Susan Klumpner, PhD, LCSW, executive director of The ACE Project who earned her PhD from the University of Maryland School of Social Work, was honored as a "Champion of Equality" at the 2024 U.S. Open for her mission to serve up positive youth development for Black and Brown communities in Baltimore, Chicago, and Detroit.
The ACE Project aspires to see "every child, regardless of background, having equitable access to transformative programs [tennis, education, and mentorship] that advance socioemotional growth and serve as a catalyst for generational change."
The 2024 Champions of Equality were recognized at the U.S. Open on Sept. 5, coinciding with the women's semifinal matches.
Last year's award ceremony was launched alongside the celebration of the U.S. Open's 50th Anniversary of Equal Prize Money. The event recognized Billie Jean King with a Lifetime Achievement award and Venus Williams with the first U.S. Open Billie Jean King Champion of Equality award. The U.S. Tennis Association recently announced that the 2024 U.S. Open would offer the largest purse in tennis history, awarding $75 million in total player compensation.
Klumpner co-founded The ACE Project in 2013 and spun around an acronym that used to mean "adverse childhood experiences" as studied by pediatrician Nadine Burke Harris. Instead, for more than a decade, Klumpner has reframed ACE to mean "active children excel" to acknowledge the power of positive youth development.
The ACE Project started as a tennis camp for students attending Washington Elementary School in Riverdale, Ill. The kids loved it, and so the camp expanded into a program model to include homework assistance, mentorship, academic enrichment, and social-emotional skill building.
The organization trains coaches and mentors from schools, including office staff, lunch monitors, and crossing guards, as well as parents and other community residents. The ACE Project strengthens relationships between students, their families, and their communities to outmatch cycles that limit opportunity and success.