Meet Our Staff

Owner
blank
Joseph Curto
Joe is the President and co-owner of YTC. He is a former founding partner of Sport & Wellness LLC, managing general partner of Curco Operating Company and President of JoMale Realty. He is formerly a Board member of the Westchester Coalition For The Hungry & Homeless, White Plains, Trustee of the Haldane School Foundation, Cold Spring ,N.Y. (2000-2004) & Trustee for The Haldane Board of Education, Cold Spring 2004-7 (Pres. 2005-6, VP 2006-7).Joe currently serves as a member of the Board of Trustess, Julia L. Butterfield Memorial Library, Cold Spring, NY.
Pro Staff
blank
Mitch Cravens
Mitch brings 15 years of teaching and management experience for tennis facilities throughout Fairfield County, Connecticut. This included the position as Head Tennis Professional at Fairfield Beach Club for 11 years in the summer months and Director of Tennis for 10 years at Fairfield Indoor Tennis during the winter months. He is fully certified with the USPTR.
Over the last two years he was brought in to transform a newly purchased Tennis Club in Danbury Connecticut where we doubled participation in the junior program.
While playing Division 1 tennis at Furman University he recieved a BA in Spanish. As a junior he was ranked in the top 15 in the Eastern and New England Sections.
blank
Pat Rogers
Pat(aka chief) has been at YTC since 1971. He is currently the Director of Community Tennis Development. He is a member of the USRSA, USTA, and just celebrated his 40th year as a USPTA Pro 1. Pat has volunteered with H.E.R.O., is a former ETA Jr. Recreation committee member and is currently a member of ETA's Community Development.Pat has a B.A. and M.S. degree from Iona College.
blank
Simon Gale
Director of Tennis, Simon Gale, comes to us from Perth, Australia. He is fully certified with both the USPTA, and the Tennis Professionals Association of Australia. In 1998 and 1999 he served as a board member of the Tennis Coaches Association of Western Australia.
By flying back and forth between his homeland Down Under and the US during the 90's he has been Assistant Director of Tennis Windridge Tennis Camps(rated top 10 in the US) and taught at the Bridges Resort(rated top 50 in the US) both in Vermont. In Australia he was Tennis Director at the Allen Park Tennis Club in Perth Australia for five years.
Before joining us at Yonkers Tennis Center Simon was Director of Tennis at Beaver Brook Tennis Club in Danbury, CT. He is now a USTA high performance specialist coach.
blank
Martin Byrne
Martin is a assistant teaching pro at YTC. He is a certified member of the Lawn Tennis Association in England and U.S.P.T.R. Martin was the #1 singles player and Captain of Marist College Tennis Team. He recently won the Men’s Open Singles Upper Manhattan Championship/ETA Sectional at Columbia University. Summer residence; Quaker Ridge Country Club.
Jon Gerardi
Jon is the Program Director for the Yonkers based Westside Youth Organization. He is currently mentoring Daniel Urban, a nationally ranked Jr. He is employed at the NFL as an accountant. He was the #1 singles player at Siena College.
blank
Marc Brevard

Marc has been teaching tennis for the last 16 years and is fully certified with the U.S.P.T.R. During the summer months Marc is the Director of Tennis at the Leewood Golf Club in Eastchester, New York. This is Marc's second year teaching here at Yonkers Tennis Center.
Marc is a graduate of Seton Hall University where he played Division 1 Tennis. He grew up in Montclair, NJ and has lived in Yonkers for the last six years. Summer residence; Leewood Country Club.

blank
Richard Sanchez
Richard is originally from the Dominican Republic where he was a top 10 junior player. He came to the US in 1995 and taught tennis at Tennisport in Long Island City. The last seven summers Richard worked as an assistant Tennis Professional at Greenwich Field Club. Richard is fully certified with the USPTR since 1996 and is glad to be part of the staff at Yonkers Tennis Center. Summer residence; Maplewood Swim & Tennis Club.
blank
Nigel Brown
Nigel comes to us from Canberra, the capital of Australia. He is certified professional with the U.S.P.T.R and with Tennis Coaches Australia. Nigel was the Junior Development Officer for the Australian Capital Territory Tennis, developing tennis in schools and running representative events for the Territory. Other roles included training junior representative squads to travel to national Tournaments and Talent camps.
Nigel’s first summer was spent in Vermont as a Head Councilor at the Windridge Tennis Camp. He has coached in Connecticut at the Fairfield indoor club and the Trumbull indoor facility. The last three summers he has spent as the Assistant professional at the Country Club of New Canaan.
blank
Sanae Oyama
Sanae is originally from Japan and has been teaching tennis for over 15 years. She has worked with the Japanese tennis school (JUTEC) which operates out of YTC for 4 years and is a member of the USPTR. She obtained her Masters Degree in Health Science and Sports Medicine at the Japanese Sports Science College and
currently teaches physical education at a Japanese school in New Jersey. Sanae played Division 1 college tennis in Japan and was ranked in Women’s Doubles.
blank
Cassius Peters

