Our Team
Adminstrative
Pat Steets
Owner/ Partner
Pat Steets
Since her graduation from Springfield College with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Pat Steets has been successfully and happily engaged in the sports and fitness industry for over 40 years. Over 30 of those wonderful years have been spent managing The New Rochelle Racquet Club. Pat has been an irreplaceable part of the changes, additions and transitions that NRRC has experienced over the years, including the addition of the Racquetball Courts in the late 70’s, and The Rock Club in 2006.
Through her hard work and dedication to the company, she was awarded with the opportunity to become Partner, which was the highlight of her career. As a partner of The New Rochelle Racquet Club, and now Pine Brook Fitness, Pat looks forward every day to ensuring that our members continue to have the very best experience possible. In her spare time, Pat regularly opens up her home to family and friends for entertaining, especially in the summer months, when her pool is a hot spot for the whole neighborhood! She enjoys spending time with family most of all, especially her little nephews, who luckily live close by.
Valerie Ferrara
Chief Operating Officer, HR
Valerie Ferrara
Val has been the Chief Operating Officer of The Clubs at Pine Brook Fitness since early 2014. She joined the team from Philadelphia, PA, where she managed a health club with over 4,000 members.
When she is not overseeing construction projects or touring prospective members to the Clubs, Val enjoys daily long drives, her 2 cats, and chasing after her 2 young sons and taking in the sights of the northern Hudson Valley.
She has been enjoying playing tennis at NRRC since 2015 and loves the weekly clinics and Blitz, as well as smashing volleys that the pros can’t get! She also is an Airbnb Superhost and a Notary Public—and always has her stamp on her if you need signature-related assistance!
Val looks forward to meeting you on or off the courts, and if you need anything, she can be found in the middle office to the right of the Front Desk.
Charlie Chait
General Manager
Charlie Chait
Charlie has been involved with tennis since she was around 10 years old, playing in the street in front of her house and finding any available place possible to play with her sisters. As a summer job, she helped the top Pro in Hawaii, teach all ages the love of her sport. An Apparel Designer by trade, she has worked in Los Angeles, Portland, Oregon and NYC designing swimwear, children’s wear and bridal gowns. Her hiatus from tennis lasted quite a while, but her love for the sport brought her back after starting a family.
Charlie soon began running Men’s and Women’s Playing Leagues at her neighborhood club. This soon turned into a full-time job. At Rye Racquet Club, she became the Office Manager for 5 years. All the while getting back her game, she managed to make it all the way to Nationals. Coming to NRRC in 2009 as Office Manager, Charlie has worked in all parts of the Club including teaching Summer Camp. All the while, spreading her passion for the sport and working on her game, in 2014 she took over as General Manager of NRRC.
Paul Cesario
Marketing Director
Paul Cesario
Paul was born and raised in NY and joined the team in 2016. He brings many years of marketing and entrepreneurial experience to the club, having previously run two businesses of his own, a professional recording studio and teaching practice. He has worked in the marketing department for NJ Transit and a variety of tech startups in NYC. He is an avid lover of all things tech, whether it is the latest gadget or new marketing software. He holds an B.A in Music from SUNY Purchase and an MBA in Marketing from CUNY Baruch.
Paul is an avid lover of fitness and understands the importance a healthy and active lifestyles plays in ones overall well being. He is a lover of the outdoors, enjoys traveling, cooking, playing his guitar and drums, and investing in the stock market.
One of his life long goals is to hike the Appalachian Trail in its entirety, ME to GA, all 2200 miles of it. When he's not at the club, you can find him exercising, reading, working on his car, teaching music lessons, and taking care of his ten year old american bombay cat, Lucy.
Helen Chun
Adult Playing Leagues and Men's Program Coordinator, Summer USTA Teams Coordinator
Helen Chun
Coming Soon!
