Lou Welch
Executive Director
Lou has served as the Executive Director of ATANC since 2014. Lou played college tennis for Peace College and holds a degree in Recreational Administration with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation from East Carolina University. She has both PTR Adaptive Training certification and Level 1 Coach certification. In 2021, Lou received the Mary Milam Lifetime Achievement Award. She won the USTA North Carolina Educational Merit Award given by Karen and Buster Brown in 2019 and the NC Tennis Adaptive Award in 2017. Lou is a member of the NC Tennis Adaptive Committee and the Southern Tennis Adaptive Committee. In 2022, Lou was selected to serve on the USTA National Adaptive Committee. Under Lou’s leadership, ATANC has expanded to serve over 600 athletes at 30 locations across the state and hosts seven annual tennis tournaments. Abilities Tennis was named the 2019 USTA North Carolina and USTA Southern Community Tennis Association of the Year. At the 2018 US Open, Abilities Tennis was honored with the USTA's National Adaptive Tennis Community Service Award. In 2019, Lou took 25 Abilities athletes to perform a demonstration in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open before the Djokovic/Londero match. It was a highlight of Lou’s life to share that moment with our Abilities athletes.
