Management Team
CEO Tony Korson
If you haven’t met him, you surely will soon. CEO Tony Korson is a Bethesda boy with a love of baseball and a belief in the power of youth sports. After attending Whitman HS (where he's now a proud member of the Hall of Fame!!), he received his BA in Finance and tossed his 12-6 curveball at Florida Gulf Coast University. After graduation, Tony decided to forego the world of suits and ties for jerseys and cleats…and Koa Sports was born!
Words of Wisdom: "Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes it rains."
Favorite De-Stresser: Cruising in the jeep, top down, doors off!
Signature look: Crazy hair
Walkup Song: Pursuit of Happiness – Kid Cudi
Carl Ehrlich
Carl Ehrlich. Whitman HOF’er. Harvard Football Captain. Got any questions? Local boy Ehrlich has returned to the area after a few stints in a few places (including playing pro in Spain!) to head up the Koa Sports squad as COO. This fall, look for Carl passing on the love of the game on the flag football field—he’ll be serving as our Director of Flag Football and general awesomeness.
Words of Wisdom: "Attitude reflects leadership, Captain!” – Remember the Titans
Favorite “De-Stresser”: Barefoot wind-sprints on freshly cut grass.
TM workout gear: No shoes. No shirt. No problem.
Walkup Song: Welcome to DC - Mambo Sauce
Mindi Susskind
Also known as the "Director of Getting Everything Done," Mindi holds a degree in Marketing from the University of Maryland, College Park. After college she worked in sales for a while before finding herself at Koa Sports talking to people about the importance of youth sports. She's the cheering mother of three children-1 Whitman Student and 2 graduates! Believe me...she looks forward to meeting you soon!
Words of Wisdom: "For Rudy, Coach." - Rudy
Favorite De-Stresser: Running 5 miles
Go-To Gear: Koa Tank Top/Lululemon Pants
Walkup Song: Boys Round Here - Blake Shelton
Kelly O’Donnell
Some people sleep with their glove under their pillow-Kelly sleeps with a pillow under her glove. A star of the company kickball league, this Maryland Terrapin is an athlete through-and-through. If you know Kelly, you know she likes 3 things: sports, people & talking–making her a natural fit for our Director of HR/Marketing!
Words of Wisdom: “Perfection is being able to look your friends in the eye and know you did everything you could not to let them down.” – Friday Night Lights
Favorite De-Stresser: A good long toss/BPsession
Trademark Look: Nike high-blacks and aviators
Walkup Song: Black Betty – Ram Jam
Julie Toland
Coach Julie is small but mighty. A Sacred Heart University graduate, Julie was a standout in soccer, softball & most importantly – hockey. If you’ve ever seen her on a street hockey court, you know she's got stick skills. Julie coaches softball at Koa Sports and is currently working with the 14U team. If you see Julie, say hi & make her laugh—you won’t be sorry!
Words of Wisdom: "When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of alot more important than the one on the back! Get that through your head!" - Miracle
Favorite “De-Stresser”: Running with her dog, Mia!
Go-to get-up: Running shoes, shorts, tank top
Walkup Song: Lose Yourself - Eminem
Marty Hauck
Rounding out the local boy section of the staff, meet our third Whitman graduate: Marty Hauck. Coach Marty got his BA in Finance from Juniata College where he was a right-handed pitcher on the baseball team. Fun Fact: Marty was on Tony's very first baseball team with Koa's predecessor! Marty’s a fantastic baseball coach for Koa, and he’s currently our go-to guy for all-things-tech.
Words of Wisdom: “A flute without holes is not a flute. A donut without a hole is a Danish.” – Ty Webb
Favorite De-Stresser: Venti iced coffee
Signature Sports Gear: Flat brim baseball hat
Walkup Song: Sweet Dreams – Marilyn Manson
Tommy Piacenza
Another New Englander, Coach Tommy is all about the Red Sox, Pats and Bruins (but don’t be surprised if you catch him rooting for the Nats!) The important stuff: he loves avocados, his mom’s marinara sauce and coffee ice cream. The other stuff: He was a three-sport athlete in high school, after which he attended Davidson College as a catcher for the Wildcats. Tommy is our new baseball guy, so expect to see him out on the diamond this fall checking in with all of our teams!
Words of Wisdom: "The one constant through all the years…has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, it’s a part of our past…It reminds us of all that once was good and it could be again.”
– Field of Dreams
Favorite De-stresser - Hitting balls in the cage, Reading
Sports Look: Eye-Black, white batting gloves
Walkup song: Wake me Up - Avicii
Tatum Dyer
Our brand new field hockey director Tatum Dyer is super excited to be here, she’ll be super excited to meet you and she’s super excited about field hockey (just wait til you meet her!) Our third and final New Englander, Tatum went to Salem High in New Hampshire and then made her way to DC to play field hockey at American University! Tatum will be coaching our brand new FH club team this fall.
Words of Wisdom: “I have to believe when things are bad I can change them.” – Cinderella Man
Favorite De-Stresser: Yoga
Sports Look: Sunburnt Rudolph nose
Walkup Song: All Falls Down – Kanye West