Executive Director's Report

By Acting Executive Director Dwight Johnson

It is my pleasure to become the acting Executive Director of USA Table Tennis (USATT). I am now making the transition from my career in the Air Force (from which I recently retired) and am ready to face civilian life with enthusiasm.

Serving in this position is going to be a challenge, and I know that I will make mistakes. However, I also know that we will be able to work together to help our sport grow. My past will serve me well, as I spent years reporting to Colonels and Generals on ongoing issues and their solutions. I understand and appreciate the lines of command and communication that need to be in place.

I have already met with the USATT Headquarters staff and discussed the importance of customer service, a top priority. I believe you will continue to receive outstanding service from them.

One of my objectives is to take over the responsibilities that the Board has been overseeing by default. By doing this, the organization will be more staff driven and the Board will become more visionary and policy driven. I will communicate to the staff the priorities designated by the Board so that we work in unison. One of my jobs will be to keep tabs on products and programs that are important to the organization as set down by the Board.

I believe very strongly in empowering people. If you give people a vision and an end result and let them fill in the middle, you will receive a better product and/or program. The Air Force gave me the opportunity to run a large business that had to make a profit. I did this by using empowerment and accountability within the staff.

To keep focused on what is important, I am using the six goals that the Board agreed in principle to follow as priorities. Those goals are:

Within each of these goals are objectives that I will present to the Board in July. This road map to the future will include timelines for each objective that we will meet at headquarters. This road map will enable us to help grow the sport. I will give you future updates so that you will see that we are on the right road toward achieving these objectives, timelines and goals.

I am honored to have this opportunity to have a positive impact on the sport of Table Tennis. It is a tremendous responsibility, but with your support there are no obstacles we cannot overcome.