Please plan to join us for the Annual meeting of the Membership to be held Wednesday, January 21st at 7 pm.  We will select three new Board Members for three-year terms.  The meeting will include reports from our various committee chairpersons reviewing the many improvements made to our facilities and programs in 2014.  This will be followed by discussion on any matters important to you.  Our evening will conclude with a Happy Hour Social where you will have a chance to celebrate another excellent year at TCA with your fellow members.  If you are unable to attend, please take time to vote and mail in your proxy.  Your involvement and input are essential to the success of TCA.  Thanks for your participation.

A short profile of each candidate has been compiled to help voters get better acquainted with our potential Board Members and assist them in their selection process:

Michelle Allison:
Michelle Allison joined TCA in 2010 with her husband Josh and then two children Elliot and Elise.  After a brief hiatus in 2011, following the arrival of twin girls, Michelle and her family have been actively enjoying family swim and tennis activities.  After almost 20 years, she is back on the court and relearning the game.  Michelle is a licensed architect and co-founder of Strata Design, a women owned company founded in 2007.  She has developed many community planning projects for the City of Albuquerque and designs single family additions and remodels.  As an active mother of young children, Michelle is interested in youth programs and opportunities for parents of young children to engage in tennis and swimming.  She served for 7 years on the Nob Hill/Highland Renaissance Corporation board, as co-President, Vice-President and Secretary and on the board of the Gardner’s Guild for 3 years.  She enjoys spending active time with her family, playing tennis, entertaining and all things francophile!  Note: She has been a TCA board member since September when Harold Morgan resigned.

Ann Loose:
I am a lifelong tennis player who learned to play by hitting against the high school wall.  As a retiree, I have continued my lifelong love affair with tennis, working with Gui to become a nationally ranked player in my age group.  Many of you may have seen me working with Gui to improve my game.  Originally I started at TCA because of my prior relationship with Gui, Alex and Amy.   I have been so impressed with the active programs, friendly members and staff that I decided to join TCA.  I would like to contribute to this vibrant community.  I have a BA and MA from UNM and remember playing in several tournaments at TCA in the 60’s.    With 30 years of experience as a federal executive, I can bring expertise in budgeting, planning and management to the Board.  I am a member of the Professional Tennis Registry, and coached the Boys Jr Varsity for the Albuquerque Academy from 2006-2013.  I served two 2 terms on the tennis board for the town of Reston, VA in the 1990’s.  Reston, a planned community of 60,000, had 44 outdoor courts and an active program.  As a board member I was involved with efforts to bring indoor courts to Reston as well as competing for a national training center (unfortunately neither effort was successful). I realize that I have been a member of TCA for only a short time, but during that time I have been impressed not only with the staff and members but also with the improvements being made to the club.  I would like to contribute what I can to further improving a club that is an institution in Albuquerque.

Jonathan Roensch:
My name is Jonathan Roensch and I am interested in serving on the board of TCA. My family joined TCA in March, 2014 and has enjoyed every minute of it. We have enjoyed tennis lessons, conditioning, swimming, and the facilities for planned events. We look forward to being a long time members of TCA. The TCA staff and pros have managed to turn a simple uncoordinated working adult (me) into a tennis player that is confident, fit, and strong while maintaining the enjoyment of the game. Outside of tennis, I enjoy fitness, academics, and travel. I am a veteran of three marathons and over two dozen half-marathons. I am an mechanical engineer with a master’s degree from the University of Liverpool, UK. I work as an engineer for the Veterans Affairs (VA) Hospital. I want to join the board because I believe as a new member, I have much to contribute. I appreciate your consideration.

Lee Sloan-Garcia:
Just a short time ago, I could not have fathomed I’d be running for the Board of Directors of a tennis club.  Before becoming a physician, I was a classical singer and dancer, but never an athlete.  I have worked as administrative and development director of a Shakespeare company and have served on boards of arts organizations.  But sports?  In the past, when required to answer password security questions about my favorite sports team, my response was the Chicago Symphony or the LA Philharmonic.  Now, my response is a toss-up between TCA’s 3.0 Women’s Team or our 12 and Under Team.  My family joined TCA in 2012 after our son, Gabe, became passionate about his TCA tennis classes.  Joining TCA was actually Gabe’s idea.  “Mom, we have a coupon in our Bandelier discount book for $400 off to join TCA!”   That was the moment that changed our lives. Now we are a family of tennis addicts.  We even travel with our rackets on vacations and bring extras for the extended family.  Participating in TCA’s week-end doubles drop-in evolved at lightning speed into playing in the annual Punk and Relic and other fun club tournaments, co-captaining a TCA USTA team, hosting TCA’s summer guest pros, and simply playing as often as possible.  TCA is where we spend our week-ends, afternoon/evenings and summers.  It has become a central source of community, friendship, exercise and intense laughter.  In the midst of our stressful lives, TCA has brought our family joy.  Having witnessed the incredible burst of energy and enthusiasm brought about by our new team of pros, I am grateful to our Board for making such excellent choices.  I wish to serve on the Board in order to support this fantastic momentum.  When not at TCA, I often can be found at Center for Women’s Surgery, which is a small private practice owned by my partner and me.  Running an independent medical office is a constant but rewarding challenge.  It demands attention to detail along with thinking outside the box and into the future.  As a board member, I would contribute these administrative, organizational and creative skills to TCA.  My specific interests include assisting in the development of a safety committee, supporting the continued development of our youth programs and USTA teams and supporting the continued growth of our membership in order to maintain our outstanding team of pros as well as our facility itself.