Soccer has been a lifelong passion, taking her from collegiate competition and coaching in Illinois to earning a master’s degree in Sport Management. She joined Next Level in 2022 and grew from a coaching position into her current role as Operations Manager. She also plays for the Next Level Women’s UPSL team, inspiring young athletes both on and off the field. She is passionate about building confident players, strong people, and an inclusive soccer community. Her goal is to create more opportunities for girls and ensure finances never prevent them from continuing in the game.
1. Can you share your journey into your current role?
I’ve played soccer my entire life. I played collegiately in Illinois, and after I graduated, I stayed there coaching for another four years while I got my master’s degree in Sport Management. Soccer has always been such a huge part of my life, so I knew I wanted to find a way to stay involved.
In 2020, I moved to Arizona, and in 2022 I started playing for a UWS team here. That’s actually how I connected with Next Level, right before they opened. I accepted a position in April 2022 and was originally hired as a coach, but as the club grew, my role grew with it. I became more involved on the administrative side and eventually moved into operations. I’m now the Operations Manager and get to oversee both our Academy and our indoor development training facility.
I also still play for our Next Level Women’s UPSL team, which I really love. Being able to play at this level while also working with our youth players has been really special. I get to support them as they grow as players, and then I get to see them come out and support me at my games, which is honestly one of my favorite parts. It’s pretty cool to have that relationship with the girls and to be able to encourage each other in different ways. If I can inspire them to keep playing, believe in themselves, and find their own path in the sport, I feel really blessed to be able to be that person for them.
It’s been so cool to see how much Next Level has grown over the last four years and to grow with it. I’ve met so many incredible players and families along the way, and they honestly inspire me every day. Working in youth sports definitely comes with its challenges, but getting to be part of these players’ journeys and watching them grow makes it all so worth it.
2. What does being a part of the soccer community mean to you?
Being part of the soccer community has shaped so much of my life. I have experienced soccer from so many different sides as a player, a coach, and now working on the administrative side. Each role has given me a different perspective on the game and the people who make it what it is.
For me, the best part is really the people. I have met some of my closest friends through soccer, and now I get to work with so many players and families every day. I also really enjoy working alongside our staff and the owners at Next Level. We all have different experiences and strengths, and I think we are constantly learning from each other and growing together. It is really cool to be part of a group that is always trying to make things better.
I also think sometimes, as coaches and leaders in soccer, we forget just how much of an impact we can have on these kids. For us, it might just be another practice, another game, or a quick conversation, but for them, it can stick with them for a long time. I think that is one of the most meaningful parts of what we get to do. We get to be a small part of their lives during an important time in their development and hopefully we make a positive impact along the way.
3.What’s a soccer event you would love to host if resources weren’t a barrier?
If resources weren’t a barrier, I would love to host a huge international soccer festival and bring youth clubs from all over the world together. I think it would be really cool to have teams come in for a week of games, training sessions, and different events where players and coaches could interact with people from different cultures.
I’ve seen how much our Next Level players have grown from the opportunities they’ve had to travel internationally and play against teams from other countries. It gives them a different perspective on the game, exposes them to different styles of play, and honestly just pushes them outside of what they’re used to. I would love to create an event that makes those kinds of experiences more accessible to more players, instead of them being something that only a small number of players get to experience.
I would want it to be more than just a tournament. I’d love to have teams training together, playing against each other, doing clinics with different coaches, and spending time together outside of the games. I think there is something really valuable about having a young player sit down and talk to someone their age from another country, then go out and compete against them the next day. You get to see how much you actually have in common while also learning how differently people can experience the same game. I think creating that kind of experience for players would be really cool.
4.Who has been a role model or mentor for you in this space?
I would have to say all five of the owners at Next Level: Josh Asanovich, Dan Miller, Stephen Paylor, Ingar Nybakken, and Kevin Peterman. They all come from different backgrounds and have different areas of expertise, so I’ve been able to learn something different from each of them. I’m constantly learning from them, whether it’s about soccer, business, leadership, or just how to approach different situations. I think having people around you who trust you, challenge you, and give you the opportunity to grow is really important, and I’ve had that with all five of them.
5.How do you inspire others especially young women and girls to get involved in soccer?
I think a lot of it comes down to just being present and being someone the girls can look up to. A lot of the time they see me behind a desk or working behind the scenes, but I really try to get out to their games and be around them at the fields during training sessions when I can. I think it’s important for our girls to see women in leadership roles within soccer and to know that there are people they can look up to who have been through the same things they are going through. Getting to be one of those people to them is really special.
At Next Level, we have a saying, “World Class Players, World Class People,” and I really believe in that. We want to develop good soccer players, but we also want to develop good people. A lot of that is teaching them to work hard, be good teammates, have confidence, handle adversity, and treat people well. Those things matter just as much to me as what happens on the field.
I also think playing for our Women’s UPSL team gives me another way to connect with the girls. Coming back to competitive soccer definitely hasn’t been easy. I tore two ligaments in my ankle when I was 28 and at the time I really thought I was done playing competitively. When Next Level started a women’s team and the opportunity came up, I decided to give it a shot and see how far I could push myself.
A big part of why I wanted to come back was to show the girls what hard work and determination can do. I wanted to be a role model for them in that way too, not just someone they see working on the admin side. I love when they come to our games and support us, and I hope they know how much I love being able to support them too.
6.An angel investor has offered you $1m to grow the game of women’s soccer, how would you invest this money?
I would put all of it toward creating a scholarship fund for female youth soccer players. Working in youth soccer, I’ve seen firsthand how difficult the financial side can be for families. Especially as players get older and move onto higher level platforms, the cost can become a real barrier, and I’ve seen how much that can weigh on families.
I would never want a girl who loves soccer and wants to keep playing to have to give it up because of finances. There are so many talented girls who deserve the opportunity to keep developing and see how far they can go. If I had the ability to help take that financial burden off families and keep more girls in the game, that is exactly where I would want that money to go.
7. You have two tickets to the 2027 Women’s World Cup. Who would you bring with you and why?
This is way too hard of a choice! My first thought would be to bring one of the girls from our club. I think getting to experience a Women’s World Cup in person would be such a cool experience for a young player, and I would love to share that with one of our girls.
The hard part would be deciding who. I don’t know that I could ever pick just one because they all deserve that experience so it would have to be at random.
8.What’s the best soccer experience you have had?
Probably getting to see the USWNT play Brazil at the Tournament of Nations in Chicago in 2018. I grew up watching and looking up to so many of those players, so getting to actually see them play in person for the first time was pretty surreal.
9.What’s your go‑to snack or drink during long tournament weekends?
Built Protein Bars and Sugar-Free Red Bull
10.Favorite motivational quote or mantra?
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
13.Best book, movie, or TV show about soccer you’ve ever seen?
Bend It Like Beckham
14.What’s your favorite piece of soccer gear or memorabilia you own?
Probably all the medals we’ve won as a UPSL program!