Director
Dean Won
Director of Tennis
Dean Won
Dean started playing tennis at the age of 9. At that point, he dedicated himself to practicing as much as he can, even using a wall as a partner. All his efforts lead Dean playing and captaining his team at North Rockland High School. He followed that with Division I tennis at Manhattan College, captaining his senior year, where he majored in Chemical Engineering. While working for the Department of Environmental Protection after college, Dean missed tennis. He returned to his beloved sport spending his summers as head pro at the Larchmont Yacht Club for 9 years. He is now a full-time NRRC coach where he has been teaching since 2006. He is committed to making the tennis programs at NRRC the best in Westchester!
Adam Homan
Director of Player Development, Adult Program Coordinator
Adam Homan
Master Pro
Otto Enukidze
Head Tennis Professional
Otto Enukidze
Originally from the country of Georgia, Otto started playing tennis at age of 9 and came to the US in 2005. By age 15 he was playing on the Georgia National Tennis Team and by age 16 playing the Davis Cup.
Teaching for over 12 years, Otto's love of the game and professionalism is apparent in every lesson and clinic he teaches. When he's not teaching, he is sharing his tennis knowledge with his two daughters and playing in a variety of prize money tournaments.
Andre Sinclair
Junior Tournaments Director, Director of Men's Development
Andre Sinclair
Andre Sinclair has been a professional Tennis Coach since 1997. A native of Jamaica, he first fell in love with tennis when he was 16 years old and later pursued a career as a coach. Sinclair enjoys working with youth as they develop a love for and expertise at tennis.
“It gives me a chance to teach them something new or even about themselves, and at the same time I learn from them,” he says,”because every child is different. I love working with kids and with the hope of them getting into college and even going professional.”
He is a Role Model, Group Leader and Activity Specialist at the Co-op City Tennis Club, where he previously served as the Acting Site Director and Tennis Coach. Sinclair also serves at the coach of The Ursuline School Varsity Tennis Team, which won the NY State Public High School Athletic Association State Championship in 2013.
He has won – twice – as Coach of the Year by the Westchester Journal News in 2013 and 2013.
In his current role, he taught Christian Waldron, who recently won the Mayor’s Cup, and Brandon Torres, the recent winner of NYJTL’s Arthur Ashe Essay Contest and who is no ranked No.1 in the Eastern 12 and Under category.
He says tennis is more that about perfecting skill on the court.
“It teaches children and youth how to develop good sportsmanship skills, how to listen and follow rules, and at the same time how to be creative both on the court and in their lives,” he says. Accordingly, he regularly imparts life lessons.
“Regardless of whether they want to pursue tennis or something else in life, they must remember that it’s not about practice making perfect,” he says. “It’s perfect practice makes perfect, and if they are on the tennis court, they should play but also play smart.”
Phillip Williamson
Tennis Professional
Phillip Williamson
Phil Williamson (a Mount Vernon, NY native) has been a veteran tennis pro for the past 25 years. After a stellar junior record in the USTA Eastern Section and the National American Tennis Association (ATA) level, he moved onto a historical record at Columbia University (capturing their first IVY title in 12 yrs. then again before graduating in 1987).
After several years on the ATP Tour, Grand Slams and Davis Cup play, Phil has used these experiences coupled with an USPTA Elite Pro and USTA High Performance Certification training to offer the best tennis information and education to anyone interested in reaching their full capacity. With former Directorships at Westchester and NYC clubs (Hastings on the Hudson, Harlem Jr. Tennis Program and Tennis Club of Riverdale, respectively), Phil has taught over 8 years at the Grand Slam Tennis Center in Bedford, NY (an Ivan Lendl facility) and another 4 years as the Head Coach of the Ross School Tennis Academy in East Hampton, NY.
Senior Pro
Kachinga Sinkala
Tennis Professional
Kachinga Sinkala
Kachinga Sinkala was born and raised in Mufulira, Zambia where he started playing tennis at the age of 9. As a junior tennis player in Zambia, Kachinga competed on the National and ITF Junior Circuit and obtained a ranking as high as number one in the country. After graduating from the junior rankings, Kachinga joined the Zambia Davis Cup. He also went on to compete ITF men's satellite and ATP tournaments and consequently gained enough points to be ranked in the world.
