Kevin Carroll
 Kevin
Carroll is the founder of Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC and the author of three highly successful
books, Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, What's Your Red Rubber Ball?! and The Red Rubber
Ball at Work, published by ESPN, Disney Press and McGraw-Hill. As an author, speaker and agent
for social change (a.k.a. the Katalyst), it is Carroll's "job" to inspire businesses,
organizations and individuals—from CEOs and employees of Fortune 500 companies to
school children—to embrace their spirit of play and creativity to maximize their human potential
and sustain more meaningful business and personal growth.
With his consulting endeavors, Carroll has helped turn creative ideas into reality for
organizations such as the National Hockey League, ESPN, Nike, Starbucks (his words appeared on
17 million Grande cups), The National Basketball Association, Walt Disney Company, Mattel,
Hasbro, Procter & Gamble, Discovery Channel, Capital One and many others.
Raised by his grandparents in Philadelphia, Carroll spent endless hours at the neighborhood
playground where he found his calling: a red rubber ball. His subsequent pursuit of play and his
"red rubber ball" took him overseas with the Air Force, where he served as a language
interpreter and translator, gaining fluency in Croatian, Czech, Serbian and German.
After serving in the Air Force for ten years and earning his college degree, Carroll became an
athletic trainer at the high school and collegiate levels in Philadelphia. His expertise in
sport performance recognized by the 76ers organization and led to his job as the head athletic
trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers in 1995. While at the 76ers, Nike tapped Carroll to bring his
unique experiences to the sneaker giant in 1997. Although no job "officially" existed at the
time, Carroll was directed to create a position at the company that would add value to the
overall mission of the brand. Carroll accepted the challenge and stayed for seven years as "Katalyst"
(the 'K' is for Kevin)—a creative change agent. At Nike he was instrumental in helping the
company develop a deeper understanding of athletic product performance, team dynamics and
interpersonal communication. Carroll left Nike in 2004 to create his own company, Kevin Carroll
Katalyst/LLC, committed to elevating the power of sport and play around the world.
Carroll has dedicated his life to advancing sports and play as a vehicle for social change. He
partners with non-governmental organizations and businesses around the world that share his
vision and goals. He was honored to address the United Nations as part of the UN Year of Sports
for Development and Peace in 2005 and to serve as the host of the Beyond Sport Summit & Awards
that featured Archbishop Desmond Tutu in 2009.
Carroll holds a MS in Health Education from St. Joseph's University, a BA in Speech
Communication with a minor in Physical Education from Angelo State University and an Associates
Degree in Interpreting and Translating from the Community College of the Air Force. Carroll is a
frequent visiting professor across the United States.
Please visit
www.kevincarrollkatalyst.com to learn more about Kevin Carroll. |
|
