DAN FABER was recently appointed the new CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport. Faber was the head of the United States Tennis Association Foundation for a decade, increasing the foundation’s revenues by $14 million. In his new role in leading the Hall of Fame, Faber will partner with the executive board, board of governors and staff to further the nonprofit’s mission to preserve tennis history.
What was the impetus of you becoming interested in wanting to lead the Tennis Hall of Fame? What energized me to be interested in leading the Hall of Fame is a result of my early career as a public school teacher. The mission of the International Tennis Hall of Fame is to “Preserve, Celebrate, and Inspire.” This can be achieved by teaching the history of the game and engaging the remarkable Hall of Famers to educate fans worldwide. I believe there is unlimited potential to connect with and inspire people of all ages in so many ways, and that excites me.
What early goals do you have for the organization? My initial goal is to listen and learn from various stakeholders – the staff, board of directors, Hall of Famers, donors and sponsors, community members and tennis industry partners. It will be vital for me to learn about the organization’s history and people’s perspectives to help me better identify and develop new growth opportunities. I also emphasize the importance of increasing our international presence both in person and digitally by developing closer relationships with the ATP [Association of Tennis Professionals], WTA [Women’s Tennis Association], Grand Slams and International Tennis Federation. This grand vision comes with costs, and that is where I intend to focus additional fundraising efforts.
What ways will having former tennis star Patrick McEnroe help bolster the Hall of Fame as president? First, I am thrilled to have Patrick on my team. Patrick’s relationships at every level of our sport will be invaluable. He knows all the “players” in the game. As an ESPN broadcaster, he will be an important voice for the Hall of Fame to convey our messaging well beyond the traditional tennis audience. I also want to mention the major role that Hall of Famer Kim Clijsters will be playing on our team as honorary president. She represents all the positive attributes that professional tennis brings to society, and her global outreach will be critical to our future success.
Do you plan to expand any of the Hall of Fame’s educational offerings to the community? If so, in what ways? I am still learning the scope of the Hall of Fame’s reach, but I do know we already offer robust educational opportunities to a wide-ranging audience through our website, our museum and TeamFAME, our National Junior Tennis & Learning chapter. For example, the Hall of Fame provides lesson plans for teachers on tennis history and various digital exhibits for fans to explore wherever they are. I look forward to maximizing how we share content with our local Rhode Island educators and students and innovating our offerings for a global audience.
