Dr. Tara Turner is in her fourth year as head coach of the Clark Atlanta University tennis team.
In her opening season, Turner's team went 12-0, undefeated in regular season Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, and post season match play, leading them to become the 2019 SIAC Conference Champions.
Turner was named 2019 SIAC Coach of the Year and 2019 SIAC Tournament Coach of the Year, while leading a team that had the 2019 SIAC Conference Player of the Year, the SIAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, and three All-Conference singles players. Turner also had two players who made the All-SIAC doubles team.
Turner's squad also had three All-SIAC Tournament singles players, along with an All-Tournament doubles team.
Turner also places heavy emphasis on academia, as her team had the highest overall grade point average for all athletic programs at Clark Atlanta in 2018-19. The team also believes in the importance of giving back, and completes monthly community service projects.
A Clark Atlanta alumna, Turner was an All-SIAC member of the Lady Panther tennis team. In four years of play, she lost only one conference match. Turner earned All-Conference honors for singles, doubles, and academic performance. She also served as the captain or co-captain of the team, three out of her four years on the squad.
A Florida native, Turner initially moved to Atlanta to attend Clark Atlanta University in 2005. In 2009, she moved back to Florida to attain her Master’s degree at Jacksonville University (Educational Leadership) and her Ph.D. at Barry University (Higher Education Administration). She has been back in Atlanta since 2016 and is happy to call Georgia home. She has been in the field of education for 11 years serving as a teacher, team lead, athletic coach, instructional coach, and professor.
