Berhe Serekeberhan-President/Director
Berhe established Blakeney Racquet and Swim Club in 2004.  He is originally from Eritrea-east Africa Came to America at age 17 pursuing his tennis carrier.  He played college tennis at Baylor University upon receiving full scholarship and graduated in 1995.  Berhe is husband and father of three children.  His wife Dr. Eden Serekeberhan is the owner of the Blakeney Family Chiropractic located in the Blakeney Racquet & Swim club house.  Berhe comes from a family of thirteen children in which the whole family plays tennis.  His father was a coach and has passed his passion for teaching tennis to Berhe and his older brothers.  Berhe played many international tournaments including Davis cup for Ethiopia.  He is member of the USTA High Performance coaching program for juniors and certified by the professional tennis registry.  He has worked with highly experienced juniors and traveled to many tournaments as a junior coach including the prestigious Orange Bowl in Miami.  Berhe’s past students have played college tennis and many have received scholarships.  Berhe has coached players to national titles, including the Kalamazoo nationals.  Berhe enjoys teaching and working with all player levels. 

Jo Henry-Co-Director
Jo Henry joined the Blakeney staff in 2006.  Jo competed in junior tennis in Georgia before playing at the collegiate level at both the University of Illinois and Flagler College.  She received her Master’s in Public Administration from Georgia Southern University.  Once of her most exciting playing experiences was being invited to New York to compete in the U.S. Olympic trials.  A USPTA Level 1 instructor, Jo has taught with tennis greats Bob McKinley and Fred Stolle and was director of tennis at St. Simons Retreat and Fripp Island Racquet Club prior to moving to Charlotte.  In Charlotte she has taught at Charlotte Tennis Academy and Providence Country Club prior to coming to Blakeney.  Jo has over twenty years experience working with junior and adult players and enjoys introducing the sport to the beginners.  She feels tennis is a great sport to teach sportsmanship, self-confidence, and teamwork.

Lee Larson-Head Tennis Professional
Lee Larson joined the Blakeney staff in 2010.  Lee brings seventeen years of teaching experience and a USTPA Level 1 professional rating along with a distinct passion and enthusiasm for the game.  Lee has extensive experience teaching players of all ages and abilities and also is an accomplished player himself.  Lee’s teaching career began in high school where he worked with a grass roots program to teach tennis at area parks in Iowa.  Lee worked his way up to direct a staff of 10 professionals and over 300 participants in this program by the time he graduated from college.  Lee’s club roles have also included being an adult director, as well as working with elite tournament players in Ohio.  Lee serves as the head of Blakeney’s very successful junior program.  As a junior, Lee was able to balance being a two sport athlete in tennis and soccer, while also being a part of his school’s gifted programs.  As an adult Lee has had success playing money tournaments and currently competes in USTA league play.  Lee graduated summa cum laude from the University of Northern Iowa and also has a Masters of Arts from the University of Georgia. 

Susie Brown-Tennis Professional
Susie Brown joined the Blakeney staff in 2011.  Susie was the tennis director of Chamisal Tennis & Fitness Club, Corral de Tierra, California and high school coach at both Palma High School and Notre Dame High School in Salinas California where she coached teams to four league championships.  Junior players she has coached have been top ranked in Northern California as well as top ten nationally.  Additionally, Susie worked in member services at the Monterey Peninsula County Club in Pebble Beach.  Susie competed at Brigham Young University and the University of Southern California where she earned her undergraduate degree.  Susie has three team collegiate championships and an adult grass court national championship to her credit.  She will be teaching junior classes, evening and weekend classes, and private lessons.

Mickey Worthington-Assistant Tennis Professional
Mickey Worthington joined the Blakeney Tennis staff in 2011 as an assistant professional.  Mickey hails from Cleveland Ohio, but has lived in Charlotte for the past sixteen years.  Beginning tennis ate age eleven, he competed as a junior player in both USTA tournaments and at Ardrey Kell High School.  While at Ardrey Kell, Mickey reached the regional finals in doubles, and the team advanced to the state finals.  Mickey competed on the Pfeiffer University tennis team the past two years and has recently transferred to the University of North Carolina to complete his degree in business.  Mickey enjoys tennis because it brings combines physical fitness with chess like strategy, and he enjoys passing along this knowledge to junior players.

Patrick Mlauzi- Tennis Professional
Patrick Mlauzi joined the Blakeney staff in 2009 as a USPTR certified instructor.  Patrick played tennis for Zimbabwe in the late 1980’s and also competed at John Brown University. Has over twenty-three years in tennis teaching experience.  Patrick has been a tennis instructor and supervisor at Kennebec Camps, junior camps in Nebraska, and at Nick Bollettieri camps in Florida.  Other tennis experiences include being the Director of Tennis and Manager of Grand Island Racquet Center (5 years) and a serving on the Board of Directors for the Charlotte Tennis Association (2 years).  He joined Blakeney teaching staff in 2010.  Patrick is the father of two young boys, he enjoys reading and running.  Patrick earned his MBA from the University of Nebraska and a MBA in Finance from Wake Forest University. 

Beth Storlie-Fitness Trainer
Beth Storlie came to Blakeney in 2009 and is a certified trainer and member of the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America.  She enjoys helping and motivating all of her clients to achieve their personal fitness goals.  Beth has great experience working with a wide range of clients of all fitness levels.  Beth attended Hanover College in Indiana where she majored in biology and psychology.  She is avid fitness and tennis enthusiast and is passionate about making a difference in people’s health and quality of life.  Beth spends free time attending her son’s football games.

Nick Bucci- Fitness Trainer

Nick Bucci came to Blakeney in 2010.  He is a native of Syracuse NY, Nick now lives with his wife and daughter in the Steel Creek area. He has been a personal trainer for thirteen years, and USA boxing amateur from age of two.  He has a record of 11-4 fighting and winning with his most recent bout February 2010. Certified through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Nick uses his extensive athletic background and a military background to create dynamic workouts for members of all ages and fitness goals.

Debbie Laramee-Billing/Front Desk Manager
Debbie Laramee joined the Blakeney staff in 2007. She came to us from Franklin, Massachusetts where she held the position of Front Desk Manager at the Adirondack Club.  She has also has been an executive administrator and consultant for Bio Tech Companies in California.  Debbie is mother of triplet boys and one daughter.  
        
Laurie Wolf-Director Child Watch
Laurie Wolf came to Blakeney in 2007.  She is a native of North Carolina and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Asheville.  She spends most of her free time with her two children on the baseball field or in the cheerleading studio.  Laurie is also a pet lover with three dogs and two cats.  She treats all of the Blakeney children as her own and has been a great asset to parents involved in Blakeney activities.

Donald Harris-Maintenance
Donald joined Blakeney in 2010 and is originally from Steubenville, Ohio, where he graduated from Youngstown State University with a major in Business Management and Communications.  He has worked as a general manager for a non-profit housing facility for the city of Atlanta for many years.  In school he played baseball and football. He also enjoys spending time with his family and friends.  Donald has completed a tennis court maintenance certification class and is also a certified pool operator.