March 2025 - 12

From Queen to Empress
Amber Lin is 2025 Honorary Member of the Year
By Amy Casanova
T
en years ago, Amber Lin was Queen of Bridge, an
honor recognizing a graduating high school senior
for their playing record and overcall participation
in the bridge community. Now, at age 27, Amber Lin is
ACBL 2025 Honorary Member, a person chosen by management
who is widely known throughout the membership
and who has given freely of their time and ability,
without thought of reward and in the interest and welfare
of the League as a whole.
" We are proud to honor such a special person, " said
ACBL Executive Director Bronia Jenkins. " She is brilliant
and dedicated. The bridge world is lucky to have Amber. "
Over the past decade, Lin has graduated from
Princeton, entered the workforce as an energy consultant
for Bain & Company and interned at the ACBL
Educational Foundation as the national youth bridge
coordinator, a liaison between the ACBL, the Educational
Foundation and the United States Bridge Federation, a
role created for her, said Foundation President Robert
Todd. She continues to serve in that capacity as a parttime
volunteer, organizing grants for tournaments,
Junior nights at the NABCs and assisting with the annual
charity auction.
Now living in the Bay Area, Lin has become the chair of
Silicon Valley Youth Bridge (SiVY), the powerhouse program
that's responsible for scores of young players entering
the bridge world. Along with core volunteers Kevin
Rosenberg, Will Watson, Kai Eckert and Eugene Hung,
Lin attends nearly all the weekly Casual Friday games
and bimonthly pizza party tournaments. She organized
two four-day camps for over 40 Juniors.
Along with Alex Kolesnik, Lin volunteers with the
USBF as the Online Junior Training Program coordinator,
organizing partnerships, teams and training sessions
for over 150 players and 40 mentors. She co-mentors
three groups with Rosenberg and plays and teams
with Juniors in local sectionals.
If that's not enough, Lin is an expert player. She won
a gold medal in the World Mixed Teams Championships
in 2023 and a silver medal in 2022. She also won the
Freeman Mixed Board-a-Match Teams in 2022 and
the European Under-31 Pairs Championships in 2023
with Rosenberg. She has represented the U.S. several
times on Mixed, Women's and Junior teams. Lin is
also a panelist for the Bridge Bulletin's " It's Your
Call " column, which is a learning tool for the whole
12 | Bridge Bulletin | March 2025
membership to gain insight from her and the rest of the
panel once a month.
The Ed Foundation is grateful for Lin's work. " Amber
Lin has a truly exceptional heart for bridge, " said ACBL
Educational Foundation Executive Director Ladawna
Parham. " She is always excited, motivated, eager to help
others grow and advance, and willing to support in any
way she can. It has been a pleasure to work with her, and
I know the bridge world has benefited greatly from her
energy and enthusiasm. "
" Amber Lin wore many hats when she was an intern
with the Educational Foundation, " said Kristen Frederick,
who was the Ed Foundation's executive director at that
time. " Aside from assisting Tracey Bauer and Andrew
Gumperz with the 2024 Spark auction, she arranged a
gaming/pizza " night
out " for teens and
young college
students at
the Chicago
nationals
and
March 2025

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2025
