Dinkins Starts Fifth Term As USTA Director At Large

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) has announced that former Mayor David N. Dinkins began a two-year term as USTA Director At Large last week, and will serve on the USTA 15-member board through 2008. Dinkins recently completed his fourth consecutive two-year term as Director At Large. He is currently serving as board liaison to the USTA Operations Council and as Ambassador at Large. He is also a member of the Board of Directors of the USTA Tennis & Education Foundation.

Previously, he was the USTA Honorary Spokesman for Youth, Board Liaison to the Community Player Division, the Public Affairs Committee, and the affiliated Professional Tennis Registry and the American Tennis Association. He also serves a member of the Board Budget Committee.

Dinkins has long been involved in tennis, both as an ardent player and supporter. In addition to his commitment to the USTA, he serves on the boards of the New York Junior Tennis League and the Professional Tennis Registry. He is a lifetime member of the American Tennis Association and was inducted into the USTA Eastern Section Tennis Hall of Fame in 1993. Dinkins serves on the Board of Advisors of the Althea Gibson Foundation and the Georgia Tennis Foundation and serves on the five-member New York City Sports Commission.

Dinkins also serves on the boards of a number of not-for-profit and charitable organizations, many of which assist children and young people, including the Children's Health Fund, the Association to Benefit Children and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund and the Posse Foundation. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and serves on the Board of Directors of Independent News & Media, the Black Leadership Forum, the New York City Global Partners, and the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone.

The 106th mayor of the city of New York, Dinkins began his career in public service in 1966 in the New York state Assembly. Before he was elected mayor in 1989, he served as president of the New York City Board of Elections, City Clerk, and president of the Borough of Manhattan.

Dinkins is currently a professor in the Practice of Public Affairs at Columbia University, which has established the David N. Dinkins Professorship in his honor. A vocal advocate for children, education, compassionate urban policy and tolerance, Dinkins hosts a weekly public affairs radio program as well.

Dinkins received a B.S. in mathematics from Howard University and an L.L.B. from Brooklyn Law School, where he serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Dinkins and his wife, Joyce, reside in New York City. They have two children and two grandchildren. Dinkins is a lifetime member of the USTA Eastern Section.