PRESIDENT
Lee moved to Ketchum in 2020 to enjoy the "small town big life" atmosphere. HIking, fishing and mountain biking was high on the list of activities and then Pickleball struck. Now as president of the WRPA, he tries to manage life inside and outside of Pickleball. Lee learned his love for racquet sports as a junior tennis player in Pennsylvania and then a member of the Penn State tennis team. (We are!) He started his business career with The Hershey Foods Company where he met his wife Lisa. They started a custom candy business together before he moved on to the sports business with Sport Court in Salt Lake City and then co-founded All Racquets Sports with partners in Spain. Lee focuses on improving his Pickleball play and growing our community through the sport of pickleball.

He and his wife, Lisa, enjoy time in the Wood River Valley and in Salt Lake City. They have two children, Grace and Jackson, who have become avid Pickleball players, and a puppy named Sunny.

Lee can be reached at: wlsponaugle@gmail.com

DIRECTOR
Sun Valley, Idaho has been Joanne’s home since 1980. She moved here from Oregon for the skiing and fell in love with the summers, a very familiar story. Now Joanne enjoys playing tennis, golf, hiking, and all the other wonderful activities this area has to offer, but her real passion is Pickleball. As a board member of the WRPA, Joanne’s goal is to expand the sport of Pickleball in our wonderful community.

As the Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Sun Valley, Joanne and her team are dedicated to providing clients with the best possible suite of real estate services while always giving back to the community. As a founding member of the Wood River Women’s Foundation, Joanne helped grow the foundation to over 300 members donating almost $3,000,000 to the Blaine County nonprofit community. Joanne will continue that dedication with the WRPA.

Joanne can be reached at: pbwoodriver@gmail.com

VICE PRESIDENT
Adam would like to call himself a local but has only lived in Ketchum seven years, after escaping the gray and rainy Seattle climate. Metaphorically ripping off his rear view mirror, he couldn’t be happier living in such an amazing place with his wife Aleta and youngest son Cooper. Adam first tried hiking and mountain biking and then fortune struck, when he found Atkinson Park and the amazing game of pickleball. Growing up playing tennis, ping pong, squash and badminton, Adam has more bad habits than he’ll ever get rid of, but loves trying to improve nonetheless.

Adam spent his working career in small business before making the jump to corporate life at Microsoft. He lived in Japan, once during college, and again as an expatriate. Secret: Cooper was born in Tokyo and speaks fluent Japanese. Ask him about it. Adam and Aleta have two older, college-graduated children, Montana—who lives in LA going to grad school and Griffin—who is in Colorado prepping for law school.

Adam’s favorite pastimes, beyond wife, kids and pickleball, are making homemade pizza and riding motorcycles.

Adam can be reached at: adamt@live.com

DIRECTOR
Duree moved to Idaho from Scottsdale with her family in 2005. She moved to Hailey in 2020.

Like most of us, she loves access to the all-seasons outdoor recreation the area offers - skiing, backpacking, golfing, mountain biking, paddling, and fishing. And for the variety of arts and events the Valley is known for. She is a foodie at heart and loves traveling internationally for new adventures and food exploration. Her daughter Jaiden is a recent engineering graduate from Montana State now embarking on adulting. She is an unapologetic lifelong dog lover with two ‘fur kids’ currently - Chloe the purebred Boxer and Mabel Star the Lab mix.

Duree picked up Pickle in the summer of 2020 (no previous racket sports experience here) and has fallen in love. She is excited to continue to hone her skills and contribute through board service to the Pickleball community.

She is an accomplished IT business leader and has extensive experience in both global organizations and startups and has a passion for building organizations and teams through her consulting business. She has served on numerous boards - Boise Valley Economic Partnership (BVEP), Girls on the Run Treasure Valley (GOTR) and VentureCapital.com. Duree is a graduate of Arizona State University (Fear the Fork!).

Duree can be reached at: Dureewestover@msn.com

DIRECTOR

Fred, an avid pickleball enthusiast and outdoorsman, made Sun Valley, Idaho, his home in the summer of 2020. Currently serving as the West Campus Director at The Valley Club for the past two years, he initially joined to impart his passion for pickleball through teaching.

