Cara Morris joined USA Lacrosse as comptroller in 2000. After working at a publicly traded manufacturing company — where “the numbers were just the numbers” and sometimes required 18-hour days to compute — she longed for a change. Non-profit work seemed appealing, and her brother lived in the area.
Lacrosse (or sports) wasn’t on her mind, nor was a long stint at her next stop.
“My goal was never to stay at USA Lacrosse for more than three years,” Morris said.
Morris is still here a quarter-century later, now serving as the senior vice president and chief financial officer. During that time, she rolled up her sleeves, held numerous roles and watched a sport she had never seen before grow to the point where an Olympic pipe dream would become a reality.
Morris discussed the sport's growth and the organization through the eyes of someone who didn’t just watch but helped fuel it.
What led you to USA Lacrosse 25 years ago?
In the early 2000s, they weren't necessarily looking for women or people of color. The headhunting firm was just like, “Here are some accountants. Hopefully, one will be it.” I made a good impression on then-CEO Steve Stenersen and the treasurer who was on the hiring committee.
What did you know of lacrosse at the time?
I attended Boston University. There, it was all about hockey. In Boston, more generally, it was the Celtics and Bruins. I thought lacrosse was a fancy word for field hockey. I believe I was the 20th person hired, and I think I was the first full-time person hired who hadn’t played the sport.
What were your initial thoughts on the game?
We could look out the window and see Johns Hopkins practice. I had a prime seat to watch one of the best programs. I thought it was a fantastic game — fast-paced and enjoyable. We had more volunteers than staff members at the time. So, for me, it was also about seeing the passion of my peers. We had so many people who loved the sport and wanted to see it grow in a meaningful way. Their sense of pride was infectious.
What were the early days like?
If something had to be done, everybody had to do it, even the CEO. We had a CEO who was rolling up his sleeves and putting up banners because the event team needed help. It was, “What can I do today to help the sport grow?”
What were the points and reasons you noticed the sport beginning to grow?
In the 2000s, it was an alternative to baseball. You also had people who grew up on Long Island and in the Mid-Atlantic moving to places like California. Parents had kids and put sticks in their hands. Since we wanted the sport to grow, we were able to provide funding within weeks.
Then, we emphasized less-supported entities. The first was a Baltimore City Middle School program. It was a program developed by a Black CEO and several others who donated to the program. We’ve also been able to work with, among others, Dallas City Lacrosse and Harlem Lacrosse. They got one of their first grants from USA Lacrosse, and they’ve been able to use it to focus on their programming. Before World Lacrosse became a united federation, USA Lacrosse supported the sport's growth at an international level. We’ve grown to include more girls and people of color playing the sport.
What did you feel your role was in fueling this growth?
Getting the stick in the container. In my role in the organization, that means making sure we have reliable financial reserves — that we’re debt-free so we can be nimbler and more flexible during hard times. But I’ve rarely seen my job that way. My goal is to help to achieve the objective of getting a stick in every kid’s hands.
What has it been like to watch the sport grow?
When I joined the organization and for many years, we were told that our highlight and goal was to be in the Olympics. But we were told it wasn’t going to happen in our lifetimes. We were going to keep fighting the good fight, and maybe it would happen for the next generation. We will be in LA28, and it’s still my lifetime.
What are your hopes for the future of USA Lacrosse?
What we do with the LA28 opportunity is equally important. Getting to the Olympics is wonderful, but how do you take that opportunity and grow the sport so every kid who watches says, “That’s something I want to do?” The next 25 years is the reality. It’s what we do in 2029, 2030 and beyond to make sure that every single child in America can pick up a stick.
Have you thought of your legacy?
I have fewer years in front of me than behind me. Hopefully, any college kid looking at USA Lacrosse and its leadership will see that it’s something they can be a part of. That’s what I hope my legacy is, not just specific to lacrosse but all sports. I want a young girl to look at what could be for her and to see that you can be excellent in the profession, have a passion for a sport or new sport, work with an organization and make a difference.
