The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis. Founded in 1881, the USTA's mission is to “promote and develop the growth of tennis.” The mission statement serves as a guiding principle for all activities of the United States Tennis Association. The USTA is the largest tennis organization in the world. It operates with the assistance of 17 section associations, serving more than 665,000 members and 7,800 organizational members. The USTA is governed by a Board of Directors who establishes the policies and objectives of the Association. The members of the Board of Directors are made up of 5 officials, the immediate Past President and nine alternate directors. Voting members of the USTA are the sectional associations and member organizations whose voting strength is determined by the total membership immediately preceding December 31. There are five main core values ​​that the USTA organization is about. The first value is integrity. The USTA is committed to the highest standards of integrity, honesty and ethnicity. The second value is inclusiveness. The USTA actively seeks out all people who play, watch, support and enjoy the game of tennis in its events, programs, membership, leadership and activities on a non-discriminatory basis. The third value is teamwork. The USTA's mission is best accomplished through the efforts of volunteers, staff and like-minded organizations working as a team. The fourth value is excellence. The USTA continually strives for excellence and is committed to providing exceptional service and value. The last core value is responsibility. USTA staff and volunteers take responsibility for how their actions support the USTA Mission. The USTA Core Values ​​constitute the organization's core beliefs. While goals present a clear direction, Core Values ​​serve as a compass. There are five main goals or objectives for the USTA organization to improve. The first goal is to increase participation in tennis in order to realize the Vision. Increase USTA membership, make participation multicultural, and develop tennis programs accessible to all levels. The second goal is to build on the success at the US Open. Use the US Open as a promotional tool for the sport and help Americans reach the highest level of professional tennis. The third objective is to market tennis to both the playing and non-tennis playing public. Improve public awareness and perception of tennis and the image of the USTA. Provide educational materials, technical resources and other tennis information to the tennis community.