GLTA Board Thanks Rowen D’Souza and Announces Board Vacancy
On March 10, 2025, Rowen D’Souza notified the Pride Tennis Worldwide (“GLTA”) Board of Directors that he had made the difficult decision to retire from the Board effective immediately. Rowen was first elected to the Board in 2018 and has served continuously on the Board since that time, filling a number of different director roles. He was re-elected to three-year Board terms in 2021 and 2024. Most recently, from 2023-2024, Rowen served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the GLTA. In that role, Rowen cultivated goodwill for the organization and moved the GLTA forward by bringing in new tournaments for the GLTA calendar, mentoring tournament directors, and fostering worldwide growth.
Speaking of his retirement, Rowen explained:
“The GLTA is an amazing organisation that gives us opportunities to celebrate who we are, participate in the sport we love, and meet some lifelong friends. For the last 7 years, I have had the honour of serving in a leadership position and have seen the organisation grow and thrive. I have served with people on the board who, without exception, have been dedicated to making the GLTA stronger. This all takes enormous amounts of energy, and recently, with a newly expanded board powering ahead with vigor and enthusiasm, I have seen an opportunity to step away and take some more time for myself and my family.
I would like to announce my retirement from the Board. I use the word retirement because that is what it feels like, one part of your life ends, and you move on to a more peaceful and relaxed future. Since I informed the Board of my decision a week ago, I have spent some time in Bali without my laptop and without once looking at the tournament software or trying to work around a quirk in that software. It’s been bliss.
To past and present Board members and tournament teams, thank you for your support and camaraderie. I’ve met some amazing people in my 7 years on the Board. It’s inspiring to see how hard people work to organise our GLTA events, I am appreciative of the opportunities I’ve had and am proud of what I have contributed. So, this is me signing off one last time. Thanks for 7 fun years. See you on the court soon.”
The Board offers its heartfelt thanks to Rowen for his long tenure in volunteer leadership, which is a testament to his character and dedication to the organization and the LGBTQIA+ tennis community. Current President/CEO of the GLTA, Matt Feinberg, remarked: “As I mentioned in my remarks at the GLTA World Championships earlier this year, there are few people as dedicated to the GLTA and its members and players as Rowen. He is leaving huge shoes to fill and a legacy of dedication that we will do our best to uphold.”
GLTA Board Vacancy Process
Rowen’s retirement leaves a vacancy on the Board of Directors, which will be filled by direct appointment. The Board is committed to a fair and transparent process in filling the vacancy. The Board will accept statements of interest from candidates through April 1, 2025. To be eligible to submit a statement of interest, a candidate must have played in at least one GLTA-sanctioned tournament between November 1, 2023, and the present. The Board will review all statements of interest, and the vacancy will be filled by a majority vote of the directors. The successful candidate will serve for the remainder of 2025. A special election will be held, in conjunction with annual Board elections later this year, to fill the remaining two years of the vacant term.
If any GLTA player is interested in submitting their statement of interest for the Board vacancy, they are encouraged to do so by emailing Matt Feinberg at president and Amy Hasquet at secretary.
