DCATA Honors & Awards Committee
Mission Statement: To recognize and award DCATA members, other supporting District of Columbia professionals, and organizations that have provided and supported high quality modern-day preventative, emergency, and rehabilitative care to the athletes and citizens of the District of Columbia.
"We cannot wait to celebrate you!"
Patricia Billingslea-Cox, MS,LAT,ATC,CEAS
Honors & Awards Committee Chair
Kemba D. Ford, MS,LAT,ATC
Honors & Awards Committee Member
Veronica Ampey, daughter of Kenneth and Catherine Ampey, is a Certified Athletic Trainer whose professional career spans more than 35 years at the collegiate and secondary school levels. She has been the Athletic Trainer at Georgetown Day School (Wash, DC) for the past 27 years. Prior to that she was the Assistant Director for Sports Medicine at Emory University (Atlanta, GA). Veronica has been an active volunteer within the AT profession at a variety of levels. Nationally, she has served on the National Athletic Trainers' Association Ethnic Diversity Advisory Committee (including as committee chair for 8 years), the NATA Sickle Cell Task Force, and the NATA Education Council Grant Review Committee. Regionally, she was a member of the Mid Atlantic Athletic Trainers' Association 2022-23 Governance Task Force. And, locally, she is a member of the Maryland Athletic Trainers' Association DEI Committee, a past President of the DC Athletic Trainers’ Association, and current DCATA Ethics Committee Chair. Additionally, she is a member of the DC Department of Health Athletic Trainers Advisory Committee. Veronica is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and an Independent Travel Agent. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, tennis, SCUBA diving, and family time with her twins, Halle & Eliana Ampey-Howard.
Jennifer recently retired from DCPS after 32 years to become the first full-time AT for KIPP DC: Public Charter Schools. She is providing athletic training services to KIPP College Prep High School while developing system-wide policies and procedures and building the athletic training program from ground zero. Jennifer’s term as NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainers’ Committee chair ends in June. She will continue to serve as the NATA liaison to HOSA Future Health Professionals and the DC State Athletic Association Sports Medicine Advisory Committee chair. She has been appointed to the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers' Association Honors & Awards Committee chair of the Most Distinguished AT award. She also serves on the DC Health Board of Medicine Athletic Trainers’ Advisory Board and holds the very first AT license issued in DC.
Vency Haynes is a Certified & Licensed Athletic Trainer from Palm Beach, Florida. She received her Bachelor's of Science with a concentration in Pre-Physical Therapy from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL where she served as a Fitness Specialist at the recreational center & Student Aide Athletic Trainer for 2.5 years with the sports medicine department working primarily with football. She then went on to obtain her Master's in Athletic Training from Florida International University in Miami, FL where she also volunteered with Special Olympics Florida and served as a mentor for GEMS organization for young women of color.
Vency has committed herself to fitness and athletic training for about 7 years and most recently served as an Assistant Athletic Trainer for Howard University and Advisor for Howard University Sports Medicine Society, leading the educational experience for future athletic trainers.
Currently, she continues to service the District of Columbia, making an impact in the field of Athletic Training as a member of District of Columbia Athletic Trainers Association, Minority Women in Sports Medicine and National Athletic Trainer's Association.
Mr. Jovan Means earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Athletic Training from North Carolina Central University in 2001. He went on to obtain a Master of Science Degree in Athletic Training from California University of Pennsylvania in 2003.
Mr. Means has spent the last 20 years nurturing youth in the District of Columbia Public School System servicing Cardozo Education Campus and Banneker Academic High school as an athletic trainer. He also volunteers at the state level as the D.C. representative for the Secondary Schools Committee. In his role as the athletic trainer for Cardozo and Banneker. Mr. Means has served as a mentor, coach, big brother, and so much more to those he has worked with.
Mr. Means is currently merging his knowledge of athletic training with his love for combat sports which has led to the creation of his professional cutman and combat sports medicine business, In Da Cutman, LLC. His interests include combat sports, coaching, real estate, and adventure racing. Mr. Means’ famous words to live by: “Knowing is half the battle.”
Michael Walker is a native to the DC area who received his bachelor's degree in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland in 1998. Michael went on to receive his master's degree in Health and Education in 2000 from Frostburg State University. He obtained his certifications as an athletic trainer in 1999 and a certified strength and conditioning specialist in 2000.
Michael has been providing athletic training services for 23 years at St. John’s College High School in upper northwest DC. Starting his career in the fall of 2002 as only the second athletic trainer in the school’s history, he has built the sports medicine program to include two other AT’s, multiple physicians, a Physical Therapist, and an AT Student Aid team.
Outside of St. John’s, Michael has been actively participating in the DCATA since its rebirth in 2013 where he has unofficially participated in at least 99% of the business meetings. He served in the Executive Council for 6 years: As Vice President from 2017 – 2019, as President from 2019-2021 and then as Past President from 2021 – 2023. His extra curriculars included a short time as a Committee Member for the District of Columbia Sports Medicine Advisory Committee in 2014. He served as the Chair for the DCATA Governmental Affairs Committee from 2013 to 2021 and is currently serving as the Chair for the Continuing Education Committee for the past 3 years.
When not working, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends, playing and listening to music, and gardening in the yards.
