Erica Perkins Jasper was the former chief operating officer for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, a head tennis coach at several Division I colleges (University of New Mexico, Michigan State), and a pioneering player at Washington State University. She joined our community as director of CMS Athletics in June.
Career highlights
- Team captain and Academic All-American at Washington State University
- First WSU player to compete in the NCAA singles championship (three times)
- First WSU player to play in four NCAA team championships
- Member of first WSU women’s tennis team to play in the NCAA Tournament
- First women’s tennis player inducted into the WSU Hall of Fame
Player
A Seattle native, Perkins Jasper’s parents both attended the University of Washington. Her dad, Doyle, was also a prolific tennis player there in the ‘50s. For someone who started playing tennis in preschool, college seemed pre-ordained. Except Washington only offered her a walk-on spot, so she went five hours east. “My dad said, ‘You should go where you are wanted.’ It wasn’t easy to accept, and I have to admit, there was always some extra motivation when I played Washington. It felt special to beat them.”
Coach
“I’ll always think of myself as a coach,” Perkins Jasper said. It’s why her leadership approach will extend to all students at CMC—not just those on organized CMS teams—through health and wellness activities at Roberts Pavilion. “Recreation and physical education is a huge part of my world. I want to get everyone excited about fitness through a class or an activity. Especially with students, I want to teach them to be high-achieving and well- rounded in the entirety of their college experience.”
Mother
Perkins Jasper’s biggest goal upon arriving to Claremont: Immerse herself in the social culture of CMC and CMS Athletics. Expect to see her family—husband, Colin, and two sons, Miles (7) and Caleb (5)—at plenty of games. “My sons are so happy to have a team—or in this case, teams—to root for again. They’ve grown up around my life in sports, so they’re used to getting to know the student-athletes really well. They will absolutely be out in full force during the season.”
—Thomas Rozwadowski