USTA Foundation Empowering Youth through Tennis and Education

Dyan Gershman obtained a Bachelor of Arts in comparative literature at Colorado College before earning her juris doctorate from Boston College Law School. She is the founder and partner at Gershman Law, PLLC, a boutique corporate law firm based in New York City. When she is not working, Dyan Gershman enjoys the outdoors and sports, especially tennis, which she has played for many years, and she is longtime member of the United States Tennis Association (USTA).

Under the auspices of the national USTA, the USTA Foundation aims to provide tennis skills and education to under-served and vulnerable youth in 250 communities through the National Junior Tennis League (NJTL).

Established in 1969, the NJTL nurtures youth by instilling character and leadership skills through mentorship with the goal of helping youth become productive members of society. The NJTL later changed its name to the National Junior Tennis and Learning Network to better reflect its mission and objectives.

Over the years, the network has grown to serve 160,000 youth yearly through free or discounted tennis and academic programs. The USTA Foundation funds the various programs and works with the member charters and schools for after-school tutoring.

Group Training with the New York Road Runners

A New York corporate attorney, Dyan Gershman has more than 25 years of experience in legal areas such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and technology and intellectual property licensing. An avid runner in her free time, Dyan Gershman trains with the New York Road Runners (NYRR).

The country’s largest non-profit running organization, the NYRR has been serving the community through running for more than 60 years. In addition to organizing the New York Marathon, the club hosts weekly group running workouts for local New Yorkers of all running levels. At each group session, coaches guide participants through a warm-up, followed by a challenging workout that may include a tempo run or interval training. Each hour-long session also includes time to work on flexibility and strength.

Held in various New York City parks, group running workouts aim to cultivate camaraderie and community among runners in a healthy, supportive environment. To view a schedule, pricing, or to enroll, visit http://www.nyrr.org.

Catskill Animal Sanctuary’s Goat Games

The founder of Gershman Law, PLLC, a NYC-based boutique corporate law firm, Dyan Gershman is a highly experienced lawyer specializing in corporate law and mergers and acquisitions. Outside of her legal practice, Dyan Gershman supports numerous local charities.

One organization that Dyan Gershman supports is the Catskill Animal Sanctuary and their unique programs. Located in the Hudson Valley in New York on 150 acres, the Catskill Animal Sanctuary serves as a refuge for farm animals rescued from cruelty, abandonment, and neglect. It was established in 2001 and since that time the Sanctuary has rescued and rehabilitated more than 5,000 mistreated, abandoned, and neglected farm animals. One of the Sanctuary’s popular events for raising awareness for animal sanctuaries are the Goat Games.

The Goat Games were started in 2020 as a response for the delayed Olympic Games. The 2021 Goat Games were a virtual event, allowing participants to choose one of the sports or activities and raise funds for one of the participating sanctuaries (there were 10 participating sanctuaries in total). The possible sports included hiking, running, swimming, biking, and more, allowing everyone to participate and spread awareness and fun.

The participants then performed the chosen sport or activity, or donated directly to one of the 10 sanctuaries sponsoring the Goat Games. Participating athletes were encouraged to post their progress on social media and spread the word about the event to their friends. The Games were a resounding success, with over $200,000 raised throughout the week-long event.