Andy Roddick Foundation Announces New Board Of Directors

The Andy Roddick Foundation (ARF) has announced its new Board of Directors, assembled to help ARF achieve its mission to develop and inspire underserved youth through education and sports-based mentoring.

Retired tennis professional Andy Roddick has relocated his foundation to Austin, Texas, and recruited a new team to transform ARF from an all-volunteer charity into a professional, not-for-profit organization focused on after-school programs that teach character and life lessons to underserved youth. “It’s humbling to have such incredibly accomplished and experienced people believe in our mission and want to work together to steer us through our next phase of growth,” Roddick said.

Leading the team is CEO Jeff Lau, with a wealth of experience in several management, operations, and finance roles. Lau, who is also a new director, said, “Today’s announcement underscores the Foundation’s commitment to create, deliver, and support high-quality programs that can change the arc of a child’s life.”

Roddick will chair the Board and is joined by several others including tennis great Billie Jean King, known worldwide for her 20 Wimbledon titles and her “Battle of the Sexes” win over Bobby Riggs. King’s tireless contributions as Founder and President of the Women’s Tennis Association, her devoted efforts within organizations whose missions are to achieve global gender equality, and her unwavering commitment to tackle social and environmental challenges will greatly help ARF in this growth phase.

Additional directors are:

• Paul Bell: Former President, Public and Large Enterprises for Dell, Inc., a $35B global business unit. He also served on the Dell senior executive team from 1998 to 2012. Prior to joining Dell, Bell served as a strategy consultant at Bain & Co., and an investment banker at Morgan Stanley. He is a graduate of the Yale School of Management and holds a BS in Economics and BA in Fine Arts from Pennsylvania State University. He has previously served as a volunteer in the Peace Corps (Tunisia) and is an instrument-rated pilot. His philanthropic activities have included board roles on the Austin Children’s Shelter and Safe Place, as well as an advisor to Team Red White & Blue, an organization that supports returning US combat veterans.

• Andy Esparza: Former Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer for Dell, Inc. Prior to joining Dell, Esparza served in executive positions at NCR Corporation, a multi-billion-dollar technology company based in Dayton, Ohio, and Bechtel, a multi-billion-dollar engineering and construction company based in San Francisco, California. He holds a BA in Business Administration from San Diego State University, and serves on the Advisory Board of Directors for San Juan Diego High School and the Campanile Foundation board.

• Maria Farahani: Co-founder Fara Coffee, an Austin-based coffee company specializing in rain-forest grown ‘direct trade’ coffee that is sold in retail grocery chains, and the Fara Foundation, which focuses on improving the quality of life in Matagalpa, Nicaragua by providing aid through medical care, food assistance, educational opportunities and elderly care. Farahani holds a BA in Latin American Studies from the University of Texas, and serves on the boards of KIPP-Austin, Rhodes College, Grounds for Health, and the Fara Foundation.

• Phillip Meyers: Former CEO and Chairman of Heartland Automotive Services, the largest Jiffy Lube franchisee in the US, with over 430 store locations and $370M in annual sales. Meyers has extensive experience in a variety of real estate and private equity situations, including involvement with companies in all phases of growth and development. He has over 30 years of experience as a Certified Public Accountant, specializing in business valuation, tax law, and corporate restructuring. He currently serves on several boards of privately held companies, and is a published author.

The Andy Roddick Foundation works to develop and inspire underserved youth through education and sports-based mentoring, preparing each youth to succeed in the game of life. ARF raised over $11 million for its youth programs as well as for various Texas and South Florida-based youth organizations.