Carroll stepping down as FBCA AD, enters final season as head softball coach

Kelly Carroll is stepping down as athletic director at Fort Bend Christian Academy, effective immediately, and the 2022 softball season will be her last as head coach of the Eagles.

Carroll notified parents of her decision on Friday. She has been at FBCA since 2006, serving as middle school activities coordinator/assistant athletic director for 11 years before becoming athletic director in the spring of 2019.

The Eagles’ head softball coach since 2007, Carroll has led FBCA to seven TAPPS state championships and two more runner-up finishes.

Carroll said the decision to step away is a personal choice of making sure she is present for her children. While there is a lot she will miss, she said, there is an excitement in being there for her kids and watching them grow.

“Doing this job and the hours it takes, it put so much strain on my family that someone had to, either my husband or I, make a decision to put our family first before career,” Carroll said. “This fall, it’s exciting and it’s great that our teams did so well, but it just means more hours and more time away.”

Carroll has two children who are six and nine years old, respectively. She looks forward to coaching her daughter in T-ball. She is excited about attending her son’s golf tournaments in the spring.

Carroll has taken a position with another company, unrelated to the education field, that has better hours (8 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and allows her to pick up her kids from school. They will still attend FBCA.

“We want them to still be a part of the school, because I believe in the school,” said Carroll, who said there is a possibility she returns to coaching once her kids are grown.

Carroll said she is proud of a lot that was accomplished during her time as athletic director. That includes involving the institution’s lower school’s student-athletes and families more into what it means to be an Eagle.

Carroll is proud of the new turf football/soccer field and technology that makes it a safer environment for kids. She mentioned hires like track and field coach Deon Minor, head volleyball coach Alex Edwards, and head football coach Jordan Black as “game-changers.”

Carroll said knowing this will be her last season as head softball coach is emotional, but there is also a sense of relief and freedom.

“Between knowing it’s my last season and not having the stress of being the director of athletics will actually allow us to be a little more laid back,” she said. “More fun. More being able to laugh at things. Just being able to stop and pause and truly enjoy being in the moment more.”

Aaron Carpenter, an assistant coach for the Eagles’ football team, is the interim athletic director.

“He is definitely one of the hardest workers,” Carroll said. “If there’s something that needs to be done, he’s the first one to jump in and get it done. He works fast and efficient. He’s the most servant-hearted person there is. To make this the smoothest transition, it would be him. He knows what it takes and how to get it done.”