Prior to his role at The Valley Club, Fred held the position of Tennis Club Director at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Notably, he played a crucial role in bringing the USA Pickleball National Championships to Indian Wells in 2018, where he also served as the event director for the tournament's first two years.

Fred's love for the outdoors aligns perfectly with his partner Andrea's passion for hiking. In the picturesque setting of Sun Valley, Idaho, they've found an ideal spot to indulge in their shared interests. Fred's personal passion for fly fishing adds an extra dimension to their outdoor pursuits.

Before his Sun Valley chapter, Fred lived in Belgium for 15 years (1991-2006), where he ran and eventually owned a wine distribution company in the port of Antwerp. His children, Alexandra and Nathan, were born in Belgium and are now working and residing there.

Pickleball remains a significant part of Fred's life, and he actively contributes to the sport's growth by consulting regularly with USA Pickleball. For any inquiries or connections,

Fred can be reached at fred@thevalleyclub.org.

DIRECTOR

Sandra ventured to Sun Valley in the mid 80’s to ski for a winter before settling into a career, but winter turned into summer and she never looked back. Especially after meeting her husband Brian! They have two sons who were born and raised in the WRV and a newly born grandson.

Sandra worked for Scott USA in the motorsports sales/marketing division before switching gears to real estate and has been affiliated with Sun Valley Real Estate/Christie’s Intl. for 23 of her 25 years in business. She is a Director on the Sun Valley Board of Realtors and looks forward to putting her skills to work with WRPA.

Sandra’s passion for pickleball began after attending one of the free clinics offered by WRPA in Spring ‘23. Impressed with the enthusiasm and dedication of the volunteer coaches, she returned each week and is now addicted.

She is best described with the following: “I’m excited to be involved with this fantastic group of volunteers who want to bring our community together through a sport that anyone can participate in.”

Sandra can be reached at sandra.sunvalley@gmail.com

DIRECTOR

Wendy came to the Wood River Valley in 1998, having grown up in the east, home of the New England lobstah! She had planned to stay for the winter and head back East, but fell in love with all that our valley has to offer and decided to stay... a common story!

Athletics have always been a big part of Wendy's life, having played multiple sports in high school and college. During her childhood, golf and tennis were a big part of her summer. So, naturally, when the sport of pickleball came along, she had to give it a try! She's now hooked... another common story!

Locally, Wendy has been heavily involved in the youth hockey program. Over the last 15 years, she has coached, managed and served on the Sun Valley Youth Hockey Board. She now brings her knowledge and enthusiasm to the WRPA Board!

Wendy lives in Haley with her husband, Bryan and their dog, Mac. They have two boys, Colby & Dawson, who were born and raised in the Wood River Valley.

Wendy can be reached at: wendyspeth@gmail.com

DIRECTOR

Sue is a native Idahoan who has lived in the Sun Valley area for 38 years. She attended the University of Idaho on a tennis scholarship and continues to be an active tennis player. Her dad, Arlen inspired her to try pickleball 7 years ago, and she quickly became addicted to the sport. Arlen, who is 88, continues to play pickleball 3 days a week and organizes group play for over 45 members.

After shoveling outdoor courts and playing winter pickleball in freezing temps she became involved in discussions with Gravity Fitness & Tennis to allow an indoor tennis court to be taped with temporary lines and nets. The first year started out slowly with about 30 players but enthusiasm for the sport, and the fun of organized play, produced over 80 Gravity members the following year and the membership continues to grow.

Sue was a CPA for over 30 years and worked for a local accounting firm with her husband Tim. She is a passionate local who loves our community and the outdoor recreation the valley has to offer. She spends most of her time mountain biking, skiing, gardening and playing pickleball. She is an avid cross-country skier and also serves as treasurer for the Boulder Mountain Tour.

Sue and Tim live in Hulen Meadows and have two grown daughters, Courtney and Jessica, who were born and raised in the Wood River Valley.

Sue can be reached at: suehamilton999@gmail.com