Stephanie Tolleson Explained

Stephanie Tolleson
Birth Date:25 March 1956
Wimbledonresult:1R (1977, 1978)
Usopenresult:3R (1978)
Wimbledondoublesresult:2R (1977, 1978)
Usopendoublesresult:2R (1976, 1978)
Wimbledonmixedresult:1R (1977)
Usopenmixedresult:1R (1976)
Medaltemplates-Expand:yes

Stephanie Tolleson (born March 25, 1956) is an American former sports executive and professional tennis player.

Raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Tolleson was a two-time All-American at Trinity University and claimed the NCAA national collegiate singles championship in 1975. She won a gold medal in women's doubles at the 1975 Pan American Games, with Trinity teammate Sandy Stap as her partner.[1]

After college she competed on the professional tour, with highlights including an upset win over Sue Barker at the 1978 Eastbourne International and a third round appearance at the 1978 US Open.[2]

Once she finished her playing career, Tolleson began a 25-year career as a sports executive at IMG. She ran the men's and women's tennis division and her client roster included four # 1 ranked tennis players in the world - Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Monica Seles, and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.[3] Tolleson also handled the worldwide title sponsorship sales on behalf of the WTA Tour.[4] Additionally, she oversaw IMG's worldwide events division which included tennis, golf, skating, winter sports, skating and lifestyle and fashion events.

In 2005, Sports Business Journal named her the #4 Most Influential Women in Sports.

Tolleson is currently the Chief Operating Officer for Hawken School, a K-12 co-ed independent school in Gates Mills, Ohio. For the past three years, Hawken has been rated the #1 Academic school in Ohio.

Tolleson is married to former sports executive Peter Johnson.[5]

Notes and References

  1. News: U.S. Takes Four More Swim Titles . . October 25, 1975.
  2. News: Sports News Briefs . The New York Times . June 20, 1978.
  3. Web site: 1999-11-26 . Off the Tennis Court, Sports Agency Exec Has Advantage . 2022-03-19 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  4. Web site: STEPHANIE TOLLESON . 2022-03-19 . ITA Women's Hall of Fame . en-US.
  5. News: Seo . Diane . Off the Tennis Court, Sports Agency Exec Has Advantage . . November 26, 1999.