Crown Family School’s Susan Klumpner Honored as “Champion of Equality” at the 2024 US Open
By Crown Family School
We are thrilled to share that Susan Klumpner, Associate Director of Field Education at the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice and Executive Director of The ACE Project, was honored as a 2024 Champion of Equality at the prestigious US Open this past summer. Klumpner’s tireless efforts to promote youth development and equality in underserved Black and Brown communities in Chicago, Detroit, and Baltimore earned her this recognition at one of tennis’s most prominent events.
Founded in 2013, The ACE Project started as a tennis camp for students at Washington Elementary School in Riverdale, Illinois, and has since evolved into a comprehensive youth development program. The program offers tennis instruction, academic enrichment, mentorship, and social-emotional skill-building. By reframing “ACE” from "adverse childhood experiences" to "active children excel," Klumpner and her team work to foster generational change through tennis, education, and mentorship.
The Champion of Equality honor, presented at the US Open’s women’s semi-finals, highlights Klumpner’s commitment to equity. Her work bridges the gap between students, their families, and communities. By training coaches and mentors from within these communities—including school staff and parents—The ACE Project strengthens relationships that empower students to overcome systemic challenges.
The USTA and Crown Family School congratulate Klumpner for her extraordinary leadership in advancing tennis and social justice, furthering her mission to ensure all children have access to transformative opportunities.
-Adapted from a story that was first published on the USTA Website