Board of Directors
Thomas Frechette, President [email protected]
Tom grew up in a small town in northern NY called Tupper Lake. He has 3 children & 5 grandchildren. He retired 3 years ago from Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation. He now lives here year round.
He happened upon these Pickleball courts when he was exploring Vero Beach & started playing.
Margaretta Andrews, Director
Mary Chappelle, Director
Mary Chappelle has been a member of PBU since 2021. She became a member of the PBU Directors in January 2025.
Mary is a native of Ohio and spends time between Ohio and her home in Vero Beach. She is the mother of 2 sons and the proud grandmother of 3 grandchildren.
Mary can be found playing pickleball on both the north and south courts. She participates in a number of Round Robin events.
Joe Mendola, Director [email protected]
Joe grew up in the snow belt outside of Buffalo, NY. After receiving his PhD in Clinical Psychology, he lived in Lexington and Boston, MA, where he raised his son. He retired in 2019, concluding 45 years of patient care. He was also a member of the faculty at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Harvard Medical School.
Joe (aka “Doc” on the courts) arrived in Vero Beach in 2021, was captivated by the friendly culture, became infected with the excitement of Pickleball, and then moved here in 2022. He believes that the PBU community offers incredible benefits which both enhance the quality of our lives as well as promote our continued health. He is honored to serve on the board with a commitment to those values.
Loretta Potts, Vice President [email protected]
Loretta graduated from the University of California, Davis Veterinary School and owned a mixed animal practice in California. After 25 years she sold the practice and moved to Utila, Honduras, with her husband, Rodger. They established a free spay and neuter clinic while working to become dive masters and swimming with whale sharks.
After 12 years, they moved back to the US and Vero Beach was the perfect area. They started playing pickleball at Pocahontas in 2018 and now works part-time at Dr. Dans Animal Hospital. She feels a strong bond to PBU for instruction and support and wants to give back to the club that helped them advance in the
sport.
Bob O’leary, Director [email protected]
Bob O’Leary is a Vero resident, an attorney admitted in New York and Florida, retired 30 years as elected Judge in New York.
Plays on south courts, and has played pickleball for 3 years; is snowbird: Vero to Schroon Lake, NY during summer months.
Henry Habgood, Treasurer
Henry came to Vero from Wilton, CT after spending 15 years working in the NY/CT area as a Financial Advisor. He finally came to his senses three years ago and moved down to Vero, where he took up pickleball at Pocahontas and has been playing ever since.
He works in town at Washburn Capital, but in his free time he is either playing pickleball on the North courts or spending time with his wife and two young children.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Mission of Pickleball University is to promote Pickleball throughout the communities and schools for the enjoyment, health, and social interaction, by offering and making available avenues for organized recreational, competitive play, and development of all players and to continue to enhance and expand our program and facilities.