Hilton Head Island, SC—November 8, 2018—Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) announced today that Brian Parkkonen has been promoted to Chief Operating Officer. As COO, Parkkonen will oversee organizational development and staff collaboration. His main priorities will be to ensure the highest quality standards are in place and upheld creating a unified and efficient approach to the overall member experience.
“Brian has done a stellar job during his tenure at PTR,” said CEO Dan Santorum. “Moving forward, technology, education and our delivery system will be key components. Brian has the knowledge and experience in this area to help PTR continue to grow and improve.”
Parkkonen, who joined the PTR staff in May 2014, has had a series of promotions during his tenure. Prior to his new post as COO, Parkkonen served as Director of Education, where he was responsible for the direction and content of the organization’s four education pathways to certification, as well as Level 3 Specialist and Master of Tennis programs.
In addition, he developed new courses and opportunities, including PTR’s Education Dashboard that provides hundreds of hours of free online video presentations, and was a key player in the evolution of the PTR Coach App. Working with Sarah Ansboury, Parkkonen was also instrumental in the organization’s new PPR pickleball certification curriculum, workshop preparation materials and clinician training. Parkkonen started at PTR as Director of Development where he oversaw the delivery of PTR education and managed scores of clinicians across the United States. Before leading the clinicians, he was one himself.
Parkkonen’s evolution in the organization began long before he joined the staff. Coincidentally, he started his career as Head Pro and Director of College Placement at the Van der Meer World Class Academy (Dennis Van der Meer founded PTR), before going on to serve as director of some of the largest public and private clubs in the country.
PTR is the largest global organization of tennis teaching professionals and coaches with nearly 16,300 members in 125 countries. It has the greatest percentage of multicultural and women members of any such organization. PTR is dedicated to educating, certifying and serving tennis teachers and coaches around the world in order to grow the game.