Executive Director

Lou has served as Executive Director of Abilities Tennis of North Carolina (ATANC) since 2014. A former college player for Peace College, she holds a degree in Recreational Administration with a concentration in Therapeutic Recreation from East Carolina University. She is PTR Adaptive certified and a Level 1 Coach.

Lou’s leadership and vision have helped ATANC grow to serve more than 1000 athletes at approximately 30 locations statewide and to host six annual tournaments. Under her direction, Abilities Tennis was named USTA North Carolina and USTA Southern Community Tennis Association of the Year (2019) and honored at the 2018 US Open with the USTA National Adaptive Tennis Community Service Award. She has received multiple awards for her contributions to adaptive tennis, including the Mary Milam Lifetime Achievement Award (2021), the USTA North Carolina Educational Merit Award (2019), and the NC Tennis Adaptive Award (2018).

Lou has also worked to create unforgettable opportunities for athletes on the national stage. In 2019, she brought 24 athletes to Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open for an on-court demonstration before the Djokovic/Londero match—a highlight of her life. Determined to provide that experience again, she worked tirelessly to make it possible, and in 2025 she returned with 24 different athletes as part of the USTA Net Generation On Court Experience—another moment she treasures deeply.

Beyond her work with ATANC, Lou serves on the board of the NC Tennis Foundation, the NC Tennis Nominating Committee, and the USTA National Adaptive Committee, as well as the adaptive committees for USTA Southern and USTA North Carolina. In these roles, she helps raise awareness of Abilities Tennis while also shaping the future of adaptive programming across the country.

Lou Welch