Kay Rawlins on choosing courage at life’s crossroads—and how creativity and community can turn risk into something unforgettable.
Kay Rawlins reflects on the pivotal crossroads in her life that led her from England to Orlando, where resilience, bold risk-taking, and creative community-building helped transform a struggling soccer venture into Orlando City and the Orlando Pride. Her talk underscores how optimism, fan-first leadership, and perseverance can turn uncertainty into lasting success for both a team and a city.
About the speaker
Kay Rawlins is a founder of Orlando City and Orlando Pride, and currently serves as Senior Vice President and Club Ambassador. Originally from the UK, Kay has lived in the US for almost 20 years. She worked in a bank for 10 years then owned and operated children’s preschools in the UK.
She moved to the US in 2004 and to Orlando in 2011 to start the Club. The last ten years has seen the rise of Orlando City, playing their first season in Major League Soccer in 2015, adding a women’s team, Orlando Pride in 2016 and a new downtown stadium which opened in 2017.
Kay’s current role includes speaking engagements on behalf of the Club, building the alumni network and programs, Chamber and civic group engagement and the Pride Collective. She is a board member for the Central Florida Foundation, 4Roots Farm, WISE Greater Orlando, All Women Empowered, BBLI Advisory Council and is on the Advisory Committee of the US Global Leadership Coalition. Kay gave a talk at TEDx Orlando 2017 and was awarded 2016 Businesswoman of the Year by the Orlando Business Journal, Corporate Ally of the Year 2019 by the Pride Chamber, LGBTQ+ Ally by the Florida Diversity Council and included in Florida Trend 500 Most Influential Business Leaders in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 and City & State Women Power 100 in 2022. In 2024, she was inducted into the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame, selected as one of the Women to Know in Florida by KNOW Women, and is a 2025 Orange Appeal Woman of the Year.
Kay is passionate about supporting and encouraging women, especially those starting out on their careers – she is a founding member of WISE (Women In Sports & Events) which includes a formal mentoring program.
On a personal note, Kay has a blended family of four children and five grandchildren, she loves to travel and has visited more than 40 countries. Eating out with friends and trying new restaurants is also a passion plus watching all kinds of sports, especially soccer!
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