long distance sprint team, he decided to
try his hand a tennis, learning to play on the municipal courts ant Glenshields
Tennis Club in Concord. Although he was primarily a
recreational player, he got involved in coaching as a teenager.
Kartik graduated from York University in 1994 with an Honours Degree in Political Science and a Minor in Marketing. While he studied, he also played on the varsity tennis and badminton teams. He worked for Tennis Canada as a student, looking after the clay courts among other things. He was also a volunteer at the Canadian Opens on the transportation committee and also helped with the Remington family doubles. After university, Kartik joined the All Canadian Tennis Academy at York where he ran tournaments including the ITF events.
Kartik
brings over ten years of tennis management experience to the OTA team. Kartik
has worked his way up through the "ranks" as an instructor in recreational
programs to the Director of Camps and Tournaments with the ACE Tennis Academy in
Toronto. While at ACE, Kartik was responsible for over ten events every summer
including the All-Canadian ITF Group 5 Tournament.
Kartik has moved into the position of Provincial Coach with the departure of David DeFehr
Kartik can be reached at (416) 514-1104 or at kartikvyas@tennisontario.com
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Events Manager
Growing up in the town of Collingwood, Elaine's first brush with tennis was with a hand me down racquet and her 1st tennis lessons taken at Tyrolean Village. Freqent trips to the public tennis courts with her sister and practicing against a brick wall in their backyard ... who knew then, that this was the beginning of a lifelong love affair with the sport. She moved to Toronto for school and graduated from the University of Toronto in Political Science & Psychology. Looking for a local and friendly club, she joined Sir Winston Churchill Park Tennis Club, one of the largest community tennis clubs in Canada.
From here, Elaine began her passion for tennis on the courts of Sir Winston Churchill Park Tennis Club. She served on the Club's executive for 6 years in the roles of Club President / 3 years, as well as Communiciations Director and Manager of the Junior Development portfolio. Elaine also currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Toronto Ladies' Tennis League as Vice President and Ladies' Day Coordinator during the Rogers Cup Event for the past 5 years. Elaine brought her experience in Tennis Management and Administration to Mayfair Racquet and Fitness Clubs and worked in the roles of Tennis Coordinator & Tournament Director. Elaine also worked part time at the OTA drawing on her experience with community and commercial clubs, increasing and enhancing the area of Club Membership & Solicitation. Elaine eventually moved into the role of Tournament Coordinator working for then Events Manager, Kartik Vyas. Forever appreciative for his direction and guidance, combined with her history of running and organizing tournaments , she enjoyed and flourished in this area of Player Development. When Kartik accepted the position of Provincial Coach, it was a natural transition for Elaine to move into her present role as Events Manager.
Elaine is responsible for Player Development programs including: the Sanctioning of all OTA Tournaments and Events; Coordinating the Annual Tournament Calendar; Management of Junior & Adult Rankings & Competitor Registrations. She is responsible for the OTA's overall Tournament Structure including Fair Play/ Officiating, plus overseeing all OTA Premier Events which include the $12000 ONTARIO OPEN, $10000 Roman Memorial Cup and all Junior, Senior and Adult Provincial Championships.
Elaine can be reached at (416) 514-1106 or at
eyuen@tennisontario.com
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Administrative Assistant
Gulshad came to Canada from Tanzania after
working for 11 years as an assitant to the financial controllor of a
company in East Africa. After arriving in Canada, it only took two
months for her to be hired by the Sport Alliance of Ontario (then Sport
Ontario). Under the arrangements at the time, all the sport staff
that were hired were then assigned to a specific sports organization and
Gulshad was assigned to tennis. When this arrangement ended in
1994, Gulshad became an employee of the OTA. Although Gulshad
doesn't play tennis, her knowledge of the administrative underbell of
the tennis association is extensive. The office simply couldn't
run without her.
As Administrative Assistant,
Gulshad brings over a decade of service to the OTA. Her current duties
are as a receptionist and administrative assistant. She handles the
administrative support and data entry for the OTA data base systems that
handle things like player registration and the Ontario Tennis distribution
lists. She provides support for all the staff and helps out with
many of their administrative tasks.
Gulshad can be reached at (416) 514-1100 or at
ota@tennisontario.com
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Provincial Development Manager
As “Provincial Development Manager” David is responsible for the booking and delivery of the Fairs and Clinics program, The Progressive Floor Tennis Program for Elementary and High Schools students, Teacher Training/AQ and is OTA’s liaison for OFSSA Tennis, OTA Community Tennis Clubs, Regional Chairs and the Mentoring of Certified Instructors in the province.
He is a member of The College of Teachers.
A detailed “CV” is available, if you are not reading a good, gripping biography at the moment.
David can be reached at dlea@tennisontario.com or at 416-514-1121.
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Give Tennis a Shot Manager
In April 2007 Ely Schwartz graduated from the University of Waterloo, where he studied business and recreation. Ely was a dedicated member
of the University of Waterloo varsity tennis team and in his final year, he led the team as captain.
Ely first connected with the OTA through the Tennis Pathways program. With the support of the OTA and the Trillium Foundation,
he launched a successful business, Varsity Junior Tennis, which encouraged young participants to enjoy the rewards of recreational tennis.
The program was successful in that it both raised awareness of the
sport in the Kitchener/Waterloo community and provided its participants with a unique and active summer experience. Upon returning to Toronto,
Ely worked with Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Limited in the Community Relations department where he continued to develop his community
outreach skills and industry knowledge.
Through both his educational background and his experience as director and founder of Varsity Junior Tennis, Ely developed strong communications,
marketing and management experience, which he is excited to put to use at the OTA. Ely has been playing tennis since he was 10 years old,
and teaching as a certified instructor since he was 16. His enthusiasm for tennis, creative program development and healthy living are at the core
of his career goals and he is thrilled to bring his dedication to the OTA’s new Give Tennis a Shot program.
Ely can be reached at eschwartz@tennisontario.com
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