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KC2026 Adds Four Key Staff Positions

KC2026 has expanded with four new appointments of key positions. Photo credit: Will Crow.

Posted November 25, 2024

KC2026, the nonprofit planning the FIFA World Cup 26 in Kansas City, has added four new members to key positions.

Lindsey Douglas, Director of Integrated Operations; Mallory Cage, Director of Fan Festival and Events; Matt Smith, Director of Marketing; and Kateri Hartman, Social Media and Content Manager have joined KC2026, according to a release.

Lindsey Douglas, director of integrated operations for KC2026. Photo credit: KC2026.

Before joining the organization, Douglas was a project manager for Burns & McDonnell for over a year. Additionally, she served as the deputy secretary of transportation for the state of Kansas from 2019 to 2022. She will work with government agencies and the city of Kansas City, Missouri on shared work packages, projects, and will manage the funding reporting and procurement requirements across jurisdictions.

Mallory Cage, director of fan festival and events for KC2026. Photo credit: KC2026.

As the director of Fan Festival and Events, Cage will be responsible for overseeing the FIFA Fan Festival, a celebration held in all host cities. Cage has over a decade of event strategy and execution experience, having worked with organizations such as the Fiesta Bowl in Phoenix, Augeo Marketing, and the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation. Before her new role, Cage was an account director at Augeo for nearly four years.

Matt Smith, director of marketing for KC2026. Photo credit: KC2026.

As director of marketing, Smith will be responsible for the planning and implementation of KC2026 marketing strategies as well as other FIFA World Cup campaigns and community events. Smith was the marketing director for Dimensional Innovations over three years. Past clients he has worked with in his career include the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Wendy’s, DICK’S Sporting Goods, Intel and Gatorade.

Kateri Hartman, social media and content manager for KC2026. Photo credit: KC2026.

As social media and content manager, Hartman will focus on developing digital strategies to help drive engagement and establish communication paths for fans and target audiences. She was previously the assistant athletic director of marketing and promotions at the University of Nebraska Omaha.

Kansas City will host six games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City is hosting four group stage matches on Tuesday, June 16; Saturday, June 20; Thursday, June 25 and Saturday, June 27.

The next match will be played on July 3 as part of the round of 32 tournament. The final match of the quarter-finals is on Saturday, July 11.