Title: executive director of 10X Lacrosse
Hometown: Oxford, Maryland
Alma mater: University of Tampa
On the job: I think I have the most fun job in the world. I manage lacrosse events, camps and clinics around the Southeast; I operate the travel lacrosse program Palms Lacrosse Club and the South Tampa Sticks youth girls lacrosse program; and in my spare time, I am the head varsity lacrosse coach for Berkeley Preparatory School. So what does that look like? A lot of coaching: coaching players, coaching coaches and coaching growing business professionals. Our coaches and full-time staff are young and completive “A-Players” — so it gives me a lot of happiness to coach them into being the best version of themselves when it comes to growing in their professional roles. I am very proud of how fast 10X Lacrosse has grown and grown the game of lacrosse. In 2018, we had only about 40 people in our programs and events. Even through a pandemic, we’ve grown to now serve over 400 lacrosse players in the Tampa Bay area.
Giving back: I am so grateful for the platform I have to teach life lessons through sports. We teach leadership, passion, teamwork and integrity through lacrosse — and I believe all kids should have access to that. That’s why I sit on the Florida Gulf Coast Lacrosse League board as the vice president and WINNERS Lacrosse as the secretary. Both of these organizations are nonprofits that focus on growing the game at the grassroots level. WINNERS specifically serves underserved neighborhoods. Beyond Tampa Bay, I have traveled to grow lacrosse and teach our principles behind the game to underserved communities in Panama, Costa Rica and Hong Kong.
When I’m not in the office, you can find me: I love to travel and spend time eating Tampa Bay’s delicious cuisine with my husband. My husband and I always play card games at the dinner table. If you see a couple at a restaurant playing cards, that’s probably us.
When I was a child I wanted to be an interior designer and an architect. (I played a lot of SIMS.)
My dream vacation is: I haven’t been to Greece yet, and it’s on the top of my list..
My favorite thing about Tampa is that Tampa gives a great vibe of growth, excitement and health. I feel like it’s a very happy place..
My motto or philosophy that I live by is, “Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.” – Desmond Tutu
My hero or inspiration is my husband. He’s the best partner in the whole world. He’s a business owner in sports as well, so he helps me so much with new ideas and ways to best grow.
My pump-up song is anything by Missy Elliot.
My most ambitious goal is to visit all of the countries in the world.
The greatest adversity I’ve faced is: I also have struggled with the time it takes to gain trust in veterans of the lacrosse community. The boys’ side of lacrosse is much larger than the girls’ side of the game. A lot of these veterans who have been hosting programs and events in the community aren’t used to a young woman coming in and providing the service we do. Even after seeing five years of consistent and well-organized programming from me and my staff, I still have a hard time gaining trust in those community members. To combat this, I focus on the supporters (and there are many more than the critics), focus on what I can control, keep my head down and work through it. In the end, I hope that the critics come to realize that we just want what’s best for the lacrosse community and the athletes we serve. I hope to pave the way for more female leaders in lacrosse and make it easier for those future leaders to gain trust and support of this community.
