MEET OUR TEAM

CO-FOUNDER

More information about our amazing co-founder, Mark, coming soon!

CO-FOUNDER

After 30+ years of teaching, counseling and coaching at the high school level, Paul found pickleball in 2017 and his career path eventually shifted.  Paul and his wife, Linda, have two grown pickleball playing children – Mitchell and Maggie.  They have one grandson – Remy.

CO-FOUNDER

Eddie, a founding partner of Southern Pickleball, is a certified PPR and PTR teaching professional with over 20 years of coaching experience in both pickleball and tennis. Passionate about player development, he takes pride in helping athletes of all levels improve their skills, build confidence, and enjoy the game. Through coaching, mentorship, and tournament involvement, Eddie is dedicated to fostering a thriving and welcoming pickleball community.

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS/ THE PEOPLE’S PRINCESS

After 18 years at her corporate job, Lara took a leap to join Southern Pickleball full time and hasn’t regretted it a minute!!  Her dad used to say that if you love what you do, you will never work a day of your life! Lara has one son who is 21 and attending Kennesaw State University – he attends a pickleball tournament once in a while when we need some heavy lifting! 

DIRECTOR OF MARKETING

A Carnegie Mellon graduate coming from entertainment production management and corporate automotive marketing, MaryEmily now brings all the Gen-Z energy to Southern Pickleball’s team. When she’s not growing the game, she’s hitting the gym, catching some live music, or strolling through one of Atlanta’s beautiful parks with her golden retriever, Peyton.

CORPORATE STAFF

Corin is a dedicated pickleball player with four years of experience and two years of coaching with the Southern Pickleball family. When he's not working with pickleball, you can always find him out on the courts, perfecting his game and enjoying the sport he loves.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

Zach is a Georgia Southern graduate and pickleball fanatic! He fell in love with pickleball and since has loved meeting new people through the sport.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

Stephanie loves her family, pickleball, and pizza! She has met a bunch of great people through pickleball and is looking forward to seeing how the sport changes and improves.

TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR

Maria is a born and raised ATLien who has multiple job descriptions including massage therapist, stage manager for live sports television, executive admin assistant, and tournament director! As a free spirit, she loves traveling the world, is an essential oil enthusiast, enjoys her spiritual connection with nature, and cherishes deep connections with others. Thanks to her energetic dad, Eddie (one of our co-founders), she loves playing pickleball, and the fact that it brings people together from all walks of life!

TOURNAMENT STAFF

Tayná, born in Brazil, had never played sports before meeting her husband Corin, but she quickly fell in love with pickleball. Now, she’s not only a player but also helps with tournaments. She and Corin have a son, Jett, the youngest member of the Southern Pickleball family.

TOURNAMENT STAFF

As an elementary school teacher for the last 29 years, Tamara has filled her passion for working with children and helping them find their passions in life. She is the mother of 3 amazing daughters, 1 starting grad school and the other 2 enjoying college life. She is new to the pickleball world but is loving her time with Southern Pickleball.

TOURNAMENT STAFF

Barbara, from Milledgeville, Georgia, started playing pickleball about 4 years ago. She enjoys playing pickleball, watching pickleball, shopping for pickleball paddles, shoes and outfits and of course Southern Pickleball tournaments!

TOURNAMENT STAFF

For the past 32 years, Angie has been transforming smiles through orthodontics. Her passion for pickleball brings that same joy, allowing her to connect with incredible people both on and off the court. She and her husband, Jeff, have two grown children—Talley, who is eagerly awaiting the arrival of their first granddaughter, and Ashton, a student at Kennesaw State University.