Who We Are
Mission
CATE will partner with local schools, sports programs and community leaders in underserved City of Chicago communities to identify, select and train youth (ages 6 – 18.), with specific focus on developing the technical, physical, mental, and sportsmanship skills necessary to compete at elevated tennis and sports championship levels.
Vision
CATE, envisions a world where youth from the inner city have access to comprehensive professional athletic training programs to successfully compete in city, state, national and international Championships. CATE is a 501(c)(3) not-profit organization.
Values
CATE’s core values are:
- COMPETENCE: Technical, tactical and performance skills
- CONFIDENCE: Self-belief, resilience, mental fortitude and a sense of positive self-worth
- CHARACTER: Respect for the sport and others, integrity, self-discipline, and ethical and moral well-being
- CONNECTION: Interpersonal skills and the ability to build and sustain meaningful and positive relationships
- PRIDE: Preparation, Respect, Inquisitive, Determined, and Eloquent
Meet us
Board of Directors
CO-FOUNDER AND CIO
CATE CO-FOUNDER AND COO
CATE Organizational Structure
Cate Founder And President
The visionary founder behind CATE is Coach Pfungwa Mahefu. Coach Pfungwa, as his numerous inspired tennis students and parents refer to him, is a world renowned tennis player and coach.
During his playing days, Coach Pfungwa’s played for Zimbabwe’s Davis Cup team. As a student and tennis player for Florida A&M University, he won the Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.
Before founding CATE, Coach Pfungwa was the Director at XS Tennis and Education Foundation on Chicago’s South Side. Coach Pfungwa was dedicated his life to nurturing tennis amongst youth.
CO-FOUNDER AND CIO
Coach Marco Trujillo has over 30 years in the technology education area holds an MBA from DePaul University.
Coach Trujillo cares passionately about the sport of tennis as he is an accomplished tennis player and Professional Tennis Registered (“PTR”) coach, certified in kids training and development. His students know him to regularly remind them that “the only shortcut is training and everyday training, nothing can substitute hard work!”
Mr. Trujillo was a competitive collegiate tennis player at the University of Central Florida. He reached the quarterfinal rounds in the KIA Amateur Australian Open and also represented the country of Ecuador in the 1985 Davis Cup as an alternate player. He currently regularly plays competitive tennis and former Captain in the Evergreen Tennis Club.
CO-FOUNDER AND CIO
CATE CO-FOUNDER AND COO
Dr. Estrada is a nationally recognized education scientist and the architect of new and innovative educational models and methodologies especially in the adult education and workforce development field.
Dr. Estrada is a frequent speaker at national conferences and summits organized by the US Departments of Education, Labor, Human Services and Transportation and is one of only 20 educators nationwide invited by the White House to serve in President’s Obama Expert Committee in education in 2013.
Dr. Estrada’s work in education and workforce development has been referenced in several documents and studies by scholars, and researchers. His later publication “How to Build Career Bridges that Fit into Career Pathways” has been endorsed by the US Department of Labor, Education and Human Services. Dr. Estrada has a Bachelor’s degree and MBA from North Park University of Chicago, and a Doctor in Education from National Louis University of Chicago. Currently Dr. Estrada is the Vice President for Education at Instituto del Progreso Latino in Chicago, Illinois.
Robert Mulholland
CFO
After achieving a BA from the University of Minnesota, an MBA from DePaul University and certificate in non-profit management from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management and having positions in for-profit and non-profit management, consulting, development and fixed-income trading, Rob stepped out of the formal workforce to be the full-time caregiver to his three children. During those years, Rob realized what he was “meant to do” and set out to find a career where he could serve others by identifying and supporting their gifts, passions & dreams, and he has found this with CATE. Lastly, he is also an avid recreational tennis player and a USTA and ITA umpire.
CATE CO-FOUNDER AND COO
Dr. Estrada is a nationally recognized education scientist and the architect of new and innovative educational models and methodologies especially in the adult education and workforce development field.
Dr. Estrada is a frequent speaker at national conferences and summits organized by the US Departments of Education, Labor, Human Services and Transportation and is one of only 20 educators nationwide invited by the White House to serve in President’s Obama Expert Committee in education in 2013.
Dr. Estrada’s work in education and workforce development has been referenced in several documents and studies by scholars, and researchers. His later publication “How to Build Career Bridges that Fit into Career Pathways” has been endorsed by the US Department of Labor, Education and Human Services. Dr. Estrada has a Bachelor’s degree and MBA from North Park University of Chicago, and a Doctor in Education from National Louis University of Chicago. Currently Dr. Estrada is the Vice President for Education at Instituto del Progreso Latino in Chicago, Illinois.
Dr. Hyllin Sennholtz
Board member
Dr. Sennholtz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education and a Master of Science degree in educational administration from Illinois State University. In addition, she completed a Doctorate in Curriculum and Supervision at Northern Illinois University.
As an educator, she has taught in the classroom and served as an administrator at both the building and central office levels. After retiring from the public sector, she continued her leadership as a charter school principal in the City of Chicago, serving low-income minority families. She presently teaches graduate students preparing to be school leaders.
Dr. Sennholtz has presented at national conferences looking at nontraditional ways to integrate knowledge across subject areas. She assists educators in connecting curriculum, instruction, and assessment to meet students’ learning styles while developing higher-order thinking skills. She has been recognized for her efforts to articulate with community colleges and for her exemplary leadership by the Illinois Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development.