Edition #37
May 31, 2026
Welcome to The W Profile, a study of the women leading at the intersection of sports, media, and global business. As college athletics adopts professional structures, it is instructive to look to the visionaries who have already mastered the complexities of the corporate world. By bringing C-Suite lessons to the athletics community, this series will provide leaders with the insights necessary to build a lasting legacy.
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Introduction
Wilson Sporting Goods appointed Carrie Ask as President and CEO to spearhead a massive commercial evolution for the historic franchise. She commands the monumental task of shifting a century-old sports equipment manufacturer into a modern, direct-to-consumer apparel and lifestyle heavyweight. She bridges the gap between heritage hardgoods and premium sportswear by integrating advanced retail strategies across the organization. Her leadership is defined by a rigorous focus on operational discipline, omnichannel distribution, and the necessity of capturing cultural relevance beyond the field of play.
From the Navy to Global Retail
Her executive DNA blends military precision with elite corporate merchandising. She graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a degree in Ocean Engineering and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy serving both in the US and abroad. She transitioned into the corporate sector after earning an MBA from the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, eventually securing high-level leadership roles at Target, Petco, Nike, and Levi Strauss & Co. This formidable background provides her with the strategic authority to navigate complex global supply chains while completely reinventing consumer experiences.
The Wilson Playbook
She approaches her executive mandate with a strategy that balances the preservation of authentic sporting heritage with aggressive commercial innovation. Her playbook encompasses three critical pillars:
➤ Direct-to-Consumer Expansion: She champions the transition away from pure wholesale reliance. She oversees the rollout of immersive Wilson flagship retail stores across major markets like Chicago and New York, ensuring the brand controls its own consumer narrative and captures higher-margin sales.
➤ Performance Apparel Integration: The company dominates the equipment market as the official ball of the NBA and NFL, but she recognizes that apparel drives daily lifestyle engagement. She treats the brand's push into premium sportswear as the ultimate growth engine required to capture younger demographics and expand everyday utility.
➤ Athletes as Innovators: She leverages the company's deep roster of professional advisory staff to directly inform product development. She ensures that elite athletes actively guide the research and engineering processes rather than serving merely as promotional billboards.
Lessons on Heritage and Omnichannel Growth
She built a career out of modernizing legacy brands without alienating their core consumers. She leads with the philosophy that a brand's history provides a foundation, but constant retail innovation secures its future.
She operates under the assumption that true consumer loyalty is earned through seamless, high-quality interactions across both digital and physical touchpoints. By understanding the rigorous logistical demands of global retail and the shifting expectations of modern shoppers, she proactively restructures corporate operations to prioritize speed and adaptability. Her success demonstrates that an executive can successfully redefine a historic manufacturer by applying ruthless retail discipline and elevating the direct consumer relationship.
Takeaways
➤ Control the Consumer Journey: Her retail strategy proves that legacy equipment manufacturers must establish their own brick-and-mortar and digital ecosystems to avoid wholesale vulnerabilities and dictate brand perception.
➤ Discipline Scales Brands: Her background as a naval officer informs a highly structured, data-driven approach to global supply chain management and international retail expansion.
➤ Heritage as a Differentiator: She successfully utilizes the century-long history of Wilson to legitimize the brand's aggressive push into new, modern product categories like lifestyle apparel.
➤ Lateral Leadership: Her transition from military service to diverse retail sectors demonstrates that foundational leadership, empathy, and operational skills remain universally applicable across industries.
Read. Watch. Listen.
WATCH: As part of a Women in Retail roundtable discussion, Ask offers advice on leadership and the top trends in retail. (link)
WATCH: In a Q&A with Wilson parent company Amer Sports, Ask breaks down what it means to be a leader, the role sports play in her life and her vision for Wilson. (link)
WATCH: In a keynote for CommerceNext, Ask shares how insights gleaned from intensive corporate soul searching came to reinvigorate the iconic Levi’s brand. (link)
Quote to Remember
“I think the primary role of any leader at any level is to ensure the success of their team, and what great leaders do is they know that that’s dynamic. What a team needs in one situation is different from what a team needs in another situation. So, they’re defining and evolving and clarifying a winning strategy, and they’re close with those teams in terms of what adjustments do we need to make.”
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Rebecca Calder – Commander, United States Navy Reserve (Ret.)
Publication Date: Wednesday, May 27
Colie Edison – Chief Growth Officer, WNBA
Publication Date: Sunday, May 24
Kim Ng – Commissioner, Athletes Unlimited Softball League
Publication Date: Wednesday, May 20
W Jobs is a dedicated distribution channel that highlights leadership and professional opportunities in college athletics for women who want greater visibility into the full range of roles across the industry.
Positions featured here are also posted on the comprehensive CollegeSports.jobs site and are open to all qualified candidates. W Jobs exists to expand awareness, not define who a role is for, because every job in college athletics should be accessible to women. Employers choose to amplify their postings through W Jobs to reach a broader audience and demonstrate their commitment to equitable access to opportunity.
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(Posted from most recent over the last 15 days)
(NEW!) Assistant AD, Business Office, Senior Accountant (Army West Point / West Point, NY): Active role in financial reporting & analysis, budgeting, audits, accounts payable, credit card reconciliations and staff supervision. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Men's Gymnastics Coach (Army West Point / West Point, NY): Coaching, recruiting, monitoring Cadet-athletes’ academic progress, scheduling, managing travel, overseeing the discipline and conduct of the Cadet-athletes. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Men's Ice Hockey Coach (Army West Point / West Point, NY): Coaching Cadet-athletes, season planning, recruiting, logistics, scheduling, managing travel, and managing the team’s budget including purchasing. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant/Associate Head Men's Rugby Coach (Army West Point / West Point, NY): Coaching, recruiting, monitoring Cadet-athletes’ academic progress, scheduling, managing travel, overseeing the discipline and conduct of the Cadet-athletes. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Assistant Baseball Coach (Army West Point / West Point, NY): Coaching, recruiting, monitoring Cadet-athletes’ academic progress, scheduling, managing travel, overseeing the discipline and conduct of the Cadet-athletes. More details HERE.