Kachinga moved to United States and was immediately awarded a tennis scholarship at Huntington University where he played #1 singles and doubles. In his first year Huntington University, Kachinga was ranked number 18 in the conference.
Since moving to the United States in 2002, Kachinga has taught at many different tennis clubs and facilities. He has taught at Joel Ross tennis camp in Kent, CT for two summers. He also coached at Tennis Rhode Island for several years. Most recently, he taught at the Kela Simunyola Tennis Academy in NY where he was an instrumental part of building a top level junior program.
Kachinga hold a ITF level 2 coaching certificate as well as a Olympic attendance coaching workshop certificate.
Harold Toussaint
Tennis Professional
Harold Toussaint
Harold was born on December 21, 1970 and raised in Petion-Ville, Haiti where attended the elementary school of Willy Goldman and high school at the College Classique of Haiti. He experienced the best times this great island had to offer in terms of its culture, the lifestyle and other characteristics of a tropical land. He grew up in a neighborhood where sports activities were very popular, across from his house was a catholic school where he played several sports activities such as soccer, basketball, and volleyball. “I was fortunate to play many sports on the same day and in one place,” he says.
His brother Yves Champagne introduced him to Tennis when he was 12 years old, since then he gave up other sports to become a full time tennis player, also the country had an idol Ronald Agenor who was among the top 20 player in the world. He discovered the most enjoyable moments of his life through this wonderful sport at a point he reached a National Ranking No 4 in the country.
After completing his first and second Degree in Humanitarian Studies, he decided to follow a professional career without major success by playing various Satellites in the Caribbean and the USA. He became a traveling coach in 1997 for the Haitian junior tennis team competing in the NTT games in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (World Junior Tennis Competition). He decided to move to the US later in the same year and become a member of the United States Tennis Association (USPTA) up this date. “I lived in Miami, Florida for 5 years while competing in various local events and was ranked number 8 in the 25’s,” he says.
Harold has been living in the Westchester area, New York since 2003 where he worked in the tennis industry. Wanting to further his education, he recently obtained an Associate degree in Sports Management from the University of Phoenix.
Coaching Curriculum
* Coach at the Orange Bowl 2014 – 2016
* Touring Pro Circuit of Nimes, France Summer 2015
* Haitian’s Assistant Davis Cup Captain 2009
* Coached Sean Wei 2009 – 2012 ( Ranked # 1 in the B14’s Eastern)
* Coached Kelsey Laurente 2000 – 2005 ( 2009 Finalist Orange Bowl Girls 16’s)
* Roberto Livi 2000 – 2005 (2007 Quater Finalist Eddie Herr)
William Matthew
Tennis Professional
William Matthews
William has over 25 years of quality teaching experience on the tennis court. He has completed the course at Dennis Van Der Meer Tennis Academy and USTA’s level 1 Sport Science course. Prior to coming to the New Rochelle Racquet Club in 2000, William has worked with nationally ranked juniors in his native country of Antigua. He was also the Tennis Director of two of the local exclusive resorts on the island; William has also taught at the Bronxville Field Club for 7 years. His love of teaching the fundamentals of tennis is what he enjoys the most.
Paulo Chiapponi
Tennis Professional
Paulo Chiapponi
Daniel Scopp
Tennis Professional
Daniel Scopp
Daniel started playing tennis at the age of 6 at New Rochelle Racquet Club. He fell in love with the sport and continued training at NRRC through high school. He competed in USTA tournaments and became the captain of his varsity tennis team during senior year.
While studying for a degree in political science at Quinnipiac University, Daniel got his first experience coaching at a tennis camp in Scarsdale, NY. This is where he developed a new passion for teaching the game to others that gave him so much joy growing up. After graduating college he decided that he wanted to pursue a career in coaching and became certified by the USPTA.
Since 2015 Daniel has worked for the town of Mamaroneck and Scarsdale tennis programs. He has also been the Lead Coach for TGA Premier Sports in Southern Westchester where he has run after school tennis clubs and camps.
Daniel is very excited to be back as a coach in the place where he was first introduced to tennis. It’s a great opportunity for him to help make great memories for his students at NRRC the way his coaches once did for him.
