Kevin Carroll
Marketing "Katalyst" and author of Rules of the Red Rubber Ball

Kevin Carroll is an author, speaker, and agent for social change. With his effervescent energy, wit, and humor, Kevin helps people harness the power of sport and play as a vehicle for chasing and achieving their dreams.

As an author, Kevin has achieved incredible success with his first book, Rules of The Red Rubber Ball (ESPN Books), Newsweek magazine calls it "an adult's version of Dr. Seuss's Oh, the Places You'll Go! - a pocket-size guide to finding your way in life." The book was also featured in BusinessWeek's "Champions in Innovation" in 2006. Kevin's second book, What's Your Red Rubber Ball?! Discover Your Inspiration and Chase it for a Lifetime (ESPN Books) will be released in 2008.

Kevin is also the founder of The Katalyst Consultancy where he has helped turn creative ideas into reality for organizations such as The National Hockey League, Nike, ESPN, Starbucks (his words appeared on 17 million Grande cups), the Walt Disney Company, Mattel, Hasbro, Paramount Television, Procter & Gamble, the Discovery Channel, Capital One, HSBC Bank, and many others. Kevin has dedicated his life to advancing sports and play as a vehicle for social change. Among his many public speaking engagements, Kevin was invited to address the United Nations at the launch of the United Nations Year of Sports for Development and Peace in 2005. He was subsequently appointed as a Special Advisor to the humanitarian group, Right to Play, which designs global sport and play programs for children and communities affected by war, poverty and disease.

Kevin also partners with a number of non-governmental organizations that share his vision and goals. Some of these include: Architecture for Humanity, which creates opportunities for architects and designers from around the world to help communities in need; Global Youth Partnership for Africa (GYPA), a non-profit organization that strives to cultivate the youth of Uganda as global citizens and partners in the development and advocacy for Africa; the Charter School Growth Fund, a philanthropic venture fund which works to grow the national charter sector and improve the quality of public education; and Work to Ride, a community-based prevention program in Philadelphia that aids disadvantaged urban youth through horsemanship, equine sports and education.

He is also partner and Katalyst at TAOW, a modern marketing agency that builds relationships between consumer brands and their core user groups. TAOW provides high-value experiential campaigns that are unlike traditional marketing solutions.

Kevin lives in Portland, Oregon with his wife and family. When he's not speaking to business and philanthropic leaders or students, you can find him working at mastering the cello.