Looking for pioneering women in sports for a recent podcast, journalist and University of Virginia alumna Katie Couric didn’t have to search far from home.

Couric invited UVA Director of Athletics Carla Williams to appear on the most recent episode of “Next Question with Katie Couric,” where she talked with Williams and University of Notre Dame women’s basketball coach and Hall-of-Famer Muffet McGraw about diversity in college sports.

Williams was named UVA’s athletic director in 2017 after 13 years as an athletics administrator, including two years as deputy director of athletics, at the University of Georgia, where she played and coached basketball before moving into administrative roles.

She is one of four female athletic directors currently active at “Power Five” conference institutions, and the first African American woman to fill the role.

Since arriving at UVA, Williams has overseen a remarkable period of success, including a 2018-19 year that featured NCAA championships in men’s basketball and men’s lacrosse. UVA finished eighth in the Directors’ Cup all-sports standings that year and won the men’s side of the Capital One Cup, another all-sports competition. Williams herself was honored as the Women Leaders in College Sports’ 2019 Administrator of the Year for all NCAA Division I FBS athletics programs.

Perhaps most important for the future, Williams and UVA Athletics launched a $180 million Athletics Master Plan that will improve facilities and resources for student-athletes across all 27 sports and better connect UVA’s athletic facilities to Grounds and to the Charlottesville community.

Williams embraces basketball star Mamadi Diakite after the Hoos won the 2019 NCAA Championship in Minneapolis last April. (Photo by Matt Riley, UVA Athletics)

Williams told Couric that she sees sports, and especially college sports, as “a great equalizer.”

“I do believe that sports bring people together, whether it is teammates, or fans cheering from their team, coming from all different walks of life,” Williams said. “Being able to participate in sports has opened so many doors for so many people that may not have had the opportunity to go to college. I am one of them.”

Williams also spoke about the importance of mentorship, and the shared responsibility – not just for women or people of color, but for anyone working in athletics – to create a diverse workforce.

“I had some great role models who were athletic directors. They were willing to include me in meetings and in critical decision-making conversations,” she said. “We need athletic directors who are willing to be inclusive in a substantive way – and that is the only way to do it. It just cannot be a superficial, check-the-box kind of the thing.”

The result, Williams said, makes everyone stronger.

“In basketball, you should not have a starting five that are all centers. … There is strength in having a balanced team in sports – that is a given, and I see the same in administration,” she said. “There is strength in having balance and diversity because you allow yourself to hear different opinions and different experiences, to make sure we are making informed decisions. If everyone thinks like me, I am not so sure we are making completely informed decisions. That is why I think there is strength in diversity.”

The podcast closed with Williams’ words of advice.

“Before we go,” Couric said, “for anyone out there wanting to step up, to become a Muffet McGraw or a Carla Williams, here’s some advice from a pro.”

Then came Williams’ voice:

“Always do more than what is expected of you. Do more, do extra. That has helped me as a student-athlete, in the gym getting more shots, or staying in the weight room a little bit longer. Or, as a coach, staying at the gym a little bit longer to recruit and see more players after your colleagues have already left,” she said. “Doing extra, just doing more, going the extra mile to learn more. Outwork … don’t work 24 hours a day, but when you are working, make sure that you are working really hard and really smart.”

Listen to the full podcast below. Williams’ interview begins around the 26:30 mark.