FOXBORO — Bob Bridges, the legendary former boys tennis coach at Foxboro High, not only once tutored Beverly Kristenson on her forehand and backhand shots on the courts, but also led her back onto the courts to eventually become an official.
From local and regional U.S. Tennis Association events back then, the Foxboro native has become one of the most recognized and honored tennis officials on the globe — having lent her tennis expertise and adjudication at all four Grand Slam events and three Olympic Games.
Now Dr. Beverly “Kris” Jaeger-Helton, she is a teaching professor and the Director for the Industrial Engineering Undergraduate curriculum at Northeastern University.
The 14-time “Engineering Professor of the Year” will accept a new honor bestowed on her Sunday when she will be among those inducted into the New England Tennis Hall of Fame at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport as a chair umpire and court official.
“This is an amazing honor,” Jaeger-Helton said. “I am grateful for all the support, opportunities and encouragement from the ITF, USTA and USTA New England. It is rare for an official to be inducted, but I know how much officiating can contribute to the quality of tennis competition. I was a player myself and was grateful for the matches I played with umpires. It is rewarding to represent my fellow officials.”
She has worked all four Grand Slam events as both line and chair umpire, has been selected for 11 Wimbledon Championships including four finals, and worked as the chair umpire for four US Open singles finals (boys, girls, quad wheelchair and men’s wheelchair).
She was also selected as a line umpire for three Olympic Games, including the finals in Beijing, as well as a chair umpire and review official for the recent Tokyo Paralympics.
Jaeger-Helton is a certified review official and recently served as the lead review official for the 2022 and 2023 US Open. She will continue in that role again in 2024, overseeing nearly 60 review officials while liaising with the chief umpire, the referees’ office, the technical providers and the chair umpires.
She is the only official in the world to have worked as a line umpire, net umpire, chair umpire, review official, and serve in the command center at any event, which she did at a Grand Slam.
She once was the Warriors’ No. 1 girls singles player at Foxboro High, but upon graduation, she looked to excel beyond the courts.
“I realized that I liked playing tennis, but I was also really keen on studying, moving forward and doing other activities,” Jaeger-Helton said. “I didn’t see tennis as my future profession. It was a passion, but it wasn’t a career direction for me. I concentrated on doing well in high school because I wanted to move on to university and succeed there and beyond.”
She holds a bronze badge in chair umpiring from the International Tennis Federation and has officiated at Wimbledon, the Australian Open, the French Open and at the U.S. Open. In addition, Jaeger-Helton has sat in the umpires chair as well for ATP, WTA and USTA Pro Circuit.
More recently, Jaeger-Helton has assumed the role as the “eyes in the sky” supervising the “Hawkeye” review of line calls.
A resident of Foxboro with her husband Thearon, and the mother of a son, Zach, and daughter, Kaitlyn, Jaeger-Helton serves as a mentor for many, both in academia and athletics. She has served with USTA Officials’ Coaching and Mentoring Team and is now a USTA National Trainer, focusing on training chair umpires.
“So many people were generous enough to support me, coach me along the way and serve as role models,” Helton said over the winter academic break and between national and international pro tennis tournaments. “The people who came alongside me were helpful, positive and constructive. Those are the traits that the USTA really promotes.”
“I was part of ramping it up and overseeing key aspects of it,” Jaeger-Helton said of the “Hawkeye” system. “It is not about behavior, rather calls not related to in or out line shots.”
She is the review official, working with all aspects of “Hawkeye” Automated Officiating, working ith over 50 national and international umpires who cover all the courts at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center at the U.S. Open in New York.
Were it not for being an ambitious teenager who came under the watchful gaze and personal development by Bridges back at Foxboro High, Jaeger-Helton will tell you that athletics has influenced her life on more than tennis courts.
It was the family’s annual summer excursion to the Volvo International Tennis Tournament in North Conway, N.H., that her interest in officiating was perked.
Jaeger-Helton later became the first rookie line umpire on record selected to officiate a finals match at the tournament, which saw Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl among its champions during its tenure in New Hampshire.
“What’s rewarding to me about giving back, mentoring, training and coaching, is coming alongside a person, as opposed to saying, ‘Follow me,” Jaeger-Helton said. “Umpiring also challenges me in a way such that I never think I have arrived. I always feel like there’s more work to do, more opportunities to reflect, more ways to develop, evolve and improve.”
