Deborah Larkin
Barbara Camozzi
At 76, Deborah Slaner Larkin is a solid tennis player who enjoys playing for fun as well as in leagues and tournaments. She loves the game. Or as she succinctly puts it, “I’ve got tennis in my DNA.” But that’s just the beginning of her partnership with tennis.
Deborah grew up in Scarsdale, N.Y., and she was fortunate to play many sports growing up and was a state tennis champion at age 13. She competed in around 20 United States Tennis Association (USTA) League national championships, winning the National Adult 4.5 USTA League Champion in 2005 and finishing as a finalist and medalist in other Adult and Senior USTA 4.5 League National Championships. She currently coaches the Mt. Anthony Union Varsity girls’ Tennis Team in Bennington, Vt., and competes on several USTA teams.
She earned a B.A. at the University of Oregon and an MBA in Marketing at the University of Maryland. She returned to New York and joined an advertising firm in NYC as an account executive working on household brands. After five years, she sought a career change to focus on making a positive impact for girls and women in society. She was selected as the second CEO in 1986 at the Women’s Sports Foundation (WSF), which Billie Jean King founded in 1974. At the time, there were major inequities in women’s sports, and it was difficult to get funding. That’s where her marketing background was key. She served for six years, and the focus was to be the voice of women’s sports.
See more information at nwto.us/blog/celebrating-50-years-of-cultural-change.
Soon after their daughter was born, she left the WSF, but continued her involvement in sports. She coached multiple teams and continued to work locally and nationally around Title IX compliance.
In 2010, Deborah became the Executive Director of the USTA Foundation, the charity of the USTA, and its focus is to combine tennis, education, and mentorship to help young people from underserved communities become ready for life. The USTAF provides academic support, scholarships, grants for the local community, and 250 National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) programs across the country.
In 2013, Deborah returned to the WSF as CEO, serving until 2017, with an additional year as head of advocacy. Soon after, she joined the International Tennis Hall of Fame board, where she focused on supporting the NJTL program, TeamFAME, and helping develop Be Legendary, a global program that teaches kids about the history of the game. The program included Hall of Famers like Bob and Mike Bryan, Martina Navratilova, Tracy Austin, and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, conducting on-court clinics and discussing how finding one’s greatness can lead to success in life.
Today, John and Deborah live in southern Vermont, not far from Matthew, John’s son, and two grandsons who also live in Vermont. Deborah and John spend about three months in PebbleCreek playing tennis, pickleball, and golf. We are so happy and proud to have Deborah in our PebbleCreek community.