Our Team

Executive Director

Katie Phillips

Graduating from Houghton College with a bachelor's degree in Psychology and minor in Sports Ministry, Katie moved to Charlotte taking a job in a Title I Elementary School. After seeing her student's love for the game and their need for mentorship she decided to use soccer to invest deeper into low socioeconomic communities. A year later she helped found The Soccer Foundation of Charlotte with the goal of providing every child in Charlotte with accessible soccer programming and quality mentorship.

Program Coordinator

Mackenzie Smith

Mackenzie graduated from Clemson University with her bachelor’s degree in Sport Communication, minoring in Athletic Leadership, and her master’s degree in Communication, Technology and Society. While she was at Clemson she also played for the Tiger's women’s soccer team. Throughout her time as a student-athlete she found her love for using sport to connect with children and give back to communities while volunteering with several organizations. This included traveling to Senegal to help build a school with a group of fellow athletes.

Board of Directors

Jeremy Sorzano

Nicole Spencer

Jeremy is one of the founders of Soccer Shots Charlotte and Soccer Shots Franchising. Jeremy moved to Charlotte in 1996 to play with the Charlotte Eagles and soon after started running soccer clinics for children all over the city at childcare centers and preschools. He’s always had a passion to positively impact children and help them fall in love with the game of soccer. Soccer Shots has since grown and now is run all over the country by small business owners looking to impact children positively in the communities they live as well. Jeremy lives in Charlotte with his wife Lisa and two children.

Nicole has over 12 years experience as an Industrial Engineer and Supply Chain Leader for a Fortune 40 company based right here in North Carolina. Nicole is a proud alumnus of Clemson University and has earned her MBA from Kaplan University. A native from The Bronx, New York, Nicole developed a passion for the enrichment and education of inner city kids at an early age. As the wife of a soccer enthusiast and a recent transplant to the Queen City, Nicole has been able to combine her passions for community service, youth development, and her newfound love of soccer by serving a local organization dedicated to creating opportunities for underserved communities through sports and mentorship. Nicole and her family reside in the University area.

Ceci Armour

Andrew Odze

Ceci Armour is the Director of Academics for Movement School Eastland. Previously, Ceci served as Literacy and Math coach for kindergarten through second grade in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Ceci implemented an approach to English Language Arts that ensured that students received the phonological and phonics instruction that they required in order to learn to read. Ceci also supported teachers in implementing conceptual mathematics through small group instruction. Ceci has been in the field of education for 25 years.
Prior to this role, Ceci taught kindergarten, first and second grade within Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools. Ceci is known for her ability to target specific skills that young readers and mathematicians need and teach to that subskill. Many of the students that she taught were economically disadvantaged.
Ceci has her Masters in Education Support from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland and her Bachelors of Education from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Andrew is a sought-after advisor by Boards of Directors, CEO’s and c-suite executives and engages in c-suite succession, team acceleration and business transformation initiatives for industry-leading clients. As a senior executive for two Fortune 25 corporations during the first twenty years of his career, he learned how consequential effective leadership is and he committed himself to becoming an expert in guiding leaders on how they can create companies with enduring value. As both a clinical and organizational psychologist, he is uniquely qualified in the management consulting industry to understand and shape the behavior of individual leaders, to maximize the effectiveness of leadership teams and to guide organizations in enacting transformational change. Child and adolescent development and mental health has been a lifelong interest of Andrew’s and he has counseled children and families as a clinical psychologist and he has devoted the resources of eXecutive leadership partners, the management consulting firm he founded, to efforts that improve the well-being of children and families. Andrew lives in Charlotte with his wife and two soccer-loving sons.

Jamie Rodway

Following a successful career as an executive with the championship NASCAR race team Roush Fenway Racing, Jamie started a sports licensing and development company. With clients that have included the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Professional Bull Riders Association, he also was one of the key figures to bring international soccer matches to Charlotte. Jamie is married with three boys who have all participated in Charlotte's Soccer Shots program as well as the eldest having played on the Barcelona Soccer Academy team.

Jaime Cardenas

Jaime is the CEO and co-Founder of AC&M Group, a cultural marketing agency based in Charlotte. He moved from Mexico to North Carolina in 1998 to work for Hanesbrands. After earning his MBA from Wake Forest University, he started the agency in 2004 at the WFU Business Incubator. Over the last 16 years Jaime has led AC&M Group to become one of the leading Multicultural and Sports agencies in the U.S. He has developed soccer marketing strategies for multiple sponsors, including Fortune 100 companies. He has also worked with athletic brands, soccer retailers, international soccer leagues and clubs, and youth soccer organizations. Jaime lives in Huntersville, NC with his wife and four sons.

Nancy Klembus

Nancy is an experienced attorney and is currently Vice President, Deputy General Counsel for Domtar Corporation, which has a strong presence in the Carolinas. Throughout her career, Nancy has been passionate about mentoring and the critical role it plays in helping individuals, regardless of their age and background, see beyond what they can currently envision for themselves. Nancy holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, and her Juris Doctorate from the University of Michigan. Nancy lives in Charlotte with her husband Andrew.