Jennifer recently retired from DCPS after 32 years to become the first full-time AT for KIPP DC: Public Charter Schools. She is providing athletic training services to KIPP College Prep High School while developing system-wide policies and procedures and building the athletic training program from ground zero. Jennifer’s term as NATA Secondary School Athletic Trainers’ Committee chair ends in June. She will continue to serve as the NATA liaison to HOSA Future Health Professionals and the DC State Athletic Association Sports Medicine Advisory Committee chair. She has been appointed to the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Trainers' Association Honors & Awards Committee chair of the Most Distinguished AT award. She also serves on the DC Health Board of Medicine Athletic Trainers’ Advisory Board and holds the very first AT license issued in DC.
Raised in Washington, DC, Allen E. Chin is a product of the D.C. Public School System. He attended Maury Elementary School, Eliot and Kramer Jr. High Schools and graduated from Anacostia Senior High School. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in History from The George Washington University.
Becoming the youngest athletic director in the DC Public School System in 1972, he joined Anacostia Sr. High School as head swimming, golf and tennis coach, as well as assistant football coach. While teaching and coaching, he completed graduate degrees in secondary administration from The George Washington University.
In 1987, Dr. Chin was selected to replace Otto T. Jordan as the Supervising Director of Athletics. He remained until the summer of 1988 and returned to Anacostia Sr. High in the fall of 1988. In 1989, he became again the athletic director at Anacostia Sr. High.
In the fall of 1991, he was selected to succeed Sam Jones (legendary Boston Celtic player) as the Director of Athletics. This was Dr. Chin’s second tenure as Director of Athletics for the DC Public School System. During this tenure, he advocated the concept of the District of Columbia Interscholastic Athletic Association (DCIAA) as a successor to the DC Inter-High League. This concept of the DCIAA reflects the total athletic program of the DC Public Schools for the following levels: elementary, middle and senior high schools.
During his tenure, the girls’ athletic program added the following sports: junior varsity basketball, developmental golf, and varsity soccer. The following changes were made in the boys’ athletic program: revitalized and upgraded the junior varsity football, revised the varsity football playoff structure, revised the varsity and junior varsity basketball programs, implementing developmental golf and expanding the crew program. He worked with Dr. Frank E. Walters to implement and expand the Athletic Health Care Services for DC Public Schools/DCIAA.
Dr. Chin is a Certified Athletic Administrator (CAA), a lifetime member of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) and has served on multiple National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and NIAAA committees. He has served on the following NFHS committees: AD Advisory, Citizenship, Equity, Football Rules, Hall of Fame Screening, and Soccer Rules. He served as a member of the NIAAA Credentials Committee. In addition, he served as the Section 2 representative on the NFHS Board of Directors from 2005-2008.
On February 29, 2008, Dr. Chin retired his position as the Director of Athletics for D.C. Public Schools. At the end of the NFHS Summer Meeting in Washington, DC, he retired as Executive Director of the DCIAA in July, 2008. Currently, he is the National Sales Consultant for Team IP Sports and for SMI Awards.
In May, 2017, Dr. Chin was inducted as a member of the inaugural District of Columbia State Athletic Association (DCSAA) Hall of Fame. In November, 2017, he was selected and honored by the DMV-Athletes in Action, Inc. as a member of the 2017 class of “Legends Award.” In April, 2022, he was selected and inducted into the Anacostia Alumni Group, Inc. Hall of Fame.
Dr. Chin is the proud father of two children, Allen, Jr. and Denise and grandfather of one grandson, Noah and one granddaughter, Emilia.
Kenny Owens has helped to shape the DC State Athletic Association’s growth since its creation in 2012, and was named the agency’s executive director on Tuesday, September 14, 2022.
Owens previously was the DCSAA’s Director of Sports and Activities. He also had been serving as the DCSAA’s interim executive director for the three months following the passing of former executive director Clark Ray.
Having worked with DCSAA since its inception, Owens has been involved in every facet of the agency’s operation. The DCSAA originally was formed to create a state championship in football, but now organizes state championships for public, public charter and private schools in 18 sports.
A graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School and Georgetown University, Owens enjoyed a standout career as a soccer player. He was named a high school All-American by Parade magazine and was named first-team All-Big East Conference and team most valuable player at Georgetown. He also was a member of the United States under-20 national team and continues coaching youth soccer.
Mr. Owens has been involved in athletics in this city from youth, secondary school, and collegiate level participation and is now a leading athletic administrator for many competitive student athletes.
Joe Reyda, Class of 1985, was a beloved and instrumental member of the Gonzaga College High School community. He began coaching football at Gonzaga while still a college student at Catholic University, and returned full time to his Alma Mater as a member of the Dean of Students Office and assistant football coach in 1989. In total, he coached football for 18 seasons, including three as the head coach. He was the offensive coordinator when the Eagles won back to back WCAC Championships in 1996 and 1997, and he earned WCAC Coach of the Year in his final season as head coach in 2009. He also was the golf coach for nine seasons.
In 2001, he became Gonzaga’s Athletic Director, leading the athletic department through a period of enormous growth and success. In 2016, he was inducted into Gonzaga’s Athletic Hall of Fame. During his 22 years as AD, the school won 183 league or state championships. In recent years, Joe oversaw the coaching staffs of 41 teams in 17 sports, shaping the Gonzaga experience of thousands of young men. And following his final season in 2023, just weeks after his sudden passing in late June, the Washington Post announced Gonzaga had earned the distinction of the best boys private athletic program in the D.C. area – a fitting tribute to everything Joe gave to help Gonzaga, and all Gonzaga student-athletes, thrive inside and outside of competition.