The Tribune

THE Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association held its annual general meeting at the National Tennis Centre last week Thursday when Darnette Weir and seven of her slate of officers were elected to serve on the board for the next two years.

• Here's a profile of each member elected to serve:

Darnette Weir,

President

• Four (4) years as General Secretary, Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association;

• Past Acting Secretary, Tennis Parents Action Committee (TPAC);

• 2004 Recipient of the Albania Management and Leadership Academy Award (best part-time Business Division graduate of the 2004 Class of the then College of The Bahamas);

• 2004, Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Management (with Credit);

• 1998 Recipient of the Thomas Evans & Co Award for the highest GPA (Associate's degree programme in Office Administration at the then College of The Bahamas);

• 1998, Associate degree in Office Administration (with Distinction);

• 1984 Graduate of C. C. Sweeting Senior High School - (Business Student);

• Profession: Human Resources Professional at a leading financial institution;

• Tennis mom.

Vision

"My vision for the BLTA is for all stakeholders (players, parents, coaches, executive board, tennis community, etc.) to assume their rightful place and become actively involved in the affairs of the association to bring about needed change that would change the landscape of tennis in The Bahamas. I sincerely hope for a unified tennis body."

Ceron Rolle,

1st Vice President

• Served as 2nd Vice President, Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association for the past two years;

• Served as Council Member, Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association for one year;

• Former Junior Tennis Athlete;

• Served as National Team Coach for several years;

• Graduate of Grambling State University with a Bachelor's of Science degree, with concentration in Finance & Accounting;

• Associate's degree from Tyler Junior College in Bio-Chemistry;

• Profession: Entrepreneur, primary focus: real estate, car rentals and high performance tennis training.

Vision

"My vision is to reignite enthusiasm within the tennis community and drastically increase the amounts of members the BLTA currently has. There are many talented kids in The Bahamas who can benefit from receiving college scholarships, once they receive the right guidance."

Terran Rodgers,

2nd Vice President

• Served as Council Member of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association for the past two years;

• B.A. degree in Architecture from Howard University;

• February 2006, an IPMA.D, Certified Project Practitioner;

• Graduate of St. Augustine's College (High School);

• Repertoire of sporting involvement includes: played Division 2 College Baseball at Tuskegee University (1988-1992); played Division 1 College Baseball at Howard University (1992-1993); player/coach New Providence Baseball League (1995-2000); Treasurer, New Providence Baseball League (1998-1999); Board Director, Assistant Commissioner and Coach, Junior Baseball League of Nassau (2003-present); Team Manager for 14U-18U (2003-present); and 2nd Vice President, Bahamas Baseball Association (2017-present);

• Profession: Registered Architect employed by the Ministry of Public Works.

• Tennis dad.

Vision

"My vision is to be a part of a team of persons that can run a consistent and sustainable tennis development programme which can provide Bahamian children from all walks of life with opportunities to participate in recreational and competitive tennis activities while contributing to the social upliftment of our country."

Bjorn Ferguson,

Treasurer

• 1997 Graduate of St. Anne's High School;

• After which, he enroled in the then College of The Bahamas in the Accounting programme, transferred to St. Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, completing a Bachelor's of Commerce degree in Accounting in May 2002;

• Bjorn then enlisted in the Royal Bahamas Police Force and completed the Police Training College in 2003;

• In September 2010, accepted into the University of the West Indies Law programme;

• In May 2013, completed his Bachelor's of Law degree with (Hons);

• In September 2013, accepted into the Eugene Dupuch Law School where he completed the Legal Education Certificate;

• In 2015, admitted to the Bar of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas;

• Profession: Counsel and Attorney - private practitioner and practices in the areas of civil and criminal law;

• Tennis dad.

Chilean

Burrows,

Secretary

• Served as Assistant Secretary, Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association for the past two years;

• Joined the Public Service in March 1992 (26 years);

• In August 2003, joined the staff of the Scholarship & Educational Loan Division as Educational Loan and Scholarship Officer;

• In January 2006, promoted to the position of Senior Educational Loan and Scholarship Officer;

• In 2017, promoted to the office of First Assistant Secretary, and along with that promotion came the responsibility of serving as Acting Administrator in the Scholarship & Educational Loan Division;

• Holds a Bachelor's degree as well as a Master's degree in Public Administration, graduating (magna cum laude) from Florida International University;

• Graduate, St. Anne's High School;

• Tennis mom.

Vision: "I want to see tennis grow and develop in The Bahamas to become a mainstream sport."

