FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
KINGS COUNTY TENNIS LEAGUE APPOINTS JOE CERIELLO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
– Ceriello to lead KCTL into its next chapter as one of New York’s most impactful sports-based youth development non-profits –
BROOKLYN, December 1, 2022 — Kings County Tennis League, Inc. (KCTL), a sports-based youth development non-profit, today announced that Joe Ceriello has been appointed Executive Director effective December 12, 2022. Mr. Ceriello is a tennis industry veteran who has held multiple leadership positions during his 13-year tenure with the United States Tennis Association, and spent the last seven years driving marketing and development initiatives at New York Junior Tennis & Learning, one of the first chapters of the USTA Foundation’s NJTL network co-founded by Arthur Ashe. Most recently, Mr. Ceriello served as the NYJTL Chief Marketing and Development Officer and NYJTL Bronx Open Tournament Director.
“There is a spark, a palpable feeling of passion and purpose among the KCTL Board, staff and volunteers that drew me to this organization,” said Mr. Ceriello. “KCTL’s unique program setting and delivery model has enormous potential for attracting new communities to tennis, the growth of which has been at the center of my life’s work. The impact of KCTL’s intentional use of tennis for developing the social and emotional learning (SEL) capacities that children need to succeed in life is truly compelling. I am thrilled to bring my 20+ years of experience to KCTL to create greater access to the sport while bringing new opportunities and authentic relationships to KCTL’s young people, on and off the court.”
Mr. Ceriello graduated from Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Arts and later earned a Master’s degree in Music from the Boston Conservatory. He also received a Master’s in Business Administration from the Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College in Manhattan, where he now teaches as an adjunct lecturer.
“On behalf of the board, I am thrilled to welcome Joe to KCTL at this pivotal moment when our community of young people, their families, our staff, volunteers, partners and loyal benefactors are united with an unwavering commitment to see each of our students realize their full potential,” said Karen Levine, KCTL Board Chair. “Joe is uniquely experienced to lead within this diverse community. His talents and experience will help us thoughtfully expand the KCTL pathway and its programs, as we continue to present our youth with a stream of opportunities and mentors who can assist them in discovering their passions and building a future in which they will thrive.”
Mr. Ceriello will succeed KCTL’s Interim Executive Director, Mohammad El-Haj Ahmad, who’s led the organization since June 2022. Mr. El-Haj Ahmad will resume his original role as Program Director, for which he was hired in February 2022. “We are greatly indebted to Mohammad for stepping in and leading KCTL during these past six months. In a short time, Mohammad has had a tremendous impact on KCTL, adding a number of new programs and services for our youth. On behalf of the KCTL Board and staff, we sincerely thank him for his contributions to our mission, and we look forward with excitement as Mohammad dedicates his exceptional talents to deepening the impact of KCTL programming for our young people,” said Ms. Levine.
About KCTL
Kings County Tennis League (KCTL) combines tennis and education to spark the potential of children living in and around Brooklyn public housing. Founded in 2010, KCTL provides free, year-round tennis-centered programs to nearly 500 youth living in and around six NYCHA developments; the children in each housing development form a “tennis club” (e.g. Marcy Tennis Club), which comprise the Kings County Tennis League. By creating courts on underused play spaces in NYCHA developments, and bringing our staff, volunteers, equipment and programs directly to where our students reside, KCTL eliminates the physical and financial barriers to tennis and creates community spaces that foster economic connectedness, the strongest known predictor of upward economic mobility. A thoughtfully-designed pathway and an ensemble of caring and authentic staff and volunteers help KCTL cultivate safe spaces for children to play, learn and develop the social and emotional learning capacities that youth need to succeed.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Mara Mazza
516-655-2904
mara@kingscountytennisleague.org
