PRESIDENT’S LETTER
Welcome to the website of the American Bridge Teachers’ Association!
Teaching has been the thread of my adult life—from high school mathematics to training university faculty. Toward the end of that career, a neighbor introduced my husband and me to bridge. From our first lessons with Audrey Grant’s Bidding in the 21st Century and Play of the Hand in the 21st Century, I was hooked. Playing bridge and continuing to learn from bridge books and websites, my love for the game and the friendships it brings grew.
After a decade of playing, I was encouraged to start teaching beginners. That path led me online during COVID, back to the club when it reopened, and ultimately to ABTA. I attended my first ABTA Convention in Chicago in 2023. The warmth, generosity, and shared passion of so many accomplished teachers was inspiring. I left energized with new ideas and colleagues who quickly became friends.
Today, I am honored to serve as ABTA President, following the recent remarkable leadership of Betty Starzec, Henry Meguid, and Morris Jones. This is an exciting time for bridge education: clubs are regrowing, new players are eager to learn, and youth programs like Jump Start are reviving the game for the next generation.
ABTA is committed to helping teachers teach more effectively, knowledgeably, and professionally. To that end, we’re launching a new members-only webinar series. Think of it as bringing the ABTA Convention directly to you. And of course, we look forward to gathering in Minneapolis, June 6-8, 2026, for our annual convention.
I encourage you to take part in ABTA programs and to invite other teachers to join us. From its beginnings in 1957 with 14 members, ABTA has grown to nearly 460, but our mission remains the same: to support bridge teachers through resources, community, and shared expertise.
I’ve shared a bit of my journey with you, and I’d love to hear yours. Please write to me at president@abtahome.com with your stories and suggestions for ways in which ABTA can better support you as a bridge teacher.
Jill Wallace
President, American Bridge Teachers’ Association
OUR MISSION
The mission of ABTA is to help those who teach bridge to do it better, more effectively, more knowledgeably, and more professionally.
OUR VISION
To encourage the highest standards of conduct and ethics by its members; To promote and develop information for bridge teaching; and To carry out such other activities as are consistent with the purposes of the ABTA, and its Certificate of Incorporation.
HISTORY OF THE ABTA
In 1955, there was a dream of a bridge teachers’ association in America. On May 25, 1957, in response to a notice from George E. Coffin of Massachusetts, 14 bridge teachers from 8 states and one promoter assembled in New York City. After a stormy discussion, an independent non-profit corporation was formed and named the American Bridge Teachers’ Association. The promoter donated $150 ($1.00 for each charter member) to found a treasury in anticipation of subscriptions to a magazine he was going to publish. In 1961, ABTA severed all connection with the promoter and gave him back his $150.00. The purposes of the new organization were:
- To promote and protect the standards of bridge teaching and its practitioners.
- To establish a code of ethics and schedule of minimum fees in the profession, insofar as is practicable.
- To make known in the public and professional interest in any information in the bridge teaching profession.
GOVERNANCE
ABTA By-Laws and Board Standing Rules of Procedure It’s important for new members of the ABTA to understand how the organization works and the duties of its members. To make it as easy as possible for ABTA members, you can donwload PDF copies of the ABTA’s By-Laws and the Board Standing Rules of Procedure.
Here are the current Board
Standing Rules of Procedure.
Here are the current
By Laws.
Here are the
2025 Board of Directors.
ABTA Journal
The ABTA Journal is designed to support ABTA members, and articles focus on topics that are relevant to bridge teachers, such as: marketing and business development, teaching strategies, book reviews, ABTA events and announcements, and bridge news and opinion.
For advertising options:
The Journal Ads info
Click to view a sample
For information contact
thejournal@abtahome.com