Nadine

Seymour-Munroe,

Assistant Secretary

• Pursued her Associate's degree in Arts from the then College of The Bahamas;

• Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Painting from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in 1997;

• At RISD she was awarded the Florence Leif Award for most outstanding graduate in painting;

• She further attained her Masters degree in Art Education, conferred with honours;

• Recipient of awards from: the Lyford Cay Scholars Association, Chris Blackwell, RISD Scholarship Award and the Central Bank of The Bahamas Grand Prize in 1994 and scholarship;

• Selected to represent The Bahamas in Paris for Latin American and Caribbean Artist International Exhibition 1999;

• Has been in the field of education for more than 20 years;

• Experience in gallery management - was gallery Director in Rhode Island;

• Has been in the field of education for more than 20 years;

• Has exhibited in the Bahamas, Europe and the United States for many years;

• External Examiner for the Education Department at the University of the Bahamas;

• Owner and Founder of 31 Studios and Gallery;

• CEO of Creative Designs by Munroe's Landscaping and the Garden Depot.

• Has been working in ministry along with her spouse for more than 20 years - presently at Believers Embassy International;

• Tennis mom.

Vision: "My vision for the association is to see improvement with its operational standard and to operate in excellence at an international standard. I also wish to see more funding interjected into the BLTA from Government and private donations that will, in the long run, assist our players and improve our facilities."

Timothy Dames,

Assistant Treasurer

• Has served as a Board Member, Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association for 4 years;

• Owner, Tim's Refrigeration (Nassau) and Lank Sharks' Hotel;

• Avid supporter of Davis Cup Teams - has travelled several times to support Teams;

• Sponsor of Annual Tim's Refrigeration Doubles Tournament held in Eleuthera;

• BLTA Member over 20 years.

Vision: "My vision is for the association in the next two (2) years to be financially stable. Also, I would like the BLTA to have better structured programmes and to improve our position as it relates to the international ranking of our tennis athletes so that we can make a difference in the region."

Brent Johnson,

Council Member

• An entrepreneur for the past twenty (20) years;

• At heart, he is the consummate athlete, having been competitive in Baseball, Soccer, Basketball, Softball, Track & Field and Tennis;

• Locally, Brent has been actively playing Tennis for about thirty (30) years;

• He has been involved with The Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association's Executive Board for the past three (3) years, serving as the Treasurer and Council Member;

• An integral part of the formation and operation of Junior Aces. Junior Aces is a match play group that began December 2017;

• Tennis dad.

Vision: "My vision is I would love to see the sport of tennis introduced to a broader base of Bahamians, over all age groups."

Philip Major Jr,

Council Member

• Started playing tennis at the age of 5;

• Represented The Bahamas at many junior national tournaments;

• Represented The Bahamas on 3 Davis Cup Teams, first at the age of 16;

• An Open National Men's Finalist, BLTA;

• 2016 Rising Star Tennis Nominee - Ministry of Youth;

• Central American Caribbean Games & Pan American Games Team Member;

• Pro Circuit athlete;

• 3 Main Draw appearances on the pro circuit.

Vision: "My vision is to see younger kids involved in tennis, introduced in urban areas and also to have senior tennis players throughout The Bahamas come together and to have clean and competitive fun more often."

Perry Newton Jr,

Council Member

• Obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management with a minor in Computer Science from Pensacola Christian College;

• Shortly after, began his professional career at Cable Bahamas then ventured into the world of entrepreneurship;

• Served as Treasurer, Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association from 2016-2018;

• Board Director of the National Tennis Centre from 2014-2018;

• Appointed as Public Relations Officer of the BLTA in 2015.

Vision: "My vision is for career paths to be opened in tennis for players, coaches, officials and administrators and tennis facilities throughout The Bahamas."

Marvin Rolle,

Council Member

• A veteran tennis athlete with a lot of international experience;

• Represented The Bahamas on the Davis Cup team 15 times;

• Served as Player/Captain for six (6) years;

• Is one of two certified Level 2 ITF tennis coaches in The Bahamas;

• Coaching for the past seven (7) years at Ocean Club, Paradise Island, as well as various private communities around New Providence;

• Served as Team Coach for many junior national teams.

Vision: "My vision is I believe the BLTA has the ability to produce world-class players in the near future."

Wesley Rolle

• Past President (2005-2007) of the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association;

• Former educator - taught in Bimini, Eleuthera, Exuma and New Providence;

• Graduated from the University of Tampa with a B.A. degree in English;

• Participated in USTA and USPTR Professional seminars in U.S.A.

• Served as Tennis Director in New York for three summers;

• Coached Damata High School Boys' Team in Maryland, U.S.A.

• In 2002 was named "Coach of the Year" for the School's Conference;

• Has been very instrumental in reviving Senior Development initiatives;

• Facility Manager, the National Tennis Centre.

Vision: "My vision for the BLTA is for continued growth of tennis throughout The Bahamas."