About D.A. Abrams

D.A. Abrams has been involved in tennis since he was introduced to the sport via the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) of Philadelphia. As a junior player, he excelled in the sport earning national rankings in the United States Tennis Association, and the American Tennis Association. Good grades along with hard work on the tennis court earned D.A. a tennis scholarship to attend Millersville University of PA. After graduation, he put his Accounting degree to good use at Control Data Corporation based in Minneapolis, MN.

Missing tennis, Abrams returned to Philadelphia after four years in the Twin Cities to serve as the Recruitment Director and Head Tennis Professional at the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center (AATYC). While at AAYTC, D.A. launched Dave Abrams Tennis Services, a full service tennis company offering tennis instruction to adults and juniors, as well as International Tennis Tours. Abrams has been a certified member of the United States Professional Tennis Association, and Professional Tennis Registry since the early 1990’s.

In 1993, D.A. moved to White Plains, NY to join the United States Tennis Association (USTA). Abrams currently serves as the Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer. He has also served in the following capacities: Executive Director of two USTA Sections (Eastern, 2006-2012) and Missouri Valley (1997-2000); Director of Community Outreach (2000-2006); and National Coordinator, NJTL & Minority Participation (1993-1996).

As a board member of the Alzheimer’s Association – Hudson/Rockland/Westchester, NY Chapter (July 2009 to June 2013), Abrams served in the following roles: Chair, Audit Committee; Member, Compensation Committee; Member, Nominating Committee; and Member, Development Committee. In addition, D.A. played an active role in the New York Society of Association Executives – NYSAE (2010 – 2011) as a member of the Membership Committee, and Education Committee. It should be noted that Abrams is a Certified Association Executive (CAE).

D.A. believes in life-long learning, and loves to read. He also loves to write, and is the author of Diversity & Inclusion: The Big Six Formula for Success, as well as Certified Association Executive Exam: Strategies for Study & Success. Both books are available wherever best-selling titles are sold.

D.A. enjoys travelling with his wife (Shelia D. Abrams), and has travelled to all of the states within the United States with the exception of 4 states. Countries visited outside of the U.S. include: Australia, Morocco, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, England, France, Italy, China, Thailand, Brazil, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Mexico, Canada, Spain, Indonesia, and the Bahamas.

Over the years, D.A. has made many media appearances. Featured appearances include: “America’s Black Forum” hosted by James Brown to discuss the mission of the USTA’s Community Outreach department; participated in a Satellite Media Tour (i.e., 15 Markets across the United States) with Tennis Legend, Zina Garrison to discuss African Americans in Tennis and the National Junior Tennis League; CNBC’s “Rivera Live” as a panelist to discuss the impact of Venus and Serena Williams on tennis participation among multicultural groups.Recent print articles include: Exec of the Future: D.A. Abrams – Different Strokes (http://associationsnow.com/2012/09/exec-of-the-future-different-strokes/); and Serving Up Diversity: The USTA’s D.A. Abrams – Diversity Executive (http://diversity-executive.com/articles/view/serving-up-diversity-the-u-s-tennis-association-s-d-a-abrams).