(NEW!) Football Equipment Manager (Florida International University / Miami, FL): Manages the procedures for the storage, maintenance, repair, and inventory control of all equipment apparel, and field equipment for the football team. More details HERE.
Assistant Director of Athletic Communications (Juniata College / Huntingdon, PA): Launch your career in athletic communications by creating digital content, supporting live events, managing gameday production, and promoting student-athlete stories in a hands-on role. More details HERE.
Sport Performance Coach-Intern (Juniata College / Huntingdon, PA): Start your sport performance career with hands-on experience designing training programs, supporting student-athletes, and building coaching skills in a collaborative athletics setting. More details HERE.
Strength & Conditioning Coach (Army West Point / West Point, NY): Directly supervise the performance training program of Olympic sports assigned teams - contributing to the wellness of cadet-athletes, assisting cadet-athletes in optimizing competitive performance. More details HERE.
Head Coach Softball (Florida International University / Miami, FL): Provides overall leadership for the Softball program. More details HERE.
Director/Sport Services & Student-Athlete Engagement (NEC / Bridgewater, NJ): The Director will play a key role in the organization and oversight of NEC Championship events and NEC SAAC and academic groups. More details HERE.
Seasonal Assistant Volleyball Coach (Army West Point / West Point, NY): Coaching Cadet-athletes, recruiting, monitoring Cadet-athletes’ academic progress, scheduling, managing travel, overseeing the discipline and conduct of the Cadet-athletes. More details HERE.
Part-Time Administrative Assistant (University of Notre Dame / Notre Dame, IN): This part-time role provides support for the day-to-day operations of the football program, with a primary focus on serving as the front desk and first point of contact for the football facility. More details HERE.
Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach - Men's Basketball (Missouri State University / Springfield, MO): To assist the men’s basketball and men’s golf programs with properly training and conditioning of student athletes. This position will help with overall performance of the student athletes. More details HERE.
Head Men's Volleyball Coach (Loras College / Dubuque, IA): Oversee all aspects of the volleyball program. More details HERE.
Assistant Coach - Swimming & Diving (University Athletic Association, Inc. at the University of Florida / Gainesville, FL): Provide direct and independent coaching of student-athletes who compete in D1, NCAA Men's & Women's Swimming & Diving for UF. Promote academic excellence. Assess/recruit prospective student-athletes. More details HERE.
Director of Creative Services (College Sports Communicators / Remote, US): This role will create engaging digital, social, print and other content that will drive engagement and elevate the CSC national association brand, its members, and the Academic All-America® program. More details HERE.
Assistant Athletic Trainer (Florida International University / Miami, FL): Assists Head Athletic Trainer in a manner that provides for competent and complete medical care for all student athletes participating in sports in Intercollegiate Athletics. More details HERE.
Assistant Director of Marketing - Marketing & Promotions (University Athletic Association, Inc. at the University of Florida / Gainesville, FL): Create comprehensive marketing plans with focus on ticket sales, attendance driving initiatives, fan experience enhancement strategies, and brand awareness. More details HERE.
Academic Advisor (Missouri State University / Springfield, MO): The Academic Advisor-Athletics assists in the development and coordination of academic assistance programs designed to enable student-athletes to receive appropriate and timely academic assistance. More details HERE
Assistant Coach -Softball (Missouri State University / Springfield, MO): To assist the softball program with day to day operations that include recruiting, academic assistance, individual workouts, scouting, practice, official and unofficial visits, etc. More details HERE.
Executive Assistant - Men's & Women's Tennis (University Athletic Association, Inc. at the University of Florida / Gainesville, FL): Provide administrative support to the head and assistant coaches. Coordinate team travel, team meals, and recruit visits. Assist with purchases, invoices, and P-cards. Assist with annual summer camps. More details HERE.
Temporary | Sports Nutrition Assistant, Olympic (University of Notre Dame / Notre Dame, IN): Temporary Sports Nutrition Assistant, Olympic will lead the nutrition care for 3 sport programs. This will include consultations, education, lab review, DXA scans as well as other responsibilities. More details HERE.
Head Coach, Cross Country and Track & Field (Cleveland State University / Cleveland, OH): Provides leadership for all aspects of Cleveland State University’s (CSU) NCAA Division I women’s cross country and track & field program, located in the heart of downtown Cleveland, Ohio. More details HERE.
Head Coach – Women’s Basketball (Haverford College / Haverford, PA): Haverford College invites applications for our full-time (37.5 hours per week), exempt, benefits-eligible Head Coach – Women’s Basketball opportunity. More details HERE.
Associate Head Coach, Track and Field (Washington University in St. Louis / Saint Louis, MO): Serves as the lead staff member for the head coach in maintaining a highly competitive program. Is given specific autonomy, and shares responsibilities with the Head Coach. More details HERE.
Temporary | Sports Nutrition Assistant, Olympic (University of Notre Dame / Notre Dame, IN): Temporary Sports Nutrition Assistant, Olympic will lead the nutrition care for 3 sport programs. This will include consultations, education, lab review, DXA scans as well as other responsibilities. More details HERE.