Katrina Adams, chairman, CEO and president of the United States Tennis Association (USTA), will be the 2017 recipient of the National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award.
Adams, a Network Journal 2015 ?25 Influential Black Women in Business,” honoree is currently in her second two-year term with the USTA and serves as chair of the U.S. Open; for the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program, she serves as executive director. Since Adams joined the program, the budget has grown from $150,000 to more than $1,000,000. Further, there has been an increase in participants – from 80 to 1,000 in one year.
“Katrina M. Adams’ personal and professional commitment to diversity and inclusion as head of the USTA and executive director of Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program (HJTEP) is an inspiration to us all,” said NAMIC President and CEO Eglon E. Simons. “In addition, her trailblazing work advancing the concerns of people of color ? in the sports and entertainment industries ? makes her the quintessential Mickey Leland Humanitarian Achievement Award honoree.”
In addition to her work with the USTA, U.S. Open and HJTEP, Adams also appears as a contributor on CBS Sports Networks,? “We Need to Talk,? the first all-female sports show.
“It is a privilege to be the recipient of an award honoring and paying tribute to Congressman Leland’s legacy,” said Adams. “The path he set forth with his social justice advocacy work serves as a daily reminder of how truly important it is to continue my mission to engage, support, and positively impact youth and families of diverse communities so they may succeed through the sport of tennis and ultimately in life.”
