50 women who have made a positive difference to me - Stacey Allaster

2022 - On the 50th anniversary of Title IX, I have been and will continue to shine a light on 50 women who have been amazing teachers, thereby affecting my sports career as well as the careers of other women and men in sport.

Stacey Allaster: An extraordinary Canadian - American

If you are a tennis fan like I am, you’ve probably heard the names of these Canadian stars - Felix Auger Aliassime, Leylah Fernandez, Bianca Andreesscu, and Denis Shapovalov. But these weren’t the only big-time Canadian sports names swirling around the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during the first weeks in September this year. I was also cheering for Stacey Allaster, Tournament Director of the US Open and Chief Executive of Professional Tennis of the United States Tennis Association!

Canadian Stacey Allaster is a 1985 University of Western Ontario Economics and Physical Education major. Stacey jumped into the tennis business after graduation, working for the Ontario Tennis Association in membership sales and player development. She rose to lead Sales and Marketing for Tennis Canada and was the Tournament Director for the Canadian Open held in Toronto. While working for Tennis Canada, Stacey earned her MBA from the Richard Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario) in 2000.

In 2006 Stacey migrated to St. Petersburg, Florida to take the reins of worldwide women’s tennis, the Women’s Tennis Association. Yes, a Canadian. And yes, the first woman to hold the title of Chairman and CEO at the WTA!

In 2015 Stacey left the WTA and became an American citizen. And shortly thereafter the United States Tennis Association invited her to be our US Chief Executive of Professional Tennis. Then the USTA added the title of US Open Tournament Director to Stacey’s resume, making her also the first woman to hold that position!

Stacey and I were brought together in 2017 when I was inducted as a WISE Woman of the Year winner. WISE had so recognized Stacey in 2011. I was honored to be sitting on a panel next to her.

After I won the Sports Business Journal Pioneers in Innovation Award in 2019, I was humbled not only by Stacey’s presence, but also by her comments. She seemed genuinely pleased for me as she shouted, “Way to go!” It took my breath away. Here was an international woman who had reached the pinnacle at both the WTA and USTA cheering for me. At that moment, I felt Stacey should be receiving my award instead of me.

I was pleased to see that in June 2022 Canada gave Stacey the “Order of Canada” award at the highest “Companion” level. This prestigious award is given to very select individuals who have made “outstanding achievement and merit of the highest degree, especially in service to Canada or to humanity at large.” Stacey was awarded the Order of Canada for her work in advancing gender equality.

I am grateful to have shared a moment in my career journey with Stacey.

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