By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
From her days as vice president of Major League Soccer to chief executive officer of LA28, the organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Kathy Carter '91 has been all about leadership.
 
Looking back, she got a crash course on that subject in her first year on the women's soccer team at William & Mary.
 
Her coach was John Daly, who would win 413 games in 31 seasons. Two of her teammates were seniors Jill Ellis '88, who coached the United States to two World Cup championships, and Julie Shackford '88, now in her fourth season as the Tribe's head coach.
 
Carter saw little playing time that season. But she paid attention.
 
"When I was a freshman, the seniors forced us to go to study hall," Carter said. "Because they helped us in that transition and to get our feet underneath us, that was something we all tried to emulate.
 
"How do you help somebody who was coming in behind you? That is an invaluable lesson of leadership."
 
Carter, who earned her B.A. in political science and government, will be using that to the fullest over the next seven years. Last month, Carter was promoted from chief revenue officer to CEO of LA28. It will be the first time the Olympics have been in the U.S. since 1996 and in Los Angeles since '84.
 
Seven years might seem like a long ways off, but Carter and her group are already busy.
 
"There are probably three phases to the journey," she said. "The first was for us to really establish how we pay for it. What's the revenue look like? The second is starting to put the foundational elements of the organization in place because we're a start-up that'll grow to be tens of thousands of people and then we'll go out of business.
 
"Then we'll move into the third phase, which is execution, and that won't happen until about '24. So we've got a couple or three years here (to) make sure we've got the foundation of the organization in place. We'll make sure we've got the right plans, and then we can move to execution in the last four years."
 
Carter's first job out of college was as a consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1993, she joined World Cup Marketing to help organize the '94 World Cup in the U.S. That started her on a path to a career in athletics.
 
"I've spent the majority of my time in soccer and was one of the founders of Major League Soccer," she said. "In 2018, I joined the Olympic group after we won the right to host the games in 2028. I'm just about three years in on the journey and I'm excited for all that lies ahead of us."
 
Looking back, Carter drew inspiration from Mark McCormack '51.
 
"When I was a senior, Mark McCormack, one of the originators of the sports marketing industry, came back to William & Mary and spoke to a lot of the student athletes," she said. "Coming out of that, everybody said, 'Boy, wouldn't it be great? This is exactly what I want to do, to go into sports.'"
 
Sports were always a big part of Carter's life. She grew up in Northern Virginia, the same area as Ellis and Shackford. Together, the three of them worked a soccer camp run by Ellis' father.
 
When Carter came to William & Mary in the fall of 1987, the Tribe was set at goalkeeper with junior Amy McDowell. Carter waited her turn and started her last two seasons. She left with a career goals-against average of 0.78, a school record that has since been tied by Meghan Walker (2005-08).
 
"She's probably my height, 5-3 or 5-4, but she was very, very agile," Daly said. "Obviously, a short goal keeper can't be too far off the goal line because she's vulnerable to a ball over her head. But her positioning was outstanding."
 
Shackford remembers her former teammate's mental toughness as one of her best traits.
 
"She had feistiness, resolve and intelligence," said Shackford, who has won 259 matches in 25-plus seasons as a head coach. "She always played with a chip on her shoulder, which has been a positive driving force in her life as she's climbed the ladder.
 
"What she's doing now is incredible. But it's not surprising given her drive, her intelligence, her ambition, and her love of sports."
 
Carter also makes it clear that 30 years after graduation, she still loves her alma mater. She is strongly behind the "All In" campaign, which aims to raise $55 million and increase annual giving.
 
"To me, it's non-negotiable to pay it forward and to help future leaders," she said. "Part of that is contributing back to the college and certainly to Tribe athletics.
 
"That continues to help us create future leaders for our country and across the globe. There's no better way to do that than through athletics."