Kate Massey, 35

Growing up, Kate Massey thought she would follow in the footsteps of her grandparents, both teachers in Chicago public schools. She graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in political science and English, secondary education. However, after a yearlong teaching internship, she says she realized: “This is just not the right fit.”

Today she works with students but in a different capacity, as executive director of the IMG Academy Foundation. The foundation, launched in 2022, supports both the Bradenton-based boarding school for student-athletes and its online recruiting programs. Massey herself is a student-athlete: she ran track and field all four years of college.

Photo by Mark Wemple

She ended up at IMG Academy through its online recruiting program, NCSA (Next College Student Athlete), after her brother — recruited to play football for the University of Chicago — used the program in his application process. He said, “You like talking about sports. You like working with high school kids. Why don't you do this?” So she started in a part-time sales position and her role grew from there.

For eight or nine years, she says, she worked her way up through NCSA.

In 2022, IMG Academy CEO Brent Richard “loved the work that I was doing on the online side, and he brought me down from Chicago to Florida and created this position for me to oversee all the give-back work on campus and online … and on top of that, run our foundation, which is our nonprofit organization,” Massey says. 

She moved to Florida in 2023 and currently has two positions: executive director of the IMG Academy Foundation and assistant director of community relations and social impact. Last year, the IMG Academy Foundation gave $57 million in charitable funds to students at the school and online. Her goal is to expand its reach even further, to allow student-athletes opportunities around the globe.

“I love building programs from the ground up. It is my area of expertise. And creativity juices just flow when I am able to do that, and just given really free rein,” Massey says. “It's amazing to be able to be at the ground level and … see your vision come to life.”

In part, she credits her success to the attitude instilled in her by her mentor, Steve Thompson, her track and field coach during her senior year of high school. 

"If I was to ever coach, I would follow his philosophies and his way of coaching, because he is such a supportive figure in a way that makes you feel safe," Massey says. "But at the same time, you're being pushed to your limits, and even beyond."