Cassius is from Mount Vernon, New York and has been teaching tennis for 11 years. He has just completed his first summer with us and will be a full time member of the teaching staff. He has been working in the New York area teaching at facilities including the FitsPatrick Tennis Association, Tennis Club of RiverDale and Gilad Bloom Tennis.  
During this time he worked with all levels of player ranging from Tots through Junior Tournament level. Other duties included traveling with tournament players, video analysis and conditioning training. He brings a level of enthusiasm that the Yonkers program and players will greatly appreciate and benefit from.  
He is in the process of being certified with the USPTA.

blank
Anthony Morano

Anthony started and learned how to play tennis at Yonkers Tennis Center when he was 9.  He continued to train there and with the Westside Youth Organization.  He played #1 Singles at Gorton High School from the 8th-12th Grade.   
Anthony is going to be attending his 3rd year at Purchase College where he is majoring in Economics.  He plays on the Men's College Tennis Team at 1,2 Singles and 1 Doubles.  He is also the captain of the team and recently received Athlete of the Year for Purchase College. 
Anthony has also recently become a Certified USPTA Teaching Professional.  He has been working at Yonkers Tennis since the age of thirteen at the front desk. 
He is the team manager of the Women's Tennis Team at Purchase College, aiding in coaching, attending the women's practices, and matches.  He has worked at the Larchmont Shore Club, and Brae Burn Country Club working in the pro shop.  He has also worked at Leewood Golf Club, and Ardsley country club teaching tennis.  Anthony is currently coaching with the Westchester Youth Organization, and Yonkers Tennis Center.

blank
Taizo Chibana
Taizo Chibana comes to us from Okinawa, Japan and has been living in the states since the early 90's. He played in the Japanese High School National Tournament. Taizo graduated from Senshiyu University where he played National College Tournaments and Division 1 tennis. He has taught tennis in the local area at Hastings Tennis Club and is fully certified with the USPTA.
blank
Nikola Krajic

Nikola is originally from Serbia.  He has been teaching tennis for the last 13 years. He started his teaching career in Tel Aviv, Israel and for the last six years at New York Athletic Club  and last five winters at Sporttime in Mamaroneck New York.    
Nickola was ranked in the top 5 in the former Yugoslavia and is is USPTA certified and Certified with the Yugoslav Tennis Federation.  Nikola graduated from University of Novi Sad with a B.A. in Computer Engineering.

Desk Staff

blank
Julie Meyer

Julie began working at Yonkers Tennis Center in 1997. She installed our network and computer systems. She was promoted to manager in 1999. Julie married her husband Michael and in 2003 stepped down to a back office manager position when she had her first child. Julie attended The University of Virginia and graduated with a degree in psychology. She was 4 year letter springboard/platform diver and was honored by the University in 2006 at the National Woman’s in Sports Day. She resides in Yonkers with her husband and two children.

blank
Suzy Kerper

Suzy has been an integral member of the Yonkers Tennis Center staff since 1995. She has worked the front desk and has run a successful tennis clothing business for many years. Currently, she is in charge of all the sales for our Junior and Adult programs. Suzy lives in Briarcliff with her husband Gary and son Jared, who both share a big passion for tennis!

blank
Kathy Galante

Kathy started working at Yonkers Tennis in 1995. She worked the front desk part time and became the President’s administrative assistant while attending The College of Mt. St. Vincent, where she graduated with a degree in communications and minor in business. Currently she is our Office Manager.  Kathy has been on the Committee for the Westchester Coalition for the Hungry & Homeless Gala Dinner for the past 9 years, a favorite charity Yonkers Tennis supports. Kathy resides in Yonkers with her husband Jerry.

blank
Linda Morano

Linda has been working at Yonkers Tennis Center since 2002. She is our babysitter as well as works the front desk. After graduating high school, Linda worked as an executive secretary at First National City Bank. She then worked at Exquisite Form Industries as an administrative assistant then moved up to Assistant Director of Operations. Linda lives in Yonkers with her husband Tony and their son Anthony, who also works at the Tennis Center.

blank
Rebecca Crimmins
 
blank
Timothy Babit