FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — March is Women's History Month. To celebrate, the Atlanta Falcons are highlighting the work of a handful of women who make the organization run.
In this Q&A series, we spotlight six women whose roles span finance, brand strategy, football communications, community engagement, football technology systems and athletic training. From managing complex financial operations and crafting unforgettable fan experiences to supporting players' health and telling the team's story, each of these professionals brings a unique path and perspective to the organization.
Through their stories, they share how they broke into the sports industry, the challenges and opportunities they've encountered along the way, and the lessons they've learned while building meaningful careers in one of the most competitive fields in sports.
Together, their experiences offer a powerful look at the many ways women are helping drive innovation, culture and impact within the Falcons organization—and across the league.
ALISON BOYD
Senior Director of Finance
Boyd received her master's in accounting from the College of Charleston and her bachelor's degree in accounting from the University of West Georgia. She leads the financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting for the organization. This essentially means she collaborates with all of the departments of the organization to help each create and manage their budgets while also reporting the financial results of the organization overall to ownership and the league.
You grew up in the greater Atlanta area, played a bunch of sports growing up in the area, too, what's a moment in your career that made you particularly proud to be a woman from Georgia working in sports?
I grew up in Suwanee, which is where the old Falcons practice facility was located and I would go there as a kid to watch training camp. My first year working here, I was able to take my parents on the field before a game and watch the team warm up. Standing there with them, in the same organization I had grown up watching from the outside, was a true full-circle moment.
How did you come to work for the Falcons?
It honestly fell into place, I always loved sports - I played basketball, tennis and volleyball throughout high school and have always loved watching sports and being a fan. While working for a media company, an opportunity came up to join the Falcons, and it felt like the perfect combination of my professional background in accounting and my passion for sports.
What advice would you give other girls and women who want to pursue a career your field? Particularly through a sports lens?
In my experience, I didn't start in sports. I began in public accounting and later worked for a media company. So, if you don't enter the sports industry on day one of your career, that's completely OK. You can continue refining your core skills and when an opportunity in the industry arises, your skills and passion for what you do will be what sets you apart.
I often tell accounting and finance students that while I work in sports, I work on numbers all day. Those numbers might be reconciling player salaries, or forecasting sponsorship revenues or team expenses, which makes things very interesting and exciting, but at the end of the day, you have to love numbers and be really good at that.
KABRIONE CUMMINGS
Director of Brand Experience
Cummings went to the University of Central Florida where she studied business administration with a minor in sports management. She leads grassroots, experiential and retail marketing for the Falcons. Her world encompasses one-off events for tentpole moments (404 Day, draft, season kickoff, statewide activations, etc.), retail marketing strategy and promotion, influencer marketing and grassroots initiatives including Street Team and Mercedes-Benz Stadium College Pass Program.
You have said your dad is one of your heroes, how did your relationship with him shape your career path and passion?
I've always looked up to him. He played in the NFL for about 13 years and I always wanted to be like him. Knowing I couldn't actually play on the field, I had to find the next best thinking which was working on the business side. Football has been a part of my life forever, and I'm super passionate about being able to create experiences for people. Once I found out I could merge the two, it was a no brainer to pursue this career path.
You started with the Falcons in 2022 and you recently received a promotion, taking the next step in your career — how excited are you for this next opportunity?
I'm really proud of this most recent promotion as Director of Brand Experience. I started as a manager in 2022 and to now to be in this role is a huge accomplishment. It's always a great feeling to get promoted, but this time was extra special because I wasn't expecting it, so to know that my work has been valued by my peers and leaders within the organization means the world.
What advice would you give to a young woman looking to get into the industry like you have done?
No dream is too big. Continue to reach for the stars and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something. Stay grounded in who you are and know that you bring value to the table just by being you. The sports industry is big, but also small, so build and keep relationships along your journey as you never know when you will see someone again.
TAYLOR GARNER
Manager of Football Communications
Garner graduated with her bachelors of arts degree in communication from Mississippi State, and received her masters of arts in advertising and public relations from Alabama. She helps manage the day-to-day communications around the football team, working closely with players, coaches and media to coordinate coverage and support the Falcons' overall media strategy. She works closely with the digital and community relations teams to help highlight the stories and passions of players and coaches off the field. Additionally, she oversee the associate internship program, managing associates that join the Falcons in training camp and for the season.
We all know football is a male dominated field, how do you approach being a woman in rooms where there are — sometimes — only a few in the same room?
I believe and know that I deserve to be in these rooms and in these roles just as much as my male counterparts, and I move that way.
I take every task at hand and execute it at the highest professional level, and I'm not afraid to go for what I want or speak up and advocate for myself and others. I see me being a woman in this industry as a strength and opportunity to blaze trails for those behind me and never a disadvantage.
How does that mentality shape how you speak to the next generation about pursuing a career in sports?
