Deborah Slaner Larkin, Executive Director of USTA Serves, has been presented with a 2012 Women of Distinction honor sponsored by the New York State Senate. The Women of Distinction honor showcases outstanding women living and working in New York State whose contributions have greatly enriched the quality of life in their communities and beyond. 

On May 15, a special reception and ceremony recognizing the honorees was held in Albany, N.Y., and showcased their photograph and biographies, which are now a part of a special exhibit that celebrates the contributions of these exemplary women from New York State.

"I am thrilled to honor Deborah Slaner Larkin, a proven community leader from the Village of Pelham, as my nominee for this year's Women of Distinction celebration," said New York State Senator Jeffrey Klein (D-Bronx/Westchester). "For more than 30 years, Deborah has fought to advance civil rights and gender equality under the law and in our communities. Her hard work and dedication has helped integrate fitness and education into the lives of thousands of underserved youth. I look forward to continue working with Deborah on these and other initiatives in the months and years ahead."

Larkin is the Executive Director of USTA Serves, Inc., the national charitable foundation of the United States Tennis Association. The mission of USTA Serves is to promote, enhance and support the academic and health benefits for at-risk youth and people with disabilities through the integration of tennis and education.

Throughout her career, Larkin has focused her efforts on promoting civil rights, women’s leadership and gender equity on the local, regional, state and national level. She was instrumental in creating Title IX information on the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC). An expert on Title IX, she has been an active board member with the MARGARET Fund (May All Resolve, Girls Achieve Real Equity Today), a non-profit effort that develops and supports programs that promote education and compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. She was also actively involved in the NWLC’s landmark Supreme Court victories: Davis v. Monroe County Board of Education, which holds schools accountable for student-to-student sexual harassment; Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education, which prohibits retaliation by schools against those who protest discrimination and a major pay equity victory when President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Play Act into law.