A 1984 graduate of Bridgewater State University, Jaeger-Helton’s undergraduate studies focused on Cardiopulmonary Science/Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Healthcare Administration. She completed her fieldwork at Rhode Island Hospital in the Department of Orthopedics and graduated summa cum laude from BSU. She earned her Masters Degree in Biomechanics with a focus on Neuroscience at Northeastern University.
In addition to guiding the Industrial Engineering program at Northeastern University, Jaeger-Helton directs the Capstone Design program and over-seeing the Human-Machine Systems and Advising 2 Capstone Teams and two Masters Degree level Engineering Leadership Fellows.
Jaeger-Helton earned her PhD in Human-Machine Systems Engineering at Northeastern, minoring in Cognitive Psychology. Having spent some time in industry and consulting, Helton is currently a full time faculty member in the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at Northeastern.
She also conducts training workshops nationally as part of the USTA officiating development program to train chair umpires. Helton was selected as a trainer at the USTA Center of Excellence to train chair umpires in an intensive program at the National Tennis Center.
Jaeger-Helton has Northeastern’s Capstone Team working with the USTA and the US Open on the data from US Open Review Officiating and Video Assisted Referee initiative.
“It feels good to give people an opportunity to progress, particularly to those who have had no identifiable mentors in their life,” Jaeger-Helton said. “I often say to them, ‘I’m not exceptional. I started where you are.’ I focused on working hard, preparing, learning, observing, reflecting and improving. Bring commitment and an open mindset.”
By turning her various passions into multi-faceted full-fledged careers, both during school semesters and summers in the United States and abroad, Helton has seen first-hand how pursuing officiating also offers an opportunity for personal growth.
While earning her doctorate in Engineering, Kris applied her Biomechanics and Neuroscience background by joining the faculty in the Department of Physical Therapy teaching in Neuroanatomy, Clinical Kinesiology, and Biostatistics as well as teaching in the Cardiopulmonary Science program.
“In engineering, we solve complex problems, conduct design-and-build projects and work in a diversity of industries,” she said. “For those challenges, as well as being in leadership in the Galante Engineering Business Program at Northeastern. “Working as an umpire has really helped me — in thinking on my feet, where no situation is the same, managing multifaceted projects with several layers, covering technical elements in the lab or classroom, and when dealing with a variety of stakeholders and outside companies.”
“It’s about meeting people where they are, whether it’s players on court, a corporate executive, a student with a question or a new umpire,” she added. “It’s also about developing trust, which involves viewing situations from the perspective of others, and trying to be mentally agile enough to narrow the lens for the details and widen the lens for the system.”
As someone often tasked with the training and education of others, Helton, who speaks three languages and is also working on obtaining her private pilot’s license, has continued to learn, grow and welcome new experiences in her various mentoring roles.
“Having traveled the world, being at tournaments with other umpires has just been amazing,” Jaeger-Helton said. “The friendships I’ve made are incredible. We’ve also explored so many cultures and exotic places. The number of people who have visited our home from around the globe is remarkable. I have a simple bouquet of miniature flags from all the countries of the people who have come to our home. It’s fun to add to that vase.”
Jaeger-Helton is the first to encourage tennis enthusiasts of all ages to step outside the lines and to join the fraternity of officials.
“None of these things that are a part of my life have happened independently of each other,” Jaeger-Helton said. “There’s so much positive crossover. You can bring the mindset, skills and experiences from various aspects of your life to the umpiring realm. Likewise, you can bring elements of umpiring back into your personal life and career in ways that are more enriching than you can imagine.”
Jaeger-Helton is dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in officiating. She’s actively involved in various programs aimed at training and mentoring officials, ensuring opportunities are accessible to all.
She was selected twice as New England’s Official of the Year and also earned the prestigious USTA John T. McGovern Award in 2021, the lifetime achievement award for officiating.
Also in 2021, Jaeger-Helton was appointed the female ambassador to the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for the USTA to represent the interests of officiating.
In 2022, Jaeger-Helton was inducted into the Northeast Women in Sports Hall of Fame and has served on numerous boards and committees within USTA both at the New England and national levels.
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