02.04.26
Shawneshia Hoover
Shawneshia Hoover (She/Her), is a dedicated mental health professional with over five years of experience as a Mental Health Clinical Director and over 15 years of mental health and non profit experience. She has a strong commitment to supervision and community-based systems work.
Shawneshia holds a Master’s degree in Community Mental Health Counseling Psychology and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Their clinical background includes supporting individuals and families navigating anxiety, depression, and complex trauma. Their approach is holistic and depth-oriented, thoughtfully integrating emotional insight, cultural responsiveness, and trauma-informed care.
In addition to clinical leadership, Shawneshia is deeply invested in supervising and mentoring clinicians in training, supporting their professional growth with care, clarity, and accountability.
Shawneshia also remains actively engaged in community outreach, facilitating workshops and groups that center self-exploration, financial literacy, and creative expression through art and fashion. Their work reflects a belief in healing that extends beyond the therapy room and into the broader community.
Shawneshia’s leadership, clinical expertise, and community-centered approach make them a valued contributor and trusted guide to the YTA team.
09.25.25
Stephenique Allen
Stephenique brings over a decade of executive leadership advancing educational equity initiatives for Oakland youth. An Oakland native and proud OUSD alumna, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Sociology with a minor in Political Science from the University of California at Merced. She has a distinguished track record of designing and scaling high-impact programs that drive outcomes for youth in the foster care system, students with special needs, and first-generation college-bound students; always anchored in access, equity, and impact.
Her passion for tennis and community was sparked as a child through Youth Tennis Advantage at the Arroyo Viejo Courts in East Oakland. That formative experience revealed the power of tennis to foster leadership, resilience, and community principles that continue to define her leadership philosophy. Today, she remains connected to the game through community courts and adult clinics, championing tennis as a proven catalyst for empowerment, opportunity, and lifelong growth for youth.
06.05.25
Mark Kushner
Mark brings decades of experience in education, nonprofit leadership, and community engagement. His background includes serving as a teacher, nonprofit attorney, and founder of inner-city schools in San Francisco, Oakland and Richmond, California. He has raised more than $50 million in support of youth-focused initiatives and has consistently worked to increase access and opportunity for students from under-represented backgrounds.
Mark is also a former tennis coach and lifelong believer in the power of sport to build confidence, connection, and character—aligning closely with YTA’s mission. The Search Committee was impressed by his passion, energy, and clear commitment to young people.
One of Mark’s references, who worked with Mark before he left to get his Masters in Education at Harvard had this to say: “His enthusiasm is infectious, he is a wonderful leader, and I think YTA would benefit from having him as your Executive Director.”
03.29.23
Shahand Esmaeili
I was four-and-a-half years old when I held my first tennis racquet, and four years later I became one of the top tennis players in my hometown of Esfahan, Iran and started playing in junior tournaments. With the support of Iran's tennis federation, my teammates and I started the fun journey of national tournaments every summer in different cities in the country where we played hard, supported our teammates, laughed together, won matches, lost matches, cried together and most importantly we created some of the best memories of our youth because of tennis.
October 2022 marked the 4th anniversary of being with YTA and it is an honor for me to be part of a family where I feel at home and where it resembles so closely my own memories of my youth. What we are doing at YTA is very important for me personally because of these parallels. Families had to do everything by themselves to support their kids in tennis, which was an expensive sport then, and still is now. Here at YTA, I feel that it’s my duty to help future generations by supporting them on and off the tennis court through the help of the entire YTA family -- providing free resources and taking some financial loads off families. Ultimately doing all we can to help each YTA student achieve their highest potential and creating some unforgettable memories along the way.
11.10.20
Claudia Vlasak
Claudia has been YTA’s Administrative Director since 2017. Prior to that she honed her tennis administrative skills having spent 17 years at the Bay Club (formerly San Francisco Tennis Club) and was the acting Facility Coordinator and Tournament Director for the San Francisco Rec & Park Department at the Golden Gate Park Tennis Complex (prior to the renovation).
She has a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, is an active USTA tennis player and the proud parent of two daughters who both played on the UC Davis tennis team. One of her favorite things about working for YTA is visiting the program sites and engaging with the students.
09.17.20
Thomas White
Serving as a Master Pro at Bay Club San Francisco Tennis Club and holding a certification with the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) since 1999, Coach White is motivated by teaching the youth and making a positive impact in the community.
Coach White helped found and grow Youth Tennis Advantage and has served as a member of the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL) of Oakland and the Youth Tennis Foundation of San Francisco. For years he worked as a Site Director of the Bay View Hunters Point site. It was there that his director skills were noticed by the Bear Trax site at UC Berkeley and he was offered a gig to get the program up and running year round.
USTA Northern California recently presented the Awards Celebrating Excellence in Service (ACES), honoring the section’s best organizations, volunteers and players for their outstanding achievements and service to the game of tennis for 2017. Coach Thomas White was named the recipient of USTA NorCal’s 2017 Diversity & Inclusion Service Award. Coach White has been working with YTA since its inception and is currently the Site Director at Hunters Point. Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition!
With a passion and genuine love for tennis, Coach White looks forward to continuing to coach the youth and encouraging them to further develop their natural persistence, leadership skills, ethics and above all, following their heart.
09.17.20
Carl Mendoza
With over 25 years of tennis experience, Carl Mendoza currently serves as Site Director for YTA’s John McLaren Park programs. Carl’s passion for community, diversity and inclusion resulted in his involvement with inner-city tennis programs. He’s worked for programs such as Oakland’s Mayor Program, the Warren Brown Tennis Program, and NJTL of San Francisco. He also started a NJTL camp for junior tennis players who are unable to afford the costs, so they can have a chance to play the game he loves so much.
Originally from Salinas, California, Carl “The Tank”, was a high school football superstar, going on to study architecture, political science and even law. He became a major activist during the Free Speech Movement protesting for equal access to higher education for minorities and ethnic studies. At 23 years old his brother-in-law taught him the game of tennis, but it wasn’t until he was 40, when he changed professions officially to become a certified tennis instructor.
Carl is passionate about making a positive impact in the lives of our future generation and watching them succeed. He plans to someday write a book on how to teach tennis.
09.17.20
Wing-Yan So
Wing-Yan So oversees operations as the Site Director at John McLaren Park and has been with YTA for more than six years. What Wing-Yan loves most about her job is watching the kids grow up over the years into independent individuals and amazing tennis players. She enjoys making a difference in kids lives who normally wouldn’t have the opportunities.
Growing up in the area, Wing-Yan appreciates being close to her hometown and making an impact in her community. She began working with YTA as a volunteer through AmeriCorps and ended up getting a position as a site director, while keeping her day job as a high school teacher. Wing-Yan has lead several winning YTA Junior Team Tennis teams, including one that went to nationals last year.