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Lee Hamilton was named the USTA’s Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer in April 2003, overseeing the USTA's Community Tennis, Professional Tennis, and USA Tennis High Performance business units and its multicultural participation initiative. As such, he is responsible for leading the effort to accomplish the USTA’s mission to promote and develop the growth of tennis.
Hamilton brings a unique combination of professional, volunteer and community experience to the position, along with a longstanding commitment to the sport and decades of volunteer service to the USTA. His collaborative, consensus-building approach was a hallmark of his 34-year business career, during which he held senior management positions-including Vice President, Esso Europe, and Vice President, Exxon Company International for two decades at Exxon Corporation and served as Executive Vice President of OHM, an environmental concern.
Following his retirement from his professional career in 1992, Hamilton has served the USTA in a variety of roles at the community, sectional and national levels and has shown a keen understanding of and appreciation for both the passion of its volunteer constituency and the expertise and dedication of its sectional and national staffs. He has been President of the USTA Texas Section and remains a member of its Executive Committee; Chair of the USTA’s Blue Ribbon Commission, which conducted in-depth research about the USTA and developed substantive recommendations to address the findings; and Council Chair of the USTA Communications/Marketing Division Council, serving as liaison between the USTA Board of Directors and the division’s committees. He was appointed Chair of the USTA Strategic Planning Committee at the beginning of 2003. At each stop along the way, he has demonstrated the ability to galvanize the organization toward achieving its goal of growing participation in the sport.
Hamilton, 69, began his long service in community tennis in 1973 as President of the Memorial Park Tennis Association in Houston. He later became President of the Houston Tennis Association and subsequently, President of the Dallas Tennis Association.
In addition to his volunteer efforts, Hamilton is an avid and accomplished tennis player. In 1997, he was ranked No. 10 in the U.S. in Men’s 60 and over Singles, and in 2000 was ranked No. 4 in the country in Men’s 60 and over Doubles. In the USTA Texas Section he has been ranked as high as No. 2 in singles and No. 1 in doubles in his age division.
A native of Pittsburgh, Hamilton earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Bucknell University, where he has served on the Board of Trustees since 1984 and as Chair during 2001-03. He also holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. He and his wife, Molly, reside in Dallas, Texas and New York City. They have three children and seven grandchildren. | 