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D.A. Abrams ’85 has had a busy and varied career, but there’s been one constant – tennis. The generosity he was shown while playing as a kid with the National Junior Tennis & Learning Network led to his time playing men’s tennis as a Marauder, which led to further professional opportunities. Now, he’s committed to giving back to the MU community through the David Anthony Abrams Scholarship in the hopes that he can help students experience the same gratitude he feels today.
Abrams graduated from Millersville University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a concentration in accounting. While he attended the University, he was able to gain an internship with Control Data Corporation in Minneapolis, where he got along well with one of the higher-ups over a mutual love for tennis. When he graduated, Abrams was invited to work for the company full-time.
“I felt that connection was one of the reasons why I was invited to return,” Abrams says. “Having a successful internship I could come back to, with someone who was not just a mentor but a sponsor and a coach, has led to my success as an adult.”
After spending four years as an accountant, Abrams knew it was time to make tennis his career somehow. He moved back to Philadelphia to work for the Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis Center, now known as Legacy Youth Tennis and Education, where he helped coach. Then, he moved to the United States Tennis Association, where he spent 26 years in various administrative roles, starting as director of outreach and multicultural participation and finishing his time as chief diversity and inclusion officer.
Abrams is no stranger to volunteering. He has served as chairman and president of the Black Tennis Hall of Fame and president of the Diversity & Inclusion Sports Consortium, and today he serves on the board of directors for the National Association of Asian American Professionals as treasurer.
“One of the things that I have benefitted from as a young person was volunteers, folks that have volunteered their time and expertise, so it’s important for me to give back as well,” Abrams explains.
He notes these experiences have been particularly meaningful to him. “With the Hall of Fame, it was exciting to be able to recognize excellence and preserve the history of tennis among African Americans and acknowledge the role they played on and off the court. The sports consortium was a lot of fun as well because that included organizations beyond tennis – the NCAA, MLB, NBA, NHL. All these groups were attempting to leverage diversity, equity and inclusion in a positive way to improve social and business impacts.”
Abrams has volunteered for the National Association of Asian American Professionals for about 10 years. “As professionals, building communities is very important,” Abrams says. “I witnessed as a young person that you don’t have to be a part of one community to help build them up, and as a professional, it helps to build leaders.”
The D.A. Abrams Scholarship is an endowed scholarship to benefit a full-time African American or Latino undergraduate student who has a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0, is a resident of an inner city and a graduate of a public high school.
“The primary focus of the scholarship is that we can contribute to the needs of underrepresented and underestimated youth who attend Millersville,” Abrams elaborates.
Today, Abrams works as the chief operating officer at Groundswell in Washington, D.C., and he serves as the secretary for the MU Foundation Board of Directors. He was also named a 2023 Marvelous Marauder.
As for why he gives back, Abrams notes how much he enjoyed his time at Millersville, especially as a member of the tennis team. “Folks are really obligated to give back to other individuals who can benefit. Whether it’s time, treasure or talent, give something. Time is the most valuable thing, or if you have some talent or some expertise you can share, you can donate that as well.”
He concludes, “I’m extremely fortunate to have attended Millersville. As long as I can, as long as I’m able, I want to give back in any way I can.”
