Career Spotlight - Nathalie Carter

Photo of Nathalie Carter
Tuesday, August 31, 2021
What is your current role at Yale University?
 
I am currently the Senior Associate AD for Community Engagement & DEI.
 
What are your main responsibilities?
 
There are a variety of responsibilities that come with my job. My main responsibilities include:
 
  • Oversight of the Yale athletics ticket office operations and staff
  • Connect athletics to community and campus through engagement events, programming, and sponsorship fulfillment 
  • Coordinate gameday events and in game promotions 
  • Manage fan engagement interns
  • Oversee game day concessions operations 
  • Coordinate mascot, Yale band, and cheer appearances
  • Oversee the marketing budget
  • Sports administrator for Yale men’s and women’s tennis teams 
  • Chair of Social Justice and Inclusion Working Group and staff DEIB Committees
  • Administrator for student athlete of color leadership team: Yale Bulldogs for Change
What do you like most about your work?
 
There are two things I enjoy most about my work. The first, is the opportunity to connect campus and community with the athletics department. Working in sports can be incredibly impactful, especially in the community engagement role. It has a way of bringing people together from such diverse backgrounds for a common goal. My staff and I try to be intentional about creating spaces that allow everyone to feel like they belong, including students, staff, and community. Some of the avenues that allow us to do this are generating collaborative awareness events for fans, connecting our department staff across campus groups, or hosting local youth teams and organizations that may have never been on a college campus to come and meet our student athletes. The culture that we hope to cultivate as we continue to move forward is one of pride and inclusion through sports.
 
The second thing I enjoy most about my job is the opportunity to impact the student athlete and fan experience in unique ways. Fan engagement has a heavy emphasis on work behind the scenes, but we can help structure the atmosphere of a game or event that can affect everyone in attendance. Promotional nights, anthem singers, giveaways, in game music, on court participation, and community halftime performances are only a few aspects that help to create an atmosphere and culture that fans support. A newer addition to my administrative role has been diversity, equity, and inclusion work. We recently launched our student athlete of color leadership team called Yale Bulldogs for Change (YBC).  The mission is to support student athletes of color, while attending a PWI, through building safe spaces for POC to connect across teams, raising awareness about social justice issues, supporting local communities of color and encouraging social and cultural connections through events and programming. In the first semester, YBC was able to collect over 200 books authored by people of color for the New Haven Reads organization. They created the Bulldog Ballot Challenge, a campaign focused on getting all student-athletes and coaches, that were eligible, registered to vote in the recent election. Finally, they were instrumental in hosting our first open discussion about the Black student athlete experience with an open panel for all athletes, featuring Yale alumni guests Saroya Tinker ‘20 and Foye Oluokun ‘18. Saroya currently plays in the National Women’s Hockey League for the Metropolitan Riveters, and Foye is a linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons. I am so proud of our what YBC has accomplished, and their commitment to making Yale a better place for those that follow them.   
 
The foundation of my job and my decision making is rooted in the opportunity to impact through creating access, positive experiences, and using my seat at the table to encourage change. In my short time at Yale, I have met various people on campus and in the New Haven community that have graciously welcomed me into their spaces and offered helpful resources.   
 
How does your job affect your general lifestyle?
 
Working in athletics is certainly a lifestyle that is not meant for everyone.  As a former women’s soccer student athlete, I grew up around sports, so it was a very natural transition for me. It can be overwhelming for some, given the amount of time we spend in the office or at games. During the week, my days typically consist of planning and administrative meetings. Evenings may include talking with student groups or community organizations about future collaborations. On the weekends, we are executing promotions and hosting community groups at games throughout the day. Working in athletics is not always a glamorous job, but it is extremely rewarding given the different groups of people that I have the opportunity to connect with. There is also something special about watching people around you develop over time through both challenges and victories. That goes for student athletes that eventually graduate and go out to impact the world; community members you get to know and watch their families grow over the years; as well as the evolution of my own staff and colleagues.    
 
How did you begin your career?
 
After graduating from Georgia State University, I struggled with the reality of no longer being a student athlete and transitioning into the professional world. My first job was coaching club soccer and I was able to secure a position at Fox Sports Network in Atlanta doing ad sales. After some tough conversations with my mentor, who was also the first Black woman I encountered working in an athletics department, she encouraged me to think about athletics administration. With her encouragement and applying to more jobs than I can remember, I was eventually offered a compliance assistant position at Colgate University in Hamilton, NY. I volunteered to help with marketing and events on the weekends, eventually realizing that was a much better fit for me. I was given the opportunity to transition from compliance to marketing and continued work at Colgate for 8 years. Over time, I was promoted from Assistant Athletic Director for Marketing to Associate Athletic Director. In my associate role, I also managed a variety of university responsibilities, including serving on various committees and the athletics liaison for human resources. I enjoyed my time at Colgate, it stretched me both personally and professionally. It also allowed me to manage various projects outside of my day to day responsibilities, thus gaining valuable knowledge I may not have gotten at a larger institution.  
 
What steps would you recommend one take to prepare to enter this field?
 
I would recommend reaching out to a local athletics department to research which areas interest you through informational interviews or shadowing. There are a various internal and external opportunities to work within an athletics department outside of coaching. The business office, creative services, compliance, development, academic support, marketing, ticketing, equipment services, athletic training, strength and conditioning, communications, psychologist, nutritionist, facilities oversight, and administration are all vital to running a successful department.      
 
What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
 
One of the most important attributes for success is founded in a wholistic understanding of community and inclusion. A sense of emotional intelligence is also helpful given the variety of groups and communities that are a part of engagement. There is so much value in understanding your communication style. Even more importantly, there is power in successfully communicating with those that have a different style from your own to get to a common goal.  
 
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change?
 
I would absolutely choose the same path. It was certainly the road less traveled, filled with so many priceless life lessons, but I would not change anything. Much of my career has been stepping out on faith and working through unfamiliar circumstances that have shaped who I am. I have also been surrounded by incredible women that have both challenged and supported me over the years. 
 
What does YAAA mean to you and how have you contributed as a member?
 
After moving to Connecticut ,YAAA was the first place I was able to find a sense of community. After leaving upstate New York, and the stresses of being in a new environment, I was able to quickly connect with some amazing women that have been so welcoming and helpful during my journey. Marinda Monfilston, Fallon Thomas, and Deborah Stanley-McAulay were some of the first women I connected with after my first YAAA meeting. Their friendship and institutional knowledge has been incredibly helpful. As a member, I have had the opportunity to participate in several volunteer opportunities, mixers, and more recently, partnered with YAAA and WWN to host a panel featuring women coaches and administrators for their Women in Leadership Series. As chair of our department social justice and inclusion working group, we structured an affinity group staff committee as part of our DEI plan. From the committee, there are two athletics staff members assigned to attend each affinity group meeting to help build community and lend ideas for future athletics partnerships.  
 
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
 
I would like to say thank you YAAA leadership for their tireless work planning programming and events. There is so much value in having affinity groups that allow staff to find community so quickly and give the opportunity to learn about others.