You deserve to be in these rooms and in these roles; believe and know that. Advocate for yourself and walk into every room with confidence. Don't be afraid to go for what you want and never downplay the value you add to the industry. Always let your light shine. Others will see it and want you on their teams.
KARMEN GEE
Senior Manager of Community Relations
Gee attended Clemson University, where she received a bachelors of science in nursing. She also has her masters of science in kinesiology with a sports management focus from the University of Georgia. Her main role with the Falcons is to be the player liaison for all community initiatives, including organizational and player passion specific events. Outside of being the player liaison, she helps manage the Falcons' military outreach, NFL initiatives and general community programming for the team.
You originally graduated with a nursing degree but worked your way into sports, why was that a direction you wanted to pursue?
I believe sports have a very unique way of bringing people from all different backgrounds together for the same purpose. We have an incredible opportunity to use the platform of sports for the good of our community and beyond.
Do you have any advice for young women and girls who want to make a change like you did to pursue a career in sports?
Keep dreaming! There are challenges to being a woman in sports and there may always be, but women absolutely have a voice and that will only continue to grow as we bring more women into the fold. Build relationships with the other women in the industry and keep cheering each other on through the process.
STEPHANIE GUTIERREZ
Senior Director of Football Systems
Gutierrez did her undergrad at the Illinois Institute of Technology for Architecture via a walk-on basketball scholarship. Her graduate degree is from DePaul University in video game development. She leads the team responsible for the technology systems that power football operations. This group designs and maintains the internal applications and data infrastructure that is responsible for democratizing access to data used across the organization. Gutierrez's role is to provide a hub of reliable systems, powered by reliable data, so departments like analytics can build models and provide intelligent data visualizations so coaches, scouts, cap and contract, athletic performance and executives can ask intelligent questions and make faster, more informed decisions.
You have a fascinating career, how did you find your way to it?
Sports kind of chose me. I knew I wanted to create software and do creative problem solving with technology, but everyone has to start somewhere. I started at a company called STATS LLC in Chicago where I worked primarily on the SportVu player tracking team, specifically for the NBA. At that time, player tracking was in its infancy for the NFL and it felt like a natural next step. I took a job with the Chicago Bears in 2014, transitioned to the Atlanta Falcons in 2018 and have been here ever since.
Why did you want to make the move to the NFL?
Being born and raised in Chicago, my role with the Chicago Bears was my most proud moment of my career. Not because of the market that comes with the Bears, but because that was the job that allowed my husband to be a stay-at-home dad (or as he calls it, a "Domestic Engineer"). It was the job that made my Grams (my role model) the most proud. Specifically, because I was working in a traditionally male dominated industry as female.
As one of the first female mechanics at IBM, she spent her entire life breaking ceilings like these. She told me a story once that they used to make the women in the field wear skirts and panty hose while crawling under massive newspaper printers at the Tribune Tower to fix or replace parts, until she finally said to a manager, "This makes no sense."
She aided in navigating and changing gender norms in the 70s, 80s and 90s. Needless to say getting a job with an NFL football team (a sport which women weren't even allowed to play when I grew up) made her very proud. I hope I can do the same for my daughter.
Speaking of your daughter, what advice would you give to women who want to pursue a career in sports while also pursuing a family life?
The question I get asked the most by young women is how to navigate having a family while working in sports. My honest answer is that it's something the industry is still figuring out. For a long time, women have felt pressure to choose between advancing their careers and starting a family in ways that men often don't have to think about. I hope organizations continue moving toward stronger maternity and paternity leave policies and cultures that support both parents.
On a personal level, my advice is to invest in yourself and your skills so that your value is clear wherever you go. And remember that imposter syndrome is just a thought; thoughts are not facts. If you're in the room, it's because you earned the right to be there.
Sports need talented people in every area — technology, analytics, business, medicine, coaching, scouting — and there is absolutely space for women to thrive in all of it.
JULIE KRUESSEL
Assistant Athletic Trainer
Kruessel attended the University of Cincinnati where she received her bachelor's degree in health promotions and education with a concentration in athletic training. She then attended graduate school at LSU where she received her master's degree in kinesiology with an emphasis of sports management. With the Falcons, she specializes in the prevention, emergency care, clinical diagnosis, therapeutic intervention and rehabilitation of injuries and medical conditions for the team. She works with a team of physicians, often collaborating with nutritionists, strength coaches and mental health professionals to optimize player health.
You were the first female staff athletic trainer with both the Florida State University football team and the Falcons, why did you want to pursue a career in athletic training and sports as a whole?
I always played sports growing up, and I still loved the environment even after I was done playing competitively. In this environment, you're working with others in a competitive environment to achieve a common goal. Especially in football, I found like-minded people with the same drive and passion, whether that was winning a football game or helping someone return from an injury.
What advice would you give young women and girls looking to get their foot in the door of a career in sports?
Network, even with people not in your specific area of interest. You never know where or when your paths may cross. Say yes when your mentors suggest you apply for something, and be open to new opportunities. You never know where it may take you.
